Friday, April 2, 2010

My First Shady Grove


I am going to be re-posting a few old posts as I get ready to vend at the Crazy Quilter's Quilt Show in Mukwonago, WI next weekend. If you are new here, welcome! I thought you might like to see where we came from before we ended up on our farm in rural Wisconsin.

This is the home we left behind. It was our first home, a small cottage with a lot of character and wonderful flower gardens. This home was built in an oak and walnut grove after World War II. Prior to the development of this neighborhood this was a popular picnic spot. People would take an excursion train from Chicago to spend a day in the country. Naperville was a small town of 6000 people when my parents settled there in the early 1960's.



Here is what sits in place of our old home. I had to back up 30 feet to fit it all in the shot. It takes up every square inch of lot allowed by the city. It is a beautiful house but not my idea of a home. The neighborhood we used to live in has changed drastically. Every third house has been replaced by a mansion. The population has grown exponentially. It is now the third largest city in the state of Illinois with a population of more than 144,000 people.
This is where you can find me now. We have a small farm on 76 acres. Here is our old farmhouse. My workroom is through the window. The view is amazing! Note the hydreangea bush on the left. It is just starting to bloom. I had no idea that these bushes grew so high. It comes up to the windows of the second story, and it is still growing!

Updated note April 2nd 2010: I am making another guest appearance today on Carmen's Blog, Carmen Rose Prose. Carmen is an artist after my own heart. She claims to have Art AD/HD and I sure can sympathize with that affliction. Her works are amazing. She is an accomplished art quilter who dyes her own fabric. She paints glass, writes poetry, makes jewelry and you should she the "Art of a Woman" exhibition that she put together! Oh My...

And speaking of Oh My....I recently worked on a special order of hand dyed velvet for Susan of "Plays with Needles". She mentioned that she would be posting something about her new velvets but I never imagined the post she would dream up. It brought such a big smile to my face. Go there and see...and take some time to look around. Susan finds so much beauty in the world of textiles, of life through a camera's lens and in her own artwork.


7 comments:

annette emms said...

Hi Chris. Thank you so much for that!
Your shady grove looks so pretty,what a lucky girl you are!

Jackie said...

You are so fortunate to have sucha wonderful home and it is indeed a rural idyll.

Rima Staines said...

Hello Chris and thanks v much for including me in your nominations :)
A lovely place you have here and glad you enjoy wandering my Hermitage..
best wishes to you
Rima

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thank you my dear Chris.. You are very thoughtful to include me.. I am so surprised...

""...Big or small,
...rich or poor...
These is nothing as welcoming,...
as our front door!!!""

I would love to live on 77 acres.. it must me magical wandering about in and out of secret places... I love your hydrangea bush...

..Thank you again, gwen

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

thanks for sharing - your home looks wonderful. Have fun at the show.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/

Susan Elliott said...

Chris it's SO wonderful to see your homestead and it's progress. I'm so used to seeing the view from front door looking out not the outside looking toward the front door. Thanks for letting us see and I'm SO glad you liked my post because I LOVE your fabric!!!! Much love, Susan

bindu said...

How did it feel to go back and see the new big house where your old one used to be?! Your farmhouse is just gorgeous. The view from your work room, and the beauty of your surroundings ... Gorgeous.