Western Wear Revisited

When I first began sewing more than ten years ago it was the fancy western costumes made by Nudie, Nathan Turk and Rodeo Ben that inspired me. In the past couple of years I have turned my attention to making jeans and vintage inspired workwear.

Recently I have found a renewed interest in chainstitch embroidery. I often wonder if embroiderers like Rose Clements and Viola Grae, who both did chainstitch embroidery for Nudie's Rodeo Tailors, were as fascinated with the machines as I am. There is something magical about the Cornely and Singer chainstitch machines.

This Cornely L was owned by a woman in California who ran a successful custom embroidery business. 

My most recent western shirt features chainstitch embroidery worked on my Singer 114w103. The yoke and sleeves are wool gabardine and the navy pinstripe is an Italian wool suiting fabric.