Making It - General Discussion

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

In this six-episode competition, eight of the most talented makers from across the country will take on a variety of handmade projects with the hopes of impressing Poehler, Offerman and our expert judges, Simon Doonan and Dayna Isom Johnson. Poehler and Offerman both share a love of, and passion for, craftsmanship, albeit from different perspectives. Poehler is a self-proclaimed crafting novice who has long harbored a secret appreciation for those who can imagine and execute incredible things by hand. Offerman is a New York Times best-selling author in the woodworking space and is well known for his love for making a variety of objects himself.
 
Every show will revolve around a central theme that draws inspiration from hugely popular, nationwide trends in crafting and DIY the whole family can enjoy.     
 
Each episode of the competition will consist of two projects that allow the makers to demonstrate their specialized talent while sharing skilled insights and touching personal stories. First, the "faster-craft" round will be a timed challenge that will test their ability to not only work quickly but imaginatively as well. Next, the makers will move to the "master craft collection," a one-of-a-kind themed challenge in which the competitors will need to use their expertise and get inventive in order to assemble a winning craft that fits the theme of that week.

Discuss Making It here!

[2727]

Some of the craft projects were very well done, but whatever. Nick and Amy being adorable together is enough for me.

[blueroses]

That was fun. But Jo wasn’t even in my top 3. 

[rhys]

I thought the woman who cut a million pieces of wood would have won or the Asian guy. Sorry, don't know names yet. But the right person got sent home. I'm not a crafter (all that stuff makes me itchy) but I did get a kick out of the rip off of GBBO. Hilarious

[carpedi7]

Reminded me of the GBBO also and since I love that show and I’m a crafter I’m totally in for this and Amy and Nick were great. 

[EllenB]

Of course there's a judge with a British accent.  Of course.  There must be a law making that mandatory.  The filler bits were fun but took a lot of time away from the projects.  I can't tell if this is a legit competition or a scripted spoof.

[Mockingbird]

This is everything I need in a television show at this moment in time. 

[suebee12]

1 hour ago, blueroses said:

That was fun. But Jo wasn’t even in my top 3. 

I agree....her work was not nearly up to some of the others. The two who cut the wood into quilts...wow!(and I loved the wooden turtle in the first round but he did need a head!) I think if I had to pick a favorite for the Master Craft, it would be Robert's! I know the judges wanted more color but I liked it natural that showed the grain of the wood....I hate to see beautiful wood painted. His photo album was neat also, even tho' they skipped over it without really showing it! And Jeffrey's bee and sunflower in the first round was awesome and his story while doing his heirloom was absolutely heartbreaking. How can a parent do that?

 

Loads of photos and each contestants bio here: https://www.nbc.com/making-it

Edited August 1, 2018 by suebee12

[Sharpie66]

Big fan of GBBO and I was definitely seeing the inspiration here. Unfortunately, the commercials and interstitial bits made it all seem very rushed. I really wanted to see more of the creation process as well as get to know them better.

The one we now know the best is the tall gay man who used to work for the UN. (The funeral wreath was horrific—who does that to their son?!?) I loved his idea of taking pics of the sky at the time you photograph a person. 

I am a cross-stitcher, so my craft takes too long to be on this show. It wouldn’t work anyway—I grew up just a few miles from Nick’s hometown and actually lived there briefly as an adult, so I would just be, “Oh, my mom is a Moran, you know the farm on 52, just east of the train tracks? Yeah, across the road from the Baltzes—I babysat for them once.” Etc., etc. That’s how conversations go with people with multiple generations from Minooka/Shorewood. Too boring for tv!

I loved Nick and Amy sharing some wine with the week’s loser at the end. And the prize of the patch is inspired! I almost wish they didn’t have the cash prize, but since these aren’t the amateurs of GBBO, I guess it’s better to have them win something substantial.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Sharpie66

[3 is enough]

I liked it.  I got the GBBO vibe the minute they walked into the workshop.  But that's fine because I love that show.

