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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Poppies + Distractions

April 22, 2014

It's good to be back. Taking a week off of blogging was rejuvenating without a doubt, but I also discovered how much my days are anchored by creating my posts, buoyed by the interactions I have with you. Beyond Tuesday of last week, I was completely in a time warp. Spring break was amazing. So good, so good. Because many of our friends were out of town, K and I spent the bulk of the week with just each other (M made guest appearances in the late evenings and on weekends, but he works a lot). ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, gouache, illustration • by sanae • 24 Comments

Monday Outfit: A Frozen Kind of Easter

April 21, 2014

Hello friends, I've missed you! I hope you had a fabulous week filled with a wonderful Easter weekend and other spring goodness. I'll go more into my mini blog hiatus tomorrow, but for today, let's dive into this glamorous number, shall we? Not your average Easter dress, right? As a matter of fact, she was forbidden to gather eggs while wearing the dress due to its ridiculously long cape that was sure to result in injuries, but when K first came out of the house wearing it, the dress ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 23 Comments

Happy Friday + Sewing for Me: Really, More Grey?

April 11, 2014

Happy Friday! To the question, "Just how many grey dresses do you need?" I respond, "You can never have too many grey dresses". This is dress "q" from the book that I'm giving away (there's still time!), and it's unusual in that it is fully-lined. Most Japanese patterns do away with linings for some reason, and it's always been a mystery to me. This is the same charcoal chambray I used for my first Tova, and for this somewhat vintage-y dress, I cut the size 11 without any modifications. ... Read more

Filed in: life, sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 20 Comments

The Joy of Seeing

April 10, 2014

I was sketching randomly today (sort of my version of a warm-up for the final phase of book illustrating, which is like a creative workout) and remembered when a friend asked me whether I'm researching other children's book illustrators, and I told her that I purposely avoid it. Instead, I look for inspiration in other forms: traditional museum paintings, clothing designs and colors, old school album art, retail store advertisements, interior design, nature, everything. A lot of it has to do ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration • by sanae • 3 Comments

No-Bake Energy Blasts

April 9, 2014

It's hard to believe, but I've continued with my daily green juice for nearly a year now. It helps jumpstart my day, but I must 'fess up to still being hopelessly addicted to my beloved coffee. Maybe it's the coffee voiding the green juice, but by mid-afternoon I usually need an energy boost. I made these no-bake energy blasts (named by one of K's friends who happened to be over while I was typing this up) and they live up to their name. I slightly modified this recipe by replacing the ... Read more

Filed in: cooking • by sanae • 6 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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