Customer Reviews

Gee's Bend: The Women and Their Quilts

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I have seen the exhibition of the Gee's Bend quilts at the Whitney museum three times. The quilts of Gee's Bend are simple, graphic, and stunning. Although I own the smaller of the Gee's Bend quilt books and the video about the quiltmakers, I find that I want to know and see much more. I have thumbed through this book at the museum and am delighted that it is full of lush photographs of so many more quilts. At the top of my holiday list of things I must have, is this, the larger of the Gee's Bend quilt books.

The Quilts of Gee;s Bend is much more than a beautiful coffee table book. It is that, too, of course. The book is filled with social history of this small place near Selma, Alabama. I've been lucky enough to visit Gee's Bend and see the quilt-making process. The Whitney Museum exhibit must have been wonderful. Sunday Morning on CBS did a story on the exhibit. The quilters traveled to New York for the opening and entertained the guests with their singing. That's what Gee's Bend is like: A rich yet poor stop on the road where women made the best of what they had and turned out great art in the process.

The Quilt's of Gee's Bend exhibit was at the Corcoran in Washington DC earlier this year. I went 3 times with different people. Enjoyed each visit like it was the first! I saw the book then, but I am buying it now. It is informative and inspirational (my mother and I are working on our first quilt together and have others planned). The book has so many examples of the fine workmanship and talent and beauty that grew out of their necessity. Get this book! If you're luck enough to go to the exhibit - do it! - at least once!

I believe Country Home wrote an article about these woman and pictured them and some of the quilts. I found it fascinating! It made me thankful for what I've got and showed me that beauty is everywhere -- its just a matter of how you interpret the world around you. Erin