Bow Tie
Lillie Mae Lee
c1960-1970
Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Cotton/polyester with polyester filling
76” x 80”
MSUM 7246.1; Gift of Cheryl Lyon-Jenness
Photo by Mark Eifert, all rights reserved Michigan State University Museum

Lillie Lee, who always pieced her quilts because she considers applique too slow, has a book on quilting, "but don't look at it much...I make up my own designs, because I can't do anyone else's. They never go together like they should."

Kalamazoo resident Lillie Lee made quilts for sale to supplement her income and as "pretties" on her bed.

By Marsha MacDowell from, African American Quiltmaking in Michigan