Oct 17, 2007

heather ross cowgirl shirt

Built By Wendy cowgirl shirt f1

I'm so pleased with how it turned out! Of course, the majority of the credit must go to Heather Ross for making such dang cute fabric. (And to my Mom, for picking out the perfect vintage ribbon trim!)

Built By Wendy cowgirl shirt 005

The pattern is from Built By Wendy's book, Sew U. I had to make a few modifications - the main one being to reduce the sleeve length by almost two inches. Do I just have short arms, or is orangutan the norm? Geez!

Built By Wendy cowgirl shirt f2

Instead of a regular hem, I opted for a custom-made bias binding with a vintage ribbon accent. Again, this is because I never wear my shirt tucked in, because it makes me look short. I am not, however, short. I just seem short. My great-grandmother was 4'10". I am a towering 5'3 5/8".

A word about the pattern: I wouldn't recommend it for beginners. You will have more than a few temple-tapping moments while working through it. Wendy provides general directions, but it's up to you to figure out how to make the exact shirt you envision. You can always look back through the book for tips and techniques, but the directions are not step-by-step. The thing I found frustrating was that she didn't note the seam allowances to be used. (It ended up being 1/4" for the collar and 1/2" for the cuffs.)

Overall, however, I am thrilled with my shirt! I will definitely make many more using this general pattern, adding my own touches and trying out some more of Wendy's suggested modifications.

I'm thinking about purchasing some more Built By Wendy patterns. I'm eyeing 3835, 3964, and 4112.

Happy sewing,
Meg

24 comments:

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Hi... I really enjoy your blog. It's one I found, then lost track of and found again. Now that I put you in my sidebar, I am sure to come around more often. Thank you for sharing your interesting posts and beautiful photographs.

Anonymous said...

Honey, A tailored shirt with inset sleeves, set in collar and cuffs...just a few requirements for an advanced sewing class in my day. How fun to see a touch from home...great job!

P.S. What is Amalie thinking...doesn't she know it's mice she should be interested in?

Joannof10 said...

This is a real beautiful blouse, just beautiful!

almamater said...

Oh, man, what a fabulous shirt. I want one, but I am still in the beginner's class.

Anonymous said...

OMG... that shirt is just awesome! Great job!

Unknown said...

Meg that shirt is awesome. I have Sew U and when I saw the cowboy shirt I thought "WTF" but yours is ADORABLE! You have great vision.
Now I think I will have to try that out- it could be an urban cowboy mama, or a floral cowboy mama, or......


I have made the dress pattern you like and I HIGHLY recommend it! I have made one top and two dresses. (YOu can see them on Flickr- I am simplehappymama). I would make more but my boys want me to make stuff for them too.

I have the blouse pattern you mentioned too- I just haven't gotten to try it out yet!

Anonymous said...

Your shirt came out beautifully! I saw your photos on Flickr, in the HR group! I haven't seen anything like this before! Really, it looks amazing on you...perfect prints for this project and the trim is to die for!

Rachel said...

I think you pretty much nailed what that Heather Ross fabric should be used for. I mean, that is a perfect shirt!

Angel Funk said...

WOW! Beautiful shirt. I love the fabric choices, it fits great and is very original.

Lynne said...

OMG, your shirt is beautiful! If only I had your talent! You did a wonderful job with your creation, and I love your photos, too.

Lynne

Bean said...

This turned out fabulous! I never tuck shirts in either, and I love your idea for the trim along the bottom!

jojoebi-designs said...

WOW, I love it, can't imagine my sewing skills will ever stretch that far though.
And we are the same height, one good thing about living in Japan, I feel average height, it not tall sometimes! When I go back home I feel like a midget though.

For your home made binding did you use a binding gadget like the one mentioned in Bend The Rules sewing? Can you make the binding without the gadget?

Jodi Renshaw said...

Absolutely stunning!!!! I wish you made these for sale in all sizes. Something to think about :) They are gorgeous. I am well impressed.

Love,
Jodi

macati said...

so beautiful...
:)

Bethany said...

I love it! I would have never thought to use Heather's fabric like that but it's perfect! You are awesome. And I think that pattern was made for someone like me who can never find sleeves long enough!!! (I am a tall 5'10"!)

Anonymous said...

Your shirt turned out beautiful!! I have 3835 and have made the shirt & dresses & love them. I'm studying Sew-U, too, but haven't pulled out the actual patterns yet. I think I'll start with the skirts! ;-)

alexis said...

I have been reading your blog for a while now and am always inspired by it, but this shirt really takes the cake. t's fabulous! I'm currently working on the 3964 dress. I'm still an amateur, so I wouldn't try to tackle that shirt. Maybe someday, though...when I have mad skills like yours.

Kristin said...

Amazing! Love, love, love those prints on that shirt. It looks so well made too.

Anonymous said...

Great browsing here. I love the blouse. You did a fabulous job with it!

merete said...

Love this shirt, - the fabric and the ribbon makes it a beauty.

Anonymous said...

So great! I have just made two shirts from that pattern but neither is fancy like yours. And I just had a Eureka! moment -- the collar should be 1/4 inch!!! Of course! You should see the weird things I did to sort of make it work... Thanks for the tip!

Unknown said...

Oh my! that shirt is awesome!! You did a PERECT job!! Looks great!

Unknown said...

Oh my! that shirt is awesome!! You did a PERECT job!! Looks great!

Anonymous said...

Very nice!