The McHenry Landmark Crazy Quilt Final Block

 The final block of the McHenry Landmark Crazy Quilt! I just finished this yesterday.

Started in 2017, this is a traditional Victorian style Crazy Quilt pieced and embroidered entirely by hand on a cotton foundation fabric.

 

Each of the 30 blocks featuring a McHenry Landmark is 9 inches square. All lace is either vintage or antique. I used vintage Mother Of Pearl buttons to make the little spiders. The Victorians loved spiders, so each block has a spider and spiderweb.

 

The next step of the process is to assemble it. I will do this on my sewing machine! It will have a 3 inch border around the outside and a sleeve on the back for hanging.

 

When it's entirely complete, I will be doing a presentation on this project for the McHenry Landmark Commission and The McHenry Area Historical Society. I expect this will event will be in the Fall of this year.

 

I'll post photos of the assembly process when I get to that. I need to do some calculating and pick up the supplies for finishing it.

 

Here are all 30 blocks "Photoshopped" together:

 

If you click on the photo, you can enlarge it to see it better.

 

I'll be rearranging the blocks for visual balance.

 

McHenry Illinois Landmark Crazy Quilt

 I completed another block for the McHenry Landmark Crazy Quilt:

This is the Nicholas Bohr Stone House built in 1911.  It's located on Broad Street here in McHenry, Illinois where I live.  

This is the 2nd house that Nick Bohr built for his family.  He was a stone mason and plastered a lot of the of the historic homes and building in the early 1900's.

This is a traditional Victorian style crazy quilt that I started back in 2017.  Each block is 9 inches square and pieced by hand on a cotton foundation.  

Here is a photo of all the blocks so far:

If you click on the photo, you can see a larger version.

All stitching is done by hand.  The lace is either vintage or antique and the only embellisments are a few vintage buttons.

I have 6 more blocks to do and then I can start to assemble it which I will do on the sewing machine!

Some of the buildings on this quilt are no longer standing.  Many of them are.  I will put together a book with photos of the individual blocks and a brief description of each landmark.  That book will benefit The McHenry Area Historical Society.  I'm on the board and I'm also on the McHenry Landmark Commission.

Anyway, first I have to complete it.  I'm thinking it will be 7 blocks across and 5 down.  Since it will be displayed somewhere in town (I have a place in mind), I think that arrangement of the blocks will be more visually appealing than to assemble it lengthwise. 

McHenry Landmark Crazy Quilt Block 31

Progress continues on my McHenry Illinois Landmark Crazy Quilt.  I've completed Block #31.  This building was originally known as the Fox Pavilion.  A dance hall built in 1931 to replace the original dance hall which burned down in shortly before this one was built:

This building eventually became McHenry's Roller Skating Rink.  Sadly, it burned down in May of 2021.

I have 9 more blocks to do for this quilt.  It's been a huge project, trying to preserve the memories of our landmarks here in McHenry, Illinois where I live.

Here is the entire quilt so far:

I've been working on this since December 2017.  The blocks are 9 inches and I'm working it in a traditional Victorian style using muted fabric colors.  All lace that I use are either vintage or antique.  The only embellishments are a few Mother Of Pearl buttons to create the spider that appears on each block.

I chart the lettering out in my cross stitch pattern software and stitch it on the block using waste canvas.

McHenry Landmark Crazy Quilt Block 30

I just finished up another block for the McHenry Landmark Crazy Quilt.  This is the McHenry Brewery built in 1868 by George Gribbler:

Here's an older photo of it:

Much of the original building has been replaced but it's still in operation!

Here's the entire quilt so far:

There will be 10 more blocks so I still have a little way to go!

McHenry Crazy Quilt Block 21

I've been slowly working on my McHenry Crazy Quilt which features vintage and antique photos of the landmarks in my area.  I just completed Block #21:

This was the Central Opera House.  There was a store on the main level and then upstairs, was an Opera House.  

Sadly, it burned down just a few years ago.  Personally, I think it was a long match but that's just me.  It wouldn't be the first time that's happened in McHenry.  Heartbreaking but at least we have lots of great old photos to remember it.

