Archer!

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.