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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

2020 Advent Calendar

November 30, 2020

Hello my friends! I wasn't sure if I would be able to add a post this month because my blog got hacked a few weeks ago, rerouting my site to dubious-looking websites of the spammy, identity-theft sort. My techie husband stepped up, however, and tackled the problem, and for now things seem to be back in order. So here I am, on the last day of November with a little update. How are you? I spent the last four days of the Thanksgiving weekend relaxing and working at a snail's pace on the project ... Read more

Filed in: crafts • by sanae • Leave a Comment

Non-Halloween + Costumes over the years

October 30, 2020

Hello, hello my friends! I drew some Halloween-inspired watercolor doodles in my sketchbook today, and like this witch, I'm feeling a bit melancholy about this season. My neighbors are going all out in the decoration department, so there's an air of spooky festivity in our 'hood, but this is the first year in a very, very long time that I haven't sewn a costume for K because: pandemic. Trick-or-treating isn't happening, obviously. Then again, now that she's in high school, maybe it wasn't going ... Read more

Filed in: illustration, sewing for K • by sanae • Leave a Comment

Tyra Tee by Just Patterns

September 25, 2020

Hello, my friends! Now here's a rare sighting of me in a handmade outfit...it's been a while, hasn't it? Excuse the crazy escapee hair strands -- my bun skillz are haphazard at best. Let me tell you a little bit about this sweet li'l top I'm wearing. It's called the Tyra Tee by Just Patterns, and it's an effortless pattern to sew up. Perfect for beginners as well as more experienced folks looking for a quick, refreshing project that's certain to become a comforting, gotta-reach-for-it ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 7 Comments

Call for Sewing Testers (Round 2)! {CLOSED}

August 31, 2020

UPDATE: Amazing! So many people volunteered and I have enough testers now, so I have closed the sign-up form. For those of you that filled out a form, I will send a confirmation email in a few days after I’ve gone through all the forms. THANK YOU!! Hello, my friends! Many months ago, a whole bunch of you tested patterns for my next sewing book, and it was wonderful. The plan was to release the book in Spring of 2021. Then the pandemic happened. We decided to postpone the photoshoot, ... Read more

Filed in: sewing • by sanae • 2 Comments

Summer Celebrations

July 30, 2020

Just a quick check-in to say, "Hey, how are you?" See that cute li'l girl up there? She's 14 today. Fully a teenager, mature as all get-out, yet still a little kid in so many ways. This is what quarantine birthdays are looking like: (A little overexposed, but I love this hasty snap taken just a few minutes ago. It's so very her) K has a few of her closest friends over right now, enjoying a social-distanced hangout session in our yard. I can hear snippets of their conversation and ... Read more

Filed in: life • by sanae • 8 Comments

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Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones! Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones! I’m spending time with family in the Midwest and there is much to be grateful for, not the least of which is the slower pace this week. Sending big hugs to you! 🧡🧡🧡🧡 Incidentally, this ikebana floral arrangement is one of the illustrations that didn’t make it into my book SHIBUI — I painted a lot of extra illos!

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