Here's the entire quilt so far:

Looking at my list of historical buildings, I'm thinking there will be 40 blocks all together.  So 19 more to go.  Each block is 9 inches square and hand pieced on a cotton foundation fabric.

I wanted this one to look as authentically Victorian as possible.  I'm using what I could call Victorian type fabrics in traditional Victorian colors.  No beads, sequins or do-dads on this one.  Any lace that I use is either vintage or antique.  The photos are printed on fabric sheets that go through inkjet printer.

Each block has a spider web on it worked in metallic gold thread and the spider is created with vintage Mother Of Pearl buttons.  The Victorians considered spiders to be good luck!

The lettering is charted out in my cross stitch software and then stitched on the blocks using Waste Canvas which gets removed once the stitching is complete.

So the next block will be our old Universalist Church which thankfully, still stands!

Reruns

First, thank you to everyone for your kind messages.  I will survive.  I always do!  Things will definitely get better once I can buy a house and have some space and access to my things.

So, until then, I'll post photos of my stitching and things I made prior to all the chaos.  I'll call them "reruns"!

I know you've seen some of the blocks for my McHenry quilt.  I started this a few years ago when my former husband was going through cancer treatment as a way to keep my mind busy.

The photos on the blocks are some of the historic buildings here in McHenry, Illinois where I live.  I did work on this since I've been here at mom's but finally got fed up trying to stitch in such a small  space so I put it away for the time being.

Anyway, the photos are printed on Inkjet Fabric Sheets which I run through my printer.  Once they're heat set with an iron, the images are permanent.  Not that this will ever need to be washed!

Each block is 9 inches square and worked in the traditional Victorian style.  It's pieced by hand on a cotton foundation.  All lace is either vintage or antique.  A nice lady here in McHenry gave me a box of velvet fabrics along with some old lace.  I can't access my antique lace at the moment.  And I can't access most of my fancy crazy quilt fabrics so there's a lot of velvets on here but that's okay.  Like I said, I'll get back to it.

There are no sequins on this quilt and no embellishments.  (Hard to believe for me huh?  Me who loves glittery things?  LOL!!)  The only buttons are tiny vintage mother-of-pearl buttons used to make a spider on each block.  I did make some fabric yo-yo's to use as flowers.  Everything else is hand embroidered.

I've included the names of the buildings along with the dates that they were built.  I do my own research as I'm a McHenry historian.  I'm also on the board of the McHenry Area Historical Society which is just such an honor for me!!

For the names and dates, I chart them out in my cross stitch pattern software and then I use waste canvas to stitch them onto the blocks.  Once the stitching is complete, I just pull the waste canvas threads out from underneath the stitches.  One by one but it goes pretty fast and it's a great way to do cross stitch on crazy quilting!

Anyway, when I can get back to this, I still have a lot of buildings to document so it'll  be quite large. Most of the buildings that I'm documenting are still standing.  A few have burned down or were taken down due to deterioration but most are still here.

 Once it's complete I plan to use it for promotional purposes for the historical society.

The McHenry Historical Crazy Quilt Block 19

This not a great photo but I've complete block #19 of my McHenry Historical Crazy Quilt:

I finished it yesterday and it was rather cloudy and dreary so the colors are a bit off.

This is the Methodist church on Main and Center St. in McHenry, Illinois.  The original Methodist church was on Elm St. This is the 2nd church. It was built in 1859.

I couldn't locate a vintage photo of it so I grabbed a screenshot from Google Earth and "oldened" it in Photoshop.  It took me awhile to age the photo.  There are electric lines running through the photo so I took all those out.  Then I added a sepia filter to it and then faded it out a bit and then made it look slightly water-stained.  I think the results are pretty good!

The photos are printed on fabric sheets that I run through my inkjet printer.

This is a traditional Victorian style Crazy Quilt pieced and stitched entirely by hand. The purpose is to document the early history of McHenry Illinois.

When I assemble it, I will be doing it on the sewing machine.

I'm using traditional Victorian era style fabrics and colors. All lace is antique or vintage.

 

I've decided, now that I'm on the board of the McHenry Area Historical Society, to use this quilt for events to help the society.

Next block - The Samantha Buttons House.

