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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Down Memory Lane: Ba-chan Made

July 14, 2014

Good morning! I'm here in Indianapolis enjoying my family vacation, and I wish I could say I have a new Monday outfit to share, but I didn't get a chance to sew much last week (no surprise). However, my mom is coming to visit us in Seattle as soon as we get back from Indy, and I was thinking about all the little outfits she used to make K. I've posted the crazy story of my mother's enthusiastic sewing turning into an art show before and you've seen the wizardry of her doll-clothes-making, but ... Read more

Filed in: sewing • by sanae • 29 Comments

Sewing for Me: Camouflaged Coastal Breeze Dress + Giveaway! [CLOSED]

July 9, 2014

Hey, it's my turn for the Make It Perfect tour! Toni designs comfortable and good-lookin' styles, and I was so excited to try out her patterns. She sent me the paper version of the Coastal Breeze dress, and oh, I love not having to piece together PDF sheets. I seem to always screw up when aligning PDF patterns and various sheets wind up completely off-kilter. Does that ever happen to you? Anyway, I'm a fan of Toni and Make It Perfect! This dress is fantastic. Really, I'm already planning ... Read more

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

Monday Outfit: Tennis (or Badminton) Whites

July 7, 2014

Good morning! Despite the rain, we powered through with our Fourth of July barbecue, and it was a jolly good time. We pitched in with the neighbors for a community ping pong table, which was a big hit at the party as expected. So today, I'm sharing an entirely self-drafted tennis dress I've been plotting for a while. K is starting tennis camp this week, and it seemed imperative that I make an appropriate outfit. Tennis holds a very special spot in my heart; about five billion years ago as ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 28 Comments

Sewing for Me: McCall’s 6751

July 3, 2014

Ikat. Something happens to me when the temperature rises, and I long to wear ikat. That's a pretty nifty back, right? Can I just tell you that I continuously bias bound the entire top portion all the way around the neckline and the cross over straps and arm holes, and I believe that bias tape was at least 6 feet long?  It was taller than me, at any rate (I'm 5'4"). From the front, it looks like a plain ole tank, made in a lovely chevron-patterned ikat that I got from here ages ago: I'm ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 38 Comments

Sewing Plans for K

July 2, 2014

Now that both K's and my wardrobes are entirely DIY'd (incidentally, am I the only one who has trouble saying DIY aloud? I always want to pronounce it "Dee-Ee-Why"), I find myself sketching a lot of potential sewing projects. I deviate from my plans more often than not, especially with K's stuff, but it's helpful to consider the holes in her wardrobe so that I'm not spending time on yet another linen dress that will never see the light of day. What she needs are shorts, and lots of them. All ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration, sewing • by sanae • 12 Comments

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I just realized that this week marks 10 years sinc I just realized that this week marks 10 years since my first craft book Sewing Happiness was published. I’ve sewn literally thousands of garments and other textile projects in the last decade! I included a Sashiko primer in the book, and I’m delighted that this humble Japanese embroidery practice has stood the test of time - if anything, I’ve noticed that there’s an ever growing enthusiasm for hand stitching. Fun news: I’ll be teaching a virtual Sashiko workshop for @tatterbluelibrary on Thursday, April 30th at noon ET. Link in profile! Would love to see you there! 💙💙💙💙💙
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