Fabric Giveaway - Welcome to llinois

 

Welcome to the Illinois leg of the American Made Brand Blog Tour. I'm Kathy and I'll be your tour guide today. Using the American Made Brand fabric, here's the  block I designed to represent my state -

 

Our vehicle license plates say Land of Lincoln. You can see that my block incorporates President Lincoln, log cabins, prairie points, violets (state flower) and the Chicago skyline -  some of my favorite things!

 

 

 

I had a lot of fun making this,  playing around with all the different colors and then adding little details that represent my state. (That's the Chicago skyline embroidered on the top.) I'll show you how I made the block on Thursday when I announce the winners of the fabric giveaway.

*  *  *  To win a fat quarter bundle of some gorgeous, colorful American made fabric of your own, just post a comment and tell me which is YOUR favorite state to visit (other than the one you live in) and why you love it. Leave me an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.
          

 

I was born and raised in Illinois. Chicago, to be exact. So you'll have to forgive me if I appear biased. Illinois gets some pretty bad press, what with the high crime and unemployment rates, not to mention the weather. Despite it's reputation for political corruption, "gangsters" and high taxes, it's actually a great place to live. I'm not kidding.  I'm still here so it can't be all that bad, can it? About 70% of Illinois residents live in or near the Chicago area. While Chicago may be considered the "Second City" by some,  to many of us living here it's the greatest city and we wouldn't trade it for any other. If you're traveling this summer and are lucky enough to be able to drop in for a visit, here are a few things that may interest you in Chicago and other parts of the state.

Illinois is the called The Prairie State (hence my prairie points on the block). It's also called the Land of Lincoln and has quite a few attractions revolving around the 16^thPresident.

If you love Lincoln history, you need to visit the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. 

                              

 

Or, you might want to walk in Lincoln's footsteps at the Lincoln Home Natural Historic Sites, a four-block neighborhood restored to the way it was in the 1860s and includes his actual home. There's also New Salem, a recreated pioneer village where you can see where Lincoln spent part of his adulthood. Period re-enactors are on hand for demonstrations, and you can even participate in activities from that era.

 

 

However, if you're coming to Illinois for even a short time, you have to see Chicago. It's a very nice city. Our Chicago museums are some of the finest museums around. Most of them border the shores of Chicago's fabulous Lake Michigan.

 

The Art Institute of Chicago  (scroll down and read my recent blog post from last week on this one).  

 

                         

 

The Field Museum   - Dinosaurs! Mammoths! Mastodons! We visited so often my son practically lived here as a child.

 

                    

 

The Museum of Science and Industry  Make sure you see Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle doll house.

 

 

The Shedd Aquarium has a wonderful aquatic show with dolphins, whales and sea lions.

 

                        

 

The Adler Planetarium has one terrific sky show.

 

 

 

Of course, you'll also want to visit downtown Chicago, Navy Pier and the Children's Museum, Millenium Park, ride the elevator up to the observation decks at the top of either the Hancock building or Willis (Sears) Tower to get some great views of the city, visit Michigan Avenue and Water Tower Place on the Magnificient Mile for shopping and dining, take in a show at The Second City comedy club, schedule a shoreline cruise or a drive down LSD - Lake Shore Drive - for some scenic views.

 

 

 

 

 We have a couple of nice zoos (if you happen to like zoos.)

 

 

 

Ride a fantastic Ferris Wheel on the lakefront. Did you know that the very first Ferris Wheel debuted in June 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair?

 

Check out the heart and soul of Chicago by visiting its diverse ethnic and historical neighborhoods.

 

 

You may want to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in nearby Oak Park. Did you know that Prairie Style architecture has its roots in Chicago? I'm going on a walking tour this summer.

 

 

 

Also, make sure you try some Chicago-style deep-dish pizza before you leave.

  

There's so much to do here, it's almost impossible to tell it all. There are a few attractions I've never seen but I'm hoping to take care of that this summer. We live a few miles outside the city but I drive in often and feel lucky to be able to take advantage of all that Chicago has to offer. Sure, it's noisy and busy and traffic is always a pain but, afterwards, I get to go home to my quiet space and my little colonial in the (boring) suburbs where I can chill. I love the excitement and energy the city has to offer but I also love my home away from the city. Living in both worlds suits me just fine. Illinois - a nice place to visit and a great place to live.

 

Don't forget  - in order to be a winner in this giveaway - you have to post a comment telling me your favorite state aside from the one you live in now. If you live outside the states, just make something up, LOL. Make sure you leave me an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. There will be 2 winners. I'll also be giving away a smaller bundle with some of the fabric I have left over from making my block. Winners will be picked after comments close on Wednesday night. I'll announce them on Thursday. That's when I'll show you how I made my block. Good luck to all of you! And don't forget to follow along the Blog Tour to see all the other fantastic state blocks and chances to win even more fabric.