wiksten kimono jacket / made by rae — wiksten jacket / made by rae

If it’s possible to have a coat crush, this is it for me. The Real Deal. The Wiksten Unfolding Jacket is the first thing I get to cross off my makenine list this year! I’m super pleased that I was able to stretch out enough of this amazing blanket fabric that I purchased from Dry Goods Design in Seattle a couple years ago to make it work. I bought it thinking it might become a blanket poncho or coat of some sort, so I’m also happy that this pattern, which is from the Making Magazine Lines issue, came along when it did, otherwise I probably would have sat on it for another who knows how long.

The pattern calls for 3 yards of fabric for the outer and for the lining (I think? It’s too late in the afternoon for me to be looking these things up), and I knew because of the super-wide width on this fabric that I would probably be able to make the 2 yards I had bought work, but I couldn’t bear to hide one side of it with a lining. So instead I flat-felled all of the seams (check out my Super Seams post if you want a quick tutorial) so that the entire thing would be reversible. Besides flat-felling the seams, the other modification was that I had to hem up the bottom edge before adding the collar, as the lining usually finishes this when you attach it.

The only hitch to this plan was attaching pockets to the same spot on both sides of one piece of fabric, but I think I accomplished this fairly well with two slightly different-sized pockets and some matching thread. What’s that thing they say in sewing? If you can’t see it from 3 feet away it doesn’t exist? Yeah, that. If you look closely you can tell they’re smaller and lower on one side, but who has the time.

If I look smug AF in these photos about this coat it’s because its freaking amazeballs, but I can’t really take credit for any of it except if you count how ridiculously lucky I was to score this fabric when I did. I keep posing in front of the mirror and taking selfies on my camera with a fierce expression. It’s so frightfully vain. The only bad thing about this coat is that I truly cannot decide which side is better: the side with the “H”s or the side with the Chevy-plus thingies??

For those wanting to find this exact fabric, I am sorry to say that you are probably out of luck. However, if you Insta-stalk shops like Dry Goods or Fancy Tiger or IndieSew or Stylemaker that source deadstock or jobber fabrics, you’re likely to run into something amazing of your own someday. Signing up for their newsletters always helps.

As for the pattern, Jenny plans to release a version of this pattern soon in the Wiksten shop (and it sounds like there will be more than one view, including a more slim-fitting option?), so you can either grab a copy of Making Magazine Lines now, or you can soon purchase it directly from her.

Have a wonderful weekend! It looks like the terribly cold weather plans to hang on a little longer so I can wear my jacket around town. And maybe strut a little bit.

Reversible Wiksten Jacket

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