patricia mckissack
photo by steed media service |
Author, Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt
After Patricia McKissack finished her research on the women of the Gee’s Bend Quilt Collective in Rehoboth and Boykin, Ala., she found that in addition to learning a great deal about quilting, she was “inspired.”
“I had no idea what to expect, [but] after visiting them, it all fell into place. There’s a lot of love down there,” shares the St. Louis-based award-winning author of children’s books. “I knew I was going to write this book. I felt like a child learning from the masters … learning how to quilt the way these women learned to quilt. Each quilt is individual, one-of-a-kind, and each piece of fabric has a story attached to it.”
McKissack’s latest book Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt is a wonderful pictorial that offers more than just a history of the craft of quilting, it illustrates small- town traditions, faith, and a quality of life that’s absent from pop culture.
Although her latest book is marketed to young girls ages 6-10, it is a source of inspiration and information for women of all ages. Stitchin’ “is multigenerational and can be enjoyed by both men and women,” she shares. –yvette caslin
