Aolar Mosely, Mary Lee Bendolph & Essie Pettway, Mothers Day

On the banks of the Alabama River, in the small and isolated community of Gee’s Bend, lives the story of Aolar Carson Mosely, a descendant of enslaved people and one of the founding members of the Freedom Quilting Bee.  Born in 1912, Aolar learnt to quilt from her mother at a very young age.

She would attend her mother’s quilting groups, watching learning, and helping her father build the quilting frames by collecting the poles in the woods while he nailed them together.

Quilting was born out of necessity in Gee’s Bend.  With no in-house heating, the women stitched together scraps of fabric, often from worn-out garments or feed sacks, to make blankets for warmth.  With limited materials and no formal patterns to follow, they developed a free and instinctive style, breaking with traditional quilting conventions through bold designs.  But first and foremost, they were created for functionality and everyday use.

Job prospects at Gee’s Bend were few and far between.  Families relied on seasonal work as a steady income was hard to come by.  Given the distinctive quilting style in the community and the extensive experience of the women, Aolar, together with a group of African American women, founded the Freedom Quilting Bee.  This cooperative helped women in the community sell their quilts and, with the proceeds, support their families.

Aolar passed on her quilting knowledge to her daughter, Mary Lee Be4ndolph (left in the image), who became a highly accomplished folk artist.  So much so that she earned the highest honour for folk and traditional arts, receiving the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.  Mary Lee brought an even freer spirit to her designs by allowing each quilt to evolve and unfold as she stitched, using endless creative ways to arrange geometric shapes.

The quilting tradition did not stop there.  Mary Lee’s daughter, Essie Bendolph Pettway, also learnt the craft, which she enjoys as a hobby.  She expanded her sewing skills beyond quilts, making clothes, throw pillows, and bedspreads, among other things.  Quilting in Gee’s Bend is a family affair, with knowledge shared among aunts, sisters, cousins, and in-laws.  It also extends beyond family, reaching neighbors and community members such as Loretta Pettway (centre) and Lucy Mingo (right), who stitch together, share techniques and ideas, and teach the next generation.

In Gee’s Bend, quilting is more than a craft.  It is a shared language of family and community, passing down knowledge, strengthening bonds, preserving tradition, and giving each new generation the confidence to find its own voice through quilting.