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!