Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt

This collection of poems that tell the story of the quilt-making community in Gee's Bend, Alabama, is now available as a Dragonfly paperback.

For generations, the women of Gee's Bend have made quilts to keep a family warm, as a pastime accompanied by sharing and singing, or to memorialize loved ones. Today, the same quilts hang on museum walls as modern masterpieces of color and design. Inspired by these quilts and the women who made them, award-winning author Patricia C. McKissack traveled to Alabama to learn their stories. The lyrical rite-of-passage narrative that is the result of her journey seamlessly weaves together the familial, cultural, spiritual, and historical strands of life in this community.


About the Author
PATRICIA C. McKISSACK is the author of the Caldecott Honor Book Mirandy and Brother Wind and the Newbery Honor Book The Dark-Thirty. She and her husband, Fred, have written over a hundred books about the African American experience. She has also received the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children's books and the Virginia Hamilton Award. To get a feel for the lives of the quilters she describes in this book, Pat traveled to Gee's Bend, Alabama, where she spent several days with the quilt makers and even got a quilting lesson.

COZBI A. CABRERA is the illustrator of the picture books Thanks a Million and Beauty, Her Basket. She is also recognized for her handmade textile work, which includes quilts and clothing. Her collectible cloth dolls (muñecas) received national attention when they were featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Martha Stewart Show. You can visit her website at cozbi.com.