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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

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

Happy Friday + Randomness

November 21, 2014

Happy Friday! A truly random bit of info: almost every Sunday, M has what we call "DDT" or Daddy Daughter Time. He started this tradition when K was about a year old, and takes her out on a date each week. Their time together ranges in activity: bike riding or a scoop of ice cream or just lounging around. It's a win-win all around because while they bond, I get to sneak in some extra work (or fun) time. And almost every Sunday, I go to the same coffee shop and every once in a while, there is a ... Read more

Filed in: digital, illustration • by sanae • 6 Comments

Sewing for Me: Simplicity 1538

November 19, 2014

If you had told me last year that I'd be able to get the print of plaid fabric to match up for a button-down shirt, I would have laughed you out of the room. As it turns out, if I cut each pattern piece individually, I can get very, very decent results (i.e. cutting every piece from a single layer instead of folding the fabric to get two sleeve pieces at once, say). Not perfect, mind you, but pretty darn good. This is Simplicity 1538. And the cotton fabric is from Drygoods -- I hear this ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 37 Comments

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I’ve been spending less time around here — the I’ve been spending less time around here — the landscape has been feeling dark and murky and I wish I had a magical luminous flower like this bunny to light the way…#procreatewatercolorfun
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