Pick a Bale o' Cotton Quilt

A couple of years ago my mother gave me a few faded, but treasured, cotton seed sacks that belonged to her grandmother. My nana has told me stories about her. She was a fast cotton picker, and is said to have ginned it as she went. Ah, the heirlooms of the farm girl.


For a long time, I wondered how I could share, display, and preserve them. Last summer, inspiration struck.



The sacks were folded in a cabinet together with a vintage quilt top I had picked up and some striped linen. I pieced a simple top with the seed sack, then used the quilt top for the backing.



The quilt is pick-stitched right down the rows in the field. Every time I worked on it, this old song played in my mind.

Jump down, turn around to pick a bale of cotton
Jump down, turn around to pick a bale a day.
Jump down, turn around to pick a bale of cotton
Jump down, turn around to pick a bale a day.

Oh, pick a bale, yes pick a bale, oh pick a bale of cotton,
Oh, pick a bale and pick a bale
Oh, pick a bale a day.

Me and my gal can pick a bale of cotton,
Me and my gal can pick a bale a day.

(Chorus)

Me and my partner can pick a bale of cotton,
Me and my partner can pick a bale a day.

(Chorus)

Me and my papa can pick a bale of cotton,
Me and my papa can pick a bale a day.

The quilt now sits in my grandparents living room. I'm told that PawPaw fusses at Nana when it migrates from his chair to hers.