Just 256 miles away from where I live in Mississippi is a small, predominantly black hamlet called Boykin, AL. Perched in the twists and turns of the Alabama River, inspired by the bend in the river that surrounds Boykin, the area is often referred to by its nickname, Gee?s Bend. After emancipation in 1863, the area […]

Image above: Three quilters of Gee’s Bend, taken by Carol M. Highsmith for the Library of Congress on The Spruce. 
We?ve probably all seen a quilt that was inspired by a Gee?s Bend quilt. The geometric shapes and uneven lines, the colorways and imperfect stitching, all together presenting a beautiful work of art. I can remember about 10 years ago when I saw my first Gee?s Bend quilt up close. I was at my neighbor?s house and I walked into the guest room, only to see the most beautiful quilt hanging on the wall. My neighbor mentioned that he had recorded and produced a gospel record by the women of Gee’s Bend and that was their gift to him. It was a Gee?s Bend Work Clothes style quilt, complete with writing on the denim, giving you a small peek at who once wore the discarded jeans. The magnitude of this gift was not lost on the recipient and it is truly cherished by him. The next time I saw a large collection of Gee’s Bend quilts was when my local museum had a show of about 30 of the quilts. I walked through the exhibit overwhelmed, knowing the hard work and community love that went into each piece, but sad to know that some of the...