A waist band (18) is placed in straddling relationship about spindles (11-14). The waist edge (24) of the garment body (19) is telescoped about the waist band (18), also in straddling relationship about the spindles (11-14). The garment parts are advanced by the rotation of the spindles (11-14) past a sewing needle (17) that forms a line of stitching at the aligned edges of the shirt body and waist band. In the meantime, the end spindles (11 and 13 and 14) move longitudinally along the sewing path to adjust the position of the waist band in response to the position of the folded edges (22, 23) of the waist band (18) as detected by band sensor (128), and the star wheels (119) engage and urge the waist band (18) and the garment body (19) toward or away from the sewing path (16) as controlled by band and body edge sensors (112, 129). When the previously sewn edges of the garment parts begin to return to the sewing machine (36), one of the spindles (13) moves laterally so as to stretch the garment parts more, so as to remove any bunching of the waist edge (24) of the garment body (19) at the sewing needle (17) and presser foot (39), to avoid forming a wrinkle in the garment body (19) at the end of the line of the stitching (29).