I am totally with you there! A LOT of people have these ideas stuck in their heads about what quilts are...but thanks to the internet the quilting community, while still small, we are really connected and we get the opportunity to see quilts we never would have otherwise. It's really amazing when you think about it!
Glad to hear you came around on the paper piecing - I LOVE IT!!! I paper piece probably half of all the quilts I make. It's a technique that can take you above and beyond what generations before us could do.