[Annetteboardman]

This reminds me more of "Work of Art" which took people who worked in a wide variety of mediums and had them compete.  I enjoyed that show quite a bit but it is a bit hard to pick one person from a group that is so diverse.  These people are all much nicer than the neurotic art schooI types they had on Work of Art, though.  I'll watch a bit more.

I liked the three wood constructions for the quilt.  All of those were beautiful.  I also very much liked the paper flower for the first challenge.

I know they can't cover every type of craft, but wish they had people like a jewelry maker (wire, enamel, and several other materials can be handled relatively quickly), someone who dyes fabrics,, or a cake decorator.  

How long were they given for the master craft assignment?

[mertensia]

This was fun. I watched this at my dad's and he could not believe Jo won- like many of us he was very impressed by the woodworking. Also, he thought the Nick vs. the block of mahogany bit was funny. 

I'll definitely watch this.

I want to hunt down the one set of parents and slap them into the Jurassic Period for sending a funeral wreath. You don't do that.

[LaChavalina]

9 hours ago, Sharpie66 said:

I loved Nick and Amy sharing some wine with the week’s loser at the end. And the prize of the patch is inspired! I almost wish they didn’t have the cash prize, but since these aren’t the amateurs of GBBO, I guess it’s better to have them win something substantial.

This was the highlight for me, too. 

Nick and Amy are great. The judges I found just meh. I'd rather they had gotten one of the PBS-types who do the maker shows, or even an art critic specializing in folk art, than people from Etsy and Barney's (???). It makes the judging feel a little commercial (and more so when they have Etsy ads crammed in). But I'll stick with it. They could retool a few things but it's quite charming and I hope we get to see more of the actual crafts as they start to eliminate contestants.

[2727]

My guess is that the judges were rewarding the spirit of the challenge (heart and home or whatever it was) rather than creativity? Jo's piece was executed competently but was in no way equal to the design and construction skills of some of the others.

Robert -- shadow box thingy in the quick fire challenge and pieced wood quilt that the judges [wrongly] thought needed paint -- seems like he's a top contender. Here's his You Tube stuff; World Crafted with Robert Mahar.

It makes me sigh that the senior/oldest person on competitive shows like these always seems to go quickly, but it was the right call here.

Offerman has lost a bit of weight, right?

[joanne3482]

9 hours ago, suebee12 said:

I agree....her work was not nearly up to some of the others. The two who cut the wood into quilts...wow!(and I loved the wooden turtle in the first round but he did need a head!)

I don't know the guy, but to me the turtle without body parts did speak of his inner animal... he seemed quiet and not as gregarious as some of the others so a turtle hiding in its shell could be an appropriate animal for him. 

9 hours ago, Sharpie66 said:

And the prize of the patch is inspired!

I LOVE the patches so much! I want to go on the show so I can get one even though I crochet which, like your cross stitch, does not lend itself to quick crafting. 

I think Amy's right. Someone doesn't HAVE to go home every week. They put their patches on their sash and then at the end of the season whoever has the most patches wins. I like that much better. 

I love, loved, loved this show. It was just what I didn't know I needed right now. And Nick and Amy are the best. 

[suebee12]

I really liked Jeffery Rudell's work and was moved by his story so I decided to look him up. I found his flower book on Amazon(thinking about getting it for my granddaughter) and then went searching YouTube. What I found was extremely sad and moving. His story is even worse than what we heard on the show.

[meep.meep]

11 hours ago, Sharpie66 said:

I loved Nick and Amy sharing some wine with the week’s loser at the end. And the prize of the patch is inspired! I almost wish they didn’t have the cash prize, but since these aren’t the amateurs of GBBO, I guess it’s better to have them win something substantial.

I loved that they had the loser out on the porch with them!  That's a great touch.  Unfortunately, they spoiled who the winner was, and I think they may have spoiled who next week's loser is.   Bad editors!

And Amy Poehler should not wear overalls.  I say this as a fellow short stumpy blonde.  It is not a good look for us.

