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rachel

@_rachelsmiley_

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be excellent to each other 🦋
@rainbow.moves
〰 movement instructor / gay folk artist / admin witch 〰

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friends! i’m a bit late posting 🤫 but i wanted to let you know that our monthly stitch n bitch is tomorrow at @empiremakespace 🪡🪡🪡

all crafts are beautiful 🧵🧶 we have relatively limited seating so make sure you register in advance! just bring yourself and something to work on— i’ll bring the snacks 🍪

PWYC // all donations go towards the snack fund // no one turned away // 𝒍 𝟏 𝒏 𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒃 𝒊 𝟎

ok see ya tomorrow, crafters!! by @_rachelsmiley_

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2 days ago

scenes from st. john’s, newfoundland 🌊 by @_rachelsmiley_

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14 days ago

a quick unroll before i scurry to drop off my @patchquiltshow quilt ~

🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡

this quilt was entirely sewn by hand* made with scraps and secondhand or repurposed materials. i emptied 17 spools of vintage thread + some leftover bobbins and quilted it with crochet lace from west germany. the batting + backing are made from old bedsheets. the sparkly applique are from an iron-on kit i found at the thrift store for $1.

this quilt represents hundreds of hours of hand stitching, and like— it’s not gonna win me any awards for technique. but i love to work slowly as a form of meditation, and it was fun to push myself in a new way. i’ve never made a quilt before, and for the most part i was figuring it out based on vibes. i like to describe myself as a type B crafter who does type A crafts, and i think this project perfectly exemplifies that.

*shoutout to my love @piggy.in.the.mirror who assembled the scrappy seam binding, and did use a sewing machine, because she has common sense. by @_rachelsmiley_

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a month ago

🌾🌊🌀✨ 𝖉𝖎𝖌𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖑 𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖕 ✨🌾🌊🌀

1+2. beach sounds really smooth my brain out 💆
3. brought home some rocks
4. this is my fav rock by @_rachelsmiley_

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a month ago

happy september, crafters!

between back-to-school vibes + the impending chill of sweater weather, september always reinvigorates me, crafting-wise. i’m excited to be back at @empiremakespace starting september 20 for our monthly stitch+bitch sessions 🧶

this september i’m also introducing a monthly theme: this month we are MENDING! dive through your mending pile and bring it to the studio to work on. use the equipment at empire make space, or bring your own sewing machine, serger, or good-old-fashioned darning needle. 🪡

don’t have anything to mend? lucky you 😘 not to worry - bring anything you’d like to work on in good company!

sign up via eventbrite // PWYC (suggested donation $5+) taken in Empire Make Space by @_rachelsmiley_

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a month ago

🌱💐🪻🌻🌱 by @_rachelsmiley_

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2 months ago

rosie + peter’s backyard, toronto, june 2026
ft. my love and 1/3 of @pawer.fluff.girls
@graination_official by @_rachelsmiley_

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2 months ago

i’ve been making a lot of art lately and it makes my brain feel good. a lot of the art is kind of bad and i don’t show it to anyone and that feels good too.

leaning into naïveté as a style choice / playing with colour / revisiting familiar motifs in different media by @_rachelsmiley_

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3 months ago

Join Rachel for a special edition of Rainbow Moves on Sunday, August 9.

Rainbow Restore is an opportunity to carve out 90 minutes for yourself, in queer community.

Finish one week and start the next CHILL.

Sign up via @move.room.hamont / sliding scale drop-in or use your class passes

all are welcome / queers to the front by @_rachelsmiley_

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3 months ago

film photos from halifax / june 2026

@graination_official by @_rachelsmiley_

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3 months ago

☁️ CANCELLED DUE TO HAZARDOUS AIR QUALITY ☁️

friends, no one is more bummed than me, but the air quality remains at a staggering 11, which is VERY HIGH RISK. rather than rescheduling a 3rd time i’m choosing to cancel 😔 but not to worry!! we will be back INDOORS in september 💕

eventbrite registrants will get a refund. stay safe, wear a mask if you’re leaving the house, and don’t forget to find some moments of joy+sweetness even when things feel bleak.

####

it’s summer and i want to craft in the park! you just bring your current projects, and i’ll bring the snacks 🍪

come join me on thursday, july 16!
the link to sign up is where links usually go 😇
see you at the park 🌳 by @_rachelsmiley_

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3 months ago

as a general rule i try not to be prescriptive with movement+exercise— i don’t know your life as well as u, i don’t know your body as well as u, etc etc

HOWEVER! i do fully believe that everyone can benefit from ongoing balance training. balance is tricky + requires you to make strong connections between your brain + bod (proprioception!), which is why it’s so crucial to continue practicing balance as your body changes (whether via age, injury, weight changes, or any of the myriad changes our bodies go through in our lifetimes)

AND it’s a natural core strengthener— because your core is what helps keep you standing!!

and lastly— this is a chance to get a lil silly and have fun with it 🤸 wobble around, stumble, giggle at yourself!!! shake it off and give it another try!!! by @_rachelsmiley_

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4 months ago