Seattle children’s book author, illustrator and mother Sanae Ishida decided to add one more thing to her harmonious plate: sewing.

Through a year of threading and hemming, Ishida produced all her daughter’s (ridiculously fashionable) clothes, some garments for herself as well as household crafts. In her new book, Sewing Happiness (Sasquatch Books, $22.95), she stitches together a memoir, a delightful medley of sewing projects and a strong lesson in wabi-sabi, the concept of finding beauty in imperfection. 

How did you endure such a labor-intensive project?

It’s funny, it never felt like I had to “endure” sewing—although learning how to sew clothes for my daughter (and eventually for myself) was challenging without a doubt, it was also incredibly fun and rewarding. I was (and still am) a huge fan of Project Runway, and I would pretend that I was a contestant and that kept me motivated to sew every week. I want very much to meet Tim Gunn one day. 

Did any situations arise that made you want to put down the sewing kit and run over to a department store for clothes?

I’m pretty stubborn and a huge creature of habit. Once I got the weekly sewing routine going, it was actually a point of pride for me that I wasn’t buying any ready-to-wear items. There were certain times that I probably should have caved and purchased clothes. For example, in the winter, when it would have been a very good idea to sew a couple of warm jackets for my daughter…I instead found myself making linen dresses because they were more fun to sew. I eventually made a wool coat for her, but it took awhile.