“Trip Around the World”
Mural at Mennonite Central Committee’s Material Resources Center in Ephrata, PA
As part of my experience serving as the Sewing Room Intern at Mennonite Central Committee's Material Resources Center during the summer of 2025, I had the opportunity to design and paint this quilt-inspired mural on the warehouse wall outside the sewing room. The design features the seven official branding colors of MCC and is modeled after the "Trip Around the World" quilt pattern, which is significant to MCC in multiple ways.
the wall before the mural
initial sketches
The MCC staff at the Material Resources Center explained to me that they wanted a quilt-like design painted on the wall, as they had seen this done at other Material Resources Center locations. Other than this guideline and the time constraints of my eleven-week internship for which I had responsibilities other than the mural, I was given free reign of the project. I began by researching quilt designs and getting staff input on designs significant to the organization.
I decided to pursue the “Trip Around the World” quilt design, as many comforters donated to and by MCC feature this design. The name of the pattern is also significant to the work the organization does all around the world for “relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ.” Discovering that MCC has seven official colors for its branding purposes made these colors a perfect palette to use for the radiating geometric design.
mockups with color and placement variations
final choice of mockup on adobe illustrator
After deciding on the design and color palette, I used Adobe Illustrator to plan the sizing and positioning of the mural on the wall and to try various color arrangements. The Material Resources Center staff gave input in helping to select the final design placement and color arrangement. With some measuring and math, I decided that each square would be 10” x 10.” I printed out my digital mockup and labeled each square to help me keep track of which square was which.
measurements, planning, and labeling
gridding on the wall
I then moved to laying out a grid on the wall, using rulers and levels to draw each 10” x 10” square. Before painting each color, I put painter’s tape around the edges of each square of that color. I then painted a base layer of white primer and then two coats of color paint. I continued this process until all the squares were painted. I finished by going over the mural with small brushes in any areas that needed touch ups. I then prepared and delivered a culminating presentation as the completion of the mural project.
Finished!