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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Sewing for Me: Skippy in Abstract Indigo

September 24, 2014

It feels like it's been a long time since I've posted something I've sewn for myself. And if it weren't for Toni's new pattern I received, I may have skipped this week too. Let's get some details out of the way first, shall we? The fabric: indigo abstract print knit from here The pattern: Make It Perfect Skippy The size: Medium The modifications: Added 4 inches to skirt length Since I'd already sewn two mini versions, this came together snappy snappy. I'm partial to 3/4 length ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 46 Comments

Monday Outfit: Big Joey Dresses

September 22, 2014

Good morning! A while ago, Toni of Make It Perfect Patterns checked in to see if I would be interested in trying out her new patterns. Since I wear the Coastal Breeze dress all the time, I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed and because I've never tried any of her children's patterns, I was keen to give the Joey dress a go. I'm so happy I did. I love it. Well, okay, I love the grey and stripey version. I'll go into the leopard print in a bit. I think this may be one of my favorite ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 19 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

September 19, 2014

This is the view from my doctor's office. A muddy shot I took with my ipad while I was waiting -- that building in mid-construction hadn't even broken ground when I first started seeing my doctor almost three years ago. I had an appointment on Wednesday, the quarterly one for my thyroid condition called Graves' Disease. Every three months or so, I get blood work done, and my Harvard-educated physician and I go over the numbers while we sit next to this view from the seventh floor. This time, ... Read more

Filed in: life • by sanae • 20 Comments

Fall Cleaning Giveaway Part 2 [CLOSED]

September 17, 2014

I haven't even closed the other giveaway yet, and here I am, back with another one. Just as I had to relinquish all thoughts of engaging in extracurricular embroidery, I've had to break down and allow myself to admit that crochet (and knitting in general) is just not my thang. I bought this book back in 2007 when it first came out. In case you were wondering, "kyuuto" is the way "cute" is pronounced in Japanese. And you know that Japanese crafts are all about the cute. I mean, look at ... Read more

Filed in: giveaway • by sanae •

Not My Monday Outfit Post

September 15, 2014

Good morning! Today, I am completely and utterly cheating. I earmarked a pattern from the book I've been studiously sewing from, blocked out some time, and then things just went haywire. I could lay on the thick excuses, but I will spare you. So what is this? This, my friends, is K's all-time, deeper-than-ice-cream-love, favorite dress. Yes, my mom made it. But can you guess when she made it? When K was five. It's true, she's been wearing this dress for three years. It's gone through ... Read more

Filed in: sewing • by sanae • 19 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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