Hi, and welcome to the Board. I initially taught myself how to do very basic quilting, and had done that for years. November of 2008 I decided I'd take a class to learn more. What I found was that there are so very many techniques to make blocks quickly and accurately. So, I'm a huge fan of taking classes now. The people on this site are so encouraging and helpful. You'll love it here.
My cousin (who is my best friend) used to live in Kingsport, TN.