A semicircle was cut from a rectangle as shown below. The perimeter of the rectangle before it was cut was 56 cm. What is the perimeter of the shaded figure? (Take $\pi = \frac{22}{7}$)

1. Find the length of the rectangle using its perimeter.

Let the length of the rectangle be $L$.
Perimeter $= 2L + 2W = 56$
$2L + 2(8) = 56$
$2L + 16 = 56$
$2L = 40$
$L = 20$ cm

2. Calculate the arc length of the semicircle.

Diameter of semicircle $d = 14$ cm.
Arc length $= \frac{1}{2} \times \pi d = \frac{1}{2} \times \frac{22}{7} \times 14 = 22$ cm

3. Calculate the perimeter of the shaded figure.

The perimeter of the shaded figure consists of the top length, the two side widths, the two straight segments on the bottom edge, and the arc of the semicircle.
The two straight segments on the bottom edge sum to $L - 14 = 20 - 14 = 6$ cm.
Perimeter $= L + 2W + (L - 14) + \text{Arc length}$
Perimeter $= 20 + 2(8) + 6 + 22 = 20 + 16 + 6 + 22 = 64$ cm