11 shirt - Paul Smith modifications pt2

After spending some time removing the breast pocket and the sleeve straps, I am now ready to start doing some sewing and sort out the cuffs.

Luckily the first image of Matt in costume (see left) was of very high resolution and it’s possible to see a lot of detail around the cuff (see below).

The fabric I have harvested from deconstructing the sleeve straps, although fairly substantial (see below, left), is not in a single piece long enough to run the circumference of the cuff, falling short by some four inches. I will therefore need to splice the fabric down the centre (see below, centre) and create a longer strip (see below, right).

Because of the depth of the strip, I firstly need to remove one of the cuff buttons as I need to sew real close to where it sits. I will put it back later.

I then attach the strip to the inside of the cuff, with the strip face up (see right). I only sew along the long edge of the cuff, as close to the edge as I can.

The strip then gets flapped around to the outside, binding the edge.

I then fold and press the ends to line up with the ends of the cuff (see left) and similarly fold and press what will form the bottom edge of the stripes.



It is then a fairly simple task to top-stitch the stripes down onto the outside of the cuff (see right).
This picture also shows the remaining button on the cuff, the temporally removed button belongs on the bottom edge of the stripes.



My only problem was avoiding the buttonhole on the other end of the cuff (see left). I don’t want to cover it over, as setting a new one over the top would not be a good idea. I suspect the BBC Costume Department also avoided this in a similar way.

And that is my cuffs sorted (see below).

Next will be the dreaded button-stand . . . .