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feather_ghyllThe Great British Sewing Bee is back!
Episode 1 – I’m not sure what the theme of this was, either classics with a twist or getting to know you.
We had a woman with blue hair, a woman with purple hair, two Tonys and everything in between, including Asmaa (sounds like Asthma, I’m sorry, but it does) from Cardiff, and Fauve (me neither) from Swansea in what is, in sporting terms, a local derby. Patrick, Esme and Sara were back, and the format and titles remain the same.
The pattern challenge, ‘a twist turn blouse’, involved French seams, which contestants in years gone by have thrown in for brownie points for difficulty, as well as the twisty thing. People plumped for patterned materials, which turned out to be less of an issue than I thought it would. Catherine of the blue hair distinguished herself by her lack of time management, but at the other extreme Asmaa was vindicated for rushing to the big table and picking a satin, not a cotton, with her sewing skills and pattern matching coming good.
The transformation challenge was office wear (a plain skirt and blouse) into something dressier. Unsurprisingly, some of the people who’d done well in the first round did badly in this and vice versa. The judges had been fairly clear (to camera) about what their criteria would be: amount of transformation, use of both items of clothing as well as overall quality. The contestants had been allowed to use cut offs and frills, and this is where some of them got lost The Scot with purple hair really did not do enough transforming. Tony the teacher’s waistcoat didn’t use the blouse at all. Mathew, channelling Vivienne Westwood, decided to ‘deconstruct’ the shirt, blue-haired Catherine also did well with a well balanced, if way more demure outfit.
The made to measure was to be a cut-out dress that showed something of the contestant’s personality. A lot of them confessed to never having fit to a model before. Asamaa displayed something I hadn’t expected to see on Sewing Bee, the humble Cardiff council recycling bag, which she said was very handy as a pattern.
Some people were going for linings, Tony the teacher was going for a stretchy material. Gillie, it was soon obvious, was making her cut-outs way too small. Three people were using the same basic pattern, only in different materials and with varying lengths/alterations. And, as it turned out, varying success. Catherine’s time management was obviously going to be a problem by the time Patrick talked to her around the one-hour remaining mark. With five minutes to go, she really hadn’t sewn enough of her dress, and those who had finished a little early ended up helping her pin what she’d done together.
I accede totally to the close-up scrutiny of the judges about the quality of the sewing. Overall, I preferred the longer dresses, although I thought Fauve’s extremely puffy sleeves balanced out her cut out well. I liked the Gucci inspired one, the Stranger Things inspired one, and Asmaa’s classy polka dot gown, but could see that Tony’s successful fit despite the stretchy material would get him garment of the week and ‘redeem’ him. Catherine, inevitably, had to go.
Too early to have favourites, especially when I haven’t taken in all their names yet, and I know front runners often falter on this show, but at the very top of the episode we got glimpses of some of the outfits that are going to come down the studio runway, and they were wowzers.
Episode 2 – travel
Sara decided to go for a very busy dress, while I really liked Purple Hair’s violet lipstick.
The pattern challenge was a rucksack, telling us a lot about how long this series has been running. Some people had done some kinds of bags before, but the webbing and the straps and, well, all the engineering involved did for a lot of people. Gillie chose not to listen to Patrick’s strong hint about what material should be the main one (the heavier, plain one) and which the lining, sewing with the lighter patterned material, but she never got as far as the lining, anyway.
I didn’t hate any of the colour combinations. To their surprise, Vicky came first, Asmaa second.
The transformation challenge was windbreaker into structural rainwear. They all discovered that there wasn’t much material. A lot of them seemed flummoxed, really. Vicky’s triangular crotch for her jumpsuit made her and everyone smile, and she came last because of it. Some outifts that I’d thought were promising did not work out, and it was Asmaa’s coat with a ruff that came first, so she’d had a very good first day, but Lizzie and Gillie were in trouble and knew it.
