Meet Wesley Hall
Quilter. Speaker. Memphis born, Atlanta home. I've spent more than ten years making quilts and a good part of that time reading about the people who made them first.
The Quilter Behind Quilts by Big Wes
I started Quilts by Big Wes in 2013, and for most of the years since, it was a custom quilt business. Families brought me t-shirts, jerseys, a mother's blouses, and a father's work shirts, and I turned them into quilts. Hundreds of them. It was good work, and it taught me more about grief, pride, and closet space than I ever expected to learn.
In 2026 I closed the custom side for good. Quilts by Big Wes is now just me: the quilts I want to make and the talks I want to give. No order queue. No deadline set by somebody else's graduation date.
My day job is in digital analytics, which means I spend a lot of my time looking for patterns. Quilting turned out to be the analog version of the same obsession, just with better snacks.
10+
Years of quilting
Hundreds
Quilts made for families across the Atlanta metro
3
Universities where I've guest lectured
Quilting as a Discipline
I approach quilting the way any serious maker approaches their craft: with intention, attention to detail, and a genuine interest in getting better. I study the history of the form, particularly the traditions of African American quilting, and I bring that perspective to everything I make.
That background in quilt history, the study of Gee's Bend, Harriet Powers, the Underground Railroad canon, and the broader African American quilting tradition, informs how I think about fabric, pattern, and purpose.
The women of Gee's Bend made masterpieces out of work clothes and feed sacks, and the art world took its sweet time noticing. I try to keep that in mind. The fabric you have is usually enough. The eye is the hard part.
A Speaking Practice on Quilts and the Stories They Hold
These days most of my quilting energy goes into talks. I speak about narrative quilts and memory quilt techniques, how a quilt can hold and tell a family's story, and the practical craft of turning clothing into a keepsake. That conversation naturally draws on African American quilting traditions too, including the Underground Railroad quilt legend, Gee's Bend, Harriet Powers, and contemporary Black quilters.
The goal is the same whether I'm at a guild meeting or a university lecture hall: put the craft and its stories in front of people who love the form.
Three Audiences, One Conversation
The format adapts to the room. The subject matter doesn't.
Quilt Guilds
Regional guilds across Georgia and the Southeast, including the Greater Atlanta Modern Quilt Guild.
Academic Programs
Guest lectures at Howard University, Georgia Tech, and Lehman College on the history and craft.
Conferences
Invited talks at quilt conferences and cultural events that bring the history to wider audiences.
Let's Talk Quilts
If your guild, class, or group wants a talk on quilt history or memory quilt techniques, tell me about it.