• crafts,  sewing

    Porch Swing Cushions

    Remember my porch swing from my garden tour post? I finally made the cushions that I’d been wanting make! Details- Pillow Pattern– I made the pillows the way I always make them (my tutorial is here), except this time the pillow were 20 inches instead of 18 inches. Cushion Cover Pattern– I made the cushion covers the same way I made the airstream cushion covers. Fabric– I got the umbrella fabric for free. It was a heavier weight home decor cotton, so it was perfect for this project. I didn’t have enough of it for the cushions and the pillows, so the pillows and cushion are navy blue on the opposite sides. I bought…

  • chickens

    The Great Chicken Coop Remodel of 2015

    Okay, now that the Coop Tour is over, I can finally share some of the prep work we did for it. One huge thing we did was finally remodel the chicken coop. Not only was the fence behind the coop rotting, but the coop itself had a dirt floor, so rats were getting in. I had also always wanted to paint the coop, so being on the tour was a huge motivator to finally get everything done. Much better, right? This was a multi-stepped process, which took several days and involved both Matt and I. Well mostly Matt, if truth be told. I wish I had taken more pictures along the way, but we…

  • crafts,  sewing

    Simply Sewing Magazine Feature

    I have been reading Tilly and Buttons, since I started sewing clothes a few years ago and have watched her publish a book and be on the Great British Sewing Bee. She’s a sewing celeb in the online sewing world and I am a big fan. I discovered Madalynne’s blog more recently, but was so impressed with her beautiful photos and wonderful content. She specializes in bra-making, which I have yet to delve into, but I know where I’ll go for info when I do. Deborah of the blog DFabrication is new to me, but apparently she was on the 3rd season of the Great British Sewing Bee. I need to…

  • chickens,  gardening

    Urban Farm and Coop Tour Recap

    Last weekend was my 3rd time being a host on the Seattle Tilth Urban Farm and Chicken Coop tour and I think it was my favorite year. It was certainly the biggest turn-out we had ever had! There was a steady stream of people from 10am when we opened until 4pm when we closed and that was a first for us. Matt estimated that we had about 80 people come through that day. Mind you, I don’t host every year. The first year I hosted was in 2010 and then again in 2012. I don’t like to host every year, because sometimes I like to go on the tour! It’s only been…

  • chickens,  gardening,  Uncategorized

    Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour

    “Rake and Make Ranch” (as I so dubbed it in this year’s application) was accepted to Seattle Tilth’s Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour, listing it as one of Seattle’s top 25 urban farms! I’ve been a host before in 2010 and 2012, but I’m especially excited about this year, as Matt and I have been working really hard on our coop and garden lately. The coop got a new fence, paint job and concrete pad and Matt built a new hops trellis, so everything is looking tip top. If you are in the Seattle area and have been wanting to see our urban farm in real life, now is your chance! For more info and to purchase…