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Work-Clothes Quilt

2002
Mary Lee Bendolph (American, born 1935)

The women of Gee’s Bend, a small rural Black community in Alabama of about seven hundred residents, have been creating bold, visually distinctive quilts since at least the 1920s.

The denim work-clothes quilts of Gee’s Bend were ideal for chilly weather. The fabrics frequently retain evidence of their original use, including pockets and areas of wear and stains. Mary Lee Bendolph is one of the quilters who continue the local tradition of upcycling cast-offs into new forms.


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