-
Happy Birthday Rake and Make… and Goals for 2013!
Well, I did it. My first post was on February 19th, 2012, so Rake and Make is one year old as of today. This will be my 53rd post, which means I met my goal of posting an average of once a week! I recapped 2012 in another post, so I won’t go into that again. Instead, I’d like to take this time to talk about my goals for 2013. Since Rake and Make is a gardening, cooking and crafts blog, I have goals in all three areas and a few overall goals for blogging in general. GARDENING– Grow more blueberries– I really need to work on my blueberries. A couple…
-
Wild and Free Wristbands
My second knitting project ever! These were actually belated Christmas presents for some girlfriends of mine that have lovingly become known as “wild and free” (vs. “tamed and tied down” like the rest of us). Meaning, they’re spontaneous and do cool shit like go to France on a whim, sip tequila in fake eyelashes and have impromptu dance parties. They’re a little like Patsy and Edina, except they’re both totally functional and have successful careers. I saw a pattern in Stitch ‘n Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook for a wristband that said “GEEK”. It said you could easily make them say anything you wanted them to, by making a graph. So I…
-
Sparkly Striped Cowl Neck Renfrew Top
I haven’t been sewing as much as I had hoped to this Winter, but I did manage to whip up another Sewaholic Renfrew Top. This is my second Renfrew top that I have made. I blogged about the first one I made here. I said I would make this pattern again and I meant it! I found the fabric at Pacific Fabrics in the sale pile. I thought it would make a great cowl neck Renfrew, be seasonal and good for the holidays, as it has a little sparkle in it. This pattern is awesome because it has three collar types to choose from (v-neck, scoop and cowl) and three sleeve…
-
Last minute holiday gift idea: cloth napkins!
Hi there! There’s less than a week until Christmas! Do you have all your shopping and/or gift making done? If you are looking for a last minute homemade gift idea that is quick, easy, cheap and sure to please, you might think about whipping up some cloth napkins as gifts. They are great because you can pick out a fun pattern or color, they spruce up any table setting and they reduce paper towel and paper napkin waste! I have given quite a few napkin sets as gifts. Last year, that is what all my friends got as gifts. In fact, these photos are from last year, because if I…
-
Guest Post by Kate: Cold Process Soap Tutorial
I am proud to announce, that here to kick of the holiday season, with an amazing and inspiring tutorial on soap making, is guest blogger, Kate Baker! Fun fact, Kate is the sister of Rake and Make logo designer, Chip Baker. Talented family! Thanks Kate for this post! I totally want to try this now. Or I might just try to get some of what Kate made. It looks awesome. I have smelled previous batches and they smell amazing too! Happy Holidays everyone. Maybe you can make some soap for gifts now too. Look out for next weeks post on my personal favorite handmade holiday gift, cloth napkins! -Lilly Ever…
-
Go-Go Garter Stitch Scarf
Learning how to knit has been on my list of things I want to learn for a long time. I learned to crochet on a school trip to Italy in 2001. There was a yarn store right by our flat, so I bought a crochet hook and some yarn and a classmate taught me whatever the basic crochet stitch is. I started a scarf, that I worked on during our long bus trips around the country. I never did finish that scarf. It’s been sitting in box full of craft supplies for the last eleven years and when I tried to pick it up again recently I had forgotten how…
-
Introducing Wyatt and his new dog bed!
This post is double awesome, because not only do I get to show off something I made, but it gives me an excuse to introduce our new puppy, Wyatt, and talk a little bit about where he came from and how we got him. Wyatt’s a “Georgia Peach” puppy, meaning we adopted him from a puppy rescue that some of my fellow rollergirls started about a year ago. Out of all the post derby projects that I’ve seen start up, this one has got to be the coolest and the best cause. Founded by Mia Schwartz (a.k.a. Primp Daddy, of my team the Throttle Rockets), and run by a board of…
-
Matt’s apron
Matt’s been asking me to make him an apron ever since he bought me my sewing machine (last Christmas). Everytime I finish a project, he says, “Are you going to make me my apron next?”. I have been making stuff for myself… and everyone besides Matt. Once I finished Declan’s hat, I knew I better put Matt’s apron in the queue next or I’d never hear the end of it. Here is Matt, in his apron, doing "blue steel". The pattern is Kwik Sew 3247. The way this apron is constructed, the neckband and waist ties are all one piece that feeds through a casing on the sides, making the…
