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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Happy Friday + Randomness

June 24, 2016

Happy Friday! Still plugging away at my various projects...I did, however, take a little jaunt into downtown to Drygoods Design on Wednesday to pick up a beauty of a book. The Merchant and Mills Workbook makes my neutral-loving heart sing. I want to make everything. Everything! The instructions seem to be pretty sparse, which is okay with me since I don't seem to follow instructions all that closely anyway. Oh, the photography and styling of this book are so, so good. On a side note, I ... Read more

Filed in: sewing resources • by sanae • 9 Comments

Stay Curious

June 20, 2016

A little behind the scenes of one of the projects I worked on over the weekend. A dear friend of mine commissioned me for an illustration to give to her colleague, and I loved trying out different lettering styles. The colleague's catchphrase is "stay curious," which is a brilliant one. I have two more illustrations, another quick translation assignment (this time I'm learning all about the art of sushi plating and presentation -- so, so cool), and a craft tutorial all due pronto so I am ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration, watercolor • by sanae • 4 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

June 17, 2016

Happy Friday! With thoughts of the upcoming Father's Day lingering in my brain, I dug up a watercolor painting I did of a seahorse a while back (daddy seahorses give birth to baby seahorses -- hundreds of them at a time!). I also remembered that male penguins keep unhatched eggs nice and toasty while the mama penguins forage for food. I love that, though I can't help but think the female penguins are getting the short end of the deal here given the harsh climate they have to ... Read more

Filed in: illustration, watercolor • by sanae • 4 Comments

Giveaway: A Journaling Kit [CLOSED]

June 15, 2016

Thank you for all the birthday wishes! I had a most relaxing time, completely ignoring my to-do list and doing everything that makes me feel good and whole: walking, spending time with my favorite people, writing and doodling in one of my regular coffee shop haunts, getting lost in a bookstore and choosing just the right birthday books for me (turns out I'm in the mood for sewing books and acquired this one and this one and this one). I've checked out that Twinkle Sews book so many times from ... Read more

Filed in: giveaway • by sanae •

Investing in Quality

June 13, 2016

Good morning! I've always appreciated the finer things in life -- some might call it "expensive taste" ("some" is actually my husband). But I also have a cheapskate side, or maybe it's this sense that I don't actually deserve certain high quality items yet. One of those someday-when-I-feel-deserving items is linen bedding. We have a small closet at the edge of our upstairs landing where I keep all our sheets and pillowcases, but most of them are from Target. I'm pretty sure that the fiber ... Read more

Filed in: life, sewing • by sanae • 30 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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