My Sadie isn’t a cleaning lady

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Sadie the Cleaning Lady was released in November 1967 and it was the first single from Australian pop singer John Farnham.  Every-time I hear the name Sadie, I have the chorus of that song playing in my head, and perhaps you will now too…

SADIE-TUNIC

Let me introduce you to the Sadie Tunic by StyleArc.  It’s has the most awesome sleeves, french bust darts, as well as neck and hem facings.

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The recommended fabrics are crepe, linen and silk, and as you can probably see from all the crease lines in these photos, I sewed this version in a yummy mustard Japanese linen from The Coth Shop.

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Now let’s take some time to admire those sleeves.  They really are a work of art, and in my books, all the more impressive as they are sewn from a single sleeve piece.

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The sleeve are not hard to construct, if you accurately transfer all the notches and take your time.  I did get a little confused, and you can learn by my mistake, when the instructions ask you to neaten specified areas on the sleeve piece.  I took ‘neaten’ to mean overlock, but in fact you have to overlock those sections and then fold up a tiny hem and stitch it in place.

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I made two changes to the pattern.  The biggest alteration was to shorten the tunic to top length.  I did this by removing 3″ (8cm) from the front and back pattern pieces.  I also eliminated the back closure as I knew it would easily fit over my head.

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As I indicated earlier, this pattern includes a lovely deep hem facing.  Unfortunately, I used a slightly heavier interfacing than was ideal, so the hem is a little more ‘sticky out’ than I would have liked.  Will that stop me loving, wearing and enjoying this top?  Definitely not!

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The hem facing is top-stitched in place, which is hard to see in my photos as my thread matches my fabric perfectly.  Therefore, you’ll just have to believe me when I say that I reduced my stitch length around the curves to ensure a smooth top-stitching line that mimicked the hem.

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A side note… the side seam splits definitely come in handy when you try and balance on bike racks!

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My leather bag is a beautiful and special thing as it was made by my talented friend Jillian and gifted to me.  Jillian has made and blogged an identical bag which you can read all about here.  I will use, look after and treasure this bag forever!

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I feel that I have a bit of a 70s vibe going on with my outfit but I’m embracing it wholeheartedly.  I’m a child of the 70s after all!

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I’m currently planning my next Sadie.  Is Sadie on your ‘to sew’ list?

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Pattern:  StyleArc’s Sadie Tunic
Size:  8
Fabric:  Japanese linen from The Coth Shop
Alterations:  Removed 3″ (8cm) from the length (to make it a top rather than a tunic) and removed the back closure
Accessories:  Various red wooden beads from Elk and shoes from Luisa
Photo Location:  Eastern Suburbs, Melbourne

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