The Metropolitan Museum of Art Gee's Bend Pettway Nine-Block Square Scarf

Unique gifts for her. The extraordinary craftswomen of Gee's Bend, Alabama, have nurtured the art of quilting since the 19th century. Women enslaved on the cotton plantation established by Joseph Gee initiated the practice out of necessity for warmth, and it burgeoned into a tradition passed down through the generations. Astonishing in their originality, each abstract quilt interweaves history and narrative, resourcefulness and innovation. The design on this scarf pays homage to Martha Pettway's (American, 1911-2005) Nine-Block quilt, crafted in the 1930s and now in the Museum's Modern and Contemporary Art collection.