[pinguina]

I really enjoyed this show!!  A great nod to GBBO.

The people were just nice - which I think most people are but are encouraged to be sort of douchy on competition shows.  They were admiring of each other's work and helpful to each other too!

I also enjoyed Nick O. and Amy P. as hosts.  I love bad puns!

[Brookside]

I tuned in and thought I was watching an unfunny wannabe Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show) style programme).  Apparently from your comments it's worth another shot, so I'll give it a go.

[Rickster]

1 hour ago, Brookside said:

I tuned in and thought I was watching an unfunny wannabe Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show) style programme).  Apparently from your comments it's worth another shot, so I'll give it a go.

I’ll voice another unpopular opinion. As someone who is a big fan of GBBO, but never saw Parks & Rec and only know Poehler from SNL, l thought a lot of the humor from the hosts was labored and silly, and too much of the show was about them and not what the contestants were doing. I have some doubts about whether the construct of the show, with contestants with radically different skillsets, will work as a competition, but it’s too soon to tell.

[rhys]

3 hours ago, meep.meep said:

 

And Amy Poehler should not wear overalls.  I say this as a fellow short stumpy blonde.  It is not a good look for us.

Agreed. It made her look fat. I did wonder if she was also trying to somewhat replicate the aprons the contestants were wearing. But the overalls were a huge fail. She would be better off dressing more like Mary Barry (Berry?).

[Sharpie66]

1 hour ago, Rickster said:

I’ll voice another unpopular opinion. As someone who is a big fan of GBBO, but never saw Parks & Rec and only know Poehler from SNL, l thought a lot of the humor from the hosts was labored and silly, and too much of the show was about them and not what the contestants were doing. I have some doubts about whether the construct of the show, with contestants with radically different skillsets, will work as a competition, but it’s too soon to tell.

I think the TPTB thought that Nick and Amy would be the draw, and not the whole crafting thing, so they emphasized them instead of the makers. If it returns next year, I hope they get feedback like we have been expressing here.

[Brookside]

59 minutes ago, rhys said:

Agreed. It made her look fat. I did wonder if she was also trying to somewhat replicate the aprons the contestants were wearing. But the overalls were a huge fail. She would be better off dressing more like Mary Barry (Berry?).

Someone must have some serious blackmail on her.

PS: It's (national treasure) Mary Berry.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Brookside

[rhys]

She's not going fishing.

[QQQQ]

I think it's awesome that Amy is wearing what's comfortable. Maybe she doesn't give a flying fig if there are other outfits which might make her look thinner - her appearance isn't the focus of the show.

[pezgirl7]

Does anyone know if the contestants are told what the different tasks are before they come on the show? We never saw them sketching out ideas like they do on other shows. Also, some of them had items from home, so they must have been told to bring them. If they do know the tasks, that kinda sucks because they probably already made them ahead of time and just had to duplicate them on the show. Seeing what people can come up with in a short amount of time is half the fun.

[FoundTime]

18 hours ago, suebee12 said:

 And Jeffrey's bee and sunflower in the first round was awesome and his story while doing his heirloom was absolutely heartbreaking. How can a parent do that?

 

I know! My thought was that at minimum it did not pass the "Is it necessary? Is it kind?" test.

Love seeing Amy and Nick together again. (Big Parks & Rec fan, and it's worth checking out for anyone who hasn't seen it. It's got a very sweet, positive vibe for a comedy while also being quite funny and on the nose. I believe it's available on Netflix.)

Also loved the GBBS shoutouts -- a ripoff in all the best ways ?

The busy interstitials might start to grate, but hey, it's only six eps. I've got a series recording set up ?

[Brookside]

2 hours ago, QQQQ said:

I think it's awesome that Amy is wearing what's comfortable. Maybe she doesn't give a flying fig if there are other outfits which might make her look thinner - her appearance isn't the focus of the show.

I'm truly sorry if my comment was taken as connected to her weight/size (about which I also don't give a flying f*ck) - I was just astonished about how ugly the "outfit" was.

