Interesting look at the economic impact of the most recent quilt festival in #GeesBend - 2.5K visitors doesn’t seem like a lot, but apparently that number is growing, not slowing

https://www.alreporter.com/2026/02/03/airing-of-the-quilts-generates-economic-benefit-for-alabamas-black-belt/

#Quilting #QuiltingNews

Airing of the Quilts generates economic benefit for Alabama’s Black Belt

The 2025 Airing of the Quilts Festival drew its largest crowd ever, generating more than $700,000 in visitor spending for the Black Belt.

Alabama Political Reporter

“Recently, various groups involved with #GeesBend have rallied around a new strategy to develop an economy around the quilts: cultural tourism. The hope is that more visitors will come to the area to buy quilts, attend workshops and retreats, and gain an understanding of the work that can only be appreciated in person, directly from the culture bearers themselves.”

https://www.wallpaper.com/design-interiors/gees-bend-quilters-alabama

#Quilting #QuiltingNews

Can tourism preserve the legacy of the Gee's Bend quilters?

The women of Gee's Bend, Alabama had been crafting intricate quilts for generations. Then the museums came calling

Wallpaper*

Not a lot of quilt pictures, but some fascinating quilt history in this article, including “Dinah Miller (née Jenkins) was the earliest known quiltmaker in Gee’s Bend … Illegally kidnapped from West Africa, torn from her family, and sold into slavery as a young girl in 1860, Miller was brought to Alabama—likely aboard the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to enter United States waters”

https://www.seegreatart.art/dinah-miller-the-earliest-known-named-quilter-of-gees-bend/

#Quilting #QuiltingNews #GeesBend

Mary Ann Pettway modeling one of her quilts at our #Geesbend #quilting retreat in Raymond,Mississippi
#ninepatch
My quilting retreat project
#Geesbend
#quilting
#geesbend quilting retreat
Raymond, Mississippi
#quilting

Traveling exhibit of Gee’s Bend quilters coming to a few places in New York, including some lectures, workshops and demonstrations over the next couple weeks

https://www.seegreatart.art/next-generation-gees-bend-quilters-have-show-in-new-york/

#Quilting #QuiltingNews #GeesBend

Next generation Gee's Bend quilters have show in New York

These third and fourth generation Gee’s Bend women learned the art and techniques from their mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers.

See Great Art
Mary Ann Pettway, demonstrating her hand -quilting technique at a workshop in Raymond,Mississippi. Mary Ann is the manager of the #Geesbend Quilt Collective and a descendant of the enslaved women of Gees Bend,”whose quilts are among the most important African-American visual and cultural contributions to the history of art within the US.”
#blackhistorymonth #quilting

Bought the Target #GeesBend #Quilt hoodie, the piece I liked the best from the #BlackHistoryMonth collection. It’s comfy, but disappointingly there's no front pocket

Also, feel like it runs small so check the size chart if you like a roomier fit

https://www.target.com/p/black-history-month-adult-gee-39-s-bend-hoodie-beige-green-blue-xl/-/A-89174862

Black History Month Adult Gee's Bend Hoodie - Beige/Green/Blue XL

Read reviews and buy Black History Month Adult Gee's Bend Hoodie - Beige/Green/Blue XL at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.

Just boosted a post about reproductions of Gee's Bends quilts for upholstery. I have mixed feelings about this. But really, if it piques your interest, check out https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers and discover more about them.

Plus, you can find one of my favorite quilts there, made by Annie Mae Young. https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/annie-mae-young

https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/annie-mae-young/work/work-clothes-quilt-center-medallion-strips

#quilts #GeesBend

Gee's Bend | Souls Grown Deep