Hi friends! Today’s post is about my new favorite Wiksten Shift top! This is one of those things that I made and when I tried it on I never wanted to take it off. It was love at first try on, for sure!
This is my 3rd time using the Wiksten Shift pattern. Last Summer I made this top and I wore it on heavy rotation. I just love the boxy fit and it was so cool and comfortable in linen. Earlier this year I made a dress, which I haven’t posted yet.
I knew I wanted to make another version of the top this Summer. I fell in love with this fabric from the Warp and Weft collection from Ruby Star Society. The fabric is so soft and has such a nice drape for being 100% cotton. The entire fabric collection is gorgeous and I’m so tempted to get another piece for a long-sleeved Wiksten shift top to wear in Fall and Winter… but alas, the last thing I need is more fabric so I’m trying to use what I have before ordering more.
When I ordered the fabric I only ordered 1.5 yards, hoping that I’d be able to get creative with my cutting and squeeze out the top view of the pattern. This fabric is only 44″ wide so I knew it would be a gamble but I was feeling like pinching my pennies when I ordered it, I think. It turned out that there was no way I could fit the pattern pieces unless I cut the back in 2 pieces.
Since I’d cut my first Wiksten shift top with the back yoke and gathers, I decided to do that again. When I split the back I was able to fit the pieces onto my length of fabric. I actually really love the look of having the extra volume in on the back piece but I would like to make the ungathered top view at some point to see how I like it.
For this top, I went down a size from what I made last year. I cut a size 8 graded to a 10 and did a 1/2″ forward shoulder adjustment. I also dropped the armhole by 1/4″ to give myself some room for my full upper arms. The neckline was feeling a little too wide on my striped linen version (and the dress I made earlier in the year) so I think going down a size was a good plan. I love the fit on this one!
Check out that pattern matching on the front pockets! I love when I get things matched so well, but I guess the drawback is that the pockets are almost invisible unless I have my hands in them.
I would absolutely wear this top every single day, but I am totally scared I’ll ruin the fabric. The diamond pattern is woven into the fabric and the wrong side has these long floating threads that like to get snagged on things. Sometimes they manage to get snagged on the sliders on my bra straps, sometimes they get snagged on stuff from the outside of the fabric. Because I love the top so much I do feel a little bit precious about it and I want to keep it looking nice. So I’m wearing it about once a week and trying to be super careful about snags, although it’s hard to control what happens with my bra sliders.
I’m wearing my top with some recently made Vero Beach shorts and Free Range slacks. Both are coming to the Minerva Fabrics blog soon. I’ll post a link here on my blog once that post is up, but for now I’ll tell you I love how they both turned out and I love how they look with this top!
~Teri
Fa Sew La 
Love your Wiksten shift top, and your pattern matching magic had me wondering if it had pockets! I zoomed in for a closer look and found that we have the same bracelet 💓. My honey gave it to me 20 (?) years ago. (Watch the clasp… mine slipped off in March and freaked me out. Found it!)
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Thank you, Lodi! I have had this bracelet for probably 20 years, too. I almost never take it off. Thanks for the warning about the clasp. I’d be so sad if I lost it!
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