Fabric: Cotton Flannel from Mood Fabrics
Pattern: Archer Button Up by Grainline
I accidentally shrunk my favorite (and only) plaid shirt by Rails in the wash when it got all balled up and hidden inside something else. I considered it one of my winter wardrobe staples and I really miss it. Their shirts are by far my favorite. I love the hand on the fabric, I feel like it’s well made and long lasting, and I love the way they fit. Well worth the price if anyone is looking to buy a button down.
However, since I started this little thing called sewing my own clothes, I thought it might be time to tackle the Archer Button Up by Grainline. Everyone raves about this pattern and Instagram is full of beautiful projects.
Size: My bust is between a 10 and 12, but the finished measurements are more of where I want them. Just to be clear, I seldom wear my shirts buttoned – mostly because I have never found one that buttons across the bust without gaping and doesn’t look huge elsewhere. Also – given the results of my last few project (I wish I had sized down on all of them), I decided to learn from previous projects even though my brain is screaming at me to be safe rather than sorry. I am ok with possibly making this too small for the following reasons (1) I am not absolutely in love with this fabric and it’s new, so I will be ok if I have to buy more, and (2) my 2nd attempt at any pattern is always better than the first. Ok – really I’m just trying to talk myself into making the smaller size as I type this. But, now reading through the instructions, it says to size up if you’re in between sizes. Better sew a size 12. If it’s too big this time, I’ll size down for the next project. Size 12 it is.
I had a very difficult time with the plaid – I could not seem to get the vertical and horizontal stripes squared off. I ended up deciding to cut a lot of pieces on the bias, and then focusing on getting the horizontal stripes straight, which I think was the right move.
I am super thrilled with the results and wearing it right now! I am willing to concede that I might have needed to size down. Before making any final decisions on that, I’m going to wear and launder this a bunch and see if that makes a difference. I was nervous about the pattern complexity at first, but Grainline had a photo tutorial on their blog that was helpful in clearing up a few directions I couldn’t seem to visualize. So, bonus points for that!