Crazy Ornaments in Cross Stitch

Because of my love for crazy quilting, I sometimes try to incorporate that style of needlework into my cross stitch designs.

I've just released a set of "Crazy Ornaments" in cross stitch:

These ornament designs can be stitched on 14 count Aida but my preference would be to stitch them on Perforated Paper!  Worked in DMC threads and beautiful gold and silver Kreinik metallic #4 braids, these designs are perfect for tree ornaments, package tie on's, added to cookie plates for friends and neighbors or little gifts for co-workers!

Ask for them at your favorite needlework retail shop or find them in my Etsy store!

Block 16 of the McHenry Historical Crazy Quilt

I completed another block for my McHenry Historical Crazy Quilt:

Block 16 of my McHenry Historical Crazy Quilt. This is the Gage House, a hotel built by the Hon. George Gage in 1858. Later it became known as The Parker House but sadly burned down in 1890. It was replaced by the current Simon Stoffel building.

This quilt is a work in progress recording the early history of McHenry's historic buildings. It's worked in the traditional Victorian style, pieced by hand on a cotton foundation using traditional fabrics and colors. All embroidery is worked by hand as well. All lace is vintage or antique.

Next block: The Methodist church.

McHenry Crazy Quilt Update

I've been working on blocks for the McHenry Historical Crazy Quilt.  I started this project a few years ago:

I have 15 blocks completed with at least another 25 to go.  Click on the image to see it close up.

The blocks are 9 inch squares.  The photos are (mostly) antique pictures of old buildings in the City Of McHenry where I live.  In a few cases, old photos just don't exist so I grab screenshots from Google Earth and then "olden" them myself in photoshop.

The blocks are pieced entirely by hand on a cotton foundation.  The only embellishments used are threads, vintage or antique lace and tiny vintage mother - of - pearl buttons.  Each block has a spider and web on it so I'm using the buttons to create the spider.

This quilt is intended to look like a traditional Victorian Crazy Quilt so no beads, no sequins, no glittery do-dads.

My most recent completed block is the old Blacksmith and Wagon shop:

Built in the 1870's, this is what the building looks like today:

Hard to believe it's the same building but it is!

Here's an ad from our local newspaper for the business:

I just started on Block #16.  Another old hotel!

2020 Crazy Quilt Calendar

Good Morning everyone!

The 2020 Crazy Quilt Calendar is now available for purchase:

The 2020 Crazy Quilt Calendar features 13 "vintage lady" crazy quilt designs by Pamela Kellogg.

Calendar pages include holidays, time changes and season changes.

8 1/2 inches X 11 inches

28 pages

Available at Magcloud and at Etsy

A Few More Halloween Crazy Quilt Pieces

Here are a few more Halloween Crazy Quilt pieces that I did awhile ago:

As soon as my divorce is final and I can get back to something that resembles a life, I can get back to more stitching.  I really miss doing my glittery crazy quilting but I can't get to most of my supplies so I have to enjoy the photos of what I've already done.  I hope you do too!!

Halloween Crazy Quilting

I don't have any new stitching to share with you but I thought you'd like to see a few of the Halloween Crazy Quilt projects that I made a few years ago:

I made this for my cousin awhile back.  She loves Halloween!!

I did not design the cross stitch cat.  I believe the designer is Prairie Schooler.  I stitched the piece and then appliqued it onto the block use fusible web.  I topped stitched it too so that it stayed in place.  Then I added the trim by hand.

the glittery ruffle in the top right corner is just a strip of fabric left over from something else.  I hate wasting anything so simply gathered it and sewing it down.  Then I added all the embroidery and do dads!!

I'll see what else I can find to share tomorrow.

Never Ending Sampler Panel 5 Band 2

If you're working The Never Ending Sampler, I have Panel 5 Band 2 today:

Right click on the images, save to your computer then print in any graphic software.  Each page is the standard 8 1/2 X 11 inches.

Happy Stitching!

Never Ending Sampler Panel 5 Band 1

I hope everyone is caught up on all the panels of The Never Ending Sampler.  Are you ready to start on Panel 5?

Here it is:

As with Panel 4, we'll be working with a specific color palette however, you're welcome to change the colors or threads to anything you like.  This is your sampler so you do it your way.  Here is the key:

Right click on the images and save to your computer then print.  These pages will each print on a 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper.

