Ta-da!  I actually bought the fabric, sewed and photographed my DCF Autumn Challenge* garment during Autumn!  Pity it didn’t get onto the blog until Winter had started.

Oh linen, you do wrinkle so! The fish printed linen comes from Darn Cheap Fabrics. What a fabulous design! I enjoy something a little bit quirky, and when Emma and I spotted this fabric (thanks Shelley for bringing it to our attention) we were unanimous in selecting it for our Autumn challenge. I bought the fabric, pre-washed it, and took it on our trip to Sewjourn at the end of April.

The real drawcard with the Style Arc Sadie tunic is the sleeves. Only one pattern piece produces this fabulous sleeve with an angled seam and a twist at the bottom. These women are so clever!

From the Style Arc website:  SADIE TUNIC:  This cleverly engineered twist sleeve gives this tunic a fashionable edge. The shirt tail hem line with its wide stitched facings makes this a perfect stylish tunic. FABRIC SUGGESTION: Crepe, Linen, Silk.

I sewed size 12, without alteration (other than cutting the back and back facing pieces on the fold to eliminate the seams – pin head, remember!).  Despite the rating of medium to challenging, this isn’t really difficult to sew.  Darts, shaped facings, and the sleeve.  The only challenging part is taking it slowly when you do the twist in the sleeve.  I strongly suggest that you do both sleeves at the same time so that you can be certain that you are twisting them both in the same direction.  Don’t rush, and it will be fine!  There are also diagrams to help.

I’d like to sew this again in something super swishy and drapey. I’ve seen some really lovely versions on Instagram. It would also be great lengthened to a dress. The bust darts are in just the right place for me, and it would be quite straightforward to make it longer. The sleeves might be good grafted on to the Style Arc Marilyn dress too (I like V necklines)…ah, so many possibilities!

So, what did Emma sew? I already know, but you can pop over here to find out!

* Emma and I started the DCF Seasonal Challenge a year or two ago – we buy  a couple of metres of the same fabric from Darn Cheap Fabrics each season, and each make a garment.  We then reveal it on our blogs on the same day.  It’s just a fun thing that we started when we realised how often we buy and sew the same fabrics (often from Darn Cheap).

Edited to add: For those of you who wonder what I do with all those clothes I sew, pop over here to Anne Whalley’s website to read an interview with me!