The Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations all made their mark on this rich territory long before the Europeans arrived, but the most awe-inspiring evidence of ancient life is found at Moundville, a Mississippian-culture settlement that thrived near present-day Tuscaloosa from around 1000 to 1450 CE. At its height, it housed nearly a thousand people within its earthwork mounds, with tens of thousands more living in the surrounding Black Warrior River Valley. The mounds that remain today are substantial and visible at the Moundville Archeological Museum.
When Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto came through the territory in 1540 with an army of roughly 500 men, he was looking for gold. He didn’t find any, but he did manage to spark one of the bloodiest confrontations between Europeans and Native Americans in North American history, clashing with Choctaw chief Tuscaloosa and his warriors. The Spanish eventually gave up on the region, but the French had other ideas. In 1702, brothers Pierre and Jean Baptiste LeMoyne established Fort Louis on Mobile Bay, which would later become the city of Mobile — the first permanent European settlement in Alabama. Over the next century, France, Britain, and Spain each took their turn flying their flags over the territory. By 1813, the young United States finally drove the Spanish out of Mobile for good, and American settlement quickly followed.
After General Andrew Jackson’s decisive defeat of the Creek Nation at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814, Congress carved the Alabama Territory out of the Mississippi Territory in 1817, and in December 1819, Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state. Alabama wasted no time growing into a cotton powerhouse — though one built on the foundation of nearly a half-million enslaved people. More than 10,000 escaped to serve the Union Army during the Civil War, fighting for their freedom in any way they were allowed.
The 20th century brought Alabama onto the world stage in both painful and important ways. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing by Ku Klux Klan members killed four young girls. The Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965 — and the brutal confrontation on the Edmund Pettus Bridge that became known as Bloody Sunday — made the nation confront its racism and helped pave the way for the Voting Rights Act.
Today, Alabama is known for its connection to space. Huntsville earned the nickname “Rocket City” when NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center was established there in 1960. Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun led the team that developed the Saturn V rocket, which sent the Apollo astronauts to the moon. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville is one of the largest space museums in the world, and a place I’ve visited on both trips to the area. Seeing the Space Shuttle, as well as the Saturn V rocket, in person awed me and thrilled Hawke. Nearby, in Decatur, the ULA rocket manufacturing facility builds the Vulcan Centaur rocket. (In my classes at Willow Tree Fabrics, there were so many rocket scientists, it kinda blew my mind!)
No journey through Alabama’s history and heart would be complete without talking about the Gee’s Bend quilters. From the tiny, remote community of Boykin — accessible for years only by ferry — a group of African American women created quilts so bold, geometric, and unique that they eventually landed in the Smithsonian and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Their work is considered among the most extraordinary expressions of American folk art, and it is deeply, distinctly, proudly Alabamian. It was a joy to get a sewing lesson from the quilters, meander through the quilts displayed and I picked up a copy of “Pearl and her Gee’s Bend Quilt” by Tangular Irby.
At the northern end of the state, you’ll find the small town of Florence where you can find the Alabama Chanin offices, their School of Making, and their shop with both ready-to-wear garments and supplies to make your own.
When I drove to visit their offices, I passed a sign for Muscle Shoals–a name that sounded familiar and I couldn’t remember why. With a quick Google search, I found that the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield is iconic for the array of musicians who have recorded there, including Cher, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson and The Black Keys. Today, you can tour the facilities and get a taste of music history made in Sheffield.
You’ll also find the birthplace of Helen Keller, an inspiration for me in her obstinance and positivity. Her quote is one of my favorite and has been the quote I have kept in mind for much of my life.
Quilt Block
Improv piecing might be new to you (or maybe you already love it!), but it is a style with a long history and is evident in all the Gee’s Bend quilts. For the Alabama block, we’ll let the rules go, leave the ruler on the table and step into the freedom that is improv piecing. Grab your scraps, pull up the tutorial, and make a block for Alabama with me.
Quilt Shops
- Sweet Home Quilting and Supplies in Madison is the only shop in Alabama carrying Cherrywood hand-dyed fabrics — a distinction that alone makes it worth a detour. They’re also an INNOVA Longarm Sales and Training Center, so whether you’re after gorgeous fabric or a machine upgrade, this shop delivers.
- The Sewing Room in Birmingham describes itself as the largest heirloom sewing store in the area, and it earns that title with a truly one-of-a-kind mix: quilting cottons from Tula Pink, Lori Holt, and Free Spirit alongside French laces, embroidery supplies, and smocking resources.
- Southern Charm Quilting in Huntsville lives up to its name with a warm, welcoming atmosphere and a fabric selection that stretches from traditional to thoroughly modern.
- Cassity’s Nest in Foley is the sweetest little coastal town shop — classes, sew days and custom cut kits. It’s the perfect stop if you’re already heading toward the Gulf Coast.
- Willow Tree Fabrics in Decatur is filled with far more than just quilting fabric. They have an impressive selection of cottons, as well as Cuddle®, upholstery fabrics, pillow forms, embroidery supplies and an enormous classroom space.
I can’t wait to see your Alabama block! If you live in or have visited Alabama, leave a comment. I’d love to hear more about it!
P.S. If you’d rather swing to precision for Alabama, you could always choose a LeMoyne Star instead!