An authentic Gee’s Bend quilt typically costs anywhere from $500 to $13,000, but thanks to a new, nationwide collaboration with Target, interested buyers have a few more attainable options to support the rural Alabama quilters.
The massive retail corporation recently launched its Gee’s Bend by Target collection in celebration of Black History Month, which has been in the works since 2022. Items for sale include throw blankets, hoodies, tote bags, tumblers and jackets featuring the geometric quilting patterns unique to Wilcox County. Prices range from $5 for a quilted pouch to $40 for a blanket.
“The average person in Alabama, let alone in America, has never heard of Gee’s Bend, and now all of a sudden, we’re in a major box retailer,” fourth-generation Gee’s Bend native Teresa Fuller said. “Target has introduced our legacy to the world. We’ve gone from tradition to fashion, and that’s a major thing.”
Gee’s Bend is a historically Black community situated between Selma and Camden, and the quilting tradition there has been passed down through generations. It was born of necessity in the 1800s when slaves on a nearby cotton plantation made quilts to keep warm, and during the Civil Rights Movement, selling the quilts became a means for financial independence.