Wiksten Jackets Galore

The Wiksten jacket/haori has been a darling of the indie world for years, with thousands in the Instagram hashtag. While I liked the look of it, I stayed away from the pattern because of its very limited size range. I’m a good 6-8 inches above the largest size. Other versions, such as the Seamwork Quince, have cropped up and I’ve considered them. When it comes down to it, the Wiksten had a few features I wanted, such as the large foldover collar and full lining, that others lacked.

Reviews that said that it looked good on a wide range of bodies, including those well outside the size range, bolstered my idea that it might work for me, and Wiksten’s announcement that they planned to expand their size range helped me feel morally better about using it. Now that I know I like this style, I can see myself trying others — the In the Folds Flynn is top of my list!

My first version is this lovely lightweight cotton lawn version. The exterior is a navy blue jacquard-textured lightweight cotton and the lining chartreuse cotton lawn, both from Minneapolis local store Knit and Bolt.

I made the largest size, an XL, with about an inch added to the width of the sleeves. As you can see, it fits my body though it is not as oversized as drafted. It also tips up in the front, likely because I have a much larger bust than intended. I’m wearing it here with my linen Zadie jumpsuit.

I liked the fit and coziness of my first that I very quickly made a second. This one is made in a Gertrude Made barkcloth from Minneapolis shop Lakes Makerie (they still have other colorways available!) The lining is a lovely purple/black yarn dyed cotton flannel from now-closed Indie Sew. I’m wearing it with my Seamwork Tacara dress.

The barkcloth’s heftier body gives this a feeling closer to a casual blazer. I love that it feels vibrant and professional at once. Barkcloth is somewhere between quilting cotton and canvas in weight; I think using a cotton/linen canvas like Cotton + Steel’s would give a similar result (and I just might try it!)

I wore my other two versions enough that I knew more would be welcome in my wardrobe. For a long time, I’d had a project in mind to make a jacket out of scraps left over from various other projects, particularly linen solids. The relatively square construction of the pattern pieces in the Wiksten made it an excellent option to do so.

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To construct it, I cut long strips from my leftover pieces, not caring too much about grainline. I stitched them together into long panels, comparing them to the pattern pieces until I could tell they were large enough.

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The entire jacket is lined with pieces of flannel leftover from other projects, too, all in shades of teals and greens. It pays to have consistent color schemes!

I would like to try out some other similar patterns, but there is a real appeal to a tried-and-true pattern! And given that I’m currently furloughed due to the necessary shelter-at-home efforts, using a pattern I already own, likely with fabrics from my stash, is what I’ll be doing for the near future anyway.