Gee's Bend Pettway Quilt Design Oblong Silk Scarf

The extraordinary craftswomen of Gee's Bend, Alabama, have nurtured the art of quilting since the 19th century.

Women enslaved on the cotton plantation established by Gee in 1816 initiated the practice out of necessity for warmth, and it burgeoned into a tradition passed down through the generations. Astonishing in their originality, each abstract quilt interweaves history and narrative, resourcefulness and innovation.

This scarf design recreates Housetop and Bricklayer with Bars (ca. 1955), a pattern by Gee's Bend quilter Lucy T. Pettway (American, 1921–2004). This exceptional textile appears to be intentionally pictorial; Pettway realized an imaginary aerial view of the old Pettway plantation, formerly belonging to Joseph Gee.

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85% modal, 15% silk, 50 × 38 in.