How's it going?

Sorry I haven't been writing.   Been so busy/distracted with going to the hospital, Dr. appointments, and getting things all set for the kiddos going back to school.  So sad that it's that time already.  I miss them so much!

Dr. said I should rest when I can, so I've been able to get some crafting done during my 'downtime' :)  I've been working on hexies (surprise surprise) and I've gotten quite a few made and stitched together this weekend.  I have a bunch of projects involving hexies, so any chance I get, I work on them!

I've also been knitting a scarf for my mom-in-law for Christmas.  Not finished with it yet, but getting there.  It's so soft and pretty. I love it, and hope she does too!

I'm still working on a lot of toy projects, as my littlest one's birthday is coming up, and of course Christmas.  Play food, doll clothes and accessories, linen and calico stuffies and playsets, etc.

This is from one of the play sets I'm making.

I have to finish embroidering them, then I'm going to sew them to the backings and stuff them. I think everything is turning out beautifully so far. Once I finish all the pieces to the set, I'll definately post pics!

I cut out some of the pieces for the gazillion strawberries I'm making.  These are just the top parts.

My littlest one likes the itty bitty felt ones I made so much, but she says she needs a million more....in a gigantic basket.... and they can't just be red.  There HAS to be red, and blue and purple and pink!  So, I'm making as many as I can before her birthday, in all different sizes, in the colors she wants.  I think she's going to be really surprised!  Will post pics when I'm finished with these as well.

Well, hope everyone is having a great summer.  It's not quite over yet, so lets enjoy it while we can!!!

-Kelly

Kim's Pillow

Here's a wonderful pillow that I made called Kim's Pillow.

Very orange. Very cute.  Here's how I made it!

First, go check out your fabric stash, and pick out which color(s) you want to use.   I chose about 8 different shades of orange. Then you have to make a bunch of 1 inch hexagons. Make as many as you would like, depending on how large you would like the pillow to be.  If you've never done english paper piecing, here's a great tutorial on how to make the hexies :
http://melissagoodsell.typepad.com/day_to_day/2011/02/fabric-hexagon-tutorial-by-bella.html

and if you don't have a hexagon pattern, here's a wonderful printout from texasfreckles.com :
http://texas-freckles.googlegroups.com/web/One%20Inch%20Hex%20Coloring%20Page.pdf?gda=vCjunWEAAADH46W6sZbbcSBivt0WAY7AmHW1yguyKbLuiDn2BAILoGsARUmSvtEkTHaI2-vGq-t1cNjHFSO5xdB8CiW53Y7NTxryxxKs0yoN45bW2buj_1MJP-kItwVPBwjdKujmMDOVcV4Kf5x1iV4X6-2IalYA

Ok! By now you have all your hexies made. Next you will need to stitch them all together if you haven't already.  I didn't make a pattern with mine, I just made sure that none of the hexies with the same fabric were next to each other.

Even up the edges, pick out a fabric for the back of the pillow, and cut it at least an inch biggger than the topper. You're going to be embroidering the back, so if you want to use a hoop, make it even bigger!  Choose the colors of embroidery floss you would like to use.  I chose 3 different shades of orange DMC floss, numbers 742, 946, and 3340. Then, start stitching!

You can embroider whatever you wish.  A design, a saying, etc.  I embroidered an uneven running stitch, and freehanded it for a more organic look.  When you are done embroidering the back, pin the front and the back facing each other, and sew around the edges, leaving about a 2 inch opening

invert, stuff, use an invisible stitch to stitch up the opening, and you're done!