Kendra's Silk Archer

Pattern: Archer Button Up Shirt
Fabric: Silk Chiffon & Crepe De Chine
Mods: Changed the armhole shape

I’m in the process of drawing up my fall ‘15 wardrobe plans and it has me looking at what I already have, what I really need, and what I really want. I have fabric yardage and swatches coming in the mail, but I’ve been itching to get behind the sewing machine again so I decided to raid my fabric stash to see what I could find. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across about three yards of black Silk Chiffon that I had totally forgotten about. I bought it back when I was in college and since then it has just been waiting patiently for the right project to come along. The right project, as it turns out, was a sleeveless Archer. I had been thinking of making a couple Archers this fall but this version was not part of my plan. I had most of the fabric I needed, though, and I knew Jen had some extra Crepe de Chine hanging out at the studio, so I decided to go for it.

Despite being created out of a desperate need to sew, I think this top fits in well with my wardrobe and will be great for this transition time from late summer into early fall. To make it, I cut View B but did not cut the sleeves and I changed the armholes so they would lay nicely and be comfortable as a sleeveless blouse. I used the Chiffon for the front and two-piece back but cut the collar, collar stand, pockets, and button bands from the Crepe de Chine. Once all the pieces were cut, I constructed the blouse as I normally would, but used French seams on the side seams and I roll-hemmed the bottom and armholes to finish.

Overall, I’m very happy with how this blouse turned out! It’s dressier than I would normally wear for my day-to-day work routine, but it will be perfect for nights out or for special occasions that call for a slightly dressier look. I do think that wearing it with a cardigan, straight leg slacks, and flats dresses it down a bit, which is great for those days when you want to add a little extra class on your commute to and from work. As much as I love t-shirts and sneaks, I would feel like such a lazy bones if I wore that everyday! It could be just me, but on those mornings when I feel a bit blah and could really use a pick-me-up, a good outfit can be the best medicine!