Archer Progress : Crisp Fabric

The Archer Sew Along may be officially finished, but of course I'm still enjoying working putting my shirt together. I'm really having fun with this pattern and the shirt is going together very well. It's fun to break out the precision sewing now and then!

My fabric is lovely, but the hand turned out to be a bit too crisp for this loose-fitting pattern. That first fitting was so disappointing as the rest of the shirt fit great, but then I had the idea to simply stitch that pleat at the yoke down a bit farther. It turned out especially well for me since I stitched the pleat backwards to begin with - was it a mistake, or did my subconscious know something about future fitting problems that I didn't??

Look how well the back fits now!

These photos are from last weekend and as now it's all done save the buttonholes, which my machine, a cheap Brother that is otherwise really fantastic, just can't handle. Since I like the shirt so much and the fabric shows needle marks, I really don't want to risk ruining it with lousy buttonholes. My mom has a lovely Bernina that makes buttonholes like a champ, and since I'm planning to visit in the next month I'll probably wait to do the buttonholes then. Argh, waiting will be tough... but good buttonholes are so worth it!