Made to measure was swimwear (so the fit had to be good) with some added difficulty. Nearly everyone. Gillie’s model (who turned out to be an amputee) hadn’t wanted cups, so the only addition to Gillie’s simple swimsuit would be binding. Lizzie was hoping a dramatic, well done ruffle would help her. I liked a lot of the designs, Tony the teacher’s vertical strips (which would be his undoing), Lauren’s rust-coloured one shoulder with a belt, Fauve’s long sleeved cold-water swiminming suit, Mia’s and, despite the colours, Asmaa’s diamond detailed Marilyn inspired piece. Except she went and burned it a bit with the iron (again?) Practically everyone’s had some problems, but Gillie’s binding was especially poor, and, as Patrick had said, she hadn’t been very ambitious, which most of them had, Lizzie’d certainly done more, so Gillie’s execution had to be flawless, and it wasn’t.
In fairness, nobody’s was, but Mia’s outfit had the most impact and fewest issues, so the young crafty person got garment of the week. Though a couple of people’s made to measure had been so bad that they were now in danger, it was inevitably Gillie who was sent home.
Episode 3 – West African week. Normally ‘West Africa’ gets a round, but not its own whole theme and even a guest judge, which I believe is a first.
Although Lizzie had visited the area, and Lauren had some West African heritage, this was unknown territory for most of them. However, it also seemed as though gaudets and draping were new to some people and those aren’t West African specific sewing things!
Round 1’s pattern was a simplified version of a Ghanaian waistcoat but not really. The strips of material were unfamiliar, the way of doing the neck was unfamiliar (except maybe to Asmaa) and the pockets depended on putting a mark in the right spot and…following the instructions. Fauve (and Maria) got it very wrong. Most people got it quite wrong, and as they’d had criticism for even Vicky, it was obvious to the viewer that Asmaa would come first, although she was surprised by it.
Transformation: draping a dramatic outfit with a traditional African material. Tony the postman seemed lost from the outset and quite panicky. A lot of people had trouble after pinning and taking the material off the mannequin to sew. I did like Lizzie’s, and it did look like a strong contender. I don’t know about the overall effect of Lauren’s (mainly the boob tube), but the judges liked the detail and gave it second place. Maria came last and Fauve was talking about how she had to do wonderfully in the made to measure.
Which was a ‘bou-bou’ – a loose-fitting kaftan-like traditional African outfit, so, for once, the fit didn’t matter so much. They were asked to use a material that told some of their own story. Some of them had made it more difficult for themselves, but Mia seemed quite happy and Lizzie had surprised herself by finishing in time. Others were sewing to the last.
I wouldn’t have given Lizzie garment of the week, myself – I didn’t love how it was gathered at front or the blocks of colours. But I did like Tony the teacher’s dramatic outfit, and Vicky’s, Mia’s and Fauve’s because I wasn’t looking at the details. It came down to the sewing – Asmaa hadn’t quite finished, but Maria’s choice of fabric and a whole lot of other details told for her. As soon as Esme pointed out that she should have stuck to the gold trim and not gone for the purple sequins, I realised she was right. If Fauve hadn’t been hogging the talking heads, I’d have noticed that Maria, formerly known as purple hair, was floundering in, well, all of the rounds. So, she was the third to leave.
Round 4 - Reduce, reuse and recycle week
Pattern challenge: zero-waste trousers (it was never clear to me if the trousers were for a big woman or a man). The cutting had to be exact, and Patrick claimed they needed to pick the right material. Everyone scrambled to use their maths skills for the measuring and cutting. It soon became clear that Fauve had cut the leg panels wrong, but it also became clear that she has a crush on Patrick (bordering on the creepy when Sarah handed her that doll). She is one of the most entertaining to-camera contestants.
