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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

The Girl in Red (A Valentine’s Dress)

February 15, 2016

Good morning! It's mid-winter break right now, so K and I are hanging out and relaxing today and tomorrow. Since we're in vacation mode, the pace is slower around here and I'm posting a little later than usual... I made K this little red number for Valentine's Day. I don't know why, but I tend to avoid the color red -- maybe it's because it's my mom's favorite color and I OD'd on it growing up. It's a great hue on K, though, and I should make more outfits in this color. I'm not sure how ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 10 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

February 12, 2016

Our little black 2001 Honda Civic died nine days ago. RIP. It chugged along with so few complaints and problems for almost a decade (we bought it used), but it expired ignobly by overheating repeatedly, becoming unfixable. It had seen better days, sure, but it never felt precious -- not once did I feel the need to admonish clumsy hands attached to kid bodies for spilling a few morsels/drops of eats and drinks and we gave muddy shoes little thought. It was a no big deal kind of vehicle. Car ... Read more

Filed in: life, secret valentine exchange • by sanae • 8 Comments

Valentine’s Round-Up

February 10, 2016

The other day, I was talking to a friend who needed a last minute Valentine's card for her kids' classes and I suggested my printables. I tried to search on this here blog and realized how terribly disorganized my categories are. Must do something to rectify that. In the meantime, what with V-day coming up, I figured I could at least round-up the printables I've created. I'd completely forgotten about the word search one! Bookmarks seem to be my go-to; at least there's a variety...If you too ... Read more

Filed in: download • by sanae • 5 Comments

Just a Scarf

February 8, 2016

Superman got nothing on meeee...I intoned as I worked on binding off this scarf. It's a tune that's part of K's repertoire and I have no idea what the song actually sounds like since I've only heard her softly murmuring that line periodically. I guess it's by someone named Charlie Puth? I don't feel compelled to look it up, but I like the words. Anyway, I knitted a scarf. It's not, as I had hoped, the longest neck warmer in the universe. It's long enough to loop around my neck twice. I ... Read more

Filed in: knitting • by sanae • 12 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

February 5, 2016

Happy Friday! Have you checked out the Instagram hashtag #2016sve? Beautiful, beautiful stuff. Ute and I were joking that the sneak peeks make us want to steal all of the gifts for ourselves! We're excited that quite a few of you opened an IG account to get into the spirit of sharing the progress. Be forewarned newbies, you'll get hooked! The photos are pouring in, and I've tried to comment on as many as I can, but I'm a slowpoke when it comes to IG -- how do you guys all stay on top of the ... Read more

Filed in: secret valentine exchange • by sanae • 3 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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