AMB Tour - Welcome to South Dakota!

The American Made Brand blog tour by Clothworks is well underway and I am excited to bring South Dakota to the center stage today. Welcome to the beautiful state of South Dakota.

 When I began designing the license plate block I asked several other quilting friends what they would include. Each and every one said Mt. Rushmore. So I went to work, playing with the design until I thought it truly represented the most famous faces in South Dakota. I used red, white, and blue as they are the colors represented on our license plate. The lettering across the top includes the state name and our year of state hood. We're celebrating 125 years as a state this year!

We are experiencing a very cool wet spring after a terrible October blizzard caused monumental damage across western SD. It seems we may never get warm weather, but the trees and grass are greening up.

The famous faces are appliqued on in a raw edge applique. I used 40 wt. Red and Blue Aurifil thread for the applique.


South Dakota is most famous for the four presidents faces on Mt. Rushmore, located in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. I feel fortunate that I was able to work there for six summers while I was in college and teaching. It's a very moving place to visit. While many tourists plan their visit to SD for the mountain, there are many other area attractions. Visit www.travelsd.com for more information about many of the destinations I mention below.

Crazy Horse is a life size mountain carving, still in progress, celebrating the Native American people. It is located a short drive from Mt. Rushmore.
Spearfish Canyon provides a unique look at the Black Hills. Roughlock Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are two of the scenic places to pull over, take a walk and explore the beauty up close. This is a picture I took on Saturday when we visited. We camp at nearby Roubaix Lake and get out to enjoy the scenic beauty with the kids. It's a great place to let the kids run.


While visiting the Black Hills during the late spring, summer, and early fall are all amazing, there is one week to avoid... unless you love motorcycles! The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally takes part the first couple weeks of August each year and a half million people descend on the state for this event. It's so much fun to see all the bikes and learn about the bikers who visit, but motel rooms and campgrounds are full as are the restaurants and every road. It's held for one week, but the bikers arrive early and stay later, so it usually ends up being the first half of August.

We are home to several National Parks, including Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and the Badlands. At the entrance to the Badlands is the small town of Wall, home to Wall Drug. Have you seen a sign?? The Wall Drug signs are everywhere, including foreign countries. Such a cool stop and a way to relax after the long drive. In SD we do not measure in minutes, but rather in miles. If it's a 30 mile trip, it will take about 30 min.

South Dakota also boosts a lot of farming and ranching. I grew up in the country, attended a country school with 8 students, K-8 grade, in Milesville. If you can find it on the map, you're doing really well! It's about 80 miles west of the state capitol of Pierre, which is directly in the center of the state. We also have a lot of good fishing in the lakes, rivers, and streams.

Custer State Park in the Southern Hills is famous for the Bison herds. Each fall the annual bison round up brings thousands of people to the Hills to experience this unique event. With several lakes to choose from, there is good fishing, hiking - including to the top of our highest point Harney Peak, and camping.

South Dakota is divided almost evenly down the center of the state by the Missouri River. This creates the eastern and western parts of the state. East River includes our largest city - Sioux Falls. Below is a picture of Falls Park, one of the most incredible places to visit. Also on the eastern side of the state are the Mitchell Corn Palace - a one of a kind attraction, completely covered in corn. The Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead is located near DeSmet, SD and includes a pageant and tours of the home. Such a fun way to experience history.

Another favorite part of South Dakota is South Dakota State University in Brookings. On the eastern edge of South Dakota, SDSU is the home of the Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band. As an SDSU alumni, one of my favorite memories of college was playing at a Green Bay Packers game and at the Bicentennial Parade in Washington DC on the 4th of July.

 SDSU is also home to the Campanile. It's tall structure is seen for miles across the prairie of SD. While it has many nicknames, the Campanile is well known as a landmark on the SDSU campus. SDSU is the land grant university of SD.

Thanks for stopping by to visit SD on the AMB blog tour. Today I am sharing the tour with Terry Stegmiller of North Dakota, our neighbor to the north. Please visit the other bloggers on the tour and enjoy the scenery.
They very generous folks at Clothworks are giving away a fat quarter bundle of the AMB fabrics. To enter the giveaway, please tell me what you found most intriguing about the SD places I described or a favorite memory of SD. I will keep the giveaway open through Tuesday and then select a winner. This giveaway is only available domestically.
I'd love to have you follow me as I regularly blog about my prolific sewing, quilting, and teaching as well as sewing with my 3 1/2 year old daughter. I look forward to reading your comments and making new blog friends! If you're planning a visit to this great state, I'd love to share more details about anything of interest to you. I'd be happy to be your partner in crime for finding a few great quilt shops to visit as well!