 Her first quilt, known as the "Bible Quilt", was shown at the Athens cotton Fair in 1886; it is this quilt that is now in the Smithsonian Institution.Jennie Smith, an artist and art teacher from the Lucy Cobb Institute, saw the quilt, which she found to be remarkable, at the fair and asked to purchase it, but Powers refused to sell.The two women remained in touch, however, and when Powers met with financial difficulties four years later, she agreed to sell the piece for five dollars, having asked for ten but talked down by Smith.