Tag: wiksten

Wiksten Tank Photo Dump

Here’s a dump of photos of the Wiksten Tanks I’ve made.

#1. This is the first one I made. I sewed it without prewashing the fabric first. BIG MISTAKE! It became like a vegetable. Plus the neckline is too low 🙁 I’ve still worn it a couple of times. Mostly to sleep.

wiksten tank at the beach
Wearing my hideous first Wiksten Tank on the beach in Koh Phangan, summer 2014

#2. This is the one I made at The Workroom during the Wiksten Tank class. Made me want to ditch our Singer machine for a Bernina! Not happening any time soon though! The fabric is some quilting cotton covered in poppies, which I realize might be sort of inauspicious. I like it anyway.

wiksten tank beach
Posing after eating really spicy Panang curry in Koh Phangan.

#3. This is the one I made out of some adorable fabric covered in seals!

wiksten tank pocket
A Wiksten tank made out of seals. Can you spot the pocket?
#4. And this again is the dress with the upside-down fish, taken somewhere within Forbidden City during our trip to Beijing.

 

wiksten tank dress elastic waist
Wiksten tank dress with an elastic waistband.

Wiksten Tank Dress with Elastic Waistband and Pockets

So after making a bunch of Wiksten Tanks (pics later), I bought some cool fabric thinking I’d make matching tank tops for my twin Jessica and me. My thought process behind choosing this fabric: we are pisces and her wardrobe is full of black, white, grey, and stripes. So I thought this might add a bit of colour. Um, a lot of colour.

fish swimming in pink, orange, and purple waves
UMMM what was I thinking???

Lucky for Jessica, I didn’t have enough of the fish fabric to make two tank tops. So I decided to make myself a dress instead. With an elastic waistband (because the dress looks like a mumu on me otherwise) and pockets (because I hate carrying a purse. In fact, I don’t really own one).

wiksten tank dress
Evan took this picture of me when we rode our bikes up to the bluffs. FUN!!! Filed under “Photos taken by ex boyfriends”

Mods

  • raised neckline by 3/4”
  • S in armholes, neck, but traced between XS and S for side seam
  • added pockets using this tutorial. (Next time adjust from 1/2″ to 5/8″ to match the 3/8″ seam allowance. I don’t know what I’m talking about here but I feel like I should remember this note for next time.)
  • added an elastic (made it up): cut out a bias casing from fabric, 3″ wide, as long as the dress. Sewed it along waistline.

Mistakes

sewed the dress upside down
LOL the fish are upside down.
  • the fish are upside down!!!! What was I thinking?
  • the bias tape facing at the neckline and armholes doesn’t lay flat. I think that next time for the first step I’ll sew it at a 1/4” seam allowance (instead of 3/8”) — is this an error in the pattern? I don’t know. Or use this tutorial from grainline for getting bias necklines to stay flat
  • the bunching of the fabric because of the elastic waist looks a bit awkward but I don’t really care that much.

NEXT TIME:

  • Try cutting the top part and the skirt part separately. Would eliminate some of the bunching.
  • Don’t cut fabric after midnight.