Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt

• #18 in Best Architecture Books

13 Reviews

Sort by: Most Helpful ▲ Date Rating

This book illustrates the link between the incredibly beautiful quilts produced by five generations of African American women in the South to the architecture they saw around them and to their own artistic vision. Their personal stories, contained in chapters toward the end of the book, are very moving and inspirational.

This book shows the Gees Bend quilts in all their gorgeous and unself-conscious art, as well as telling the story of these women, descended from slaves in an isolated community, who created this amazing abstract art. A wonderful book, with many color photos of the quilts.

This book is gorgeous!!! It includes large photographs of tons of quilts, in a size that allows you to see the smallest details, such as topstitching. It also includes inspirational photos of details of the town. However, it's not your typical coffe table book, because it has probably equal parts very informative text and visuals. Since it's not small enough to carry with me on the train, it's been hard separating myself from this book-- it is beautiful!

I like this book because it is full of information about the construction of the quilts and alot of trivia about the makers of the quilts. Very beautiful pictures! A great book for learning.

Wonderful book full of pictures and inspiration, and the story of the Gees Bend Quilts.

If you liked the Gee's Bend Quilt exhibit, then you have to have this book as well as the one before it The Quilts of Gee's Bend: Masterpieces from a Lost Place and the one after it, Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend Quilts, and Beyond, which focuses upon the work of Mary Lee Bendolph, perhaps the greatest living Gee's Bend Quilter. There are others, too. These women are worth supporting in any way you can. They are truly great artists. Other gems to seek out are The Quilts Of Gee's Bend the video on them made by Vanessa Vadim and and Tim Arnett and the CD collection of Gee's Bend music made both in the 30s, when the FSA became aware of the artistry of Gee's Bend, and at the time of the recent exhibition of Gee's Bend's Quilts which is still touring the world.

I am really enjoying reading and looking at the pictures of the quilts in this book. I have met several of the ladies and decendants of the Gee' Bend Quilters and find their stories so interesting. The quilts definitely do define the quilters, their strengths and weaknesses, their ups and downs. I recomend this book to anyone who holds quilts near and dear to their hearts.

I was fortunate to see the exhibit in Denver. Then I bought the book. There are new quilts and information about the styles, designs and the stories of the quilters and their lives! Out of poverty and necessity, these quilts were created. Not one single inch was wasted. We are fortunate to have as many as we do now of the old styles because in the winter when the quilt was no longer useful as a cover or to put under the mattress to keep the cold out, it was burned to keep warm.
I also bought the CD with the stories and songs they sang as they quilted together.
Lovely experience!

This book is a true inspiration. Amazing background information and stories on the participants in this historical part of American quilting culture with lovely photos of these beautiful and unique quilts.
The shipping all the way to Australia was prompt, with the book arriving in perfect condition.

The art of quilting taken to the highest degree in the best tradition of passing down the passion from one generation to the next.

Interesting and inspiring! I loved the stories of the quilters - real people who were extraordinary and humble.

The stories of the women of Gee's Bend, as told by themselves, touch ones heart and should remind us of a time when one used what you had and met the challenge of creating such things of beauty as their quilts. They definitely thought "outside the box" and broke all the rules of quilting to produce some splendid pieces of art. Primative? yes, but their artistic eye as shown in their work, places their work on a level with the great artists of the world. Great photos of the ladies and wonderful color pictures of the quilts. I would recommend the book for artists as well as quilters.

This book is great, and the pictures are wonderful. I'm studying for an upcoming exhibition and I am very satisfied.