Archer!

3.16.2015



Well, in true Carolyn fashion I finally got around to sewing something that the rest of the sewing community has been making for the past two years - an Archer!  In my defense, when the pattern came out I thought it looked great, but I also thought that it really wasn't something that I would wear.  Oh, how wrong I was, though, because this one has been getting a ton of wear (hence all the wrinkles) and I definitely see some more in my future (in fact, I already cut out out another one - only this time with a butt ruffle!)


Truth be told, I was also late to the game in making in an Archer because so many people commented on what a time consuming project it was and I'm more of a simple project kind of gal.  I was worried that I would find the project long and tedious and that I wouldn't enjoy it at all.  I'm happy to report, though, that my experience couldn't have been farther from that.  Yes, it took a couple sewing sessions to finish, but I loved the fact that knowing that it was going to take me some time caused me to slow down and take time in getting things right.  I have a tendency to speed through things unnecessarily and the process of slowing down definitely led to a much better end-product.  How embarrassing is it that I'm just learning this now?

For my first Archer I made straight size 2 with no modifications.  I was a bit worried about the fit because I'm definitely a pear shape and I usually grade to a larger size around the hips but I compared the Archer measurements to store-bought shirt that I had and they seemed to be comparable.  The overall fit seems to be right on although the more I wear it, the more I wish that it was just a tad bit longer.  Maybe about an inch?  (For reference, I'm 5' 6")  Fortunately, that's an easy enough modification to make in my many Archers to come.  The directions were great and I used the sew along on the Grainline Studio site to help me along when I got stuck.  And, following the sage advice of many other bloggers, I used Andrea's collar tutorial and it made the collar installation pretty easy.

The fabric is from Nancy's Sewing Basket and I bought it on a particularly memorable Mother's Day outing that ended with both kids crying hysterically in the car and O having blood all over her face because of some obsessive ear-picking that she did back when she was three.  This fabric is probably the only good thing to come from that day.  The fabric is a cotton with a tiny bit of stretch to it and I originally purchased it thinking that I would make some sort of dress out of it, but then I got smart and realized that I rarely wear dresses and this was the far more practical solution.


And it is.  The end.

New Year. Same Resolution.

3.07.2015

Like most sewers (sewists?  sewing people?  you know what I mean.), every year I resolve to sew from the stash and since the new year is still kind of fresh I figured that I should probably stick to my sewing resolution.  So behold!  Three shirts made completely with items from the stash.


The first shirt is made from a super-soft Ella Moss fabric that I'm pretty sure is some sort of cotton/poly blend.  I originally bought it to make some undies for myself (which I did), but luckily I happened to have just enough left over to make a shirt for O.  This fabric has very little recovery so it make its uses limited but it's incredibly soft and perfect for swingy t-shirt.  The pattern is just the Made by Rae Flashback Tee pattern which I've used, oh, about a million times.  I cut out a size five, but added a bit of length and width at the bottom to make it more a-line.  I love the really simple black and white stripes on her and she loves how soft the shirt is so we're both very happy campers with this one.


Okay, on to the next t-shirt, which so so happens to be made from a Michael Stars turtleneck that I sadly outgrew.  I've been holding on to it for quite some time, but in the New Year's cleaning out of the closet I made my peace with the fact that it juts doesn't fit me anymore.  Fortunately it was able to find new life as a t-shirt for O.  I kept the original hems on the shirt and sleeves, making this a super-quick sew.  O loves that the shirt is gold and sparkly and I love that her new shirt was essentially free (well, you know what I mean).


Last new t-shirt - cut up from yet another shirt that I outgrew.  The shirt say "I'm a little stinker" on it and I'm not sure what it says about me, but two different people gave me this T-shirt for Christmas 13 years ago.  Either all the gift givers shopped in the same places or I really am a little stinker.  I choose to believe the former.  In any case, this shirt was well-loved by me for many years but it was time to accept the fact that it is way too small on me now.  Once again I used the Flashback Tee pattern but because the original tee had little cap sleeves, O's version has short sleeves.  Not so appropriate for winter, but it's nice and long so it should fit her by the time summer comes along.

And that's it!  Three things that sat around in my cupboard for way too long are now being well-loved.  Let the stash-busting continue!