Tag: button up shirt

Pattern Review: Aida Top in Verona Voile

This post was originally published August 13, 2019 for the Imagine Gnats Blog.  Since the shop closed in early 2020, I have republished my contributors posts (with permission) to this blog.  I have included some additional thoughts and pictures after some real-life wear and tear.  Enjoy!

In Ohio, we are in the dog days of summer, and this hazy heat is beating down on all of us. It’s at the point of just scorching outside or freezing inside almost all buildings with the air conditioning blasting to compensate for the weather.

So, I’ve been on the hunt for a lightweight woven fabric and a shirt pattern with some nice ease for a loose and breezy top (enter my voile Aida top). I was so happy to see this Verona Voile (aff link) and had to have it!  Then all I could think about was pairing it with the Aida Top by Sew Liberated.

Fabric

When I first saw the Verona, I loved that it was voile. I love the lightweight characteristics of this type of fabric, but was curious to the fact that it’s a 50/50 of cotton and rayon. Well, now I can say that it’s a great combination because it allows more drape which makes for a great summer fabric.

If you look closely, you’ll be able to see the great puckered texture the Verona Floral Voile has after washing. It’s not like a seer-sucker with the same repeat waffle texture, but it’s like striped puckering which has been woven in. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and I became a quick fan…since I don’t have to worry about wrinkles anymore!

There are two colors of this Verona Voile Floral – navy blue and yellow. Since I just finished a few blue chambray projects, I wanted to add a little color to my wardrobe with the yellow.

It’s not a color I wear a lot, but I figured I’d go big with the yellow and large flowers since it WAS going to be a summer shirt after all 😉

Pattern

The Aida Top is a new addition to the Imagine Gnats pattern library, and I was pretty stoked to sew it up. It had everything I was looking for: lots of ease, shirt-tail hem, v-neck, button placket, AND written for lightweight woven fabrics.

I was mostly drawn to the v-neck button placket because its a popular style I’ve been seeing with strappy tanks lately.

Based on my measurements, I am an 8 in the bust and also in the waist. With my hips (that don’t lie), I clock at a size 12. With all the ease in this top and after reading some other reviews, I felt pretty comfortable sewing a straight size 8.

You can see in the profile shot of the shirt that the voile Aida top still clears my backside with room to spare! Woohoo!

There are two views of the Aida with either a flat-front or with gathering, and I chose the latter. I like the extra shaping and added texture it has. I also sewed the shirt-tail hem as written, but I think a cropped boxy version would also be great in this pattern.

My arms are on the heavier side for a size 8. RTW woven shirts are generally tight around my biceps and were always tough for me to find since I didn’t want to wear something that was then bigger everywhere else.

My arms fit into the sleeves as drafted, but I wanted a little more ease to be consistent with the look of the top. I reduced the seam allowance by 1/4″ for a little extra breathing room. I also added a 1″ cuff on each sleeve for an extra detail and visual interest.

Since I love to use buttons from my MIL’s old stash, I found 5 black ones which were pretty close matches. The pattern calls for 7, but I thought 5 was enough.

Even though I didn’t use the recommended 7, I do wish there was a button template just to know where to place the top button. I had to do a good bit of trial and error to figure out where it should go while keeping a flat neckline, but everything did work out!

The Aida Top in this Verona rayon/cotton voile is just a dream shirt for the summer. I wore it during a heat wave and was so impressed with the airiness and soft feel….making the heat (slightly) more bearable 🙂

I hope you grab some of this fabric and make a voile Aida top of your own soon!!!

{Edited May 2, 2020}

Since making this top in August, I’ve worn it at least another dozen times and have yet to iron it –so the textured voile is definitely a winner!  The fabric washes well and the texture is still perfectly waffled.  I just broke it out for the first time this year since the temperatures jumped about 20*F.  But with Covid-19 quarantine and all the additional baking happening… I need some coverage while still being  breathable, and this is it.  The  Aida is still a winner in a my book!  Below are updated links if you would like to make your own:

 

Happy Sewing!

Cristy

 

This post may contain affiliate links.  You can read about my disclosures here.

Make the Chicest Archer Shirt with Rayon

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Archer by Love You Sew

Everyone knows the versatility of a button-up shirt.  It’s an absolute classic silhouette with ease all around the torso  but a crisp collar keeps the style elevated.  The button-up shirt works well in so many different fabrics.  After making my first flannel Archer Shirt with it’s casual feel here, I knew I wanted to flip the script and sew a “fancier” one for going out.


