Hello! I can hardly believe that December is upon us. Somehow I’m feeling baffled that this last year has flown so quickly and simultaneously feeling that it lasted forever. Time is weird. Let’s get back to the reason you’re here. My latest make is one of which I’m quite proud. This Archer Button Up made with an Ikat from Merritt Makes is one of those projects that reminded me “practice makes (almost) perfect.”
First, Fabric.
Merritt Makes is an online fabric shop run by a mother/daughter team. As someone who spent five years working in a shop run by a mother/daughter team, I have a soft spot for mother/daughter run businesses. About a month ago, I was browsing their website and couldn’t stop planning projects. You know the fabric is good when one look at the website results in the planning of an entire seasonal wardrobe. After emailing back and forth with Merritt, she helped me settle on making an Archer in this delicious Ivory Ikat fabric.
This woven ikat fabric is lightweight 100% cotton. The weave is slightly looser than a quilting cotton, but still tight enough to make handling it easier than a rayon challis. The hand feels similar to a gauze which makes wearing this fabric both breathable and comfortable. Pressing it was a dream which made it ideal for the crisp structure of a button up. Working with this fabric felt luxurious and I found myself taking extra care with each step.
Next, Construction.
As mentioned above, my love for this ikat fabric led me to take extra care during the construction of this top. Due to the slightly looser weave of the fabric, I chose to finish all the exposed seams with french seams instead of a serged edge. I then used two lines to top stitched the french seams so they would lay flat. This meant that each of the exposed seams was sewn a total four times. It took extra time, but the end result is a garment that looks just as neat on the inside as it does on the outside. I want this shirt to last and decided the best way to ensure that would be to take my time on its construction.
I’m no stranger to button-up shirts, in fact, I’ve made my son at least 12-15 over the last several years. This was my fourth Archer Button Up, but the first using view B and with a standard collar instead of a mandarin collar. The last Archer I made was made in the summer of 2016, so coming back to this pattern felt a little like visiting an old friend. I came back to it with fondness as well as wisdom gained from an abundance of sewing over the years. As with anything I’ve made, there are slight imperfections here and there. However, this top is the best I’ve ever sewn a button up and that realization feels pretty darn good.
I was proud of where I was skill-wise 2.5 years ago when I made my last Archer, and now I’m proud of the progress I’ve seen since then. There have been countless times over the last few years when I’ve thrown a project across the room in frustration, muttered a few choice words, and felt like giving up. Finishing things like this Archer makes me thankful that I didn’t. I still have a ridiculous amount of room for improvement in my sewing, but this project reminded me that improvement happens when we just keep trying. Sometimes it happens more slowly than we’d like, but it does happen.
Despite being pleased with my construction here, it didn’t come without mishaps. Due to the yarn-dyed woven nature of this ikat, there isn’t a definitive right or wrong side to the fabric. In a lot of ways, this is great. Unfortunately, I forgot to double check that I was sewing the correct sides of the fabric together when attaching the sleeves. I didn’t notice my mistake until I had french seamed and top stitched both the sleeves and side seams. As a result, my continuous sleeve placket that should’ve been turned to the inside, was now turned to the outside. My late-night sewing brain determined there were only two options: leave the plackets on the outside and call it a design feature or rip out 24 lines of stitching to reattach the sleeves with the actual right side out. In frustration, I decided to call it a night and come back to my sewing in the morning. Nothing clears your head like a good night’s rest and the next morning I realized there was a third option that would fix my problem in just a few minutes with only one small seam to rip out. All I had to do was unpick a 3/8″ long diagonal seam holding the top of the placket together (for reference see this Archer sewalong post). I then flipped the placket to the new wrong side, re-stitched the diagonal seam, and all was well.
Finally, Fitting.
According to the Archer measurement chart, my bust put me in a size 4 with my hip measurement right between an 8 and a 10. After looking at the finished measurement chart, I decided to go for a straight size 4. In retrospect, I likely should’ve graded to an 8 at the hips for a straighter fit. My only real adjustments to the pattern were adding length. I added 1″ in length to bodice and 1/2″ in length to the sleeves. Overall, I’m pleased with the fit of this top. It gives me full range of motion while the semi-fitted nature of it keeps me from looking as if I just rolled out of bed and grabbed my husband’s shirt.
Thanks for reading! If you need me, I’ll be cozied up in my Archer and a chunky cardigan for the foreseeable future. Be sure to check out Merritt Makes on IG or at their website. I can almost guarantee that you’ll be as tempted as I am to make an entire seasonal wardrobe with their lovely stock.
Stupendous!