Parish and Hadley worked with quilters from Selma, Alabama in the late 1960s to develop patchwork quilted yard goods. The Freedom Quilting Bee was born in the Civil Rights Movement as a way for poor black craftswomen to earn money for their families. Many of the group's members participated in Civil Rights demonstrations. Parish-Hadley collaborated with the Freedom Quilting Bee from 1967 to 1969, bringing old-fashioned quilts to high style publications. The partnership ended naturally with the Freedom Quilting Bee moving on to other contracts and Parish-Hadley moving on to other looks.