The State Fair of Texas is less than a month away, and NBC 5 got a behind-the-scenes look at Big Tex’s new western classic shirt being made. How many stitches does it take to dress a 55-foot cowboy? Who knows. But one thing that’s certain: There was no way Jeff Teasley was turning down wh at he describes as an “iconic” opportunity when the State Fair of Texas came calling. “Nothing gets bigger than this,” Teasley, owner of E H Teasley and Company, said. His company has been doing work for the State Fair of Texas for more than 35 years but has never been asked to take part in such a big project until this year. A team of about 20 people from his business are making Big Tex’s new Cavender’s Western-style, bright red, pearl-snapped shirt. “We went through quite a process of just determining which material we’re going to use because we printed the material this year,” Teasley said. “It had been appliqued…So, by printing it, we now can do an unlimited selection of art on him. And he can get as fine or as bold as he wants.” Big Tex’s chest is 35 feet and 9 inches. His biceps are 10 feet and 9 inches. His shoulders are 13 feet, with a collar that’s 16 feet and 8 inches. One sleeve alone is 27 feet. So, yes, making his custom shirt is no small task and requires a lot of material. E H Teasley and Company created a mock version of his shirt to see how it would look before making the real thing he’ll be wearing, standing tall above millions of fair visitors. “We understand his place and the fair’s place in people’s family history and their traditions, and we want to uphold those and we want to make sure he looks his best in every single one of those photos,” Jennifer Schuder with the State Fair of Texas said. Instead of completely designing a new shirt for Big Tex every three years, the State Fair of Texas said it now plans to update the shirt’s panels with fresh artwork every year. This year’s design celebrates America’s 250th birthday. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less