Because of other blogger commitments I have with other companies, it’s sometimes hard to find time to sew projects with my own fabrics without any constraints.  So when I saw Indiesew was hosting #ShirtMonth again, I knew this would be the time to sew my button-up….This is exactly the motivation I needed!  This month is dedicated to highlighting fabrics,  patterns and techniques for all shirts with a placket.  You can read more about the month here.  I’ve really enjoyed joining in on so many of these sewing challenges on Instagram and hope you do too!

Fabric

This Cotton + Steel rayon designed by Sarah Watts caught my eye the first time I saw it.  I’m very fond of my dark neutrals and love the extra pops of pink over this moody floral print.  And if you’ve ever felt C+S rayon challis, you know it’s incredibly soft and silky.  The drape is fantastic and makes for beautiful dresses and tops.  I’m a big fan and have quite a bit of their rayon in various prints in my wardrobe.  When this print went on sale at Fabric.com awhile ago (it’s since sold out,) I knew I had to grab 2 1/2 yards of it.  It been sitting in my stash for well over a year and I knew this would make a sharp looking Archer Shirt.

Tips:

  • Use a fine needle – I like a 75/11 or 70/10
  • The fabric can be pretty slippery, so pin more often than you normally would for a quilt cotton
  • Use finer needles like these which leave small holes in your delicate fabrics.

Pattern

I first made the Archer Shirt (pattern by Grainline Studio) in a soft cotton flannel which you can read about here on the Imagine Gnats blog.  It was such a great casual relaxed shirt that I could wear with jeans or leggings.  I wanted the same ease of getting dressed, but knew a rayon Archer would just be so much more sophisticated for the days I need to be dressed up.

Although the thought of making a button-up can seem pretty daunting, there is so much help out there!  Grainline has a full sew-along that has been broken up into very digestible chunks.   since this is also an older pattern, you can find plenty of inspiration on social media with a quick call to our bestie, Google 😉

FIT

I made a size 8 according to my measurements and graded out a size in the hip like a usually have to do with a woven top (my hips measure two sizes larger than my waist.)  There were no other adjustments made. Although, I would shorten the sleeves on a dressier version by 1/2″ to have it look more polished.  (I like the longer sleeve on my flannel version since it helps keep my hards warm in these colder months.)

Interfacing

What’s very different for me with this rayon project is the interfacing.  Awhile back, I used Pellon Lightweight Apparel interfacing with this rayon jacket and it has bubbled with use (ugh!)  I have to pretty much re-iron the jacket every time I want to wear it since the bubbling all over the front and back yokes.  What a drag, right???  Thanks to all of you smarties on Instagram, I learned about FashionSewlingSupply.com and purchased a few different garment interfacing like this  ProSheer Elegance in black.  Not only did it fuse well, it still allows for some drape.  I was able to sew the entire shirt while flipping the collar and cuffs inside out…and there was NO bubbling!  I’m completely sold on this stuff and won’t buy my apparel interfacing from the big box stores anymore.  These interfacings definitely costs more, but it’s well worth it to save all of my sewing time!

Based on how lightweight this interfacing is, I used it on both sides of the collar stand.  The patterns calls for it only on the inside, but I wanted to make sure the collar stands up nicely and doesn’t just flop over.  I’m happy with how it turned out and would recommend this if you are using other lightweight fabrics like lawn, voile, crepe de chine, silk and gauze.

 

Buttons

I love being able to use up my MIL’s button stash as much as I can, but I couldn’t find enough plain black buttons for this shirt.  Fortunately, I bought these 1/2″ buttons years ago, which can be covered in just about any fabric.  I was able to use all the scraps to make these buttons.  It’s such a fun and easy way to add special details to a garments which are uniquely my own.  You can see how I used them on this Felix Dress and how I used them on my Alix Dress to cover up some negative space on the yoke.

How I wear it

After investing all this time making the Archer and in the effort to be more sustainable, I want to make sure I can wear all my makes over-and-over again.  I like following other fashion influencers and RTW companies for inspiration.  Below are three ways to wear a button-up for me.

1.  With high-waisted pants on trend, I like being able to tie a button up.  It still can camouflage my mid-section but looks so stylish and playful as well.  Plus, you can conceal a lost button in case that ever happens 😉  I think a flannel button-up tied up over shorts is such a classic summer look too.

2.  For the hipster look, I like to fasten all the buttons up through the collar.  This along with tucking in the shirt with high waisted jeans (as shown) keeps the outfit polished.  Pair it with a sleek belt and I’m ready for drinks with the ladies downtown!

3.  Finally, I have the half-tuck (also known as the French tuck.)  This is definitely another on-trend way to wear any top…whether it be a tee or even a heavy sweater.  I like how it’s more casual and breaks up the hem line for more visual interest.

Which way would you wear your #MeMade button-up shirt?  I hope you enjoyed this post and join in on #ShirtMonth whether it be this year or next!

 

Happy Sewing!

Cristy

 

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