[BoogieBurns]

I loved the show. I loved the crafts. I love the support the contestants had for each other. I will never ever not love something Amy Poehler does, and I hope the show lasts 100 years.

It was just so nice to have an hour break from the nastiness that is on every channel these days. It's why I watch GBBO on Netflix every chance I get. Plus, crafts are not something I can do, and I like feeling no jealousy towards to success of the contestants. Warm fuzzies all around. I love Amy in overalls. 

[Destiny74]

I have to say I loved this show.  I giggled.  I enjoyed the contestants.  I liked the judges and felt they have cred.  And I LOVED Amy and Nick.  I never watched Parks and Rec so I had no idea about their chemistry but they really worked well together.  Funny and sweet.  The producers obviously took cues from GBBS and that we Americans wanted a similar "nice" show.  It worked very well.

I thought the turtle guy's quilt was the best.  That was so detailed and amazing.  I also liked the lady's wood quilt.  So much work in such a short time.  

I liked Jemma.  She was a sweet lady but it was right decision to leave.  I just feel horrible that she cut up those pillow cases and then didn't even make it to the next week.  Her decision, of course, but still made me sad for her.  At least she got to have some wine with Amy and Nick, and she gets the bottom bunk.  ?

[formerlyfreedom]

Discussion of the show and the contestants, please; posts that take the contestants' stories to post politics that aren't on the show will be removed. Thank you.

[bilgistic]

Compared to the incredibly intricate woodwork in some of the other crafts, I was quite underwhelmed at Jemma's project.

Her "quilt" was 12(?) embroidery hoops hanging from a dowel rod (or something). She had additional embroidery hoops as her "album". That would've taken a couple hours at most. What did she do all day?

The only thing I remember about Work of Art is that kid who made a butthole out of a giant blob of clay.

[Machiabelly]

They should start them with 3 2 1 MAKE

[Cherpumple]

My favorite line of the night: "I macramade you, and I can macrabreak you." More crafty puns like this, Amy and Nick!

I've been in the mood for wholesome, cozy tv shows lately, and this one totally fits the bill. I love seeing all the different craft techniques, but agree that it's very difficult to judge woodworking vs. paper craft vs. sewing. If they do this again, they should include a technical challenge each week, like on GBBO. Seeing everyone make the exact same thing with the same materials helps the audience get a better idea of how each contestant stacks up.

[AngelKitty]

What is GBBS and GBBO?

[Johnny Dollar]

This show is just pure heart and soul and is a welcome respite from the usual crap we’re subjected to. The snark I’m seeing on this board makes me sad. Let’s not be so cynical that we can’t accept this show at face value, stupid puns and all. We can have nice things too, not just the Brits. And I think Amy looks cute in overalls. 

Edited August 2, 2018 by Johnny Dollar

[EtheltoTillie]

19 minutes ago, AngelKitty said:

What is GBBS and GBBO?

Great British Baking Show. Or Bakeoff. Two different names for where they aired. 

[AngelKitty]

19 minutes ago, GussieK said:

Great British Baking Show. Or Bakeoff.

Ah, thank you.

[mcgkgm]

9 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Compared to the incredibly intricate woodwork in some of the other crafts, I was quite underwhelmed at Jemma's project.

Her "quilt" was 12(?) embroidery hoops hanging from a dowel rod (or something). She had additional embroidery hoops as her "album". That would've taken a couple hours at most. What did she do all day?

The only thing I remember about Work of Art is that kid who made a butthole out of a giant blob of clay.

I was really surprised by this as well.  She had the heirloom pillowcases(?) that were already embroidered, so she didn't have to do the actual stitch work.  Unless I missed something, her project consisted of cutting up fabric and putting it into the hoops.  And then tying the hoops together.  I don't understand how she didn't finish.  It's a shame she ended up destroying the actual heirlooms, but maybe she can finish the project and display them in her home.

