Historically, the Southwest has attracted people with yearnings for freedom and adventure, people who define themselves as individuals. Unlike their husbands and brothers, women in the Southwest did not, for the most part, subdue and tame the land; but their character and individuality were manifested as they lived with and improved upon conditions as they found them. Their fascination with their way of life and the need for self-expression led them to write of their experiences, providing them with a creative outlet and offering those who came later a unique window into the past. A Quilt of Words won the Border Regional Library Association 1989 Southwest Book Award for literary excellence and enrichment of the cultural heritage of the Southwest. It was also awarded the National Federation of Press Women first prize for history in 1989.