[2] In 1999 the Los Angeles Times featured Bendolph in the Pulitzer Prize-winning article "Crossing Over", about the effort to reestablish ferry service across the Alabama River.

She was raised in the quilting tradition, first taught by her mother, Aolar Mosely, at the age of 12,[5] just two years before she began having children.

Like her fellow Gee's Bend members, Bendolph elevated common textiles (such as denim and corduroy) into vibrant and dynamic compositions.

Attention from the formal art world has contributed to Bendolph's self-perception as an artist, in turn leading to a conscious attempt to make new work, such as her series of intaglio prints, which she made in collaboration with her daughter-in-law, Louisiana, in 2005.

[9][10] In 2006 her quilt "Housetop" variation appeared on a US Postal service stamp as part of a series commemorating Gee's bend quilters.