The Great British Sewing Bee - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was excited that they were making Marilyn dresses until the judges said that they were giving them pleated material. Am I sadistic because I wanted them to pleat the skirts?

Clare's light blue dress looked pretty good aside from the hem not being done. Hearing Esme say "side boobage" made me laugh.

Liz's red dress had a lot of issues but she knew about all of these mistakes. She cut the top of the zipper off, she stretched out the side of the bodice, and she didn't have time to do the hook and bar or hem the bottom. No surprise that she came in last.

Nicole's yellow dress looked okay at first glance, but she was very lucky that the judges pointed out the problem with her bodice pleats very early on so that she had time to fix that. She also forgot to bag out the bodice in addition to not hemming the skirt.

Matt's blue dress looked great aside from the waistband being a tiny bit too big. He was the only one who finished everything so no surprise that he came in first.

This week's transformation challenge reminded me too much of the unconventional material challenges on Project Runway, which I usually hate because more often than not, the contestants resort to just gluing a bunch of crap to their material.

Matt's red Barbarella inspired dress was cute but part of the assignment was to include the junk which he didn't really fulfill.

I was completely gobsmacked by just how bad Liz's garment was. It was SO bad. It looked like an elementary school kid's attempt at "making" clothes. She cut uneven pieces of the studded black leather and just stuck them on the shoulders. The pieces were not cut evenly or applied at the same angle. She just left the edges raw which only added to the sloppiness. Then she added a random zipper on top of one boob, but not a working zipper thatwould open the top - just a glued on zipper. The skirt was just inexplicable to me. It looked like a six year old making a skirt out of mom's clothes - she just took a white piece of fabric and tied a black ribbon to hold it in place. The way she had the open fabric at the top looked like it was supposed to catch crumbs while you eat. Just SO BAD. And the only hardware from the junk pile she used was a tiny piece of plastic that she glued to the skirt so she didn't really fulfill the challenge requirements.

Clare's bronze dress was so fun. I loved the way she used the tubing to create the flared out Jetsons skirt. It was far and away the best garment made for this challenge.

Nicole's black and silver look would have been the worst if not for the abomination that Liz made. But at least Nicole had a color scheme that made sense (especially for a sci fi theme).

I just bought a flapper dress for an event last year so I was excited to see what they came up with. I loved watching Clare teach Joe how to do the Charleston. Unfortunately, there wasn't one dress that particularly wowed me. I would have to Frankenstein elements from the four dresses that were presented to make one really good flapper dress.

I really liked Matt's flapper dress from the waist up. The sheer striped sequin overlay on top of the blue slip dress looked great together. I wasn't as fond of the floral beaded fabric on the skirt. I think it looked better from a distance. I agreed with Patrick's complaints - the slip dress was a little too long so there were bits of blue peeking out from the beaded hem, and Matt really needed to find a way to get rid of some of the beading so that the side seams weren't so bulky.

I didn't like the color combination of Clare's flapper dress. I didn't mind the bluish green color of the dress or the white/silver beaded fabric on top but I really didn't like them together. It was noticeably tight over the hips which created a lot of other fit issues. The V neck ended up looking crooked because the skirt was scooching itself up from the tight hips. The handkerchief skirt was a lot of work and turned out pretty well though.

Nicole's flapper dress looked cute from a distance but the slip dress was her undoing. The shiny gold combined with the black slip dress looked great together but the sheer black top over the slip was such a mess. She definitely gave herself a lot of challenges by using silk and feathers and beads. Maybe if she had been slightly less ambitious, she would have had more time to finish everything more calmly. It's hard to work with those materials under normal circumstances, let alone when you're frazzled and running out of time.

I didn't like Liz's spiderweb flapper dress for multiple reasons. I really disliked that there was a huge triangle on the model's torso where the two layers of sheer black criss crossed. I didn't like the skirt either. The plain white slip underneath made it look cheap. The fringe section on the back looked really good though.

Congratulations to Clare for winning garment of the week with her sci fi tube dress! Liz seems like a really nice person but honestly, I think she probably should have been eliminated a few weeks ago. She's managed to skate by a few times by the skin of her teeth.

