A Stitching Getaway

Last weekend our stitch club had our annual getaway to Galena, Illinois. The weather was good ~ sunny all weekend but cold. We obviously have a ways to go until spring...


It's a beautiful hilly part of the state and we enjoyed the scenery. We did some shopping in Rockford, Illinois on our way there. And we decided to take a day trip to Dubuque, Iowa right on the Mississippi River ~ something we've never done before. It was definitely worth the ride and will now be an annual part of our trip.

We did a little shopping in Cable Car Square. And were surprised to see...

Cable cars! They are closed for the season, but still were fun to see. We hear that this is the way Santa arrives on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

We stopped at The Cotton Cabin Quilt Shop and found it to be a delightful shop.

Our favorite shop was right at the base of the cable cars...

Willows! Wow! I could have spent the entire day there and still wouldn't have seen everything! It was a wonderful mix of antiques and home decor ~ with lots of incredible ideas on how to display them throughout your home.

In every room and around every corner I found a stunning vignette that I just loved.

This was my absolute favorite scene and one that I daydream about since :) I love that tower of metal document / cash boxes.

Here are the treasures that I bought from Willows. I couldn't leave without a metal document box and I loved the red wire handles on this one. They were displaying compotes under glass cloches and I thought this pewter one would fit perfectly under mine at home. The little iron candle holder is new and was on sale for $4 ~ how could I pass it up? And this vintage red, cream and blue ticking will be sure to show up in some patriotic creations this summer.

Here is my start at a tower of document boxes. My newest one is on the bottom. Mine will never be as big as the one at the Willows as I've been collecting the smallest ones that I can find :)

Between the Cotton Cabin and Quilters General Store in Rockford, I picked up some new fabrics. I have lots of hand-dyed wools, but this time I found the wool plaids calling to me along with some wonderful fabrics by French General and a Lincoln print as well.

I found two frames on sale - one had grained and the other a pale blush (just pleading for a spring time stitchery.)

I found a few patterns that I couldn't resist either. I really hope to stitch up the two bunny patterns on top before Easter. Well, I can dream can't I :) ?

Back at the house we rented in The Territory, our talented friend Cathy gave us a class in scrapbooking. We started with our club photo from our Christmas Party and the wonderful supplies that Cathy brought. It's interesting how each one turned out just a little bit different...

Mine is in the middle of the middle row. Mine has a big blank space in the lower right hand corner where I plan to tie on an antique skeleton key with a ribbon. Once I do I'll take a close up photo and share it...

It was a wonderful weekend filled with memories to cherish.

Blessings, Patti