Bio
Kim Eichler-Messmer grew up in Iowa. She learned how to sew in 5th grade when she made a quilt with her father out of old shirts. She went on to study engineering, Spanish, Portuguese, drawing, and printmaking before taking a textiles class in 2000. Kim received an MFA in textiles from the University of Kansas in 2007. She was an Artist in Residence at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Kim currently lives in Kansas City where she does math daily, grows tomatoes, hugs cats, and teaches surface design and quilting in the Fiber department of the Kansas City Art Institute.
Artist's Statement
I create hand-made, one of a kind quilts with a dual purpose. They are equally at home on a bed (or in a crib) or on the wall. Inspired by color theory, mixing, and gradations, I hand dye all of my own fabric. The method I use is scientific, based on a ratio of weight of dye to weight of fabric to produce accurate, reproducible colors with minimal dye waste. I use only the highest quality quilter’s cotton or Kona cotton for the tops, backs, and binding, cotton quilting thread, and cotton batting that is free of chemicals, glues and resins.
My landscape quilts are inspired by the sky in the Midwest, especially right before or after a thunderstorm. I love to see strange color combinations and am constantly amazed and delighted by what Mother Nature has to offer. My own photographs of the sky act as starting points for the color use and proportion in each quilt. Each quilt top is pieced from a large number of different hand-dyed fabrics using my own custom dye recipes.
For More Information
Please visit my blog for more info on my studio, process, and general goodness. Also please visit my etsy shop.
Kim Eichler-Messmer grew up in Iowa. She learned how to sew in 5th grade when she made a quilt with her father out of old shirts. She went on to study engineering, Spanish, Portuguese, drawing, and printmaking before taking a textiles class in 2000. Kim received an MFA in textiles from the University of Kansas in 2007. She was an Artist in Residence at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Kim currently lives in Kansas City where she does math daily, grows tomatoes, hugs cats, and teaches surface design and quilting in the Fiber department of the Kansas City Art Institute.
Artist's Statement
I create hand-made, one of a kind quilts with a dual purpose. They are equally at home on a bed (or in a crib) or on the wall. Inspired by color theory, mixing, and gradations, I hand dye all of my own fabric. The method I use is scientific, based on a ratio of weight of dye to weight of fabric to produce accurate, reproducible colors with minimal dye waste. I use only the highest quality quilter’s cotton or Kona cotton for the tops, backs, and binding, cotton quilting thread, and cotton batting that is free of chemicals, glues and resins.
My landscape quilts are inspired by the sky in the Midwest, especially right before or after a thunderstorm. I love to see strange color combinations and am constantly amazed and delighted by what Mother Nature has to offer. My own photographs of the sky act as starting points for the color use and proportion in each quilt. Each quilt top is pieced from a large number of different hand-dyed fabrics using my own custom dye recipes.
For More Information
Please visit my blog for more info on my studio, process, and general goodness. Also please visit my etsy shop.
