The Community Indigo Quilting Project brings community members together through the shared wonder of indigo—how this one plant pigment has been worked with by cultures all over the world for thousands of years.
Throughout the project, community members were invited to share their cultural heritage and creative interests, and explore the roles plants play in their lives. Those discoveries were then woven directly into the community textile workshops.
The project featured free public workshops where participants co-created indigo dyed quilt blocks. During the workshops, each participant dyed two fabric squares—one to take home and one to contribute to the community quilt—and each person also received an indigo seedling (Persicaria tinctoria) to nurture at home.
Additionally, community members participated in free drop-in quilt-making sessions at the Chatham Parks and Recreation Arts Center in downtown Pittsboro, where they pieced the indigo creation together. Through the quilt, the seedlings, and the stories participants shared, the project will carry forward the idea that indigo belongs to everyone. It will honor indigo not only as a color or craft, but also as a living thread that runs through generations and across cultures, continents, and communities.
The finished quilt will be on display at locations throughout Chatham County over the next several months/years. Please join our email list to stay up-to-date on where you can see it next!
This community indigo project was independently conceived and led by a local community engagement facilitator, with partial funding provided through the Chatham Arts Council’s Creative Placemaking Initiative, supported by Chatham County.