Liberty Queue for the Zoo Archer


This shirt has been a long time in the making. The Grainline Archer button up shirt is one of my favourite TNT patterns, if not the favourite. I have made a couple in really sensible blue chambrays that I wear so much I fear I will wear them out soon.

But I started to itch to make one in a whimsical pattern. There is something about smart clothes in unpredictable prints that I find irresistible. I usually just admire it on others, not feeling brave enough to rock flamingos or cats on office wear myself. So I started thinking that maybe instead of full out flamingos, I could try a floral Liberty fabric as a light venture into whimsical prints. A soft-start, if you will. But when I was in Liberty, stroking the rolls of floral Tana Lawn, my eyes kept landing on this fabric covered in camels, giraffes and elephants with briefcases - Queue for the Zoo. I tried to turn my attention back to the florals, but it was hopeless, I had to have this fabric.


Unfortunately, I bought it just before moving house, so it didn't get made up straight away. After settling into the new house I had no time to sew anything but superquick projects, so my whimsical Archer had to wait. Until the Easter bank holiday weekend just gone. Almost a year after I bought the fabric.

In a way it was lucky, I guess, because by this point I had bought my new machine, which helped me achieve a really neat result.

In terms of construction...I've made a couple of Archers and Alders in the past and could by now probably sew one in my sleep. It helps that it is an exceptionally well designed pattern. I remember the first time I made it, and how nervous I was about how difficult it would be. And then being surprised by how straight-forward it was. For that reason I keep recommending this pattern to friends who are getting into sewing. The instructions hold your hand throughout the process and once you have one of these under your belt you feel like a sewing bad-ass.

I don't have any photos of this, but I did flat-felled sleeves on the side and sleeve seams. It's my favourite and I learned a really easy way to do it from the Colette Negroni pattern, which doesn't involved any special foot. Because I like wearing my sleeves rolled up, the seams are on display, and a flat-felled sleeve looks great inside and out.

Those of you with good eye sight will notice that my button plackets are the wrong way around. That was intentional. I didn't fancy trying to match this messy pattern, and doing it this way around looked a bit neater.

One thing I didn't do intentionally, and wish I had thought about - the collar. It's upside down. Well, the little animals on it are anyway. When it is flipped down. So I guess I could just walk around with my collar popped.

Or not.

I normally like a tower placket on a button up shirt and always change this from the placket in the pattern, but on this busy fabric I just couldn't be bothered. Plus, I always wear my sleeves rolled up. Well, except when I'm posing for the self-timer, see below.


I considered doing the back yoke in two parts, on the bias, to create something of a visual effect. But once again I decided I couldn't be bothered. The thing is, this fabric is so busy, and so lovely, that it will demand all attention, and constructional details become just a side note.

The shirt is not as puffy at the back as it looks. It's just my terrible posture. The pelvis-out-shoulder-blades-back pose, just waiting for it to make it big on Insta.

So in conclusion - yeah, I love it! To be honest, there is a selection bias in that I only post things I like on the blog, because of the work involved in taking the photos and editing them and writing about the project, etc, but I really, really love this one. Those giraffes in trainers, parrots in top hats and elephants with briefcases put a smile on my face every time.

It will be an only child though, because this is all the whimsical my wardrobe can take. But it will be loved.


No comments