Love Notions Aria Button Up Pattern & Course

Aria Button Up Pattern by Love Notions is here! This is such a highly anticipated release and I know the wait was totally worth it! Button up shirts can seem intimidating especially for beginner sewists, but I promise this one is not scary or difficult at all. Love Notions never disappoints when it comes to instructions and this time they’ve even added something special to assist if you prefer to have your hand held along the way – It’s a Sew Along Course! Let’s dive into all this button up goodness!

Aria is meant to be your ‘classic’ button up pattern with a button placket and collar. At the same time, there are details that make it not so classic and personally I prefer not to use the word ‘classic’ when describing this pattern. Before I get into the nitty gritty of the little details and techniques that differentiate it from a classic shirt, let’s look at the options and sizing.

Options

• Shirt, Tunic, or Dress Lengths
• Sleeveless, Cuffed Short, or Cuffed Long Sleeve
• Standard or Banded Collar
• Optional Bust Pocket
• Optional Drawstring Casing
• Side Vents on Tunic & Dress

I wanted to point out that the short sleeve cuff is like a band style, but the long sleeve cuff is your traditional shirt cuff with sleeve placket. The sleeveless armholes are finished with bias binding. The banded collar is also known as a mandarin collar and the standard collar is cut as one piece, so no collar stand nor seam line at the fold of the collar.

Sizing

• XS – 5X
• Standard or Full Bust Options

One important thing to note is that the standard front is dartless whereas the full bust front has darts to accommodate for a larger bust.

So why did I say I’d refrain from using the word classic?

• Aria has a boxier fit than what I would call a classic button up. It is fitted at the bust but has a lot of ease at the waist. My size has a whopping 10″ of ease at the waist. The boxier fit to me is more casual than a streamlined classic shirt that would sit neatly under a blazer. The truth is, I prefer an in between. I have no need for a super tailored shirt but at the same time, I do appreciate some shaping especially with my pear shape. The Aria definitely suits my lifestyle so much more than a classic button up, but next time I think I will grade down at the waist and out at the hip for a little more flare.

• The placket construction is so good on the Aria! To be honest, I’m so used to doing it the traditional way, I stuffed up at first and had to unpick. Oops, read your instructions people! So to construct a ‘classic’ placket, you would sew the placket to the shirt’s right side, then fold it in half over to the wrong side. Aria’s placket is sewn to the wrong side and turned completely over to the right side. This allows for perfectly neat topstitching and from the wrong side of the shirt, the placket is totally invisible. You just see the stitch line.

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• The back yoke is doubled and is sewn to the front using the trusty burrito method. The center back features an inverted pleat which is the opposite of the box pleat I usually see on a tailored button up .The yoke wraps around slightly passed the actual shoulder seam as well. With a traditional button up shirt, the shoulder seams sits right on the shoulders. This forward shoulder type yoke is seen in other Love Notions patterns like the Rhapsody and Ballad. It is what I would call ‘classic Love Notions style’. So classic in a different way!

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• The bust pocket coupled with the looser fit short sleeves and wide cuff give such an easy breezy, relaxed, island-y feel. I just know I am going to be whipping out Aria’s all summer long in this tropical heat! It’s such an effortless silhouette to dress up or down too. Super versatile pattern! A long sleeved version in a silky satin would look so luxe and at the same time a short sleeved version in double gauze would be perfect for a sunny walk in the park. Give me any pattern that can go from day to night and your girl is happy! To complete my tropical look, I added coconut shell buttons. Definitely goes with the leaf print right?

Fabric

Even before you come with the fabric questions (I know they were coming!), this leaf print is a stretch cotton poly shirting from Fabricmart. I got it on some mad 60% off sale plus $1 shipping event! Such a score! It has the tiniest amount of stretch which is not a requirement for the Aria. You can use any non-stretch woven such as 100% cotton, linen, poplin, rayon, lawn, flannel, etc. The leaf print with the coconut shell buttons, the croc faux leather pants and the leopard print shoes just scream jungle to me! I just love this entire outfit!

Sew Along Course

Tami has put together an amazing course to guide you on your Aria sewing journey. It will walk you through every step of sewing this pattern, from picking fabrics and size to detailed video steps of complex parts like the collar and sleeve placket. This class is available to you on YOUR schedule. Watch it when it’s convenient to you. Binge it all at once or in chunks. The course will remain available to you for the lifetime. No limits, no expirations. This course is packed with hours of videos walking you through, step-by-step, each and every step!

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Release Sale

For the week of release ONLY, purchase the course and get the pattern for FREE! No need to purchase the pattern separately, the files will be emailed to you automatically and you can access them right in your account. The course can also be found in your account and will be available to you in your account just like the pattern downloads are. The Course with free pattern is on release sale for $25! Use Coupon code: ISLAND10 for an extra 10% off.

Aria Button Down Shirt, Tunic & Dress Pattern is on release sale on it’s own for $9. The sale will end on May 2nd 2022. Use Coupon code: ISLAND10 for an extra 10% off.

This has to be the lengthiest post I’ve ever written. I tried my best to give you all the info you need to make your decision about purchasing Aria. In conclusion, it’s a wonderful mix of a classic button up shirt and a boxy casual shirt. The pattern features cool non-traditional techniques and details and definitely removes some of the intimidating parts of shirt construction. A button up never goes out of style and different fabrics can give you so many different looks. Don’t forget you can make a shirt dress too! I hope I’ve inspired you to go ahead and grab Aria during the release sale!

Toodle-loo

Keira

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