She asked, "Why do you love me?" I said, "Because I do." She asked, "But why? How can you love me?" I said, "I just do. I love you because you're you." It took a long time for me to shape those words to answer those questions. My daughter and I...it has been a season of stilted talks between us, weeks of bickerings and posturings and righteous lectures and easily trampled emotions. Not always, of course, but enough times to make me question my ability to parent. I tend to assume she ... Read more
Little Kunoichi: LAUNCHED!! + Giveaway [CLOSED]
Taiko drum roll please..... Little Kunoichi is large and in charge! Today is THE day, and I am doing imaginary backflips and round-offs of excitement!! The build-up has been so long, I thought I would be all blasé and casual and "Oh, is it the launch date today?", but no no no. It's a big deal. A huge deal. I am planning on visiting as many bookstores as I can today to surreptitiously snap photos of my book on shelves because this will never, ever, ever happen again: my first ... Read more
Happy Friday + Call for Pattern Testers [CLOSED]
The house: a disaster. The food: completely reliant on Trader Joe's frozen food section. The "studio" (aka my bedroom where I sew): unspeakable. And in an effort to walk my talk, I'm calling uncle and reaching out for help: is anyone out there willing to pattern test for book #2? I've already roped in a few wonderful folks, but I definitely need more testers as the sewing book I'm currently working on has over 20 projects. If interested, please email me: sanaeishida13[AT]gmail.com. These are ... Read more
Here and Now
I am dying. Dying of excitement for my book launch, of course, but also in the literal sense. Three years ago, when my thyroid condition -- aptly named Graves Disease -- was at its most acute, my mortality was a daily reminder since my immune system kept shutting down. Compared to that period, I feel practically invincible these days. I eat a lot more vegetables and I rarely get sick, but it still doesn't change the fact that I am schlepping toward my demise, albeit slowly, every ... Read more
A Tiny Little Nani Iro Dress
Good morning! This weekend I stitched up a teeny tiny dress for a friend's employer's daughter (it's a long story), and I was flooded by memories of when I first started sewing for K. Oh, how I struggled back then! I couldn't figure out how to attach a bodice lining; I remember being stumped by which function to select on my sewing machine to create button holes. And although things have gotten much easier and a whole lot less stressful in terms of sewing, I've become quite accustomed to ... Read more