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Friday, April 15, 2011

Land of Lincoln

Happy Friday and Tax Day!

I'm back from a visit to the Chicago area.   It was so wonderful to see my girlhood friends and my quilt friends.  Thank you all for your wonderful hospitality!

First I spent the weekend here at the Geneva Grand in Lake Geneva.  It's a wonderful resort about an hour northwest of Chicago.
I love the openness of the midwest and really miss it!
Then I was in my old home town, Glen Ellyn to visit with quilt friends.  I also had an opportunity to do a little antiquing in St. Charles with my good friend Pat.

At Mary's I got to visit a basket quilt I organized for her 70th Birthday in 2000.
My daughter signed it when she was 7 years old.

I spent a day with friends at the Illinois State Museum to see some of their extensive Amish quilts - no photos, sorry!

There is a wonderful book of the collection available on Amazon.
Here is an antique quilt top that Mary owns and with her permission I'm sharing it with you.  I think this quilt would be really fun to recreate.  I'm almost certain that the tan was at one point green.
It's very curious, most of it was hand appliqued (in a top running stitch) but there are sections that were machine appliqued. 

these birds are a crack up - they look more like ghosts!
Again, great trip and great to be back home to a beautiful spring here in Northern New Jersey.

And now I'm off to catch up with all my friends in blog land.   Have a great weekend!

26 comments:

  1. Pinkadot QuiltsApril 15, 2011 at 8:55 AM

    Barb I used to live near where you were! I grew up in Carol Stream, and have relatives that still live in Glen Ellyn, Mendota, Homewood and Wheaton...small world! I LOVE the applique quilt, that Amish book looks wonderful and yes the Midwest is a wonderful place. Glad you had a good time!

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  2. Me and My StitchesApril 15, 2011 at 9:19 AM

    I just love basket quilts and this one is wonderful!

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  3. CrispyApril 15, 2011 at 9:50 AM

    Welcome Home!! It sounds like you had a wonderful time. How fun to revisit a quilt that your little girl signed so long ago :0)

    Crispy

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  4. LoriApril 15, 2011 at 9:52 AM

    It sounds like a very nice trip Barb! Love the "ghosts: on Mary's quilt! Too funny!

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  5. ann hermesApril 15, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    I grew up in Northbrook and love to go back and visit the Midwest. Everybody here on the east coast says, "...but the Midwest is so flat..." I love flat.

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  6. Judy in MichiganApril 15, 2011 at 11:05 AM

    Do you have an idea regarding the date of Mary's antique quilt? Would it be the end of the 1800s?? I love that part of Illinois - we would visit Woodstock often. Thanks for the memories!

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  7. MeredithApril 15, 2011 at 11:06 AM

    It looks like such a nice place to stay. Thanks for sharing the quilt with all of us and I am glad you were able to take a trip and visit friends.

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  8. ThimbleannaApril 15, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    Hey, ya never know -- those just might have been meant to be ghosts! Aren't old quilts interesting? I love the mix of machine and hand stitching. It certainly breaks all the "rules" that we used to be told about quilting. (Which, happily, there don't seem to be any rules anymore! ) Glad you had a great trip!

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  9. Teresa RawsonApril 15, 2011 at 1:39 PM

    I must be living in the midwest in an alternate universe! It is not that springy looking in my little corner of Michigan yet! What a lovely looking resort! That basket quilt is so sweet, and I love the antique top with the ghosts, LOL! That would be so pretty recreated...I think you should do it! Maybe instead of red and green, you could do it in black and orange and keep the birds as ghosts!!

    In stitches,
    Teresa :o)

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  10. SueApril 15, 2011 at 2:03 PM

    Looks like you are having a whole load of fun.
    Great Basket quilt.

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  11. Judy in MichiganApril 15, 2011 at 2:41 PM

    Me again, is Mary your friend of "Fun with Barb and Mary"???

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  12. antique quilterApril 15, 2011 at 2:54 PM

    Welcome home!
    oh this quilt of Marys is wonderful! love those eagles, LOL!!!!!
    the basket quilt is beautiful
    how sweet that Hanna signed one! ah memories, isn't that what its all about. Glad you went HOME and had fun with your friends.
    Kathie who needs that Illinois amish book!

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  13. MaureenApril 15, 2011 at 4:41 PM

    The ghost eagles are a hoot! The flowers kind of have a spiderweb shape. Glad you had a good time with friends. What a beautiful basket quilt!

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  14. JanetApril 15, 2011 at 6:43 PM

    It all sounds and looks wonderful! What an interesting applique top - I imagine the maker was disappointed to see what happened to her green fabric - I wonder how fast it faded. The birds are very fun :0) The whole quilt is very whimsical looking.
    The basket quilt is lovely as well. Your daughter's signature is very sweet.

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  15. VivianApril 16, 2011 at 1:22 AM

    I've never seen a basket quilt I didn't like, and this one is extra special. That's a perfect spot for signatures.
    The bird-bat figures are interesting. They certainly make the quilt an original.

    I'm a born and reared Midwesterner. My favorite time of the year is now, when spring returns in all its green glory. You came back to visit at a great time.

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  16. ShelinaApril 16, 2011 at 7:58 AM

    Welcome back - sounds like a fun trip. That's a pretty basket quilt. Love the ghost birds.

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  17. DianeApril 16, 2011 at 2:33 PM

    So near and yet so far! Sounds like you had a great visit and packed a lot in. Let's see...if Mary turned 70 in 2000, that would make her....

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  18. JanetApril 17, 2011 at 2:40 AM

    The photos are so lovely, what a great part of the country. I'm so glad you got visiting rights to the quilt. The antique one is charming and very improvisational looking.

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  19. KimApril 17, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    Oh thanks for sharing those quilts ...I bet the hand appliqued quilt started out with one maker and ended with another who just wanted to finish it. thank goodness she did so we can all enjoy it.

    Happy sewing

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  20. UnknownApril 18, 2011 at 9:10 AM

    I live downstate in Central Illinois, where it is finally spring, as well. We had a LOOOOONG winter. I bought that Amish book and love it. I'm only about half an hour from Arthur and Arcola and visit the Amish shops there often. I love their goodies and the quilt shops. I highly recommend that book. Beautiful pictures and lots of them.

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  21. Ann ChampionApril 18, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    What a fun trip! It must have been funto see the Amish quilts in person?
    So sweet to see Hanna's siggy block.
    I LOVE the applique quilt. I hope you make one. Those birds are fantastic!

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  22. baukjeApril 18, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    Love the basket quilt. And the other one is very special

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  23. Tonya RicucciApril 19, 2011 at 9:27 AM

    I love those Amish quilts too. Was lucky enough to see an exhibition of them years ago. much better price on the book by going directly to the author, Jan Wass, website. that applique quilt is a hoot - yes, those look like ghosts to me too.

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  24. BrowndirtcottageApril 21, 2011 at 12:15 PM

    Yes...LOVE the basket quilt and got warm and fuzzy feeling looking at those ghostly birds..HA! I wonder if maybe the birds were meant to be crows????...but sort of eagle looking too!!

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  25. Sandra HendersonApril 24, 2011 at 3:08 PM

    I am so happy for you, that you got to go....
    Thanks for sharing your photos!

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  26. Quilts And PiecesApril 25, 2011 at 5:32 PM

    Gosh, you had such great fun in IL, and PA and NY! I wish I would have been there! What a blast you must have had!

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