Ride 'Em Cowboy - Shirt - Part XI

Almost Done!

I am almost done with the shirt! I stayed up last night until 1a.m. working on it, but it is almost complete. My husband and son went camping for the night so after my daughter had her fill of watching Olympics and went to bed, I got back to work.

Last night's task was the cuffs. Let me tell you, they were not easy to put on! I think if the shirt would have been a larger size it wouldn't have been so difficult. The problem is that the cuff and sleeve placket are all integrated, and the most difficult topstitching on the most extreme curve (shown below) is in a spot you can't get to easily. Thankfully, the second cuff was easier than the first and I know now how to do them.

Here are some of the details of the shirt as it is currently. First, the sleeve and side seams are flat felled seams. I do not have a flat fell foot for my machine, so I do these the old fashioned way, by stitching the pieces wrong sides together first, trimming one seam and then folding, pressing and topstitching the other seam allowance in place over the trimmed one. In the photo below, the upper portion in the inside of the garment and the lower portion is the outside.

Here is the cuff, done on the outside.

It is not quite finished on the inside. I will take a small square of fabric and hand stitch it in place over those raw edges to finish it off nicely.

After I get that done, it is time for the snaps and the shirt is complete. I'm hoping to get that done tonight, plus get the trousers cut out and ready for stitching on Monday.

Q/A: Clare has asked for tips on piping and how to get close enough to it to stitch it properly. My first tip is to baste everything in place, preferably by hand (you knew that was coming, right?) so as to get things just so and to not have to think about the piping wandering off by itself to places it shouldn't be. My second tip would be to find a machine foot that allows you to get right up to the piping. I use the foot shown below. I bought this foot a long time ago and I'm not actually sure where. I believe it is a zipper foot of some sort, but it works very well for piping because I adjust the foot so that the needle enters right beside the piping. It might take a trip to the sewing machine shop with a sample and some trying out, but finding the right foot helps tremendously.

Kathleen wanted to know where I got the snaps shown on the my son's pillow. They are the same ones I will be using for REC, and I got them and the tool from Snapsource. Ann who owns Gorgeous Fabrics recommended this company on her blog a while ago, that's how I heard about them. I just filed the information away, knowing I'd need snaps eventually!

Parting Shot: Tired! My son is exhausted from the overnight camping trip - he had a lot of fun swimming in the lake, canoeing, kayaking, tubing, etc. and came home and took a nap!