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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Monday Outfit: Necessity Sewing

October 6, 2014

Good morning! For over two years, I've been sewing K an outfit nearly every week. An important lesson from last year was that I failed to make her enough clothes that are appropriate for cooler weather. All my lovely linen creations and flimsy dresses sat unloved as temperatures dipped and poor K suffered through the rainy season (which, as you know in the Pacific Northwest, lasts forever) with nary a waterproof jacket. I decided to rectify the situation this year and got some water-resistant ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 43 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

October 3, 2014

Happy Friday! On Wednesday, after K's orthodontic appointment, we stopped off at a fabric store to see if they had any orange felt or knit for her requested pumpkin costume. Then she saw that Southwestern style print and immediately changed her mind about the pumpkin. Soon, a maroon fringe ribbon was added along with silver lace. "What do you want me to make?" I asked her. She shrugged and said, "I dunno, some maid-fancy-girl". Hmmmmmm.....I am awaiting design specs with some ... Read more

Filed in: life • by sanae • 12 Comments

Fall Cleaning Giveaway: Part 3 [CLOSED]

October 1, 2014

This is such a great book. A great, great book. And the two patterns that immediately drew me in were first, the dress on the left: And next, the giant bow top: Herein lies the problem. I am simply not a giant bow kind of gal and quite frankly, I think I can self-draft that other dress. And as I looked through the book carefully, I realized that none of the clothes really felt right for me. I was drawn to the photography, and there must have been a part of me that wanted to be more ... Read more

Filed in: giveaway • by sanae •

Monday Outfit: The Classic Combo

September 29, 2014

Good morning! I walked three miles yesterday for K's school fundraising event and now I'm hobbling all over the place. Very out of shape. My fitness level is neither here nor there, and today, I have a semi-homerun of an outfit. Clearly, I'm not a baseball fan. Would that actually be a three-baser? A foul? Who cares, right? I'm back on track with my goal of sewing through this lovely book. This weekend I tackled the "boat neck cut sew" (cut sew is how the Japanese refer to knits) and a pair ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 35 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

September 26, 2014

Happy Friday! I am extremely lazy at heart, and when several friends told me about the easiest bread to make, I was in. The no knead bread has been around for a while, and I've seen various versions of Jim Lahey's original recipe around the web and I suppose in a vague sort of way, I'd been curious about this wonder bread. My first attempt, sadly, was a bust. Though the crust was amazing, the glutinous, uncooked middle was disgusting, and the bottom burnt to a crisp. I'm not easily put off by ... Read more

Filed in: cooking, life • by sanae • 16 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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