Mary Margaret Pettway

Mary Margaret Pettway was born in 1963 in Gee's Bend and taught to quilt by her mother, Lucy T. Pettway. Mary always looked up to her mother’s quilt work and by the time she was 11, made her first quilt under the close supervision of Lucy T.  Mary went to college at the age of 17, began quilting again at 30 and has been quilting ever since. Mary loves to work with a mind toward the Gee’s Bend traditions, working with established pattern forms and making a departure into abstract design. Mary refers to abstract designs with the title of “My Way”. Mary’s design work gravitates toward structure and repeating patterns, what is often referred to in Gee’s Bend as, “Traditional Quilting”. Mary’s work is far from traditional in the literal sense as she pushes the boundaries of bold graphic patterns and complex color choices.

“ My Mother was an exacting teacher, you either did it right or you didn't do it at all, and by doing it at all you did it right. If it wasn't right, you had to cut the knot out of the thread and pull your stitches through. Take the whole thing loose start at the beginning. Long stitches did not suit her. Everybody wonders why I quilt with short stitches and that's the answer. I do this work the way I was taught. I was taught to use what you have to make what you need.  What I love about Gee’s Bend quilting is the alone time the peace that comes from doing the work, how calm we feel. That is what comes when doing this work. Quilting does take a lot of time, it brings peace of mind and you don't have to think about anything while you're quilting other than what is right in front of you.  People need to understand that when you're getting a Gee’s Bend quilt, keep in mind the stitch pattern is going to be unique with every piece and with every quilter. These quilts are made to last with real use over the years and are not intended just for museum display rooms.“ 

Mary Margaret Pettway was featured in the following gallery exhibitions:

My Way: The Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers and Contemporary Abstraction, Parts and Labor, Beacon, NY, 2020.

My Way: Gee's Bend Today, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York, 2025.

 

Click Here for available works by Mary Margaret Pettway