My very first post on this blog was an excited account of a new pattern I’d bought – this 1960s western shirt.

Isn’t it cool?

I probably wrote that I couldn’t wait to make it and this weekend, a year and a half later, I did. Yippee!

I used some very nice pinky-red chambray I had in my fabric box and added yokes, cuffs and pocket trim in Liberty’s ‘Bourton’, in a colourway with lovely pinks and salmons, with a touch of black. Something about the relaxed version with short sleeve and French collar spoke to me so I went for that one.

When I’m sewing for myself, I’m always tempted to try out an untested pattern and sometimes I get a little frustrated that this leaves me with a wardrobe full of experiments that I would never dream of foisting on a paying customer. And o, dear I’ve done it again. I love the colour combination, the crisp collar and that sweet little pocket trim, but there’s something wrong with how the sleeve is cut. It kind of bunches up in the crease of the arm. I took it out and altered the shape; I added a notch to the cuff – because I already know that it will stick out if you don’t do that, so why I followed a pattern that tried to convince me otherwise, I don’t know.  It’s not right, but it’s not quite bad enough to make me take it out and recut the sleeve. And anyway, I’ve got shirt orders I need to get on with!

I guess I’ll just add it to the rail of experiments!