I’ve talked about barn quilts, which I just learned about this year, and a new trend that I am seeing starting are barn quilt trails. These are noted ‘trails’ that take people from one barn quilt to the next, typically as a way to promote agricultural tourism.
Quilt 1- ‘Medallion with Checker Board Center’
Patty Ann Williams, 1898-1972
And I’ve talked about Gee’s Bend. There aren’t many barns in Gee’s Bend, but there is a Quilt Trail! This quilt trail was established in 2007-2008. The quilts are painted by Tyree McCloud on wood and they are about the size of a traditional barn quilt. But instead of being hung on a barn, these are placed around Gee’s Bend close by the homes or home sites where the quilts were made.
Quilt 2- ‘Blocks and Stripes’
Annie Mae Young, 1928-
Yesterday, You might have noticed the stamp poster that I was standing in front of with Mary Ann Pettway at the Quilt Collective. This commerative stamp set was issued in 2006 and these stamps are the inspiration for the Gee’s Bend Quilt Trail!
Quilt 3- ‘Pig in a Pen’ Medallion
Minnie Sue Coleman, 1926-
Quilt 4- ‘Housetop- Four- Blocks. Half Log Cabin’ variation
Lottie Mooney, 1908-1992
Quilt 5- ‘Medallion’
Loretta Pettway, 1942-
Quilt 6- ‘Housetop’
Mary Lee Bendolph, 1935-
Quilt 7- ‘Nine Patch’
Ruthy Mosely, 1926-
Quilt 8- ‘Roman Stripes’ variation or Crazy Quilt
Loretta Pettway, 1942-
Quilt 9- ‘Bars and String- Pieced Columns’
Jessie T. Pettway, 1929-
Ok, I have to be honest… I was super excited to visit Gee’s Bend, but there’s really nothing else there except the Collective. I mean people live there, so there are homes, but in the way of anything else to do… Nothing… Except driving around finding each and every one of the wooden quilts on the trail!
They arent’ that easy to find. Most of them are, but there’s a few down different little streets. And I kept turning us around, go this way, go that way, let’s try this road… There were a couple of people hanging out on this one corner and I think we drove by them about 5 times! They probably thought we were crazy! So I kept trying to find roads we could take so we wouldn’t have to keep driving by them while we were exploring, but despite my best efforts, we kept ending up right back at that corner!
Quilt 10- ‘Chinese Coins’ variation
Alonzia Pettway, 1923-