The Carrie Cardigan shown layered over my upcoming pattern, the reversible Metamorphic Dress, which drops on November 1st! Be sure you're on my mailing list to get the 30% release discount. 

When I first see a sewing pattern, a few questions pop into my mind:

1. Is this a good shape for my body? (Wondering what works for YOUR body? Stasia's Style School is a transformative experience in self-love and acceptance via the art of getting dressed in the morning. Sign-ups for the new session are today!)

2. How can I layer this and mash it up with what is currently in my closet?

3. How can I make it my own, either with fabric choice, natural dye, or pattern hacking? I'm keen on creating clothing that fills me up as an artist and makes me feel both bad-ass and creative while wearing it. Hence my recent obsession with natural dye, a craft I am learning from Kristine Vejar's inimitable book, The Modern Natural Dyer.

Indiesew's 2017 F/W collection hit the bullseye for my requirements (and I was thrilled to have my Matcha Top as part of the collection) and I quickly cleared my sewing table and got to work. I already had a black silk Matcha Top in my closet, so I sewed up a pair of ikat Burnside Bibs to go with it. The bibs are a straight size 4 with a Version 1 top and Version 2 (gathered) bottoms. The Matcha and Burnside go together like peanut butter and jelly … but I didn't fully soothe my Burnside Bibs itch until I had made up a cropped pair in fluid, creamy sand washed rayon. This pair goes perfectly with close-fit tees, like all of the Stasia versions I have in my closet.

Finally, I whipped up (and I mean whipped – it took 30 minutes to serge together once I had prepped and cut my fabric) a Carrie Cardigan. Mine is a long-sleeved, short-length XS, and it works well for my short stature (I'm 5' 4".) I used an organic cotton knit for this, with little stretch and recovery, and the pattern is forgiving in that regard. If you're curious how I went about hand-painting the fabric with natural dyes, be sure to sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter here. I have a little video going out to my list on Saturday!

The cardigan layers exceptionally well over wide-leg pants, the Burnside Bibs, and dresses like my linen Metamorphic Dress or my go-to ikat Washi Dress.

The only thing I haven't sewn yet is the Coram Top, and after seeing Sew House Seven's topstitched version, I think that the tunic may find a way into my closet, too.

You can find all of the patterns in the collection bundled for a discount over at Indiesew. For more collection inspiration, check out the rest of the blog tour posts below!

Oct 18: Grainline Studio

Oct 20: My Handmade Wardrobe

Oct 23: The Doing Things Blog

Oct 24: Sweet KM

Oct 25: Sew House Seven

Oct 26: Threadbear Garments

Oct 27: Sew Liberated