Yee Ha!!

I've lived in Calgary on and off for almost 20 years (wow, that long...) and in all that time I have never had any Stampede clothes. If you've never been to Calgary during the Calgary Stampede, this doesn't sound that amazing. But, during the 10 days of Stampede it's like a western wear store exploded with all the contents sticking willy-nilly to anyone within the city limits.

Well, thanks to Sew U by Wendy Malin, I now have a "Western" shirt!



I'm ridiculously proud of myself for this shirt. I've never sewed a collared shirt before and I think it turned out great (aside from a minor glitch with the collar stand, which was my own fault). The pattern is great and the instructions and all the information in the book were very helpful. There are so many little things with patterns that I was never really sure of, and this book really helped me with explanations.



This is also the first time that I've attempted a garment with a plaid. I am amazed at how well it turned out.



Some of my stitching lines wouldn't win me any ribbons at the craft fair, but mostly I'm very pleased.



It fit me perfectly as written. The sleeves are the right length (a first for me) and the shoulders are the right width. I should have added an extra inch or inch and a half to the length, as it was just the right length without hem. I decided to use bias binding for the hem in order to preserve the length. It's a bit bulkier than a nice hem would have been but I don't plan to wear it tucked in so I think it's workable. I got pearl snaps at Fabricland and love the way they look (plus I wasn't looking forward to all those buttonholes... eep).

I think I'll be using this shirt pattern again (and again and again). But for now, I have something to wear for Stampede stuff. I'm sure this shirt will get lots of wear.

I have other sewing to show from last weekend. I just was so excited about this one I had to show it off first.

OH! And in other news: I finished my 30 Day Challenge on EA Sports Active! It took me 32 days due to a sprained ankle from a hike but I did it. I"m pretty excited about that. I've never really stuck with any exercise program before so this is a first. I plan to do the Intermediate level next.