FRIDAY STYLE DIARIES by Elizabeth of @everything_is_a

Welcome back to another Friday Style Diaries feature, where we interview sewing community guests on their me made style inspiration and challenge them to make a Friday pattern and style it in 2 ways.

Meet the awesome Elizabeth from @everything_is_a_suit! We love Elizabeths stylish wardrobe with lots of amazing layering pieces, and beautiful silhouettes! Let's get stuck in to the feature and find out more:

If you had to use 3 words to define your style, what would they be?

matchy-matchy, bold-neutral, modern

Where are you finding inspiration these days? This could be art, movies, music, nature, etc.

I find inspiration from all of my friends and acquaintances who are makers across various mediums—whether painting, writing, music, giant puppets etc—but especially those working with fabric and fibers. Knowing others who have an irrepressible drive to create is a constant source of inspiration for me, regardless of what they are making.

What Friday Pattern have you chosen to make and why?

I’ve made the Eddy Cardigan Blazer—a pattern I have been eyeing for a while—because for some inexplicable reason I became allergic to cardigans a few years ago. This has left a gaping hole in my wardrobe that, distressingly, cannot be filled by mere blazers, jackets, and sweaters though I have tried. So I guess this pattern is making cardigans safe for me again, or it’s enabling my avoidance behavior. In any case, I’m excited to try an unlined version next, as well as a knit version. I made this pattern in size medium with no modifications.

Shop the Eddy Cardigan Blazer here.

Talk us through the ways that you have styled your handmade garment. Ideally you would style the garment multiple ways and break down each outfit:

I used a mid-weight off-white cotton canvas for this blazer, which makes it very versatile in my wardrobe. My instinct is always to wear all black with a contrast shoe so that’s my first outfit with RTW black jeans + black cami. For the second rendition on that theme, I pulled out some big red boots and paired with an Array Dress (Papercut Patterns) I made many years ago.

My third outfit pairs the blazer with all knits, lending a bit of polish to a casual rib knit fitted skirt and a basic top.

Where would you wear these looks?

The blazer and jeans look is a work outfit. The other two are more of an anytime/coffee date look for me.

What is the inspiration behind your styling?

I have always been a bit matchy-matchy and I’ve just decided to lean into that with my sewing. I also sew things with aesthetics that I would never buy in RTW, and then I wear them because I sewed them. I guess it’s a tail wagging the dog method of styling, but I’m happy with it.

Do you have any tips and tricks for styling?

I admire people who have thoughtful styling techniques and tips but have to admit that it’s a largely non-intellectual, trial and error process for me. I usually start with something that sparks joy in the moment and build from there because if you start with something that makes you feel good that feeling will anchor the outfit. I have no wisdom to share except that it’s better to make styling mistakes than to be boring.