The years have recontextualized the Gee's Bend quilts in many ways. The quiltmakers originally started quilting as a way to keep their families warm. The performance aspect of the group was mainly between the members. As the quilts have gained more attention, they are taken out of their "original" context and placed in museums and art shows, and opened up to the scrutiny of an audience exoteric to the group (Bauman, 2004, 9). Those exoteric to the Gee's Bend group often try to force the quilts into a stylistic box. In a sense, they are trying to differentiate the quilts of Gee's Bend from those of "mainstream" American quilting groups to affirm their artistry (Klassen, 2009, 320-321).

 

While it is true that Gee's Bend quilts do have unique characteristics, they also do share patterns and stylistic similarities to "mainstream" American quilts. However, they often recontextualize them to suit their resources and values (Sohan, 2015, 304). For example, the quilt on the top left by Lucy Mingo shows notable similarities to log cabin quilts (represented on the bottom left) that have been popular in the United States for centuries. The Gee's Bend quilt, however, makes use of repurposed materials and does not have the same pattern of shape throughout the quilt. Both quilts do play with color and patterned fabric. The folk members recontextualize the text (the quilt pattern) into the context of the Gee's Bend folk group, which values irregularity and differentiation between quilts.