Gee's Bend Pettway Quilt Oblong Silk Scarf

 The brilliant design on this scarf recreates Housetop and Bricklayer with Bars (ca. 1955), a pattern by Gee's Bend quilter Lucy T. Pettway (American, 1921–2004).

This exceptional textile is Pettway's realization of an imaginary aerial view of the old Pettway plantation, formerly belonging to Joseph Gee.

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.

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85% Model, 15% Silk, 50 × 38 in.