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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Minimalist Sewing for K

September 7, 2015

After receiving even more new-to-K clothes from our neighbor last week, we went through K's entire closet and all of her dresser drawers to take stock of her clothing situation. It is, in a word, crazytown. I know there's a whole lot of capsule wardrobe talk going around the interwebs, and I so admire the concept, but as we sorted through hundreds of items that I've made for K, it was time to admit that we've crossed over into the opposite of capsule: hoarder territory. "We have to get rid ... Read more

Filed in: life, sewing resources • by sanae • 16 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

September 4, 2015

Happy Friday! There's been a lot of painting going on lately, and I'm also raring to dive into sewing -- five more days until K is back in school, and I will have gloriously large swaths of time to devote to personal projects. Can't wait!! I've been wading through my massive stash, trying not to get overcome by the vast number of choices. For now, I'm savoring the last moments of summer and am hosting a lot of playdates. ************** M and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary ... Read more

Filed in: illustration, life, watercolor • by sanae • 8 Comments

Tutorial: Happy Homemade Vol 5 Pants Hack

September 2, 2015

Earlier this week, I showed you the animal print pants I modified slightly, and I'm recording the changes I made here so I won't forget. I used pattern c for the pants, but didn't like the front patch pockets. Switching up the pockets for the "slim pants" was super easy because I simply frankensteined the skirt pockets from pattern w of the same book. Seamless! I also slimmed down the legs by my usual hyper accurate method of eyeballing, and added an extra 1cm to the length, but for this post, ... Read more

Filed in: tutorial • by sanae • 2 Comments

Monday Outfit: Rockstar Pants

August 31, 2015

Good morning! Everyone knows about K's love of animal prints. And most people know that I make all her clothes, so of course, she received two yards of animal print fabric for her birthday. "Pants!" she said without an iota of hesitation when I asked her what she'd like me to make with her special fabric. Pants it is. I used the "slim pants" pattern from this great book, but made a few mods in addition to lengthening the pant legs by 1cm. I changed the front pockets (the original ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 16 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

August 28, 2015

  A few months ago, I went to the Folk Life festival for the first time. It's a music and street food bonanza and a friend was performing so K and I braved the heavy traffic and navigated our way toward the Exhibition hall. A swish and a loud collective gasp from a crowd stopped us in our tracks, and there, standing in the middle, was a juggler. Now, I'm no juggling expert, but this guy was something special. First of all, he was dressed like Hansel from Grimm's Fairy Tale (or at ... Read more

Filed in: furoku membership, life • by sanae • 6 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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