Don’t mind me… I’m just making up words, like ruffle-tastic, as I’m excited about a little bit of sewing pattern mixing-and-matching I undertook while at Sewjourn (a sewing retreat) in August.

I’ve always adored the ruffle sleeve on the cover of the first Kana’s Standard.  In fact, it was the main reason that I purchased the book.  I’ve looked at that ‘one size fits all’ a-line top so many times, and every time I come to the conclusion… boxy silhouettes suit me much better than a-line ones.  So, I borrowed the ruffle sleeve pattern piece from this book and I transplanted it onto the Wiksten Shift.

It was a happy match!

I performed my usual forward shoulder adjustment, but wasn’t thinking how this would effect the ruffle placement on the sleeve.

Oppphhhs… the ruffle and shoulder seam don’t align.

In an unusual step for me, I decided against fixing this minor error.  I’m just trying to pretend it didn’t happen!

For this version of the Wiksten Shift Top, I added an inch (2.5cm) to the length and left off the pockets.

I’m really happy with this make.  If it gets lots of wear this summer, I would be tempted to make another.

Pattern:  Wiksten’s Shift Dress and Top with a borrow sleeve ruffle from Kana’s Standard (Japanese pattern book)
Size:  8
Fabric:  Floral linen from  The Cloth Shop and the silk/cotton ruffle fabric was from a friends offcuts
Alterations:  3/8″ (1cm) forward shoulder adjustment, I lengthen the pattern by 1″ (2.5cm) and left off the pockets
Outfit:  Jeans from Witchery, necklace by Sonia Rykiel (a favourite) and as-new second-hand Funkis shoes
Photo Location:  Eastern Suburbs, Melbourne