Short Work

The title may not be as witty as I thought, but it is past my bedtime.

I am up late because I am super exited about the shorts that I have been making lately.

And by lately I mean yesterday and today.

Here are the ones I made earlier today.

The shorts are super comfy and I was really happy with how they turned out, except the stitching shows wicked bad (I don't use the word wicked enough anymore- I must be losing touch with my New England up-bringing).  

Oh, and I haven't added a waist yet. I was too busy wearing them :)

I made a second pair tonight. This pair I made for 2 reasons.

1. I really need shorts

2. I have this awesome fabric I bought on clearance forever ago and I want to make some shorts with it, but I want them to come out really good.

So I have been practicing. I haven't got the waist part down yet :(

The second pair I made tonight I made from a button down shirt. I think they came out pretty cool (except for the waist).

These pants have the buttons down one side and a pocket in the front and back. I sewed the button down part closed so there wouldn't be any gaps and such showing off my undies.

Any who. That is what I have been up to the last few days.

When I haven't been working on shorts, I have been getting some stuff together because I will be a vendor at the next Sample Sunday at Prairieland Herbs in Woodward, IA. I am super excited and a little nervous. I am going to be selling:
Vinyl Record Bowls and Cups

 Recycled Journals- The journal covers are made from the vinyl record covers.

Granola Notes- Blank note cards made from Sunbelt granola bar boxes and old calendars and maps.

I will also have some felt flowers and a chaotic mix of some other goodies, but I am trying to focus (for my first time anyway) on just a few of the items I make. 

If you live in the central Iowa area and are looking for something to do, stop on by Prarieland Herbs on June 12th for their Sample Sunday! 

Kaotic be thy name

*Warning: This is a long post with lots of good stuff. You may want to get a drink or take a potty break before starting!*

I picked KaoticKrafter for a reason. When it comes to crafting, I never seem able to settle on one type of craft, or even one item within a single day, let alone a week! And with Emma being at Gramma's this week, I have been super busy trying to get a bunch of stuff done. When she gets home, I want to be able to spen more time with her. It feels like I have been neglecting her lately, so a week at Gramma's, spending lots of one-on-one time with both Gramma and Aunty Sara is just what she needs. It also gives me a much needed break and eases my guilt. I LOVE Emma, I LOVE being a mom. There is nothing I would rather be then Emma's mom, but sometimes just a few days to recharge is really needed. Makes for a happier family.

So, enough about me feeling guilty, on to the fun stuff I have made this week - though had Emma been here, her ideas and input would have made them better :)

I have no idea what order I made things in. I can't even remember what day of the week it is. But lets start with what I made today. This:


I am not sure if it is going to be a shirt or a dress. I will finish it when Emma gets home. I made this because on Monday, we got family photos taken by Paula at This Day Photography. Paula is an awesome lady and you can look forward to a separate post about her studio and all the fun things we have planned! For now, I just want to tell you that I made this for Emma to wear for a project Paula has in mind.

Here are a few more up close pics:


When I woke up this morning, I checked my normal sites and was delighted to see that Jen at Just Jingle had another awesome quick craft project. So, I made two.


And doesn't this one look awesome with Emma's new shirt/dress?


Let's see, what else? Oh, yeah! My sister, Melisa, and her hubby, Dave, had their baby on St. Patty's day. Her name is Friden. She was 6lbs 12oz and 19" long. She was a little blue at birth due to the umbilical cord being wrapped around her neck, but she is doing well now and should be going home tomorrow. Melisa is doing well also!

For the last few days I have been thinking about Melisa, Friden, and Dave a lot, and I knew they needed a few things, so I got to work.


I made 7 burp clothes and 10 nursing pads. I wanted to make a blanket for swaddling, but I didn't want to use anything to hot. Melisa lives in AZ, so flannel is out of the question. I stopped at Joann's today and picked up some jersey knit so I will be working on that tomorrow.

I have a question about the burp clothes. Which one do you like best? The white ones are made of t-shirts (4 layers for all white, 2 t-shirt layer with green fabric for other). The other 4 are made of a recycled towel smooshed between 2 pieces of cotton. I love the frayed edges, what about you?

Moving on...

I started a twitter account today. You can find me here: KaoticKrafter. I am slowly learning, so if you have tips, tricks, or advice, feel free to share!

What would I do with out my hubby? I am sitting here trying to remember what I have been making, and he is right there to help me out. He reminded me about this next item (I think it's his favorite).

I was laying in bed a few nights ago, crafty thoughts running chaotically (see, the name fits) through my tired brain, when my thoughts stopped on dino's. I got to wondering why there wasn't more clothes and other stuff out there for girls who love dino's...

My mother-in-law rocks (that would be Gramma). She bought a Cricket cutter thing a while ago. She let me play with it and I got hooked. Now she kindly parts with it when I ask to borrow it, which we are doing now. While shopping the other day, Emma and I discovered that the cartridges where on sale. We bought a dinosaur one, because, well, Emma loves dino's.

I ask you, what do you get when you mix a Cricket Cutter, a dinosaur cartridge, and some cute girl's clothes? I am not sure what you would get, but this is what I got:



I used the Cricket to cut out a few different dino's then I traced them onto some fabric. At first I was using a fading fabric pen that only kinda faded. I like the way the lines looked from the pen, so I switched to permanent marker. I also like the way the stitching looks.

I need to do a little research about stamping onto fabric. I want to add the words, "Chicks Dig Dino's Too!" to the front of the shirt, but I am to lazy to cut out all the letters then sew or fuse them on there. Plus, I think it might be neat to stamp, or let Emma stamp, onto the shirt. I have scrapbooking stamps, but I don't know if that will wash out in the washer or not. Do you know?

And yes, that is how I got the idea for dino's on Friden's burp clothes.

Oh, I almost forgot about these guys. I have to go take some quick pics, so now might be another good time for a drink/ bathroom break...

Ha ha, funny thing. As I went to take pictures of these two little guys-


I remember that I made these,


these,


this,


this,

and last, SWAG for Des Moines, IA's Swap-O-Rama-Rama (see side bar for info).


In the interest of not keeping you up as late as me, I won't go into much detail for those last items, but if you are interested, feel free to contact me!

Thanks for sticking with me throughout this entire, really long post!

(edited 3-18-10 11:00pm- I don't have much in my shops right now, but that will be changing soon!)

In Memeory Of Grandpa John

My step-father, Grandpa John to Emma, passed away last week. It was a huge shock for everyone. He passed away on Wednesday; fishing day with his grandson Jimmy. I wanted to do something for Jimmy to help him, so I did what I do best, I crafted. Jimmy and Grandpa John had matching fishing shirts that my mother had gotten them this past Christmas. I had Jimmy pick a few of Grandpa Johns shirts out of the closet then I made Jimmy a blanket out of all the shirts, with the two fishing shirts as the center. While we were trying to figure out what to use as the back, my mother jumped up and ran into the other room. She came back with a U.S. Army fleece panel. Grandpa John was in the Army and Jimmy plans to enter the Army when he is old enough. So, I was able to make this blanket for Jimmy.

I was also able to make a blanket for Grandpa John's granddaughter, Calla. I used the fronts of the button down shirts they had picked out as the center of the blanket. I mixed and matched the panels, then buttoned and stitched them. I surrounded the button downs with the panels from the non button down shirts.


I have to admit, I got as much therapy out of making the blankets for Jimmy and Calla, as I hope they get from snuggling the blankets.

John was a great man. He loved my mother and made her happy.
Rest in peace Grandpa John, we will miss you.