Gee's Bend

 A group of friends and I went to Columbia, SC on Tuesday to see the exhibition of Gee's Bend quilts at the main library there.  First of all, let me just say that the library was amazing.  Huge--by our standards--and such a wonderful space.  My fingers were just itching to go into the stacks and have a look around.  But--on to the main purpose for being there . . .

 Like most of you, I've heard about the Gee's Bends quilts for quite a while and was looking forward to seeing them.  Now, I'm not much into sloppy work, so I had a little prejudice before I went--but quickly got into the spirit of it once I was there.  These quilts are so strongly graphic.  They just really grab you.  And although some of the fabrics they use are not conventionally used by quilters, they suit the quilts.  We saw a video while we were there where some of the women were interviewed and one of them exclaimed that she didn't know what they were talking about when they described her quilt as a work of "art."  She said that it was JUST a bedcover.  Well, bedcover or not, the thing that struck me was that these women were letting their inner spirits be expressed while not being concerned about a bunch of rules held by conventional quilters and, as a result, ended up with a quilt that--while being made from whatever happened to come to hand at the moment--was more than just a bedcover.  It was art from the soul.  How many of us truly do that?  Do we worry about what others are going to think about our work or do we just let it flow?  Well, there was a LOT of flowing going on here.

After we left the library, we moved on to Creative Sewing--a really nice quilt shop/sewing machine dealership--also in Columbia.  I managed to restrain myself there but when we got to Hobby Lobby I found myself immersed in the beads.  I add beads to many of my quilts--nothing fancy--just what I feel it needs at the time.  I had said myself over and over again, "Self, you do NOT need another time consuming hobby or interest."  Well, I just couldn't help it.  I came across a book that I absolutely could not resist.  The pictures were so wonderful and, hopefully, fully explanatory that I was visualizing a wonderful necklace hanging around my neck.  The book is Beaded Colorways by Beverly Gilbert.  And, of course, if you get it on Amazon it is not as expensive (but I couldn't wait.  And also, the last time I DID wait, the book cost more because it was out of print.).  And then, of course, I had to get more beads because, after all, I am now working towards a goal of making a necklace.  Oh please, protect me from myself!  If I were you, I wouldn't be holding my breath waiting for the pics of the finished project but it'll be there someday.