[Aulty]

9 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Claire is a bit of a fascinating character, I'd love to know more about what she does in that 50's society thing she is part of.

Me too. These mor benign (British) competition shows always have a few contestants that I would quite enjoy being friends with. I like people with unusual insterests or hobbies because as a viewer it gives me the chance to learn about something new while watching the show (raise your hand if you had a go in the Charleston steps Claire did with Joe). And it certainly makes for a more interesting set of contestants then a bunch of headstrong drama queens with a few sob stories in their back pockets.

Also, Claire must be one of only a few dozen grown up women on this planet who looks cute in denim dungarees.

[rhys]

Clare wields the right handed scissors so well for being a South paw. I wonder if that's due to being a physician or just growing up in a right handed world.

I would blink at first at her 1940s style of dress/hair if she were popping into my sick room at the hospital. I'd wonder what happened to me!

[TVbitch]

When I first saw Claire, I thought... huh... she looks like a school marm from Little House on the Prairie! So it would seem her look transcends many bygone eras. I was immediately fascinated by her. Maybe they will do a longer segment on her next week for the finale. 

@ElectricBoogaloo I forgot to mention that I also thought it was a bit much for the judges to tell Nicole she'd made a mistake with the Marilyn dress. Esme hinted at it, then Patrick just flat out showed her. I've not seen them do that for anyone else. They also raved about her transformation outfit which was really quite ghastly. 

[Aulty]

2 hours ago, rhys said:

I would blink at first at her 1940s style of dress/hair if she were popping into my sick room at the hospital. I'd wonder what happened to me!

 

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

When I first saw Claire, I thought... huh... she looks like a school marm from Little House on the Prairie! So it would seem her look transcends many bygone eras.

I have started to read Jodi Foster's Chronicles of St. Mary's series (about time travelling historians) during lockdown and I can picture Claire as one of her disaster magnets protagonists. Blue jumpsuits and all.

[GaT]

1 hour ago, Aulty said:

 

I have started to read Jodi Foster's Chronicles of St. Mary's series (about time travelling historians) during lockdown and I can picture Claire as one of her disaster magnets protagonists. Blue jumpsuits and all.

Just an FYI, the author is Jodi Taylor, not Jodi Foster 🙂 I enjoy this series too (I just read the first book in  the spinoff series also), & I agree, I can absolutely see Claire in a pod!

[tiftgirl]

6 hours ago, rhys said:

Clare wields the right handed scissors so well for being a South paw. I wonder if that's due to being a physician or just growing up in a right handed world.

I would think more of the later since she would have been using scissors right-handed all her life most likely.

The only thing I do right-handed is use scissors.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S06.E10: Finale

Quote

The series reaches its dramatic denouement, as the three finalists compete for the title of Britain’s best amateur sewer, taking on a trio of celebration wear challenges. Bringing together a range of advanced sewing skills, from pleating to high-end designing and the delicate handling of luxury fabrics, perfecting celebration wear is a pinnacle for any home sewer.

Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young start by challenging the sewers to make a little boy's kilt without a pattern. They must use their mathematical skills to create the right amount of pleats such that their kilt will fit their mannequin perfectly.

Next, it’s the sewers final chance to show off their instinct for design in the transformation challenge, as they attempt to turn party dresses into dramatic and fun outfits fit to wear at a carnival.

Lastly, for the most important made-to-measure challenge of the series, the sewers attempt to construct and fit glamorous cut-out evening gowns for their models, this time a friend or member of their family. Creating a unique, jaw-dropping gown using yards of luxury fabric will take a feat of daring construction and their most precise sewing yet.

Once the final stitch is in place and the catwalk is over, the sewers’ friends and family, along with past competitors, arrive to celebrate. But once the judges have made their decision, there can only be one winner.

Original air date: 6/24/20

[GaT]

So sad, the last episode 😟

[Aulty]

They are doing kilts AGAIN? They already did them as a made to measure a few series ago (there was a contestant who used denim).

