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

Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Unusual Creatures

April 8, 2014

This is a leafy sea dragon. There really is such a thing! I got so excited when I saw it in a book I checked out from the library a few weeks ago - it's the sort of unexpected, delightful and unnecessary information I gobble up. I was pondering this lovely creature in the back of my mind, and then when I was running errands at a bookstore yesterday, I saw the same book in the bargain sales section. I'm not sure why, but I took it as a sign to paint the sea dragon. You can see that I took some ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration • by sanae • 14 Comments

Monday Outfit: “Artist” blouse + Cargo half-pants

April 7, 2014

Good morning! We hit a milestone this weekend! K had her very first non-relatives sleep over, and it was a roaring success. My friend and wonderful neighbor took it upon herself to entertain five girls on Saturday night and generously offered to captain K's maiden voyage into the land of sleepovers. Since they live only two doors down, I fully expected a call or knock in the middle of the night, but nope. K made it! You could see the confidence brimming in her when she returned ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 15 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

April 4, 2014

Happy Friday! Just a quick tolerations update: March was on the lackluster side. I accomplished the easiest possible tasks such as "Donate bags in car trunk to Goodwill", "Eliminate K's shoes that don't fit" (which were in the bags in the trunk), "Organize pantry" (it's a tiny pantry), "Clear off bedside tables" and "Move yellow art cabinet to basement". I'm down from 75 tolerations to 70. Ah well, progress, right? ********************************* K's take on dreams, which I ... Read more

Filed in: illustration, life • by sanae • 9 Comments

Dress Book Giveaway! [Closed]

April 3, 2014

It's been a while since I've done a giveaway, hasn't it? As it turns out, I was wildly optimistic about my ability to juggle a book, illustration clients, a blog, other secret projects to be revealed soon, and teaching. Not to mention this somewhat important factor called family. I had to hang up my cape and retire the chipped faux-superwoman badge and reassess the situation. After some serious analysis of weighing pros and cons, I opted to let go of teaching sewing classes. Keli of Drygoods ... Read more

Filed in: giveaway • by sanae • 99 Comments

Instagram + Green-Eyed Monster

April 2, 2014

Instagram! Are you in on the action? I just started (@sanaeishida) but I don't know what I'm doing at all. I couldn't load it on my iphone for some reason, so it's on my ipad, which makes picture-taking a rather awkward ordeal. I took a profile pix of myself when I was trying to do something else, and "liked" one of my own photos by mistake. And what's a private user? I'm basically a mess. I tentatively selected a few folks to follow and then had to stop and ask myself why I wanted to plunge ... Read more

Filed in: life, writing • by sanae • 13 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 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! 💙💙💙💙💙
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2026 · Theme by Blog Pixie

© 2026 Sanae Ishida