 

On a general note, I actually did not realize this was a competition show.  I knew Amy and Nick were doing a crafting show together, but somehow I assumed they'd be going around and meeting artists, talking to them about their work, maybe showcasing a different medium each episode.  I liked the GBBO format, but I would have liked this as well.  I am a weaver, which like the others have mentioned, just takes way too long to work on a show like this.  Like for the first challenge, I'd have loved to see a little amigurumi toy, but there's no way to get that done in 3 hours. Same for things like sculpting or pottery that needs to be fired and glazed, or things that need time for paint to dry.... I'm worried the time constraints will limit the type of crafts we'll see.

[Destiny74]

38 minutes ago, VioletS said:

I was really surprised by this as well.  She had the heirloom pillowcases(?) that were already embroidered, so she didn't have to do the actual stitch work.  Unless I missed something, her project consisted of cutting up fabric and putting it into the hoops.  And then tying the hoops together.  I don't understand how she didn't finish.  It's a shame she ended up destroying the actual heirlooms, but maybe she can finish the project and display them in her home.

 

On a general note, I actually did not realize this was a competition show.  I knew Amy and Nick were doing a crafting show together, but somehow I assumed they'd be going around and meeting artists, talking to them about their work, maybe showcasing a different medium each episode.  I liked the GBBO format, but I would have liked this as well.  I am a weaver, which like the others have mentioned, just takes way too long to work on a show like this.  Like for the first challenge, I'd have loved to see a little amigurumi toy, but there's no way to get that done in 3 hours. Same for things like sculpting or pottery that needs to be fired and glazed, or things that need time for paint to dry.... I'm worried the time constraints will limit the type of crafts we'll see.

They could easily do a two or three day challenge for the longer crafts.  I like the idea of each week being a particular craft.  Like in GBBS, one week is bread, the next cake.  Project Runway sometimes gives the contestants two days to complete a look.

I also understand that something like woodwork is a totally different medium than paper craft or sewing.  They probably went the "theme" route because some crafts are so specialized it's difficult to jump in a create something in wood when you have never used a router or jigsaw, dangerous too.  Bread and cakes are different but in essence it's mixing different ingredients together and cooking them.  Swimsuits and men's wear is totally different but it's all sewing.

I don't know.  I like the show.  I think they could improve but I like it as is, for now.  It's a newer concept and they can flesh it out in later seasons.  Then again, we've only seen one episode...who knows what's to come.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Destiny74

[leighdear]

I think using or repurposing heirloom items for decorative craft projects is a good thing.  I'd rather display my grandmother's embroidery in a frame, than keep it folded up in a drawer, or on a pillow under somebody's sweaty head.  My grandmother used to say "There are graveyards full of women that saved their good linens & china for days that never came".  

I love the repartee between Amy & Nick, so that's a plus.  There's nothing worse than co-hosts that don't click.  

I also love ending the episode with a glass of wine on the porch.  So classy compared to most eliminations.  

[athelyna]

Hulu kept showing me ads for this show so I checked it out - overall I liked it but like most here felt it could use a few tweaks to be perfect.  I'm curious if to see if the format stays exactly the same for all the weeks, or if they do more specific challenges.  The themes they picked worked as first week getting to know the contestant ideas, but I would like to see quick challenges where they have to incorporate specific materials or here are some items find a way to include them in your craft type challenges.  Obviously it wouldn't be fair to force the contestants to all do the exact same type of craft, but it would be interesting to see say the woodworker having to find a way to incorporate a pile of fabric into a craft.  And some crafts can't really be included for taking too long or needing time to set/cure/bake.  Stuff like pottery, clay sculpting, and resin work.  I can't see them ever getting a knitter/crocheter on the show because the most impressive of those types of crafts take more than 3 hours to make.

I'm not too keen on the judges.  The Barney's guy seems okay even if I'm not sure what he has to do with crafting, but I think Etsy trend lady is going to drive me nuts.  On the first challenge she complained about unicorn head being something she's seen on Etsy a bunch (which it totally has been) but then praised the same crafter for including trendy tassles and gold dip paint on the heirloom challenge.  Because when I hear heirloom I think what's trending on Etsy this month.