On the finale episode:

OMG Claire's mom is everything. 'I informed the cat, who didn't seem to care at all', 'I'd love her just as much if she was useless'.

The dress for Martini - she is gorgeous - was great, and I am sure this would be popular for many gals inside and outside of the drag scene.

But well done Claire - she kept her cool and had 3 great challenges (I say great, the task for transformation was underwhelming, as where the results)

I am not keen on orange fabrics in general, but on Nicole's model it looked flamazing. I looked up Nicole's jewellery - I wasn't surprised to find it is gib and colourful, it looks great.

The production team has done a lovely job with editing this episode, because everyone had really lovely moments.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Aulty

[Corgi-ears]

Not a surprising result, given Clare's consistency, but her final made-to-order outfit was pretty boring and undramatic compared to Matt's and Nicole's. But they're rewarding sewing more than design skills, so congrats to Clare -- both for winning, and for apparently having Miriam Margolyes as her mom. 

[GaT]

I would have freaked if Clare wasn't the winner, too bad she had that small  bunch in the keyhole of her evening gown. I thought Matt had the best gown, it was gorgeous. I wonder if it can be made for someone with boobs?

I love Clare's mom. 👵

Edited June 25, 2020 by GaT

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm so sad that we've come to the end of the season! The show is so soothing to me even in the best of times but especially so right now. I'm going to miss it so much.

Hahaha, I asked to see the sewers do their own pleats last week and I guess I got it this week with the kilt!

I've never had a kilt (although I did have a plaid skirt as part of my school uniform) so I didn't realize that the pleats had to be calculated to match the pattern. Wow, that is A LOT of work!

Clare's yellow kilt looked great. Ha, I loved when Patrick said he was going to count how many pleats were in her kilt and she immediately told him that there were 27. I also liked that she enjoyed all the pleating and math of this challenge.

Matt's red kilt was wonky because he didn't pleat the bigger sections. Did he fail to reduce the waist because he ran out of time or because he couldn't figure out the math? I laughed when Patrick revealed that Matt had put two male ends of the snap on because I may have accidentally put a snap on backwards (facing the wrong way) the first time I ever used snaps!

Nicole's kilt looked pretty good except for the fact that the waistband wasn't pattern matched. It was very kind of her to keep trying to help Matt with this challenge.

I really liked that for the transformation challenge, they had more dresses and swimsuits than the contestants needed. I hate when they have just enough for the number of contestants and then people get stuck with colors they don't want. OMG, I need to hear more about Esme sitting on a window ledge with David Bowie at carnevale! It cracked me up that Clare had absolutely no reaction to Joe coming to her work station covered in feathers and sequins.

Nicole's outfit was the most carnevale to me - tiny, sparkly, colorful, and slightly risque! This was by far my favorite of the three (and it was the only one I could actually picture being worn at carnevale).

Matt spent too much engineering the feathers and as a result, the rest of his outfit was not really anything. He slapped two sequined appliques on the nipples of a tank top (nipple leaves TM Patrick) and he turned a prom dress bodice upside down (which would cover absolutely nothing in the nether regions regardless of which gender wore it). It looked very crafty/homemade.

Clare's purple wings were very dramatic (and credit to her for thinking to use the measuring sticks) but the rest of the outfit was too plain. It was just a swim suit with sequined fringe (we'll pretend that those bum feathers didn't happen).

Joe teaching Clare's friend how to model on the catwalk was great.

I loved that Nicole wanted to make something that really reflected who she is. Although orange and feathers is a combination I would never wear, there was no denying that the dress she made was totally Nicole. It fit her model really well and she looked gorgeous in that color.

Matt's pleather dress looked amazing on his boyfriend. The cutout was dramatic and I loved the gold and black brocade of the skirt.

Clare's red Hollywood dress was so classic and timeless. She gave herself a challenge doing a bodice with sixteen panels.

I wasn't surprised by Clare winning. She was pretty consistent all season. I loved seeing all the eliminated contestants in the sewing room again and I always enjoy the updates on what they've been up to!