By the time they came to pockets, Tony the postman was in a flap – there were two types. Vicky told him to trust the process, although she, like a few others, had difficulty getting the drawstring in right at the end. Tony and Fauve were bottom (Patrick observed that her pretty material was probably too drapey), Mia came third, Vicky second (actually, I was expecting it to be the other way around) and Asmaa came first. There was little surprise about the latter, despite the attempt at tension, because of the adjectives the judges had used. I really didn’t like her pattern.
Transformation: turn (carbon-intensive) tote bags into a top. Although there were details I liked about most of them, and I could see the judges’ points about colour and technique, I don’t think any were all that wearable – maybe at festivals!? Lauren’s unfortunate binding put her last and Vicky’s boring/ugly top put her second from last, but Fauve rightly noted she hadn’t done amazingly. Mia came third again, but Asmaa came first with some impressive sleeves (and a bow!)
Fauve and Lauren were mentioned as being in trouble. The made to measure was crocheted blankets into outfits, because crochet (as modelled by Mia and Matthew) is having a moment. From the outset, the loose weave of Asmaa’s blanket looked worrying, and as soon as people started sewing, it was obvious that sewing through wool, and, in some cases interface too, would be a problem – Matthew was trying to recreate the New Look with a crochet blanket!?!?
I liked most of the designs using the chevrons, and I liked the diamonds used by Lizzie, although more attention was given to the making of her hooded jacket, which came out well, but it was only with an hour to go that she turned to her dress. By the time of the judges’ confab, it was obvious Matthew was having a ‘mare and Fauve’s simpler dress was lumpy. Tony the teacher had made a mistake and was forced to change his cardigan front, which would ultimately spoil the look.
My favourites were Lauren’s culottes for the look, and Lizzie’s – which was seriously considered for garment of the week, although that ultimately went to Mia, for echoing Chanel. Esme didn’t get Asmaa’s coat, but she’d had a great first day, and Fauve’s wasn’t that bad, but Matthew’s really was, he hadn’t finished the bow that might have hid the ‘bad sewing’. So, he went, having had a very bad second day, although as Patrick said, he was probably the most creative contestant. (Presumably there’ll be 100% fewer harnesses on the show from now on.)
Episode 1 – I’m not sure what the theme of this was, either classics with a twist or getting to know you.
We had a woman with blue hair, a woman with purple hair, two Tonys and everything in between, including Asmaa (sounds like Asthma, I’m sorry, but it does) from Cardiff, and Fauve (me neither) from Swansea in what is, in sporting terms, a local derby. Patrick, Esme and Sara were back, and the format and titles remain the same.
The pattern challenge, ‘a twist turn blouse’, involved French seams, which contestants in years gone by have thrown in for brownie points for difficulty, as well as the twisty thing. People plumped for patterned materials, which turned out to be less of an issue than I thought it would. Catherine of the blue hair distinguished herself by her lack of time management, but at the other extreme Asmaa was vindicated for rushing to the big table and picking a satin, not a cotton, with her sewing skills and pattern matching coming good.
The transformation challenge was office wear (a plain skirt and blouse) into something dressier. Unsurprisingly, some of the people who’d done well in the first round did badly in this and vice versa. The judges had been fairly clear (to camera) about what their criteria would be: amount of transformation, use of both items of clothing as well as overall quality. The contestants had been allowed to use cut offs and frills, and this is where some of them got lost The Scot with purple hair really did not do enough transforming. Tony the teacher’s waistcoat didn’t use the blouse at all. Mathew, channelling Vivienne Westwood, decided to ‘deconstruct’ the shirt, blue-haired Catherine also did well with a well balanced, if way more demure outfit.
The made to measure was to be a cut-out dress that showed something of the contestant’s personality. A lot of them confessed to never having fit to a model before. Asamaa displayed something I hadn’t expected to see on Sewing Bee, the humble Cardiff council recycling bag, which she said was very handy as a pattern.