I wasn't really sure who they would send home, but on reflection I shouldn't be too surprised because it seemed like they spent more time in the first challenge with her talking about her family and background whereas several of the others got almost no screen time or time to talk about their personal lives.

[2727]

Regarding the judges wanting the wood family tree to be painted: Larry David respects wood!

[Grumpbump]

I thought this show was so fun.  I loved Parks and Rec and I love that Nick Offerman is an honest-to-goodness woodworker and not just another pretty face.   I thought the unicorn bust and paper crafting projects were so fun.  I'm a sucker for graphics and color, and even though I am A-MAZED at the woodworking, some of the vanilla-ness of the projects made me less likely to react.  

As I do when I watch Project Runway, I always wish there was a competitive reality show for knitters and crocheters (both of which are my favorite hobbies).  Alas, needlework by hand is not suited for time constraints, or (if I'm being honest) viewership interest.  

[Mockingbird]

I appreciate most things about Nick Offerman and the type of human he is, but I loved him respectfully disagreeing with the judges to appreciate the work the one contestant had done with the wood’s grain. With such a wide variety of makers, finding judges knowledgeable in all of their mediums would have been impossible, which is perhaps my one slight critique of the show. There isn’t really a Mary Berry of all crafting. 

[bilgistic]

I've knew I'd seen Simon Doonan on TV before. His Wikipedia page tells me he appeared on the very early seasons of America's Next Top Model, which I'm ashamed to admit I watched in the beginning.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

 I always wish there was a competitive reality show for knitters and crocheters (both of which are my favorite hobbies).  Alas, needlework by hand is not suited for time constraints, or (if I'm being honest) viewership interest.  

 Have I got a show for you!!  The Norwegian Knitting Show -- Slow TV.  It's the new craze ... it's even on Netflix!!!

https://www.netflix.com/title/80119436

[leighdear]

31 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

 Have I got a show for you!!  The Norwegian Knitting Show -- Slow TV.  It's the new craze ... it's even on Netflix!!!

https://www.netflix.com/title/80119436

OMG!  Thanks SO much for this.  I'm a knitter & can't wait to dive into this.  I DVR all our local PBS craft-type shows, so it's tailor-made for me.  *LOL*

[meep.meep]

5 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I've knew I'd seen Simon Doonan on TV before. His Wikipedia page tells me he appeared on the very early seasons of America's Next Top Model, which I'm ashamed to admit I watched in the beginning.

He's married to Jonathan Adler the designer who was one of the hosts of Top Design.  They had Simon on as a guest more than once.

[AllAboutMBTV]

I'm a huge fan of GBBS, Parks and Rec, Poehler and Offerman and yet... I didn't much like this. It was such a blatant knockoff of GBBS -- bucolic setting (albeit a barn instead of a tent), contestant benches all facing the same way, bantering hosts and judges sailing up to said benches and saying "Tell us about your XXX," even a lot of the camera angles (when the hosts and judges walk out to announce the challenge they are filmed from above their right shoulders) -- that the GBBS producers should get a cut of any profits (or sue for plagiarism). It just seemed lazy on the producers' part not to come up with a different show template. I also agree with a poster upthread who noted that the contestants' varying skillsets don't make for a level playing field, never mind that what they produced was all over the map -- embroidery hoops to wood crafts to fabric art (with trending tassels! [what?!]) -- so the judges also don't have a baseline. (On GBBS, the judges know how, say, a Chelsea bun should taste.) I noticed in the opening credits a "Written by" credit. While the GBBS may in fact be written (although it feels more "loosely shaped" than written somehow), Making It definitely felt scripted, and a lot of Poehler and Offerman's line deliveries weren't helping. Also: less of them, more of the contestants, please. Also, did Etsy pay to have their trendspotting judge on? Was there no one else they could get? I'll give it another episode, but I was sadly underwhelmed.