Edited June 25, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[rhys]

Hmmm...I thought Clare's mom was kind of a brat. Kind of "all about me." I was gobsmacked over her pucker in her otherwise lovely red gown. Seems an odd error for Clare.

Matt's pleather & brocade gown was sewn beautifully & I, too, wondered if it could be made with darts (?) in mind for a woman.

I don't ever remember kilts on this show before so I enjoyed it. Loved the math & the picture of Patrick! I'll miss the show too.

[Ceindreadh]

5 hours ago, rhys said:

Hmmm...I thought Clare's mom was kind of a brat. Kind of "all about me." I was gobsmacked over her pucker in her otherwise lovely red gown. Seems an odd error for Clare.

Matt's pleather & brocade gown was sewn beautifully & I, too, wondered if it could be made with darts (?) in mind for a woman.

I don't ever remember kilts on this show before so I enjoyed it. Loved the math & the picture of Patrick! I'll miss the show too.

Not only did they have kilts before, but IIRC, Patrick actually wore one in the episode. 

[TVbitch]

If Matt had done better in the first two challenges, he might have been a contender, cuz his made to measure was my favorite and so different.

I was rooting for quirky Clare, so glad she won. ...I'm still not entirely convinced she doesn't have a side gig as a high priced dominatrix or something.  

I must say Patrick and Esme are my favorite judges of all the competition shows I watch. Just delightful and wry and full of juicy secrets.

Edited June 26, 2020 by TVbitch

[Aulty]

48 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I was rooting for quirky Clare, so glad she won. ...I'm still not entirely convinced she doesn't have a side gig as a high priced dominatrix or something. 

Sometimes I wonder what the contestants gonna think if they ever stumble about our ramblings here. If I was in a show like that, I'd check out comment sections and TV boards - and I'd probably regret it instantly 😂

[allonsyalice]

the right person won! 🥰 I've been wanting to make the pattern Clare made for tthe made to measure for literally two years but I'm not technically there yet. her version was so lovely and glamorous. 

but Matt's made to measure was such a banger too! I loved the mix of fabrics he used, and Martini is such a great model!

Side note, I loved Joe teaching the models how to walk, he seemed to really help but them at ease.

I liked Nicole's (her model was GORGEOUS!) but it looked like the top and bottom were from two different dresses, like the top and bottom didn't go together at all!

The teeny little kilts stressed me out! i'd lose it if I had to do a challenge like that. 

I loved the idea of this alteration. I was whelmed with the results. But shoutout to Esme saying she was one a window ledge with David Bowie during Carnivale, then everyone moving on like that was nothing. 

[katisha]

I just finished binge-watching the latest series of Sewing Bee and I'm so happy there's a forum for it here. 🙂

It took me a while to warm to Clare because my own preferred style is more like the stuff Nicole would make, but I have grown to love how unashamedly eccentric Clare is with her total dedication to the 40s style.  And really, it's hard to imagine her not being good at whatever she turns her hand to.  I doubt there are many doctors out there who sew that well in their spare time (although, yeah, suturing)!  From the point of view of what Clare's medical specialty is, I'm even more glad she won because the last few months for her will have been incredibly difficult.

On 6/24/2020 at 4:34 AM, Aulty said:

OMG Claire's mom is everything. 'I informed the cat, who didn't seem to care at all', 'I'd love her just as much if she was useless'.

Hehe, I loved those remarks too.

 

[GeorgieNY]

I so wish some US outlet would pick this up, like HBO Max has with Pottery Throwdown.  I’m so sad it’s all been pulled from YouTube, 😢

[GaT]

On 9/18/2020 at 8:57 PM, GeorgieNY said:

I so wish some US outlet would pick this up, like HBO Max has with Pottery Throwdown.  I’m so sad it’s all been pulled from YouTube, 😢

Sending you a message

[Athena]

I don't remember if anyone shared this but I recently discovered that the crafting website Gathered had an episode guide on the recent series with some sewing tips and links. They also had a good interview with Clare. 

