From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair
From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair
Author + Textile Artist/Illustrator Crystal C. Mercer
Images by Arshia Khan
8.5 x 11 Hardback, 36 Pages. ISBN: 978-1-944528-24-9; Paperback ISBN: 978-1-944528-33-1
It’s Wash Day! But Elise doesn’t want to wash her hair. Will a visit from her favorite Auntie CC, encouragement from her big sister, Gisele, a poem laced with magic, and a special gift passed down from the women who came before her be enough to change her mind?
Sprinkled with #BlackGirlMagic and an ode to cultural beauty, From Cotton to Silk encourages girls everywhere to appreciate their hair in its natural state and love themselves just the way they are. Its enchanting pages reveal 467 hours of hand-stitching poured into textile renderings that blend cloth, culture, and the superpowers of the kinky, curly coif.
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PRAISE
“An absolute love letter to my younger, tender-headed self. A warm, embracing, and absolutely needed story for the little girl in all of us.” —Korto Momolu, Fashion Designer and Style Curator, Project Runway Finalist
“From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair is a feast for the eyes and the spirit of all Black children. Crystal C. Mercer has blended fine art, quilting, and literary excellence!” —Bisa Butler, Fiber Artist, Storyteller
“Crystal C. Mercer weaves a colorful web of magic and sisterhood in From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair. From its first sentence, I was swept into its warm cocoon and delighted by intricately rendered tapestries, which adorn the book’s pages like treasured family quilts that keep the night air away. The love and wisdom of Auntie CC, Memaw, and all the women guiding little Elise and Gisele toward self-love and mutual care could light up the world—showing us all a path to better days.”—Danielle A. Jackson, Managing Editor, OXFORD AMERICAN
“Crystal C. Mercer’s textile wonder From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair is a love song to the Ancestors, a wish stitched to the stars for little Black girls everywhere to embrace the magic of their glorious hair. This book is alive with vibrant color and sacred imagery, imbued with a lineage of love, and hand-stitched with so much meticulous detail and beauty, the characters leap off the page and come to life. With the southern sweetness of Auntie CC’s voice echoing within, anyone who reads this book will feel held in her soft rhymes, embraced in her warm spirit, and enlightened in the ‘alchemy and adoration’ unlocking this precious legacy of locs.” —Kai Coggin, author of Periscope Heart, Wingspan, and Incandescent
PRESS
January 26, 2021. Arkansas Times. “‘Power to the Peaceful’: Five Questions with Crystal C. Mercer” by Stephanie Smittle.
December, 2020. The Idle Class, Winter 2020/ The Makers Issue, page 20. “Sewn Together” by Erin Lorenzen.
