You will probably think that as a keen home sewist I spent many hours during Lock-down with my sewing machine.. Well you would be wrong! I found it far too hot to sew during the months of lock-down. I have to admit to only making two tops this summer. Both of them simple to sew, both have been worn many times and both are from the same pattern. I chose to make a Wiksten top and loved it so much I made two!
Sewing The Wiksten Top
Wiksten by is a very simple pattern one of those ‘square dropped shoulder’ type shapes. I like it not because it is simple but because of the clever adaptations or ‘hacks’ you can add to it. Light to medium weight with some drape is recommended and I agree, some ease of movement is needed with the dropped shoulder.
My First Wiksten Top
I used fabric from my stash, in this case a glorious lightweight blue cotton shirting. Perfect as I wanted to test the sizing and construction first, I was not too worried about fabric choices at this point. I chose a size 14 as I have wide shoulders and long arms. I sewed the simple version of the Wiksten top, with a plain back. The pockets I left out, as I wanted to wear the top under dungarees.
To cut a long story short I followed all the very simple instructions. The top is wide in the body and cut to fit this way (ie. a square) The only other deviation from the original was that I top stitched both the shoulder seam and the sleeve seam, I thought it looked more cohesive . . .
A note for you: Wearing the one below with a Linen Navy all in one from Uniqlo I have a black one too, I lived in them all summer!
The Second Wiksten Top With Hacks
Now I knew the cut, shape and fit of the pattern I was able to make adjustments. I used 100% pure Linen, in white with a black/grey stripe. I chose to use the gathered back version for this one as it looks so pretty and made the rear view more interesting. This time lengthened the top and the sleeves a couple of inches too.
My biggest hack for this version was cutting the fabric to make sure all my hems had frayed edges. The stripes came in handy and became a design feature working vertically and horizontally! I love it when stripes work in different directions. If I had kept the stripes running all the same way I would have had to sew the selvedges back on and I really couldn’t be bothered.
I chose to use the gathered back version for this one as it looks so pretty and made the rear view more interesting.
Pattern PDF available here I found mine on Etsy as I like the real thing!
. . . & the next sew?
Out of necessity it will probably a new peg bag! Chunky needle-cord is catching my eye right now, so perhaps a long denim style skirt in a rust chunky cord? Or maybe a sweatshirt first I need some new ones for Autumn.
I love this Whittaker dress by Merchant and MIlls
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