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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Happy Friday + Advent Randomness

December 5, 2014

Happy Friday! Even though I'm sharing it today, I did, in fact, finish this Advent Calendar in the nick of time on November 30th, much to my relief. Compared to the last couple of years, it's a more understated calendar, but I put a lot of thought into it. This year, I had some very specific rules for myself: 1. Construct the advent calendar out of what I already have on hand (the exception was the little gifts that are part of the calendar) 2. No candy or sweets 3. Include lots of ... Read more

Filed in: crafts, life • by sanae • 12 Comments

Sewing for Me: Bronte Top

December 3, 2014

I know I'm knocking your socks off with this dark grey top. With its sleek, chic silhouette in monochrome, I dare you to tell me that you're not overcome with the desire to spend an hour (or two) making one for yourself too. What's that? You saw something strikingly similar at H & M for $5 at the Black Friday sale? Point taken. You'll see, though, that on closer inspection, this top has so much going for it that blows fast fashion out of the water. The lapped shoulders up the ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 41 Comments

Monday Outfit: Hooded Knit Cardi + Sew Sweet Giveaway [CLOSED]

December 1, 2014

Good morning, friends! I thoroughly enjoyed the long weekend, and I'm feeling rejuvenated. We ended up at a Chinese restaurant on turkey day after all, and I believe this will have to be our annual tradition because it was so stress-free. I don't mind cooking, but the clean-up is a sore spot for me, so not having to while away time sudsing up dishes was a huge bonus. We also went to see the movie Big Hero 6, and it's an all-ages pleaser (and yes, I cried -- it was very touching)! To add spice to ... Read more

Filed in: giveaway, sewing, sewing for K • by sanae •

Happy Thanksgiving: Free Printable

November 26, 2014

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and despite my best efforts to ignore it, it seems that the holiday season is in full swing. I'm thankful for so many things, and you, my friends, are on the short list. As a small token of my appreciation, I have a holiday printable for you: Dala horses! I've always loved this Swedish holiday motif, and I doodled some up and thought they would make sweet tags/cards. Here's what the whole sheet looks like, printable on 8.5 x 11" paper: I still haven't mastered ... Read more

Filed in: download, illustration, watercolor • by sanae • 12 Comments

Monday Outfit: We’ll Call It A Muslin

November 24, 2014

Good morning! I hope you had a fantastic weekend, friends! I spent a good chunk of it making a puffy coat. Or at least attempted to. After a hackneyed research process, I stumbled upon the Alpine Wonderland Puffy Coat pattern, and it was exactly what I wanted to make for K. But wouldn't you know it, I didn't have quite enough of the fabric that K picked out of my stash, so I nixed the hood and improvised with the collar a bit. It's a take on the chinese collar, and I quilted the piece ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 22 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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