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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

2013 Recap: Sewing for K

December 30, 2013

Good morning! The end of 2013 is around the corner, so I've been looking back on all the clothes I've made for K this year, and I'm sort of flabbergasted with myself. Do I not have a life? I made a total of 129 items (!) for K. I'm trying something new and testing out the gallery function for the first time, which is a little funky since you have to click on the image, and then click on another link to get to the original post, but I like being able to see the monthly breakdowns this ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 32 Comments

Monday Outfit: Shimmery Aqua Party Dress

December 23, 2013

Good morning! It was, of course, essential that I make a Christmas dress for K, and for the occasion, I pulled out a fabric that I've been saving for a long time. It's a metallic aqua linen, and I knew it would be perfect as a festive frock. The metallic coating stiffens the fabric,which gives it a taffeta-like texture, and I found that I could finger-press pintucks quite effectively. This was helpful because ironing required a press cloth, and sometimes I would forget and my iron would ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 27 Comments

Monday Outfit: Spring-Like Cheer

December 16, 2013

Good morning! Did you have a lovely weekend? We've been watching with wonder as K cuts down house after house of the advent calendar, and now we're a mere 9 days away from the big day. I should be focusing on Christmas presents, I really should. Instead, I made an outfit that practically shouts 'spring' because the weather has been quintessentially grey and these colors are so cheerful. All we need to complete the look is a vintage bicycle with a loaf of french bread and fresh flowers filling ... Read more

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

Monday Outfit on Friday: Collaboration

December 13, 2013

Happy Friday! I'm finally getting around to posting the Monday outfit today. It's a special one -- a collaboration of sorts. This ultra chic long cardi is the handiwork of the one and only Ba-chan (aka "Grandma" in Japanese, aka my mom). This is a noteworthy garment for many reasons, but mostly because this is perhaps the most restrained creation I have ever seen materialize from my mom's hands. The woman's favorite color is shocking pink, and no embellishment is safe from her clutches. The fact ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 25 Comments

Sewing for Me: Fandango Pullover + Stripey Tee

December 12, 2013

My sewing machine is making funny noises. It started as a soft rattle, but now it sounds like an especially angry jackhammer -- so distressing. It's time to get it serviced, which means I am going to be without a machine for who knows how long. The timing couldn't be worse. But I tried to squeeze out as many projects as I could before sending it out, so that's something. This here is McCall's 6603, view B. The fabric, much like my sister-wife-on-the-compound-dress, is most likely some ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 19 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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