Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking

October 4, 2025–January 11, 2026 | Fifth Third Gallery
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Indigo, an ancient botanical pigment, produces shades of blue from pale sky to inky midnight. Most natural dyes fade relatively quickly, but indigo is colorfast—it may lighten over time but always remains blue. For thousands of years, people around the world have treasured textiles dyed with indigo. A synthetic version, developed in the 1880s, still colors today’s blue jeans. This exhibition presents twenty quilts created between the early 1800s and 2015. Each one incorporates fabric dyed with indigo. The quilts on view showcase a range of indigo dyeing techniques as well as the skill, design sensibility, and artistry of the women who made them. Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking is organized by the International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, home to the largest public collection of quilts in the world.

Whole Cloth Quilt with “Flying Geese” Border, 1820–1840, possibly Hudson River Valley, New York, hand-pieced and hand-quilted cotton, 102 x 82 in. (259 x 208 cm). International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2010.051.0001
A colorful quilt stitched together in a random pattern, featuring blues, pinks, yellows, creams, and orange.
Rella Hall Thompson (American, b. about 1878), “String Squares” Quilt, about 1925, Franklin County , North Carolina, hand-pieced and hand-quilted cotton, 85 x 68 1/2 in. (216 x 174 cm). International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Donated by Kathlyn F. Sullivan in honor of the Thompson, Alston and Cooke family of Franklin County, NC, 2019.123.0001
“LeMoyne Star” Doll Quilt, 1820–1840, United States, hand-pieced cotton, 22 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. (57 x 47 cm). International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Jonathan Holstein and Gail van der Hoof Collection, 2003.003.0392

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More to Discover

Indigo: The Ancient Color in Your Closet

by Angela Fuller, Assistant Curator

Most plant dyes produce warm earth tones that fade away relatively quickly, but indigo’s distinctive, cool hues are colorfast; they may lighten over time, but always remain blue. Explore the history of indigo and how its dyes have been used from the past to the present.

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Plan Your Visit

Expand your visit beyond the galleries to discover the museum’s wide array of events and programs, retreat in the beautiful downtown garden, find a Cincinnati keepsake in the Museum Shop, or expand your culinary palate in the Taft Café. 

Exhibition Sponsors

Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking is organized by the International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

  • Exhibition Support Generously Provided by

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