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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Tops: Matcha and More

March 31, 2023

By the time I submitted my final draft of Sewing Love back in late 2021, I had sewn hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of test and photoshoot-ready muslins and garments. You know that my tendency is to overdo things, and boy, I overdid the overdoing. I hate to admit it, but I was well and truly sewed out. I developed an uneasy and complicated relationship with my sewing machine (I still loved it but felt resentful of how time-sucky it had become, tethered to seemingly never-ending ... Read more

Filed in: Uncategorized • by sanae • 8 Comments

Queen Anne Book Company: A bibliophile’s haven

February 28, 2023

Hello, my friends! If you've been around here for any length of time, you know that Queen Anne Book Company has a very special nook in my heart. In March, the store will be celebrating its 10th year since becoming QABC under the purview of the current owners (the bookstore itself has been around for about two decades in the same location). My very first book deal (Little Kunoichi!) came about because of this wonderful store -- I wrote about it here (I go on and on about my thoughts on criticisms ... Read more

Filed in: book, illustration • by sanae • 4 Comments

Valentine Origami Papers for YOU

February 13, 2023

Hello, hello! If you're looking for some last minute, why-did-I-wait-till-now Valentine's Day craftiness, you're in the right place. I designed some origami paper for you and had fun folding them into different shapes. The heart above is iconic, of course. Envelopes are fun - you can write a secret or lovey-dovey message on the back of the origami paper and fold it up. I am particularly smitten with the origami box. It's surprisingly easy to fold and is a perfect container for ... Read more

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New Creativebug Classes + Get two months free!

January 31, 2023

Hello, hello! January has been a full month. I'm working on my next book and a scad of other exciting projects, I've been dealing with health issues (luckily I'm getting better), and I'm reorganizing/streamlining so many areas of my life. I lift the curtain and share the details of these types of things with my lovely Patreon group, and I like to mention bits and bobs here on the old blog too. The online world has much to say about how this is around the time that New Year's resolutions ... Read more

Filed in: life, sewing • by sanae • Leave a Comment

2022 Free Printable Holiday Tags and Mini Gift Wraps

December 16, 2022

Can December 16th still be considered early December? No. It cannot. I erroneously believed and declared that I would have these holiday printables for you many, many days ago, but here we are. Let's not dwell on excuses or explanations, though. If you need last minute tags and mini gift wrapping paper (ideal for tiny presents -- jewelry, perhaps?), I got you. I've designed some fun ones, which I hope will come in handy. Lately I've been really, really, really loving the Procreate app and ... Read more

Filed in: download, illustration • by sanae • 4 Comments

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Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones! Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones! I’m spending time with family in the Midwest and there is much to be grateful for, not the least of which is the slower pace this week. Sending big hugs to you! 🧡🧡🧡🧡 Incidentally, this ikebana floral arrangement is one of the illustrations that didn’t make it into my book SHIBUI — I painted a lot of extra illos!

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