Minerva Makes

 This year I have made some projects in collaboration with Minerva (gifted fabric in exchange for posts). 

Check out my profile and posts here. 

I have really loved the experience of working with their fabrics and being able to use their new website. I have gotten so much inspiration from seeing others' creations and being able to interact with other makers. If you haven't seen their new website, go check it out! You can create a profile and share your makes and follow other makers that inspire you. 

Dusty Pink Viscose Challis

Pink Big Cotton Waffle Fabric 

Orange Scuba Knit Fabric
Photos by Dayna Bown Photography

Blue Bubble Crepe Fabric
Photo by Dayna Bown Photography

Three Little Things to Make with Cricut Joy

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

Cricut recently released a new machine, Cricut Joy! I love this machine because I don't have a craft room, so having a smart cutting machine that is small and portable works really well in my tiny workspace in the corner of my bedroom. No need for mats plus a smaller machine and materials makes storage really easy. I am easily able to plug in my machine, connect through bluetooth, and start making!

Along with the Joy, I also have a Cricut Maker machine, which has its own cool features. However, the Cricut Joy allows for unique creative possibilities. I am so excited to share a few simple projects with you and hopefully inspire you to create with Cricut Joy as well!

BABY ONESIE IRON-ON

My first project was a Smart Iron-On project for my newborn son. I wanted to make him a cute onesie with this beautiful patterned Natalie Malan Aquamarine Smart Iron-On I found. The only other supplies needed for this project are the blade and the Starter Tool Set.

I designed a simple "Baby Bee" file using a bee image and font available in the design space. I especially love this design because my husband and I are beekeepers, my son's name is Bennett (Baby "B"), and at my bee themed baby shower, we referred to him as "Baby Bee." How perfect is that?!

You can find my "Baby Bee" file here.

Helpful tip #1: When it comes to Iron-On projects, don't forget to select "mirror" when reviewing your project (as pictured below in Design Space).

Helpful tip #2: Remember to place the Smart Iron-On sheet face down.

One of the Cricut Joy machine's coolest features is that mats are optional! You simply feed the Smart Iron-On sheet directly into the machine. This makes it cheaper, faster, and simpler to create beautiful things. Check out the brand-new materials specifically for this machine that do not require a mat here.

Using the tools in the starter tool kit, I gently peel away the extra pieces around the cut image.

Helpful tip #3: For a cleaner transfer, preheat the fabric before placing your design (as shown in the image below). Although I only have an iron, using a Cricut EasyPress is the ideal way to transfer an Iron-On image.

Once it is pressed and has cooled completely, gently peel away the tape to reveal the finished product!

This project came together in only about 15 minutes. The material is so easy to load and the design space is super user-friendly. It walks you through each step of the process.

JAR LABELS

The second project I made with my Cricut Joy was a honey jar label using Smart Label Writable Vinyl. Smart vinyl comes in extended sizes, with up to 20’ repeated cut capability. That means no switching out mats, making things faster, cheaper, and simpler.

Although we have only been hobby beekeepers for a year and a half, we hope to harvest some honey this summer! If all goes well, the bees will be thriving and there will be more than enough honey for us to take some. I've been wanting to design honey labels for a long time now, and the Smart Label Writable Vinyl inspired me to finally do so!

I was able to create the image using a hexagon shape, an image of a hexagon pattern, an image of a bee, and font all available in the Cricut Design Space.

You can find my honey jar label file here.

I used an infusible ink marker, which is meant to be used on a fabric base, but I loved the yellow color and tested it to make sure it wouldn't bleed or smear on the Smart Label material. The other materials needed for this project are a fine point pen in black and the Cricut Joy blade.

Another great feature of the Cricut Joy is that it only has one tool clamp. When you begin a project, Cricut Design Space tells you what material and tool to load in the machine. With this particular project, it began with the yellow infusible ink marker (as pictured above) and it prompted me when a tool change was required. You simply change out the tool, Press "go," and it continues the next step of the design.

Check out the Cricut Joy-compatible pens here.

Next, the black fine point pen is loaded.

And finally, the fine-point blade is loaded.

Smart Label Writable Vinyl is my favorite of the materials specifically for Cricut Joy. I plan to use it to label honey jars, homemade jam jars, pantry organization labels, and so much more.

GREETING CARD

Another quick and easy project with the Cricut Joy is greeting cards. Cricut Design Space has tons of cute card designs and there are so many cute insert card sets available.

This was a project that I was able to do with the help of my three-year-old son. He has really been missing his babysitter during this social distancing time, so we decided it would be a fun activity to make a cute card to mail to her.

The materials needed are the card mat, insert cards (we chose the cream and gold insert cards), and the blade.

After much deliberation, my son decided on the Elephant Confetti Card. We figured it would cheer up anyone who might be feeling down during this difficult time, and it would be so cute with the gold card insert.

The card mat is very simple to use and is exclusively for use with Cricut Joy machines.

Once the design was cut on the cream card, I removed it from the card mat and inserted the gold paper into the slots in each corner, resulting in this cheerful little card!

These projects were so much fun to make, and I especially loved being able to design the "Baby Bee" onesie and honey labels. Cricut Joy is the perfect compact smart cutting machine. In my opinion, the exclusive Cricut Joy materials is what sets this machine apart.

My favorite things about Cricut Joy from doing these projects:

- projects can easily come together in a matter of minutes

- the machine is easy to store and quick to set up

- the new Cricut Joy materials that don't require a mat are so easy to use (and are so cute!)

