necessities’ art
salvaged scraps stitched carefully
an eye to beauty
Gees’ own winter count
Each maps a time’s history
unlikely treasures
Sad how often the world dismisses out of hand the work called women’s work.
The women of Gees Bend sewed their quilts of necessity to keep themselves and their families warm.
Just because they were necessary, didn’t mean they had to be ordinary. Anything worth doing was well. These are anything but ordinary. As vibrant and alive as any famous artist’s work, perhaps more so because they tell a story of a time as well as keep the maker and her family warm.
One woman made a quilt of all the clothing of her depar
Perle Champion 