My obsession with the Archer shirt has returned in full force! I love making elevated basics that can be dressed up or down. Shirts are perfect for this as they can be styled in so many different ways.

Last year I made a couple of Archer’s (blogpost here) and they have been getting so much wear that I knew I needed a few more in my wardrobe.

After making the size 12 pattern, as designed, I made a number of small changes to the sewing process and pattern. My full list of changes are below:

• Removed two centimetres from the width of the sleeve cuff.
• Removed an inch and a half from the length of the arms – this pattern is designed for people with long arms.
• Removed two inches from the hem (could even do three) and squared it off which goes better with my style and is easier to sew.
• The front button band is cut as part of the shirt not as a separate piece – saves reattaching it!
• I prefer a narrow cuff one inch wide rather than the traditional menswear cuff.
• I sew my sleeves in flat – this tutorial by Blue Prints for Sewing is the technique I follow which is an industrial sewing technique I learned from the Craftsy class Sew Better, Sew Faster: Advanced Industry Techniques.

This version of the Archer is made in stark white heavyweight linen from The Fabric Store. I paired it with some beautiful shell buttons from my stash. I sew two buttons to my sleeve cuffs – the largest button allows enough space one for pushing the shirt up to my elbow the other button is so then the fabric is tight around my wrist.

A lot of people don’t like working with linen as it creases. The top above has been worn and has been airdried on a coat hanger. It hasn’t been ironed I personally think it looks great without ironing!

I have taken to hand-sewing buttons on my shirt rather than by machine as it is a nice way to finish a project. I follow the tutorial (see above ) or you can watch the video tutorial here.

One of our fabulous sponsors from Frocktails Wellington Fab Fabrics gifted our attendees an incredible $25 voucher which I spent towards 2 meters of their purple linen it is a lovely mid-heavy weight. I have been looking at adding other colours from my colour wheel to my wardrobe and decided to add more purple tones. The buttons were purchased locally at The Fabric Warehouse.

The top above is the result! I also have enough leftovers to make a couple of purple linen tea towels – the perfect thing to make for your home or as gifts if you have linen remnants.

The final shirt I want to share is a cotton poplin which I purchased from a destash group. It is quite sheer, so I decided to underline the fronts with cotton voile.

If you are new to underlining this video tutorial explains the technique. Same details as before except this version is short-sleeved.

I have included several more images below to give you more ideas for styling shirts.

Happy new year and happy sewing!