Hello! So I haven’t blogged since February and I’m not “ablogagizing”, just stating a fact. I have probably missed blogging more than you have missed me, but I am back nonetheless. It’s been an interesting year. My goal this year was to have more fun, which I feel like I succeeded in doing. I went on some amazing trips: a fun canoe trip, an epic family wedding, an anniversary getaway at my favorite local vintage trailer park and my annual escape to Camp Workroom Social. In February, Matt and I swapped rooms we use as studios, so now I have a bigger and better sewing space. It just took some time to get it back in working order, so it took me out of the game for a bit. It’s also been a big year of personal growth and career development, as I’ve been focusing on learning more about digital marketing in any way I can. So you know, these things all take up time!

The project that finally got me sewing regularly again was this Grainline Studio Archer Button Up. I was motivated by my upcoming trip to Camp Workroom Social and figured this would be a great fall shirt to wear up in the beautiful Catskill mountains. I made the muslin over a year ago and I all I needed to do was adjust the pattern. I lengthened the sleeves 1″, added 1″ to the length and took the shoulders in 1/2″.

It had been so long since I started this project and I had moved studios in between, so when I finally went to look for the fabric, I couldn’t find it.  I had bought the fabric so long ago, that I doubted I would be able to buy it again. I was just about to give up when I finally remembered one of the many spots I had squirreled away fabric in the move. This would probably be a totally boring story to most people, but I have a feeling there are many sewists out there (with sizable fabric collections) that have experienced this very thing. Does it mean I have too much fabric or just need to be more organized?

Anyway, once I found my fabric and was able to get cutting I was feeling rusty on matching plaids, so I decided to just take my time cutting the fabric and I’m so glad I did. I feel like my pattern matching is totally on point!

The back yoke, pockets and the cuffs were all cut on the bias. I also wanted pointed pockets for a more Western shirt look, so I used the pocket pattern piece from the Negroni shirt I made for Matt a couple of years ago.

We sewists have the bad habit of pointing out our mistakes, but I am convinced I sewed the cuffs on backwards and need the opinion of the sewing hive mind on this. Shouldn’t it button the other way? I asked a fellow camper who was also wearing an Archer Button Up, and her’s buttoned the same way as mine, but I am still not convinced. I think we both did it wrong.

The placket still looks good even if it is upside down. In the realm of mistakes it’s not a big deal. The shirt is still totally functional and like most sewing mistakes, no one will ever notice unless I point it out. It just feels a little weird to button. I plan to make so many more of these, so even if it was designed this way, I’m going to sew it differently next time.  In fact, I have already started a second one. I figured now was a good time while I still had the pattern pieces out! I picked up a beautiful polka dot chambray from Purl Soho when I was in New York, so the fabric cutting was sooo much easier!

If you have read my blog before, you may have noticed it has a new look. I had felt like this blog was due for a refresh for some time and figured with the extended blog break, now was as good a time as any to do that.  I loved my old logo, but it was designed when this was more of a gardening blog and I wanted something cleaner and simpler that reflected more of the sewing theme. I picked blue and gray for the new logo because I am realizing those are the colors I like to wear and sew the most. Let me know what you think!