We spent the day at the Gee’s Bend Collective, where Mary Ann quilts and sells Gee’s Bend Quilts and wall hangings and potholders. She gives workshops and lessons there too as well as taking care of the finances and inventory and anything else that needs to be done. It seems she’s always in demand for interviews or giving demonstrations and selling quilts to the bus loads of people who come by.
Mary Ann got me set up to work on my quilt then took care of business and tried to get another tiny quilt square started. But by the time she got to sew the bobbin in her sewing machine kept binding up and soon it was time to go home.
Nancy Pettway stopped by the Collective and visited for a while. There’s a bus coming from Birmingham this weekend so she dropped off some of her quilt squares to sell. I met Nancy yesterday at the African Dance and she has such a warm and easy manner I immediately felt comfortable with her. “Let’s have a hug” she said when she was leaving, and wished me a good trip home tomorrow.
I sense a new direction? Very striking!
This is fabulous, I love it! Pockets imply stories to me – where have they been, what have they carried?
What an adventure! The quilt in the photo looks amazing..wish I could see the photographs on the wall behind them. Looking forward to reading more about the trip.
I love it!
Maria, I am so happy for you and I have enjoyed reading about your jouney and process. I remember now, seeing a documentary a long time ago about the Gee’s Bend quilters and I remember being astonished by the creativity and history of this tradition of quilting. So Happy for you!
Thanks Scott.