• Home
  • Shop
  • Illustration Portfolio
  • My Books
  • About

Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

22 Months and 3 Weeks

June 4, 2014

I purchased this tank top from H & M the second week of July in 2012. I remember this because I was frantically scouring the mall for clothes to take with me to a family vacation. That's what I always did for vacations; a profoundly unhealthy habit of accruing a whole new wardrobe just for a short trip. Cheap clothes that fell apart in minutes. I haven't bought a single ready-to-wear clothing item since. Almost two years for both me and K! Okay, I've gotten some socks and underwear for K, ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, life, watercolor, writing • by sanae • 37 Comments

Type A Summer Vacay or How I’m Not Effortless

June 3, 2014

There are thirteen more days of school left for K, and the ginormous maw of summer has been inching toward me, begging me to feed it with worthy activities. I started a little late on the summer camp sign-up process this year, and here in Seattle, it's like a competitive sport to get access to the various "enrichment" programs. Most of the popular ones are filled by early April, and you have to be aggressively Type A to have your ducks in a row so that you're not stuck with the most expensive ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, life, writing • by sanae • 20 Comments

Monday Fabric Giveaway! [Closed]

June 2, 2014

Good morning, friends! I made it! I turned in my illustrations (sans cover) yesterday evening, and I feel like I've completed the Marathon des Sables through the Sahara Desert. A 6-day, 160-mile marathon is something I doubt I'll ever be able to do since I can barely jog three miles, but I'm going to venture that the sense of relief and accomplishment I'm enjoying is no less than an ultra marathoner's. The sewing area has been sorely neglected these last few days, so I've got zilch completed ... Read more

Filed in: giveaway • by sanae •

Happy Friday + Randomness

May 30, 2014

Happy Friday! This is the unedited and un-styled area that is my helter skelter "workshop" right now as I dash madly into the completion phase of my interior illustrations (I have a little more time to work on the final cover). I've been drinking a lot of coffee and experiencing a generous dollop of self-doubt while having the time of my life. It feels a little like the moment I stood at the edge of the bungie jumping bridge in New Zealand, ready to leap. Terrifying and exhilarating and not ... Read more

Filed in: life • by sanae • 2 Comments

Me-Made-May 2014: Week 4

May 29, 2014

Almost at the end of the month...holy cow, I am so over looking at my mug. The camera has been propped permanently on the tripod, and I've been taking snaps first thing in the morning every day, which accounts for why I resemble the undead so often. And perhaps because I've been so ashen, I've felt the need to dial up the color factor this past week. I've also felt the need to make something for myself for a change. Over the last couple of days I found pockets of time to pump out this ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 14 Comments

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address below to get blog posts delivered to your in-box. I'll occasionally include fun digital goodies!

Order My New Book of Illustrated Essays!

Order My Newest Kids’ Book!!

Order My Latest Sewing Book!!

Archives

Categories

I’ve been swimming in nostalgia these past few day I’ve been swimming in nostalgia these past few days, wading through my blog and Pinterest board of the clothes I made for K, who is not so little anymore. what a wild, fun time that was! Remember the old school days of sewing blogs?? I’m back in deadline mode for a number of projects so sewing will have to be put on hold (though maybe I’ll get lucky and sneak in some stitching time). I’m also putting Instagram on hold for the summer, as I do every year. I’ll be back in September with some exciting updates! Have a lovely season, my friends! 💙💙💙💙💙💙
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2026 · Theme by Blog Pixie

© 2026 Sanae Ishida