I started watching HGTV when it started in Knoxville. In 1996 I was watching Simply Quilts as an antidote to my clinical rotations in school. I started to want to learn to quilt. I didn’t even know that a quilt was three layers sewn together. I bought a quilt book and it kept talking about quilting the top. I had no clue what they meant.

I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas but I didn’t get it. I guess my parents that thought was such an odd request from their tomboy daughter that they ignored it. I took my money (of which I had little) and bought the only machine I could afford.

I joined a swap group on the internet. I made my first block for the center of a round robin swap. In this swap people made blocks to fit your theme. I told the organizer how inexperienced I was but I’m sure my introduction of “Hi. This is my first block!” must have struck fear into the hearts of the other participants.

I loved this type of swap and did several of them until new participants started getting meaner. Suddenly there were people complaining about every little thing someone made for them. It ruined all the fun. But it was good while it lasted.

My very first block is the applique farm scene in the middle of the quilt. My second block was the red and white cow on the lower left.

farm quilt