Batch sewing shirts

How do you like to pick our next sewing project?  Do you sew multiples of the same garment or dive straight in to something new?  Do you like to stick to the same colours or fabrics (or same thread in you sewing machine/overlocker) or do you flit about with different colours textures and patterns to keep things exciting?  I tend to do a bit of both.  Sometimes I’m tempted immediately by the lure of the next new thing, or other shiny fabrics, but sometimes I’m a little more pragmatic and choose to sew several things in the same fabric to save changing threads and needles, or make repeats of a pattern so I only need to figure out the instructions once.

 This is one of the times where I’ve decided to let pragmatism and planning win out. I’ve been planning this speckled cream Archer Shirt for over a year, but it fits in beautifully with an outfit I have in my head for Autumn/Winter so it finally made it to the top of the sewing queue.  I’ve made several Archer’s before, so I know what to expect from the fit, and also from the complexity of shirt making, and decided that it would actually be almost as quick to sew two shirts together.  (See my post on sewing with limited time).

Especially once I rediscovered this other brushed cotton in my stash which would work with the same needles and same white thread  It’s actually the same fabric that I used to make my sister an Archer for Christmas last year, but I figured she won’t mind me copying a good idea!

The shirts are actually just the same as all the ones I’ve made before (here and here)- a straight size 4.  I love them to bits though.  The brushed cottons are just perfect for this time of year.  They feel so cosy.

I remembered to sew in my ribbon tags into the back yoke of the shirts which makes me smile every time that I put them on.  I French-seamed the side seams too.

The checked shirt has several details cut on the bias to save on pattern matching, and to add a bit of interest.  I did (mostly) pattern match the side seams and front, though it isn’t perfect.  I decided that I can definitely live with it, and didn’t have the patience for meticulous cutting out!

On the speckled shirt I decided to hem it with bias tape.  It’s not a technique I use very often, so I could probably do with more practice, but I like the neat finish.  It’s not always easy to press up a neat narrow hem when there is a big curve like on the side seam of the Archer.  Its worth spending the extra time on garments which are going to get lots of wear!

I think I probably have enough of these shirts to keep me going for quite a while, so I probably don’t need to make any more for a bit.  Next time I need a shirt though, I can be pretty sure which pattern I’m going to be going straight to.