Rodeo Shirts: Done!

Time passes quickly when you are working under a deadline, and while I have had about six weeks since I offered to make new rodeo shorts for Pony Pal Cambria and Cowpoke Titan, I have needed that time to get their shirts completed and mailed in time for their first rodeo of the season.

I thought it would be fun to embroider western designs on the yokes of the shirts

and so I did a lot of experimenting with colors and motifs.

Because Mountain Mama Jessica chose a bandana fabric for Titan's yokes,

I ended up skipping the embroidery. Practice pieces just did not show well up against the background.

Cambria's shirt was different - try as I might, I could not find a bandana fabric that went well with the fuchsia gingham.

Embroidery-wise, that worked in my favor.

I used white for the yokes and fuchsia embroidery thread, and was pleased with the results.

Titan's shirt looked fine to me with no embroidery

or appliqués like I had done last year. (He got Star Wars; Cambria got a unicorn. )

Still, I decided to add a Batman appliqué for him knowing that that would make him smile.

I was really happy with how the shirts turned out. (Yes, I am hanging Cambria's rodeo shirt from a Melbaware drafter, but that piece is so heavy, I wasn't worried about it sliding off.)

It took almost a week to finish up the shirts, and then I got to the stage I had DREADED last year - adding the pearl snaps. But that had ended up being easier than I'd anticipated, so after putting the snaps off for a couple of hours, I came back to the sewing table, took a deep breath, and got started.

Success! And once again, very easy.

I think Cambria and Titan are going to like their shirts, and I plan to tuck a little surprise into the shirts' pockets for them - just for luck.

Stay 'tooned!