"Star"—ten-block variation

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    Photo: Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio
1937
Cotton
81 x 72 inches
Collection of
Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Description

Personal stylistic differences show clearly, even within nuclear families: Ella Mae Irby, her daughter Linda Diane Bennett, and her niece Stella Mae Pettway made "Star" quilts characterized by rich color (Ella Mae), dramatic design contrasts (Linda Diane), and a little of both (Stella Mae). Nettie Young's pair of "Star" quilts from the mid-1930s show a quiltmaker's mind in action. In the six-pointed star, she saw a latent arrowhead shape and reassembled it into some of the most compelling "Star" blocks in Gee's Bend.