Lue Ida McCloud

Ms. Lue Ida McCloud was born in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, and learned the traditions of Gee’s Bend quiltmaking as a young girl from her mother and grandmother. Shortly after graduating high school, she moved to New York City, where she built a successful career and later became a division chief secretary at JP Morgan.

In 1990, Ms. Lue Ida returned home to care for her young niece after the loss of her sister. After another sister passed, she took on the responsibility of raising her sisters’ children. Not long after returning to Gee’s Bend, she began quilting again, reconnecting with the skills she learned in childhood. She finds deep peace and comfort in quilting and often describes it as a place where she can truly get lost.