Quilt Details
Maker Sheila Frampton Cooper
Location Martinique, France
Date 2017
Detail images:
While exhibiting her work in France, quilter Sheila Frampton Cooper visited the ochre mines of Roussillon. The deep ochre color and lush greenery mixed with facades of man-made buildings inspired her quilt “Ruins of Roussillon.” Frampton Cooper describes this scenery as “a direct influence on my palette.”
Used to create paint, stucco, and more, ochre mining became a crucial part of the economy in Roussillon in the 19th century until synthetic dyes overtook the natural dye market. Using a mix of commercially dyed and hand dyed fabrics, Frampton Cooper’s quilt subtly tells this story of industrialization and the mass-marketability of fabrics after synthetic dyes became more easily accessible than natural dyes like ochre. Much like the growth of a plant, Frampton Cooper’s improvisational quilts are built from the center out, or “growing from a nucleus” as she says.
Frampton Cooper soon fell so in love with France that she relocated there for a time, eventually creating an entire series of quilts inspired by the natural wonders of the country.
Additional Quilt Information:
Materials Cotton fabric, cotton batting and quilted with embroidery thread.
Technique Improvisational piecing with hand-dyed cotton. Free-motion quilting.
Dimensions 28″ x 33″
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