DIY Wiksten Shift Dress – How to Sew Tutorial 100% Worth Making Beauty

Hello, Sara here
I was having fun making this short dress with sleeves. I like the Wiksten shift dress pattern. It’s very comfortable and pretty (depends on your choice of fabric but in general). I must say it is definitely worth making one! I love wearing mine whenever I go on a picnic in Summer! I am quite excited that It’s already Mid-March and Summer is coming soon!

If you find anything that you are not clear with, I recommend you watch the video! Or you can leave me on the comment.

These are all the materials and things I used for the project.

Material
Wiksten Shift dress pattern available at Wiksten website
https://shopwiksten.com/
Or
Two O Nine Fabric Studio
https://www.etsy.com/shop/twooninefabricstudio/

I used 57″ WideOnce Upon A Time – Flying Ribbons Jersey Knit from Cotton + Steel Available at
https://www.etsy.com/shop/twooninefab…

For the better topstitch on a knit fabric, I used a twin needle. You can purchase one from Amazon.
Canada https://amzn.to/2SywS5s
USA https://amzn.to/2uU57eH

I use washi tapes when I need to topstitch from the right side of the fabric. Adorable washi tapes are available at Dailylike Canada. https://www.dailylike.ca/

Sewing Clips https://amzn.to/2T2USyc (Canada)
Sewing Clips https://amzn.to/2N0MNX2 (USA)

I bought my flat sewing pins from Korea. The most similar one from amazon would be
https://amzn.to/2uZmfQb (Canada)
https://amzn.to/2P8Wzro (USA)

My sewing machine is a
SINGER 9960 Quantum Stylist https://amzn.to/2ujthOR (Canada)
SINGER 9960 Quantum Stylist https://amzn.to/365ndqt (USA)

Alright! Let’s get to it!
So what you need is Wiksten Shift dress pattern and 2 yards of fabric.

  1. Cut the Fabric
    1 Front on fold, 1 Back Yoke on fold, 1 Dress Back on fold, 2 Sleeves on fold, 2 Pockets, 1 Front/Back Neck Facing on fold
  2. Make Pockets
    Serge the side and bottom edges of the pockets
    Double fold the top edge to the wrong side and press
    Press and topstitch the folded edge
    Fold and press the side and bottom edges
    Place and pin the pockets matching corners to the marks
    Tip: A Twin Needle (Optional) you can use a twin needle to sew your cover stitch for a neater finish, especially with knit fabrics
    Edgestitch the pocket around sides and bottom
    Repeat for the other pocket
  3. Make Back Gathers
    Baste between two marks at the top of the Back for the gathering
    Sew the two parallel stitches with the longest stitch setting
    Use the thread tails to tidy the gathering
    With RST (Right Side Together), pin the Back Yoke and the Back, leaving the gathering part
    And now, distribute the fabric evenly while matching the length
    Sew. Make sure to sew the outside of the two gathering stitches
    Serge
    Optional: Lay the seam towards Yoke and understitch
    Sew Shoulder Seams
    Pin and sew the shoulder seams with RST and serge
  4. Attach Sleeves
    Lay the shoulder seams toward the back and pin sleeves and armholes RST
    Sew and Serge
  5. Sew Side Seams
    Pin, sew the side seams RST and serge
  6. Make Neck Facing
    Sew the shoulder seams of the neck facing RST
    Lay the seams towards the front
    Serge the outside of the neck facing
  7. Sew the Neckline
    Pin the facing to the neckline RST, matching the stitches
    And sew
    Clip the curved edge (It’s not necessary for stretch fabric)
    Optional: Understitch Neck Facing to the seam
    Press the neckline and edgestitch outer edge of Neck Facing
    I use Washi Tape to sew a straight stitch
    In case I need to sew from the right side for the neat topstitch
  8. Hem
    Serge the sleeves and the bottom edges
    Fold 1 1/2″, press and sew

That’s it for the Wiksten Shift dress tutorial! I hope you find it easy and useful!

Since I mentioned about picnic at the beginning, I also wear a sweatshirt a lot! My hubby loves it too! Just in case if you are interested, here is the link. http://sewingtherapy.net/diy-sweatshirt-sewing-tutorial/ It’s very casual and comfortable!

These are my online fabric shops.
Dailylike Canada http://www.dailylike.ca
Two O Nine Fabric Studio https://www.etsy.com/shop/twooninefab…

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/yoursara_k/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/dailylikecanada
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SewingTherapy
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.ca/dailylikecan…

*****Disclosure******
Some of the links above are affiliate links. .Clicking and purchasing through affiliate links gives me a small commission. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I wanted to help you find the materials easier. So you can focus more on your project. Thank you.
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