My Dream Sewing Room and a few other things....

Well, it's been a year since my last entry. Lame, I know. But we've been busy. Cory completed his PhD and we moved from Hawaii to Idaho where he got a job as a professor at ISU. While I miss many things about paradise, there is a lot to enjoy in Idaho. Like the fact that we were able to finally buy a home. And not just any home, this one came with a 13'x21' unfinished workshop that makes an AMAZING sewing room! While I day dream about finishing it someday with a ceiling and flooring and french doors into the adjacent family room, it works perfectly for now. It is huge and came with shelving and built in counters that are the perfect height for sewing and cutting. I absolutely love this space.

Since this photo was taken, I moved my two spare machines and made the area on the left a perfect kid craft area for Leif. And that back wall is where I eventually want to put French doors into the family room. For now, while he still has a lot of house projects going, Cory is using it as his workshop space. Which works fine for me. I have plenty of space in the rest of the room.

I've also joined the Port Neuf Valley Quilt Guild and enjoy my once a month guild meetings. They do a quilt show in the Spring and also a retreat, both of which I am looking forward to. While there aren't any quilters in my age group, it's fun and I know I can learn a lot from these amazing quilters.

I'm doing a monthly friendship block swap with the guild and I also signed up for my first online swap with the Flirty Apron - Fall Table Runners. I also just completed a Facebook Pay it Forward type swap that I signed up for several months ago - we had till the end of the year to complete our swap. So, while I have yet to find any sewing buddies here, I'm enjoying this swapping and hope to do more.

My Fall table runner for the Flirty Apron Swap. Since this photo was taken I have quilted it, just have to bind it and get it in the mail on Saturday.

These are bookmarks I made for my Facebook Pay it Forward Handmade Gift Swap. I used my oh so talented friend Shelley's tutorial. I did 6 sets of 3 bookmarks and sent them off to my friends in HI, WA, ID and Germany. I am going to start another similar swap for 2012.

I have a pile of projects to complete right now - curtains for the kitchen, our bedroom and Kian's room, a surfboard wall hanging for Kian's room, a duvet cover for our room, a huge pile of pillow cases and a slug and an elephant for cousin Christmas presents and a diaper bag and baby quilt. My goal is to have all that done by the end of the year. Unrealistic, but I'm at least hoping to get the curtains and Christmas presents done.

I have decided to keep my name of Patchwork in Paradise. While I no longer reside in the phenomenal state of Hawaii, I will always carry paradise with me wherever I go. So Aloha for now, all pau ( I must go bind that runner.)