- the card mat makes card making so easy

- the Cricut Joy projects available in Cricut Design Space are so cute and inspiring

Check out cricut.com to learn more about this machine!

https://cricut.com/en_us/cricut-joy-products.html?utm_campaign=cj&utm_medium=referral_influencers&utm_source=kathrynkempler.blogspot&utm_content=CricutJoy_pfp&utm_term=

Naturally Dyed Knit Dress

My most recent make is a simple, fitted knit dress, perfect for spring time! 

As I mentioned in this Instagram post, I love having the ability to make clothes custom fit to my body and my style. This dress is a comfortable length (not too short for chasing a toddler around) and its fitted but not too tight. This thick ponte knit fabric from Joann is very forgiving, also not at all see through! 

One night I was itching to sew something, but I had no project in mind. I started digging through my stash, hoping to use up something that I already have, and I stumbled across this white ponte knit from Joann. 

I knew right away that I wanted to make another knit dress (my last one gets worn all the time!), however I didn't want it to be stark white. 

Luckily I've been saving onion skins and avocado pits to naturally dye fabric, so I pulled my red onion skin stash from the freezer! 

I boiled the onion skins in a big pot of water for over an hour. I then got the fabric wet with hot water and put it in the dye bath (I used my sink since my pot was not big enough for that much fabric). 

The fabric soaked overnight and the result was this beautiful blush shade! It was just what I wanted, something light and breezy other than stark white. 

Such a beautiful subtle pink color!

I am so inspired by the beautiful colors that Sara from Farm & Folk achieves from natural dyes and the beautiful quilts that she makes. 

I plan on doing a lot more research and learning all I can about natural dyes.

I got started right away with turning it into a dress! I used the same self drafted pattern I used for my last dress, serged it all together, and used a double needle for the hems. It all came together (cut out and sewn) in less than two hours! 

I am so happy with how it turned out! It will be a staple in my spring/summer wardrobe, and I might need to make a few more. 

For my body type, I have to lengthen dresses to avoid them being too short, and I often have to drop the waist (my torso is very long). I love the freedom that comes with sewing my own clothes. I get to make whatever works best for me and as a result I have a closet full of clothes I feel so great in!

My husband coaching me on how to pose

The Five Points Blouse

Favorite and most worn make as of late: the Five Points Blouse. 

This pattern is from the Feb/March issue of Sew News and is free through March! 

It was designed by the talented Jennifer from Peppermint Creek. 

I love the shoulder and cuff detail. Instead of using a contrasting color for the shoulder yolk piece, I used the wrong side of my fabric. It created a subtle contrast against the crepe texture of the rest of the bodice.

The front zipper is a fun detail. The pattern comes with the option to have no zipper as well. I used a metal zipper with gold teeth and black tape. I love how it adds a little more visual interest to simple fabric, just like the contrasting yolk and cuff.

Yolk and cuff details

The only modification I made was raising the neckline at the front bodice shoulder seam. I should have made the adjustment to the pattern at the beginning, but I didn't know I needed it until the garment was almost finished. I didn't want to take anything from the yolk piece or the cuff, so I took an inch and a half from the neck edge and tapered to nothing at the sleeve cuff. It is much more comfortable for me to have the neckline higher. 

The magazine gives a useful tip to be careful about the weight of your zipper. My zipper was probably too heavy, which caused my gaping neckline issue. 

The hem is a high-low, which is my favorite shape on my body. I have a very long torso, so I do everything I can to make my legs look longer, like high waisted jeans and tucking in my shirts in the front. 

For date night, I wore the Five Points Blouse with the Fulton Sweater Blazer by Alina Design Co., another one of my favorite me-made pieces.

Zipper and notched collar details

I love the silhouette of this top and I am so happy with the outcome. For my next one, I will probably size up because it is meant to have a looser fit.

Closet Case Pouf

As I sew, I toss my thread clippings and scraps of fabric in a bag. Every few months I take my bags of scraps to H&M because they recycle textiles. It feels like such a waste to throw it all away.

Recently, Closet Case Patterns released a floor pouf pattern that is the ultimate scrap buster! The pieces are cut from various fabrics and it is then stuffed with scraps!

I got cutting! I cut up so much of my larger scrap pieces and then I started to gravitate towards some fabric in my stash.

Testing out the different fabrics together

My stash of fabric isn't very big, but a large portion of it is colorful fabric that I had no plans for. 

My mom travels a lot and often brings home a yard of fabric for me, my brother, and my sister (we all sew!).

I thought it would be so fun to make a pouf for her with some of the fabric she has brought back from other countries.

Finalized the layout!

In the final selection of fabrics, I have included fabric from Guatemala, India, and Ethiopia. 

After interfacing each piece, I followed the instruction for sewing it all together.

Seams pressed 

I was tempted to leave out the piping, but I'm so glad I didn't. I purchased neutral piping for next to nothing and I feel like it adds more stability, reinforces the seams, and adds a cohesiveness to the project with its neutral color. 

The bottom piece is two half circles of the blue and white woven fabric with a zipper down the middle. 

Stuffing the pouf with all the scraps

My brother gave me his giant bag of scraps. before stuffing the pouf, I would have guessed we had too many scraps, but it proved to be just the right amount.

I quickly sewed together a drawstring bag with some more fabric in my stash that I had no plans for. it worked perfectly to hold the scraps and will make it easier when the pouf needs to get washed. 

The finished product! Photo from my Instagram

This little beauty will be heading to my mom's house later this week for my mom's birthday. I love handmade gifts, making them and receiving them! My mom is so happy and loves to wear bright, pretty clothes and she loves to visit new places. I think she will love it!