Happy Stitching and Happy Weekend!

Back To The McHenry Quilt

A few years back, I started working on a Crazy Quilt using old photos of my little town of McHenry.  Well, it isn't so little anymore but I still love it here!  McHenry was est. in 1836.

I've done a lot of cross stitch projects lately and thought it would be nice to do some crazy quilting but due to current circumstances, I can't get to my sewing machine much less use it.

The McHenry quilt is worked the old fashioned way.  The foundation piecing is done by hand!

I'm trying to do this quilt in the traditional Victorian crazy quilt style so no beads or sequins on this one!  All the lace is very vintage or antique and the fabrics are dark jewel tones...velvets, brocades, satins.

The only other embellishment is a few antique mother of pearl buttons used to create a tiny spider on each block.

Well, I just finished Block #8 last night.  This is our old grist Mill (left) and Creamery (right):

The Mill was built in 1872 and the Creamery in 1881.

Here is the photo:

Both buildings still stand today.  The Mill has several additions on it and the Creamery is now a house. 

Here's a screenshot from Google Earth so you can see how it looks today:

I think it's so cool to see the old photos and then take a look at how things look now!

For the next block, I'll be doing our old movie theater. 

Free Christmas Ornament Pattern

I haven't been very chatty lately.  Due to my current circumstances, I'm just keeping myself busy.

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought you would enjoy this free cross stitch ornament pattern:

It's a quick stitch project that can be used as ornaments or, if you're a crazy quilter, you can do something similar to this project:

I made this for my cousin over the Summer.  The cross stitch piece is worked on 14 Aida and appliqued to the crazy quilt block with fusible web.

The little bird on a snowflake would make a really pretty Crazy Quilt Winter pillow!!

Click here to download more of my Free Cross Stitch Patterns!

Now Available - The 2019 Crazy Quilt Calendar

The 2019 Crazy Quilt Calendar is now available!!!

The 2019 Crazy Quilt Calendar features the artwork of Shirlee Fassell, Betty Pillsbury, Suzy Quaife, Kathleen Klein, Nicki Lee Seavey, Karen Guthrie, Pam Peugh, Sandra Visser, Brenda Sandusky, Angela Grasse, Lisa Boni, Heather Brighton and Linda Steele. These talented artists have created all new blocks specifically for this years publication.

Thank you to these very gifted artists for making this year's Crazy Quilt Calendar possible!!

Available in both print and digital at Magcloud:   http://www.magcloud.com/user/kitty-and-me

Available at Etsy in print only:  http://www.kittyandme.etsy.com/

Coming October 1st - The 2019 Crazy Quilt Calendar!

The 2019 Crazy Quilt Calendar is ready!  It'll be released on October 1st!!!

The 4 seasons cover design is by Shirlee Fassell.

January - Betty Pillsbury
February - Suzy Quaife
March - Kathleen Klein
April - Nicki Lee Seavey
May - Karen Guthrie
June - Pam Peugh
July - Sandra Visser
August - Brenda Sandusky
September - Angela Grasse
October - Lisa Boni
November - Heather Brighton
December - Linda Steele

Thank you so much to our talented contributors!! 

Never Ending Sampler Information

For those of you stitching the Never Ending Sampler, I wanted to let you know that Panel 4 will start in a couple of weeks.  You'll need to get out your DMC threads for this Panel but you'll still be able to choose your own colors for some parts of it.

Also, I've had some suggestions and requests to offer each Panel as a PDF file in my Etsy shop.  Yes, I will do this.  I'll get them ready later this week and make them available for a small fee as Instant PDF Downloads.

Here are the first 3 completed panels.  This is Panel 1

This is Panel 2

And finally Panel 3

For now, I'm finishing up on the Winter 2018 issue of Crazy Quilt Quarterly magazine.  The release date is November 1st.

In the meantime, Volume 2 of my Crazy Quilt Inspirations book is now available:

Print and Digital are available at Magcloud:  http://www.magcloud.com/user/kitty-and-me

Print copies are available at Etsy:  http://www.kittyandme.etsy.com/