Archer Variation No. 1
I'm so excited to share the first Archer Button Up Shirt variation - sleeveless! I've been planning these variations for so long it feels great to get them done and wear them. We went over to the Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC to take some photos next to the giant rhododendron bushes growing there. This wasn't even the largest one, it was crazy!
I love how this variation of the Archer shirt turned out. It's going to look great with the denim Maritime shorts I have planned. The fabric is a dream, super soft cotton ikat from B&J Fabrics. I can tell already that I'm going to be wearing this shirt a ton this summer.
You might be thinking, "Jen, can't you just leave off the sleeves?" You can but I have some slight pattern adjustments to share that will make your top fit better - since the pattern is drafted to include sleeves you may get some gaping at the armholes that we can avoid with minimal changes to the pattern.
The alterations are pretty basic. First you're going to want to shorten the shoulder seam so that the top doesn't extend past your shoulder. I shortened mine by 3/4" but a good way to decide is if you've made an Archer with sleeves already, put it on and place a pin where you'd like the shirt to end. Then remove that much from the pattern. Blend this line down to nothing at the underarm as shown above.
One more adjustment you may want to consider is removing a small wedge from the shirt back along the yoke seam line at the armhole. Since the pattern is originally drafted to include sleeves the armholes aren't contoured - this adds a bit of shape to follow the natural curve of your upper back keeping any armhole gaping to a minimum. I removed about 3/8" from mine but this is something you can adjust as you go along.
After you have made these alterations, sew everything together according to the instructions in the Archer pattern. When you get to the sleeves you're going to finish those with bias binding. This is the method I use, I know it says necklines but it's the same for armholes. Promise promise.
If you have any questions just let me know in the comments below, as usual. Hope this inspires some sleeveless Archers...I know mine is already a favorite. If you make one, don't forget to post it to the Flickr group so I can check it out, I'm nosy!
