More Quilts for Black History Month

My favorite of all the Gee's Bend quilts is Lazy Gal. Not sure why Qunnie Pettway called it that, but it's beautiful!

Qunnie Petway's Lazy Gal: 70" x 81"

And here is how I patterned this improvisational quilt:

My rendition of Lazy Gal: 52" x 62"

Here is the pattern sheet that shows a picture of Ms. Pettway and a bit of her bio. Remember, these ladies were quilting for UTILITY and not for show or to enter quilt shows. They are from a very poor town in Alabama which was named "Gee's Bend". Do a Google search and you can read the rich history.

Qunnie Pettway

Another favorite of mine is Strips and Strings. This was the MOST DIFFICULT for me to pattern. Can you see why?

Strips and Strings by Mary Bendolph: 74" x 49"

I literally pulled my hair out on this one. What do you think?

Strips and Strings by Debby Kratovil: 50" x 75"

Here is the bio sheet from the pattern about Mary Bendolph.

Bio information for Mary Lee Bendolph

I decided to make this pattern with some modern/current fabrics. Some Amy Butler; some Kaffe Fassett. It's a little wild, but just wanted to show you . . .

I sewed it around 2009. Added side borders. Beautifully quilted by Connie Gallant.  It waited about 3 years for the binding. Then I used my neighbor's beautiful white fence to photograph it. Like I said - a little wild!

My version of Strips and Strings with contemporary fabrics

Now you've seen 3 of the 8 quilts. These ladies were prolific in their quilting and there is a lot of good information online about both their history and their continued work. They do travel and teach still, I understand. I'll be posting the last 5 quilts next week (as there are only a few days left in Black History month!)