Kith and Kin: The Quilts of Gee’s Bend - by Chrissie

This was a small exhibition held at the American Museum in Bath and well worth a visit. It focused on the tradition of quilts made in Gee’s Bend, a remote river island in Alabama and a community with its roots in slavery.

They were all relatively modern quilts, although the traditional way the quilts are constructed has been passed down through the generations. The designs were almost all improvised with vibrant colours and a lot of recycled fabrics from clothing. It was mostly hand pieced and hand quilted, there was very little machine piecing or quilting evident.

My favourite piece was a multi- coloured quilt by Mary Lee Bendolph, it reminded me of a modern art textile in its freedom of piecing and quilting.