Some people were going for linings, Tony the teacher was going for a stretchy material. Gillie, it was soon obvious, was making her cut-outs way too small. Three people were using the same basic pattern, only in different materials and with varying lengths/alterations. And, as it turned out, varying success. Catherine’s time management was obviously going to be a problem by the time Patrick talked to her around the one-hour remaining mark. With five minutes to go, she really hadn’t sewn enough of her dress, and those who had finished a little early ended up helping her pin what she’d done together.
I accede totally to the close-up scrutiny of the judges about the quality of the sewing. Overall, I preferred the longer dresses, although I thought Fauve’s extremely puffy sleeves balanced out her cut out well. I liked the Gucci inspired one, the Stranger Things inspired one, and Asmaa’s classy polka dot gown, but could see that Tony’s successful fit despite the stretchy material would get him garment of the week and ‘redeem’ him. Catherine, inevitably, had to go.
Too early to have favourites, especially when I haven’t taken in all their names yet, and I know front runners often falter on this show, but at the very top of the episode we got glimpses of some of the outfits that are going to come down the studio runway, and they were wowzers.
Episode 2 – travel
Sara decided to go for a very busy dress, while I really liked Purple Hair’s violet lipstick.
The pattern challenge was a rucksack, telling us a lot about how long this series has been running. Some people had done some kinds of bags before, but the webbing and the straps and, well, all the engineering involved did for a lot of people. Gillie chose not to listen to Patrick’s strong hint about what material should be the main one (the heavier, plain one) and which the lining, sewing with the lighter patterned material, but she never got as far as the lining, anyway.
I didn’t hate any of the colour combinations. To their surprise, Vicky came first, Asmaa second.
The transformation challenge was windbreaker into structural rainwear. They all discovered that there wasn’t much material. A lot of them seemed flummoxed, really. Vicky’s triangular crotch for her jumpsuit made her and everyone smile, and she came last because of it. Some outifts that I’d thought were promising did not work out, and it was Asmaa’s coat with a ruff that came first, so she’d had a very good first day, but Lizzie and Gillie were in trouble and knew it.
Made to measure was swimwear (so the fit had to be good) with some added difficulty. Nearly everyone. Gillie’s model (who turned out to be an amputee) hadn’t wanted cups, so the only addition to Gillie’s simple swimsuit would be binding. Lizzie was hoping a dramatic, well done ruffle would help her. I liked a lot of the designs, Tony the teacher’s vertical strips (which would be his undoing), Lauren’s rust-coloured one shoulder with a belt, Fauve’s long sleeved cold-water swiminming suit, Mia’s and, despite the colours, Asmaa’s diamond detailed Marilyn inspired piece. Except she went and burned it a bit with the iron (again?) Practically everyone’s had some problems, but Gillie’s binding was especially poor, and, as Patrick had said, she hadn’t been very ambitious, which most of them had, Lizzie’d certainly done more, so Gillie’s execution had to be flawless, and it wasn’t.
In fairness, nobody’s was, but Mia’s outfit had the most impact and fewest issues, so the young crafty person got garment of the week. Though a couple of people’s made to measure had been so bad that they were now in danger, it was inevitably Gillie who was sent home.
Episode 3 – West African week. Normally ‘West Africa’ gets a round, but not its own whole theme and even a guest judge, which I believe is a first.
Although Lizzie had visited the area, and Lauren had some West African heritage, this was unknown territory for most of them. However, it also seemed as though gaudets and draping were new to some people and those aren’t West African specific sewing things!
Round 1’s pattern was a simplified version of a Ghanaian waistcoat but not really. The strips of material were unfamiliar, the way of doing the neck was unfamiliar (except maybe to Asmaa) and the pockets depended on putting a mark in the right spot and…following the instructions. Fauve (and Maria) got it very wrong. Most people got it quite wrong, and as they’d had criticism for even Vicky, it was obvious to the viewer that Asmaa would come first, although she was surprised by it.