Like others above, I really grew fond of Clare. She's a great sewer and definitely someone who could do anything but she's not showy about it. I learned from the interview that she makes half her clothes but rations her buying of craft supplies (me too). I've been following her IG as well where she mostly displays her sewing and knits. It sounds from the interview and from IG that she and Liz are still close. They are the same age and even with their different styles, they seem to be great friends.

 

[Aulty]

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

7 hours ago, Aulty said:

 

YAY!!

[katisha]

Ooh, exciting! 😄 I don't even care that I likely won't know any of the celebrities!

Edited December 24, 2020 by katisha

[Aulty]

Nothing prepares you for the shots of Patrick and Esme in full elf drag.

I hope they didn't go through all the hoo ha of setting up the sewing studio for just two festive episodes. I expect a full new season early next year 🙂

[GaT]

Sob 😭😭😭 I think I lost my way to see this show, what am I going to do?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Celebrity Christmas Special

Quote

Denise Van Outen, Shirley Ballas, Ranj Singh and Sara Pascoe take part in this festive special of the sewing challenge, hosted by Joe Lycett. Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young put the celebrities' garment-making skills - or lack of them - to the test in three challenges, which see them making a pair of festive pyjama bottoms, coming up with a fancy dress outfit for a dog and a perfectly fitted made-to-measure dress for Christmas Day.

Original air date: 12/26/20

Shirley Ballas was the only celeb who I was even remotely familiar to me, and even then only because I know her as Mark's mom. Ha, and like Shirley, my sewing experience is adding embellishments to existing costumes.

I could totally relate to the doctor guy because like him, I have a mom who is amazing at sewing and I know next to nothing about sewing. My very patient mother has tried to teach me countless times throughout my life and I am just horrible at it no matter how many times I try. I've watched her sew a zillion times but that sadly that did not transfer any of her skill to me. At least the doctor has some experience from learning to sew stitches in medical school, which is more than I can say for my sewing skills.

I loved watching Joe try to dance with Shirley. That was a fun little break.

Pajama pants were a great pattern challenge since it's pretty basic in terms of cutting and sewing.

Sara was so proud of herself when she finally sewed two pieces of fabric together. That would have been me. Look at what I did!

My main takeaway from the pattern challenge is that a buttonhole foot is amazing!

Sara's pajama pants were a mess but I loved the patch pocket with the reindeer stuffed inside.

Denise's sprout pajamas looked pretty good, as did Shirley's red pajamas. The only thing I noticed was that Shirley's waistband looked a bit uneven at the top. Dr. Ranj's green and gold pajamas were better than Sara's but the waistband was noticeably crooked. He was smart to choose that fabric so he wouldn't have to pattern match at all.

Yowza, I know that the second challenge is often a mess but those doggie outfits looked super crafty. I actually liked Dr. Ranj's so I was surprised he came in last. I know the judges were grading on a curve but still.

Shirley's red wrap dress was a great color choice for the holiday theme and it looked very well made. The minor issues that Patrick pointed out were not noticeable until he mentioned them.

Sara's plaid wrap dress was also very Christmasy and looked well made. The sleeves were cute and the model looked great.

Denise's brown pudding dress was definitely not my favorite. I appreciated the skirt which looked beautiful when her model was spinning around, but the brown color was off putting to me. What I really didn't like was that it only looked vaguely holiday-ish after she added the white poof and the red/green bits to make the holiday pudding at the neckline. Without that, it was just a simple brown dress. I also didn't like the fabric she chose. The darts seemed a big off and the fabric was pulling like crazy in the back. I couldn't believe that the judges let her get away with using VELCRO to close the back instead of a zipper.

Oh, Dr. Ranj. I felt so bad for his model when she had to put her hand in front of her crotch while walking the runway. That dress was REALLY short. It was a cute blue dress and the bling at the shoulder gave it a nice holiday party vibe. I also liked the way the skirt draped. And he should get credit for creating the pattern himself. Thank goodness Patrick had told him to add that panel because there is no way that his model would have been able to fit into what he had originally made.

I liked that the celebrities were not sewing whizzes and we got to see them learn and improve. I wouldn't have chosen Denise as the winner but since it doesn't really matter, I guess I'm fine with it. The little dress form trophy was cute.

