The Freedom Quilting Bee grew out of the Civil Rights movement. Local people lost work on farms after registering to vote in the nineteen sixties, and the women put their skills to use in earning family income. The Freedom Bee became the largest private employer in Alberta, Alabama.

The group's products included various sizes of quilts (Grandmother's Dream, Bear Claw, Grandmother's Choice and Coat of Many Colors), potholders, place mats and napkins.

The Bee produced conference bags for organizational meetings. These started at $5.95 for a natural background with a simple design in one color for 1 - 1000 bags. Among the groups that ordered these bags were RDLN, the Housing Assistance Council, United Methodist Women, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, American Express and Share Our Strength.