Transformation: draping a dramatic outfit with a traditional African material. Tony the postman seemed lost from the outset and quite panicky. A lot of people had trouble after pinning and taking the material off the mannequin to sew. I did like Lizzie’s, and it did look like a strong contender. I don’t know about the overall effect of Lauren’s (mainly the boob tube), but the judges liked the detail and gave it second place. Maria came last and Fauve was talking about how she had to do wonderfully in the made to measure.
Which was a ‘bou-bou’ – a loose-fitting kaftan-like traditional African outfit, so, for once, the fit didn’t matter so much. They were asked to use a material that told some of their own story. Some of them had made it more difficult for themselves, but Mia seemed quite happy and Lizzie had surprised herself by finishing in time. Others were sewing to the last.
I wouldn’t have given Lizzie garment of the week, myself – I didn’t love how it was gathered at front or the blocks of colours. But I did like Tony the teacher’s dramatic outfit, and Vicky’s, Mia’s and Fauve’s because I wasn’t looking at the details. It came down to the sewing – Asmaa hadn’t quite finished, but Maria’s choice of fabric and a whole lot of other details told for her. As soon as Esme pointed out that she should have stuck to the gold trim and not gone for the purple sequins, I realised she was right. If Fauve hadn’t been hogging the talking heads, I’d have noticed that Maria, formerly known as purple hair, was floundering in, well, all of the rounds. So, she was the third to leave.
Round 4 - Reduce, reuse and recycle week
Pattern challenge: zero-waste trousers (it was never clear to me if the trousers were for a big woman or a man). The cutting had to be exact, and Patrick claimed they needed to pick the right material. Everyone scrambled to use their maths skills for the measuring and cutting. It soon became clear that Fauve had cut the leg panels wrong, but it also became clear that she has a crush on Patrick (bordering on the creepy when Sarah handed her that doll). She is one of the most entertaining to-camera contestants.
By the time they came to pockets, Tony the postman was in a flap – there were two types. Vicky told him to trust the process, although she, like a few others, had difficulty getting the drawstring in right at the end. Tony and Fauve were bottom (Patrick observed that her pretty material was probably too drapey), Mia came third, Vicky second (actually, I was expecting it to be the other way around) and Asmaa came first. There was little surprise about the latter, despite the attempt at tension, because of the adjectives the judges had used. I really didn’t like her pattern.
Transformation: turn (carbon-intensive) tote bags into a top. Although there were details I liked about most of them, and I could see the judges’ points about colour and technique, I don’t think any were all that wearable – maybe at festivals!? Lauren’s unfortunate binding put her last and Vicky’s boring/ugly top put her second from last, but Fauve rightly noted she hadn’t done amazingly. Mia came third again, but Asmaa came first with some impressive sleeves (and a bow!)
Fauve and Lauren were mentioned as being in trouble. The made to measure was crocheted blankets into outfits, because crochet (as modelled by Mia and Matthew) is having a moment. From the outset, the loose weave of Asmaa’s blanket looked worrying, and as soon as people started sewing, it was obvious that sewing through wool, and, in some cases interface too, would be a problem – Matthew was trying to recreate the New Look with a crochet blanket!?!?
I liked most of the designs using the chevrons, and I liked the diamonds used by Lizzie, although more attention was given to the making of her hooded jacket, which came out well, but it was only with an hour to go that she turned to her dress. By the time of the judges’ confab, it was obvious Matthew was having a ‘mare and Fauve’s simpler dress was lumpy. Tony the teacher had made a mistake and was forced to change his cardigan front, which would ultimately spoil the look.
My favourites were Lauren’s culottes for the look, and Lizzie’s – which was seriously considered for garment of the week, although that ultimately went to Mia, for echoing Chanel. Esme didn’t get Asmaa’s coat, but she’d had a great first day, and Fauve’s wasn’t that bad, but Matthew’s really was, he hadn’t finished the bow that might have hid the ‘bad sewing’. So, he went, having had a very bad second day, although as Patrick said, he was probably the most creative contestant. (Presumably there’ll be 100% fewer harnesses on the show from now on.)
