bodner052

I have long been enamored of the traditional kimono shape. I have made many, usually from the Folkwear pattern, Japanese Field Clothing. It is composed strictly of rectangles, a conventional Japanese kimono construction. Recently I've seen a plethora of posts on Instagram for the Wiksten Kimono . I resisted ordering the pattern as long as I possibly could. After all, what could be so different in a kimono pattern? Ultimately I fell under the Wiksten spell after seeing one image after another of this kimono on Instagram. There are a ga-zillion of them , all lovely, IMO.  Wiksten patterns are produced by a designer out of Oregon. She has a few patterns, but I am certain that nothing has sold like the Wiksten. It took about 10 days to arrive. The Wiksten is nicely drafted, unconstrained by a need to rely on rectangles and so is different from a Japanese kimono. The front and backs are curved out at the armcyes. Also the shoulder line is sloped in a more natural fashion than a typical ...

The Sewing Workshop re-issued the Bells and Whistles pattern  just a year ago according to my copy. But it's been around a while. I see reviews dating back to 2008 . It contains two very different blouses. I was mostly drawn to the Whistles version initially, especially after I saw one of their samples in that style. When I found this lovely soft cotton lawn at Gail K, I figured it would make a great version of one of these tops. At this point I don't remember why, but I selected Bells instead of Whistles. I will continue to long for a Whistles version. This blouse is, I think, one of the most fitted patterns ever published by the Sewing Workshop. The sides seams are quite shapely and the back has 4 (!) vertical darts. The hem is curved in a very girly fashion. All of this makes me wonder if I'll enjoy wearing it. Oh, yes, I will. I promise. As you can probably tell in the picture, the left and right front pattern pieces are quite different in order to create the angled clo...