Jessie T. Pettway was born in 1929 in Primrose, Alabama to a single mother named Channie Pettway. They lived on a farm where they grew cotton, corn, peas, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables. Additionally, they raised livestock including goats and hogs. Pettway is associated with the Gee's Bend group of quilters. In 2006 her Bars and String-Pieced Columns quilt appeared on a U.S. postage stamp as part of a series commemorating the Gee's Bend quilters.