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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Happy Friday + Randomness

January 2, 2015

Happy 2015! I'm keeping it short today for various reasons, one of which is that I'm quite sad that my mom returned to Los Angeles yesterday after a two-week visit, and I fear I might get overly maudlin. Let's focus on this book with the bold claim to change my life through tidying, yes? I've been burned by these types of claims before, so you can imagine my skepticism. I finished reading it a couple of days ago, and I have to say, I was completely charmed. Marie Kondo is an organizing fanatic, ... Read more

Filed in: book, life • by sanae • 31 Comments

2014 Retrospective: K’s Outfits (Part 2)

December 31, 2014

We're back with part 2 of K's 2014 Handmade Wardrobe! Let's jump right in: JULY Tennis (or Badminton) Whites Nautical Knit Halter AUGUST A Little Lace, A Little Boho Frances Newcombe Fabric (black and white) A Little on the Wild Side SEPTEMBER Galaxy Maxi (sewn in July, but posted much later) A Groovy Kind of Dress Big Joey Dresses (Grey + Red stripes / Animal Print) The Classic Combo OCTOBER Necessity Sewing (Rain Jacket, Long-Sleeves Tees, Denim ... Read more

Filed in: Uncategorized • by sanae • 30 Comments

2014 Retrospective: K’s Outfits (Part 1)

December 29, 2014

Good morning! Before I get all misty-eyed about K's outfits from this year, I wanted to let all the folks who entered the giveaway last week that rather than selecting just 10 winners, I've decided to paint a free custom illustration to everyone that answered the question. I started to do the random number generator thing and it just didn't feel quite right for some reason. You should be receiving an email from me shortly if you haven't already! Okay, let's move on to the smaller-sized sewing ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 24 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

December 26, 2014

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a spectacular Christmas overflowing with lovely moments. Mine was almost perfect. A few days ago, I happened to be crowing to my mom and M that I hadn't been sick much this year (well, I had my annual autumnal cough, but it was very minor), and boom, I caught a monster cold right after my proclamation, two days before Christmas. I wrapped presents in a feverish haze and though I'm feeling much better now, I will be careful about boasting about my health going ... Read more

Filed in: life • by sanae • 7 Comments

A Debt-Free Life Finale + Custom Illustration Giveaway! [CLOSED]

December 19, 2014

Evicting the roommates was a swift affair once I called in the big guns. You'll remember from last time that they had stopped paying rent and the situation was dire. M flew in from Seattle to "negotiate" (a punched hole in the wall was involved as I recall - the Czech girl's boyfriend was the temperamental sort). I was cowering somewhere out of sight and didn't witness the event. The couple left with a string of muttered Czech words trailing behind, cursing my name, I'm sure. Freed from thongs ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, life, watercolor • by sanae •

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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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