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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Happy Friday + Randomness

May 20, 2016

Happy Friday! Whenever my mom visits, she's a little wistful that she's unable to paint in Seattle. I get it -- she doesn't have her usual supplies, her routine is completely disrupted and most of all, she says she doesn't feel like she has a space of her own, mentally or physically. Still, she's an artist through and through so when a watercolor set happens to be lying around, she'll whip up a painting like the one above while chatting to K. This kind of painting doesn't count for her though; ... Read more

Filed in: life • by sanae • 11 Comments

Launch Party Crafts Recap

May 18, 2016

When the hacking debacle happened, most of my Sewing Happiness pre-launch blog plans had to be scrapped. I was hoping to build excitement with some behind-the-scenes posts culminating in a grand giveaway and I guess I could still do that, but it feels anticlimactic now that the book's been out for almost a month. One of the things I really enjoyed about the pre-launch process was preparing for the party that was held at Drygoods Design on April 19th, the actual day of the book release. I ... Read more

Filed in: book, crafts • by sanae • 7 Comments

It goes too fast

May 16, 2016

This is K when she was just a little over 18 months back in 2008. Last night, we had dinner at a friend's house and I watched K and her two buddies play and eat and argue and reconcile and laugh hysterically. She's known them since birth and nearly 10 years later, they're still the best of friends. They used to be so small, they all fit snugly in a basket: I had mentioned in a post a while back that I wish I had a photo of the very first top that I sewed for her, and I found it while I ... Read more

Filed in: life, sewing for K • by sanae • 9 Comments

Happy Friday + Radomness

May 13, 2016

Happy Friday! I'm going strong with Me-Made-May, though I do combine handmade items with the few store-bought clothes I still own. Here's a round up of week 2-ish: Day 6: Renfrew Bamboo Top (worn with RTW yoga pants) Day 7: Black Simplicity 2365 Tunic + Black Gingers Day 8: Moss Green Linen Jacket (I wore the same outfit but with me-made jeans) + Indigo Gingers Day 9: Self-drafted knit dress (shown above - this was yet another prototype for the dress included in my book and the ... Read more

Filed in: illustration, life, watercolor • by sanae • 3 Comments

Imaginary Sewing

May 11, 2016

I do this thing, this thing that often starts with a discovery of a new book (or two), usually of the Japanese variety. I flip through the pages and daydream and plan and think, "oooh, I'll make this top from this book..." "Or this comfy looking one from this book..." And before I know it, I'm carrying the books out of the store, my checking account slightly depleted, but my spirits buoyed. I scroll through my mental fabric stash inventory and gleefully anticipate wearing my new ... Read more

Filed in: sewing resources • by sanae • 21 Comments

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Giveaway time, my friends! So, 2026 is starting ou Giveaway time, my friends! So, 2026 is starting out in a very exciting way. My latest book, SHIBUI: THE JAPANESE ART OF FINDING BEAUTY IN AGING, is already in its second print run — deepest thanks to every person who purchased a copy, then got more copies to give as gifts!! Speaking of gifts, I have a little giveaway today that’s different from my usual kind. Shibui is available in audio format (a first for me!) read by the talented @edelynokano, and I have SIX free Spotify codes. Please note that you do need a Spotify account to utilize the code. Interested? 

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below. Any comment would be lovely but if you have an audiobook recommendation, I’m all ears! No pun intended. I’ll leave the giveaway open until Friday, January 30th and will DM the winners shortly after. Good luck!🍀 @sasquatchbooks #shibui
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