Good Morning From Galena Illinois!

Yesterday, we drove 2 1/2 hours west of where we live in McHenry, Illinois to Galena, Illinois for the weekend.  We always come to Galena for Labor Day weekend.  Unfortunately, it rained all day yesterday so walking up and down Main street was not quite as much fun as it usually is.

We spent some time at the Antique Mall which is on Route 20 (Grant Highway) just east of town.  I found some really great goodies there!

I found some pretty ruffled lace and an old hat with velvet millinery flowers which I'll take off and use for my crazy quilting and other crafting projects:

 I also found a little bit of old lace which will be wonderful on my crazy quilting:

Next, I found some vintage embroidery patterns.  It's fun to fine some that I don't have since my collection is now quite extensive:

Next, I found some gorgeous vintage hankies!  I love vintage hankies!

Last but not least, I found this pair of embroidered pieces.  I thought perhaps mom could make something pretty out of them.  The stitching is very nice!

Thankfully, it will be sunny all day today so we can walk up and down Main street and enjoy all the wonderful little shops and boutiques!

Before we head out for today, I thought I'd share photos of this pretty Praying Mantis that we found outside by the hotel door:

I was afraid he would get stepped on so I picked him up and moved him to a safer place.  He didn't want to let go of me though!  He has little barbs on his front feet for hanging on to things.  Scott had to carefully pry his little feet off my finger!

These are beautiful, harmless creatures.  We usually only see them in late Summer and early Fall.

If you would like to see some photos of downtown Galena, you can find them in my blog post from last year when we were here.

More Cat Dolls

I've been slowly but surely stitching up a few more crazy quilt cat dolls.  This one is ready to sew together.

And this one is almost done.  It needs some more beadwork:

I'll finish this one up next week.  For today, Scott and I are heading out to Galena, Illinois for the weekend.  Of course, I can't stand not having my computer so I'll be taking it with me and I'm sure I'll have some photos of this beautiful place to share with you tomorrow.

Handmade Boutique

With mom, Kathi and myself making things for our Boutique, there are days when I feel like all I do is spend my time on the computer, taking photos, editing photos, writing descriptions and uploading!  Ok, so nothing in life all fun and games all the time.  For every fun thing, there is a down side.  For me, I just try to stay on top of things to keep myself from getting overwhelmed.

With all that said, here are the newest additions to our Boutiques:

A pretty Birdhouse Door Pillow by mom!

Victorian Style Christmas Tree Bird Ornaments by me.

and a Hot Pink Needle Felted Rose Brooch by Kathi.

I'm still working on some new Crazy Quilt Cat Dolls and then I have a custom order purse to do and I'm planning on a Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness Purse to have ready by October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Summer's winding down and I'm very much looking forward to having more stitching time and a little less to do outside.  Although I will very much miss my hummingbirds when they leave.  They're quite active at the moment!

Frames For Peacock Crazy Quilt

Yesterday, I shared photos of my Winter Crazy Quilt Project which will be a Peacock Quilt.  Deb at Mosaic Magpie blog asked if I would post a photo of the frames that my dad made for me.  Here are the frames:

Since I want to stitch on the side pieces simultaneously, I asked my dad to make me two frames. 

Here is a photo of the blocks which are now attached the frames with thumb tacks:

 I have never liked stitching without a hoop or frame to hold on to.  I stitched my Lucky quilt entirely in hand with out a hoop and I will never do that again!

Hoops or frames will hold the piece taught so that it doesn't get askew and out of shape from the stitching.  It helps to keep the stitching tension more even.  However, with crazy quilting, due to the fancy fabrics and embellishments, a hoop or frame that fits the entire piece is necessary.  Hoops will leave marks on fancy fabrics and it's too hard to move a hoop around once the embellishments start to go on. 

I'm very fortunate that when I need a custom sized frame, I can ask my dad or my husband to make me them for me!

Winter Crazy Quilt Project 2011 - 2012

I won't start on this until the end of October or the beginning of November but it's ready to stitch so I thought I'd share it with you today.

My Winter Crazy Quilt project for this will be a Peacock Quilt:

This beautiful peacock design was a pre-stamped design on black satin.  I stitched it back in the 1980's and never finished it into anything.  I think it's the perfect focal point for a crazy quilt!

I want to stitch on the side pieces simultaneously so my dad made me 2 custom sized stitching frames.  I've already added the blocks to the frames and secured them with thumb tacks so this project is ready to stitch on.

If you're new to my blog, I cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder Syndrome, which has already set in by the way!  And it's only the end of August!  Anyway, I've found that having a Winter Crazy Quilt project to work on throughout the cold, snowy and dreary months, helps me to get through until Spring which is my favorite season.  By March or April, I'll have a nice finished crazy quilt to hang in my home.  This quilt will hang above the television in my bedroom.