#1 Nautical Sampler

My quiltfolio's first entry is, rightfully, my very first quilt.  As I said in my introductory post, I had dreamed for many years about making a quilt but thought I'd be forced to join a ladies group of some sort and end up sitting around a frame chatting about the weather, kids or other current event.  I was looking for a creative outlet, a hobby I could easily do in my home that fit my schedule rather than a social activity  and  no longer had ties to any ladies groups.  But in the fall of 2006, I realized I had access to a wealth of information on the Internet.  I am self taught already in a  few things, so why not teach myself how to quilt?  I soon found that I could machine quilt independently and I was on my way.  One particular website had a very simple, step by step, easy to follow tutorial that I am grateful for.  I owe my start in quilting to Gloria Massard at Sew A Quilt.  The outcome was my first quilt, Nautical Sampler composed of simple traditional blocks in colors originally intended to hang in a nautically themed room I had at the time.   It is a 30"x 23" (poster size) wall hanging that now resides above the sewing machine in my recently created sewing studio (dining room of my home) to remind me always of where I started and how far I've come.