My favorite thing about the end was seeing all the dogs in the costumes. It was nice to hear that all the celebs had fun and that they might try to sew again.

Edited January 31, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Aulty]

Esme made costumes for Cher. Of course she did. She truly is the coolest judge on TV.

The Dead Or Alive cover at the end was HILARIOUS.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Aulty

[WildPlum]

Is this available in the US for streaming? Just finished up the Canadian "Blown Away" and the seasons of "Pottery Throwdown" and i am on a roll, lol.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sorry, I just realized that I never posted the episode info for the other holiday special. Better late than never, right?

Celebrity New Year Special

Quote

The second of two festive shows sees The Vivienne, Lesley Joseph, Sabrina Grant and Sally Phillips competing to show off their dress-making skills. Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young ask them to make a child's party skirt and then turn old clothes into a recognisable pantomime character in the transformation challenge. They then create a made-to-measure party dress that evokes memories of a particular New Year's Eve - with surprising results.

Original air date: 12/13/20

[Aulty]

There is a new show on the horizon that might interest Sewing Bee watchers. No release date yet, but I caught a glimpse of it yesterday in a montage of 'crafty' BBC2 shows (Interior Design Masters, Your Garden Made Perfect, Pooch Perfect etc - not Sewing Bee, which is a BBC1 show):

Quote

‘All That Glitters’ is a brand new talent search to find Britain’s most brilliant jeweller, hostet by Katherine Ryan. Each week, the jewellers battle it out to make real clients’ dreams come true, transforming emotion into objects of beauty that last forever. 

The challenges will explore the wildly different styles and aesthetics that can be found across different types of jewellery and some will even be inspired by the world’s most famous and coveted pieces.

I vaguely remember the very underwhelming Project Accessories which was a bit odd because the contestants where a mix of bag makers, shoe makes, jewellery makes etc. But I am looking forward to this.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Aulty

[GaT]

The show will be back in 2021

[Aulty]

The new series of Sewing Bee starts Wednesday 14th April, 9pm on BBC One.

Quote

Week One sees judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young settling the contestants in with a trio of challenges based on everyday wardrobe staples.

 

And if any of you are interested in jewellery design, All That Glitters: Britain's Next Jewellery Star will premiere next Tuesday (April 13th) on BBC 2.

Edited April 8, 2021 by Aulty

[allonsyalice]

what a difficult pattern challenge! All those tiny gathers have to be quite precise, exactly the type of thing I would have to do under a time limit. 

I'm so glad this show is back, I've missed its low stakes soothing atmosphere. Seems like a decent batch this year, too! I'm surprised that Raph has just started sewing! (also, if you know you're applying to something like Sewing Bee, maybe practice different type of garments??? I mean he got GOTW so my point is moot.)

[Aulty]

Remember back in the early series when Patrick was the uptight one? We wouldn't have seen him cracking up about misplaced pussies and red triangles. I love how the show has slowly matured and found a cracker of a judging team in Patrick and Esme. (Anyone who checked out the jewellery show I mentioned upthread knows that their charmless judging duo is dragging down the whole thing).

Love myself a Buffet dress. Serena and the Lockdown-sewing-guy's dresses I liked, and the one with the pockets. Cathryn did well too.
A very promising start.

Edited April 15, 2021 by Aulty

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S7.E1

Quote

Week One sees Patrick and Esme settling the contestants in with a trio of challenges based on everyday wardrobe staples.

They start with their first Pattern Challenge, creating the simple, clean lines of the versatile classic sleeveless blouse known as a shell top.

For the Transformation Challenge, the sewers must turn old t-shirts into completely new garments for men, women or children, in just 90 minutes.

And in the Made to Measure, mannequins are replaced with real-life models. Who will whip up a well-fitting buffet dress and win themselves Garment of the Week, and whose hopes of staying in the competition will flounder?

