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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Grit

July 8, 2014

K is not in love with tennis camp. At least not in the way she was with skateboard camp. See that up there? That's from this past weekend, and when she first started skateboarding about a couple of months ago, she could barely get a few inches up that ramp. Now she'll glide all the way up and swivel turn down. She wants to go to the skate park whenever possible, and I might be biased, but I think she's a natural. I wish I knew how to do stop motion with all my photos because she's improved by ... Read more

Filed in: life • by sanae • 12 Comments

Monday Outfit: Tennis (or Badminton) Whites

July 7, 2014

Good morning! Despite the rain, we powered through with our Fourth of July barbecue, and it was a jolly good time. We pitched in with the neighbors for a community ping pong table, which was a big hit at the party as expected. So today, I'm sharing an entirely self-drafted tennis dress I've been plotting for a while. K is starting tennis camp this week, and it seemed imperative that I make an appropriate outfit. Tennis holds a very special spot in my heart; about five billion years ago as ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 28 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

July 4, 2014

Happy Fourth of July! We're celebrating with our neighbors as is our annual tradition and I can't wait to watch the fireworks. The city closes down certain streets in our neighborhood for fireworks-viewing and throngs of people spread blankets on the road and settle in to watch the sky show held above the lake. That exciting, mildly illicit feeling of getting away with something courses through us when we sit smack dab in the middle of the ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, life, watercolor • by sanae • 4 Comments

Sewing for Me: McCall’s 6751

July 3, 2014

Ikat. Something happens to me when the temperature rises, and I long to wear ikat. That's a pretty nifty back, right? Can I just tell you that I continuously bias bound the entire top portion all the way around the neckline and the cross over straps and arm holes, and I believe that bias tape was at least 6 feet long?  It was taller than me, at any rate (I'm 5'4"). From the front, it looks like a plain ole tank, made in a lovely chevron-patterned ikat that I got from here ages ago: I'm ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 38 Comments

Sewing Plans for K

July 2, 2014

Now that both K's and my wardrobes are entirely DIY'd (incidentally, am I the only one who has trouble saying DIY aloud? I always want to pronounce it "Dee-Ee-Why"), I find myself sketching a lot of potential sewing projects. I deviate from my plans more often than not, especially with K's stuff, but it's helpful to consider the holes in her wardrobe so that I'm not spending time on yet another linen dress that will never see the light of day. What she needs are shorts, and lots of them. All ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration, sewing • by sanae • 12 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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