Violets - Western Shirt Embroidery Pattern

Here it is folks, my finished western shirt.  This is the first of five I have planned.  I'm pretty excited to have completed this one, of course ideas are racing through my head for the next ones. So many ideas so, so little time. (ha, ha). 

I used a Simplicity pattern - #5366 for the basic shirt pattern and developed a design that I thought my daughter Violet would like.  I added the embroidery pattern to my website on my Embroidery Patterns page, if you want to take a closer look at it.   On to bigger and better things!

Western Shirt Embroidered Yoke

I finished the yoke for my first western shirt a few days ago and have been working on the next shirt embroidery design. I thought I'd post a picture of the first design. I'll get some better pictures and write up the hand embroidery directions for my website

Crochet Hook Keeper

Have you ever dropped your crochet hook when you were working on a project? I have, it drives me crazy to go digging around my seat, wondering where my hook went. I can't be the only one this happens to. I was on a car trip last Christmas and dropped my crochet hook so many times it was making me crazy. So...I came up with an solution to my crochet hook dilemma, discover my solution to a frustrating problem at my website Stitch-Simply.com

Violet embroidery design on Western Shirt

Continuing my saga of the western shirt project.  My first design I came up with is for violets - since my daughter's name is Violet and most projects for my children start out with things based on their names, (I also have a Rose and a Colt - can you see where this is headed?)  I thought I'd start with the easiest first.  

My project starts like this:  I first traced the yoke pattern pieces for the shirt design I'm making (referred to in last entry) , then I drew up designs with colored pencils.  I then made a line drawing of what I liked.   I used the line drawing and traced the pattern on to a piece of water soluble fabric.   I pinned the fabric to my yoke piece.   This works fine for the back of the project, but unless you can find your small embroidery hoop, not so well for the front yoke section.  The hoop should hold your water soluble fabric in place, but if not put in some basting stitches or do some outside stitches on the pattern first.  

I finished the front yoke section and put it on my website under the free patterns page. 

Western Shirts

I read an obituary the other day about Jack Weil. He apparently invented the western shirt of today.  This came as a complete surprise to me.  I thought western shirts were around since the early cowboy days (to much t.v.?).  I started looking up vintage western shirts (His grandson wrote a book and I noticed the beautiful embroidery on the shirts. I started to wonder if I could do a simpler version.  

I have been planning to make my children western shirts for Christmas.  I've never made really fancy western shirts for the kids before.  I find making western shirts really easy, but I would like to add something to make them a little more special without getting into the extra re-designing of the yokes and cuffs, etc.  So now I'm going to start working on new embroidery patterns for shirts that I will publish on my website.

The patterns I have are Simplicity 5366 and McCall''s 6716 (discontinued-can still find online). I have other patterns for western shirts somewhere - if I find them I'll list their numbers.   I thought I would start by pulling the yoke and cuff pieces from the pattern envelope, so I can create a design to fit the actual pattern. I'll try to make it so it can be easily adjustable to any size pattern. Now I just have to come up with some designs I'll like. Wish me luck. I'll add to this post as I make progress.

I'm really excited about Jan Constantine's New Book 'Heirloom Embroidery' that is coming out this month. I can't wait to get my copy. The cover looks beautiful!   I've added a link to her book at My BookList on my webpage.

Hand Embroidery at the Olympics

This article shows that absolutely beauty of hand embroidery.  

http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20080826/103474.shtml

I was amazed at the gorgeous work done in China on their olympic costumes and all by hand. Definitely something to aspire to.  I'm sure its all done single thread.

My hand embroidery isn't as intricate, but it can definitely be done by the beginner.  I love the colors and textures that can be created just with a needle and thread!