Original air date: 4/14/21

Edited April 15, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[GaT]

Great to have this show back, watching Patrick completely lose it over badly placed pussies was hysterical. I wonder who made all those matching face masks? I didn't hear anybody mention them, so I kind of think it wasn't the contestants.

Completely shallow & irrelevant, Adam has some seriously long teeth.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I've noticed that the contestants seem closer with each other on certain shows and this is one of them. I can only imagine how much more that's going to be true this season since they're quarantining together.

Yay, Patrick's facial hair is back! It is an improvement over that horrible 80s porn mustache he had last season.

I'd forgotten just how much I love this show. I love that they show us exactly how the pieces from the pattern challenge get put together so we know exactly what's being asked of the contestants. Shell tops were a good choice for the first week because they look simple but there's a lot of work that goes into them.

Serena's polka dot shell looked nice. The fabric she chose would look good with jeans or under a blazer (I love a good multitasking top).

I also liked Raph's fabric choice which was the opposite of Serena's (white dots on black fabric instead of black dots on white fabric). The color/fabric made his top look very clean and neat. But because his polka dot pattern was much more uniform (as opposed to Serena's), it did make the problem Esme pointed out more apparent.

As Patrick pointed out, Adam did a great job with the blue and white pattern he chose and how he placed it.

I love color so I really liked the watercolor looking fabric that Jean used.

Rebecca's yellow floral fabric looked so summery, which I loved.

I was surprised that we got through five tops that all passed with flying colors. I was beginning to wonder if they had picked too easy a pattern or if this group is more skilled as a whole than previous seasons. Then we got to Julie's tropical/floral orange and white top. Between the disastrous button hole and the hem, it wasn't great.

Adeena's turquoise and white floral print looked very cool and summery. I wasn't surprised that Esme nitpicked that the corner wasn't perfectly squared off. Considering that Adeena had to go back in to insert the button hole thing, that was a minor flaw.

I didn't love Farie's fabric choice. I liked that she wanted something colorful but I wish the colors had been a little brighter (which I know is just personal preference).

Similarly, I didn't love the pink and red floral fabric that Andrew used. I don't delight in seeing the contestants make less than perfect garments, but after years of watching unhemmed garbage on Project Runway, I do like when we see things like Esme pointing out that the opening of the top was longer on one side which creates a gap.

I wasn't a huge fan of the print Cathryn chose with all the women's heads, but I thought it was really nitpicky of Patricky to say that if she had done it perfectly, the pattern would have lined up on the back seam. When you use a large/more varied pattern, you can start pattern matching at the first seam, but as you continue around with the rest of the pieces, the last spot will not always match. The only way to make sure it matches perfectly at every seam is if you choose to disregard the size of the garment. She could have chosen to match the pattern on the back seam but then the pattern wouldn't match on the two side seams. What bothered me is that none of the other contestants who used large prints got this criticism.

I didn't like the pattern Lawratu chose (white with the multicolored squares) because it was very 80s to me. I could see the racking on the hem (although I didn't know that's what it was called) so I was glad that Esme pointed it out.

Damien's yellow bee print was cute. I knew he was in trouble when he said he top stitched and no one else had. The raw edges on the inside were a mess.

No surprise that Damian came in last. Same with Julie because she made some really noticeable mistakes. Rebecca was so close to winning, but I can see why they said it was close between her and Serena.

Edited April 17, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I had to laugh when Patrick and Esme kept commenting on how 80s the fabric choices were during the t-shirt transformation challenge because it's not like the contestants had much choice. Those were the t-shirts that were available so they had to use them. It was just a matter of which ones had colors that went together well.

I didn't understand why they liked Adam's handkerchief dress so much. I originally liked the pink floral and blue watercolor looking fabrics together but I didn't like the way he used them together AT ALL. The one point where the judges and I agreed was that the little ribbon Adam added at the last minute was terrible and detracted from the garment. One thing they didn't mention is that the dress was REALLY short. I don't know how it ended up in second place.

Raph's tank top seemed a bit simplistic but I appreciated that he did blocks of the material so that it wasn't just one cut up t-shirt with straps.

Lawratu's playsuit was fun. I liked her color combination with the different shades of blue which made the red lobsters really stand out.

