I've been wanting to move my blog away from Blogspot for a while but could never be bothered to actually do it. This week was the tipping point though, and I've now fully migrated over to https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . The blogspot address will remain here but all new posts will only appear at https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . There are lots of reasons for the move but my biggest one is how hard Blogger has made it for people to subscribe to receive new posts via email. It's such a basic requirement but apparently, they think it's too much to offer. I'm basing this purely on how I myself prefer to consume this stuff. I can't be arsed with feed readers anymore and emails are easy and convenient. When I receive one, if I fancy reading it, I will click through to it and, if not, I'll just delete it. Another reason is the spat between Google (owners of Blogger) and Instagram/Facebook/Meta. I don't even know if this is still the case anymore ...
Earlier this year, I was leafing through my Boden catalogue and I fell in love with one of their linen shirts. It was a raspberry pink colour with *I think* white ring poppers, but it could've been white buttons. It was very loose fitting and looked really comfortable. I almost bought it, but with a price tag of over 50 quid, I left it alone.
A few days later, I went into my local fabric shop and found a linen and cotton blend in the same colour at only £6/m. I bought it. Then, I decided to bite the bullet, buy the Archer pattern and make myself a Boden rip off for less than half the price.
The only other shirt I'd tried making before was the Sewaholic Granville. It was not a 100% success story but I don't give up easily. This time around, it turned out *exactly* as I had envisioned it. Isn't it great when that happens? A Boden rip off for around 20 quid. Yes, please!
The fit is spot on. I cut a size 2 and didn't make any changes. I love the way it fits me: lots of room to move without looking excessively baggy. I chose version A, with the traditional shirt back but I went for the angled cuffs of version B. The instructions and some of the markings could've been a little clearer at times but they were generally good enough.
The yoke is done using the burrito method which I'd done on my Granville. The side and arm seams are overlocked and all other seams are sort of self contained, thanks to the construction techniques used. My topstitching is also pretty good all around. Even my pockets look great.
I decided to have a go at installing snap fasteners this time around. I must admit, all these people that have been saying how much fun they are? LIARS!!! I ruined about 3 before I was confident enough to have a go on my precious shirt. And before I was done I actually ended up hammering my finger instead of the setting tool. Not good. However, I do appreciate that this was my first time and my next go will probably be easier. Some people choose poppers over button holes any day and I'm not sure I'll ever be one of those.
I'm mostly proud of my collar. I've never been able to make a collar stand that would a) overlap properly or b) fit a button and/or buttonhole. This one, though, because the collar seems to be a little shorter than the others I've made, is perfect.
Until last week, my Rosa dress was the item I was most proud of from everything I've ever made. This Archer has taken over the top spot now. I'm very happy with how it turned out, the finish of it is very good and I'm highly motivated to get more shirts under my belt.