I have such respect for quilters! I know that so much time, planning and heart go into making a quilt. When preparing for the Southeast region geography study, I came across an awesome story about Gee’s Bend quilts and their quilting bee history. Have you heard of Gee’s Bend before?
Gee’s Bend and Quilting
I read the book Stitchin’ and Pullin’ a Gee’s Bend Quilt (afflink) by Patricia C. McKissack. We loved the bold illustrations and the story of a little girl making her own quilt and learning the history and importances of the quilts of Gee’s Bend.
“Quilting is painting a poem with fabric.” ~ Patricia C. McKissack
Gee’s Bend (also known as Boykin) is a town in Alabama located on the Alabama River. It was named after Joseph Gee, a plantation owner. The African American ladies of Gee’s Bend gathered together to make quilts out of scraps of fabric, worn jeans, tablecloths–whatever they could find. They made these quilts to keep their families warm. Along the way they developed a distinctive style, noted for its lively improvisations and geometric simplicity. They have been quilting for six generations. They never would have guessed that these practical quilts would be hanging in art galleries as masterpieces of bold color and unique design.
Free Gee’s Bend Inspired Coloring Page
My oldest daughter drew these Gee’s Bend inspired quilt coloring pages for my students. My co-op class loved coloring them!
Click the image above to download the “Gee’s Bend coloring pages.”If you would like to share this free printable with others, please link to this post. Do not link directly to the PDF file.
Other Posts in This Series:
Learning about the Northwest Region of the U.S.A.
Learning about the Southeast Region of the U.S.A.
5 Regions of the U.S.A. Co-op Class
The quilts of Gee’s Bend are so colorful and beautiful! You can do a search on Pinterest to see many of the different designs. It’s well worth the look!
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