Aolar Mosely

Mosely was one of eleven children of the Elizabeth Pettway Carson and Sim Carson family. Her mother was very active in the quilting community and would often host quilting bees at their home.[4]

She married Wisdom Mosely in 1929. They had 17 children together. In 1932, they lost everything to a raid of their property by agents of the Camden merchant's estate. However, in 1935, her family benefited from New Deal program called the Resettlement Administration, followed by the Farm Security Administration. With assistance from the Resettlement Administration, she and her family bought a house and 116 acres of arable land in Gee's Bend.[4]

She developed dementia later in life. After her house caught fire in 1984, which destroyed all of her remaining quilts, she spent her remaining years living with her daughter, Mary Lee Bendolph.[4]

Mosely's mother taught her how to quilt at a young age. Her father bought her a sewing machine, and thus, she was one of the only people in Gee's bend to quit entirely by machine. Her family was a cornerstone of the quilting community, and even made frames from found wood for other quilters. She was a founding member of and tireless resource for the Freedom Quilting Bee. She prided herself on the efficiency with which the bee ran when she was managing it. "When they get there, they ain't got nothing to do but go to sewing."[4]

She worked for the bee until 1981 and then spent most of her time there volunteering. However, her earnings from the quilting bee allowed her to, over time, purchase a washing machine, indoor plumbing, and a freezer.[4]