Along Came an Archer

And here we are, nearing Christmas, and I'm fried from grading (such a surprise, NOT) and I realized that, well, I haven't fully given you my true love of the button down. Okay, really . . . it's just Grainline's Archer . I'm up to, ahem, five now. I know, I know. I actually lost track and thought it was four this past weekend. My shame. My shame, indeed.

Now that we have that out of the way . . . it's also Archer Appreciation Month. Miss Crayola Creepy (and you have to love her for that name alone!) and vintage gal Rochelle were posting about it, and well . . .since, ya know, I already had four done and the pattern down . . . yea, that's where number five came into play. Perhaps I need an archer support group.

It all started with that little white button down . . . Ah, I still love her so.

And after her I took my grey plaid shirting, also from the haul with my parents in August at Mood, and made a longer version.

Look at that match up? I mean, seriously, are you drooling? You should be.

Those buttons . . .

Those details:

I had it in my head that I might wear it with leggings around the house (I may or may not have) and still be able to wear it with skirts and slacks for work. I certainly have! This one went together seamlessly in September, and I used some vintage buttons for it. And . . . some baby blue thread to accent it. I have a few spools, as I was going to use it on my Mom's serger this summer for a t-shirt (read: thread on sale, dirt cheap). But, then her serger told us to f-off, and I used it on my shirt up here on the old machine . . . as I didn't have my own serger yet. So, long story made here: I have some light blue thread that I'm finding creative and pretty uses for.

And, yes, those plaids match up like a boss . . . why? I cut out each piece individually and took nearly three hours to cut out this bad boy. Worth it? Yes. Without a doubt.

Next up: the buffalo flannel. This one is fabric from the haul my Mom and I did in North Carolina last summer (and yes, people, the summer buys are almost gone . . . black, plaid silk, two yards of shirting that is going to line a blazer, four cottons (PJs!), and enough of the Marc Jacobs coating for a blazer). This one went together fine, but I was too excited or some shit to pay enough attention, so I added an extra fold to the front to make it center (as I'd already sewn my pockets on), and I used buttons from my stash . . . seriously folks, most of us can scour through a button can and find buttons for most projects. I obviously haven't bought buttons in awhile.

I loved this one so much I wore it to the New Hampshire weekend . . . come to think of it, I've worn it a lot. Odds are she won't survive the winter as she's a beauty in the house in the evenings. The crappy photo here: oddly the only one of me in it, and I took it to send to a couple of people.

Here's a crappy collage I posted on Instagram, I think. Ignore my running pants in the bottom one . . . yea, I went for one post sewing this bad boy. The plaids match. I took the photo from a top angle, so initially they don't look like they do and I'm too lazy to capture another shot right now. ;(

Number three: a creamy silk-like fabric I had. It came from JoAnn's, went I was there last (I'm not sure), and in the midst of picking up machine needles and interfacing I saw this and was like "hey, a multi purpose basic!"

For this one, I added some almost frills . . .

I tacked on a button at the top of the arm opening, just for fun, and you might be interested to know that those buttons sat in a glass of bleach water pre use. They came from a stash from my friend Tanfer's Mom. And, yes, those gorgeous shell buttons found good use. Notice I didn't top stitch the cuffs. I opted to not on this one and see how it looked. I like the loose flow it gives. A subtle but good one.

I had this one with me in Turkey last month and Tanfer was even highly impressed. It is a tie as to which I have worn more: this one, the white one, the grey one . . . and it just goes so well with a pencil! We already know I have a thing for pencil skirts.

Taken at the weirdest angle known to man in my kitchen. But, hey, they are pretty nifty . . .and, on other notes, those are my jeans I made. Jeans are a bitch to get the fit. There will be a post on those, but not for a few more months . . . after I make the second pair.

It drapes so well. It fits my shoulders so well . . . oh yea, the grey plaid is the only one I lengthened. the others are regular length, all the same . . . except the sleeves I widened them an inch here (on a three inch taper from the top of the shoulder down (widest that top of the shoulder) . . . other than that the patterns fits like a dream.

And finally, the one I made this month in honor of, well, my penchant for button downs and archers.

Those are a pair of fleece lined running leggings, and if anyone knows where I can get some fleece lined knit fabric PLEASE tell me. I have leggings on que (Papercut and Cake) and since it is NYC, and snow season, I could totally see myself living in these on days I'm not on campus or being semi professional.

When I bought this fabric there was only a yard at the store, so I ordered more . . . online only had a yard and a half. Yup. I was about half a yard short to make my plaids match everywhere, so the sides are off, but EVERYWHERE else is like a dream. Oh, this stuff is the plaiditudes from JoAnn's, and yea for once it is a damned good flannel. Thick, washes well, looks good, and holds its shape! I'm not keen on their fabric, but this stuff and my cream blouse caught me that day. What can I say? On other fabric notes, everyone should know I just spilled another chunk of change at Mood . . . Yea, one winter dress and one winter/spring dress are on the late Jan/Feb docket. As for those sides not matching up . . . honestly, you won't have noticed if I hadn't pointed it out, eh?

Snaps. That's all.

Dreamy. Like I might have put it on the morning I finished the snaps (last Sunday), and I might be wearing it again now. It is snowing after all.

Some serger porn. We all know you love it.

And, that my dears is the beginnings of my Archer collection. That plaid silk, from Mood, also posted on my birthday post is going to be another . . . closer to spring, when I won't freeze while wearing.

Oh, and don't forget between all that sewing (and yes, there's a Darling Ranges Dress in Oscar de la Renta silk to show off this weekend too!), some writing, and oh my gawd the grading I decorated for Christmas . . .

Fact: last year I bought the ribbon and some tree trims. Glitter was in. So . . . I figured we could get another year out of the glitter fest. Yea . . . glitter in my hair until Easter. Again. Of course, I painted balls purple last year . . . ugh.

(FYI: Christmas cards get paper clipped to these.)