Loretta Pettway Bennett, Gee's Bend Quilter
About this episode
Loretta Pettway Bennett discusses her journey as a quilter from Gee's Bend, Alabama, and her unique approach to quilting.
A fifth-generation quilter from the legendary community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, Loretta Pettway Bennett turns well used cloth into her own expressions of color and community. Loretta Pettway Bennett began her quilting journey as a child, threading needles for her mother as she sewed scraps into bedcoverings. The women in the town of Gee’s Bend pieced quilt tops and got together to hand quilt their work, a tradition that spans decades. Loretta’s first quilt was an ambitious Flower Garden hexagon design that she cut and sewed entirely on her own when she was 12 years old. Half a century later, quilting is woven into Loretta’s life, as it is for her sister, aunts, cousins, and ancestors. Although quilting has always been part of her life, Loretta’s vision is uniquely her own. In the early 2000s, Loretta decided to embrace her own style and gave herself the freedom to enjoy making quilts in her own way. She decided to resist rules that seams line up perfectly or that only certain colors go together. Instead, she lets the quilt make itself and invites the colors to talk to each other. Working with thrifted and gifted material, she chooses the fabrics that speak to her (bright colors…
People in this episode
Guest: Loretta Pettway Bennett
Topics covered
- quilting
- Gee's Bend
- art
- community
- craftsmanship
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Places: Gee’s Bend, Alabama
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