About the artist.

Based in Rhode Island, Mathilde was founded by Claudia Middendorf, a designer, quilter, traveler, and San Francisco transplant. Her studio overlooks the Blackstone River and is housed in a renovated mill building.

“There is a unique pleasure in combining and arranging materials. My studies at California College of the Arts and at the Rhode Island School of Design allowed handfuls of possibilities to deepen this passion. My most enduring discovery has been encountering the unpretentious wisdom of Wabi Sabi with its artful embrace of imperfection and simplicity. The qualities of Wabi Sabi are essential in my approach to making and remains my inspiration for new designs and home furnishings.

My travels in Latin America and Europe lifted my appreciation for textiles and its traditions. Quality and connection came to life when I encountered hand woven textiles in Guatemala, exquisite French embroideries, and the pleasure of sleeping under a down comforter in Zurich. Textiles invite interaction, and in these moments I saw and felt the balance between simplicity and design ingenuity. These impressions remained with me and evolved into the heirloom linen quilts I design today. The color palettes developed are full of rich neutrals, vivid color combinations with contrasting stitching and binding. The subdued palettes focus on texture alone and the ripples that it creates from years of use and washings.”