I wasn't crazy about Rebecca's orange and leopard print dress. I especially didn't like the white fabric ties on the top and the unnecessary white fabric as a belt. But I appreciated that she made the skirt out of multiple panels.

Cathyn's pink skirt was really cute. I liked that she coordinated so many different shades of pink and even made a little sparkly purse.

Farie's pink unicorn overalls seemed a bit too simple. I mean, let's be honest - the entire top half was just a rectangle cut from a t-shirt with thin straps.

I liked Andrew's black/red/zebra print combination but I didn't actually like the garment he made. The shape was just a long sleeved t-shirt with a skirt sewn on. I was baffled by the original "c'est la life" message from the shirt. The red sequin trim on the waist was crooked which drove me crazy every time it was on camera.

Julie's shirt was terrible. She just cut up a t-shirt and made it into a not-shirt. It was completely open on the side so I don't know who could possibly wear that or where it would be appropriate. Adding the turquoise ruffle trim did not improve matters.

Serena's shorts were fine but I felt like she could have done more design wise given the amount of time they had. I agreed that the white floral fabric in the front didn't go with the other fabrics. Although all the fabrics she used had an 80s vibe, the white floral one in the front looked like pajama shorts and the bolder graphic fabrics on the side and back looked more like regular shorts you would wear outside to play.

Damian's skirt was terrible. The combination of red/blue plaid, yellow/white stripes, and drab oatmeal with sequined turquoise fringe was awful, but the skirt itself was really bad. It was just five tubes of fabric sewn together. Instead of chopping the plaid fabric into two different panels, he should have used one bigger panel so that the top section would go from waist to butt. The way he made the top panel very short and then added the yellow and white striped panel would be SO unflattering on any body. The third panel (in that fugly oatmeal color) was bunched up but not in an intentional way to make gathers/pleats/ruffles. It was just not sewn well and resulted in the fabric not lying flat. This was by far the worst one, and that's before we get to the big hole.

Adeena's pants were unintentionally hilarious. Did she not realize that she was putting a huge red triangle over the crotch? When Patrick realized and started laughing uncontrollably, I thought well, I guess these pants had one redeeming quality - getting Patrick to break!

Similarly, Jean's cat dress was unintentionally funny because it was so bad. Patrick summed it up perfectly: "I don't know what to say!" The garment itself was not good either. It was a t-shirt top with a skirt sewn to the bottom.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

What was with the awful camera work during the final challenge? They have the entire room to set up multiple cameras, so why was I getting weird close ups of the models' crotches and shots that were blocked by Patrick and Esme's heads? The weirdest one was when Serena's model was walking. The camera zoomed in on HER FACE so that none of the dress was visible and half the screen was taken up by Patrick's shoulder.  The same thing happened when Lawratu's model, Adam's model, and Damien's model were walking - the model's head was visible but the rest of her was blocked by Esme's head and Patrick's shoulder. This was totally avoidable. You set up the cameras and then mark where the judges need to stand so that they aren't blocking the camera. It's not rocket science.

I was really confused by the models' use of masks. They wore masks for five hours in the workroom while the contestants were sewing. They didn't wear masks when walking the faux runway. Then they work masks during judging/comments.

I had never heard of the term buffet dress before. So just a loose/unfitted dress like a baby doll dress?

Raph's hand dyed broderie anglaise dress was great. As Patrick pointed out, it was really impressive that he used the different patterns on the fabric to create each section of the dress. I would have hemmed it just a smidge shorter but other than that, I really liked it. The model clearly loved it.

I liked Adeena's blue floral dress. It fulfilled the challenge requirements without looking like a huge tent. Although the 36 loops she sewed at the top got compliments from the judges, a detail that takes an hour and a half to sew seems like a really big time suck.

Andrew's white checked dress was one of the buffet dresses that looked unintentionally ill fitting. The crochet trim matched the colors but it seemed very out of place and old lady. The waist seem was crooked from a distance. And it drove me crazy that the peach colored stripe going down the front of the dress didn't match up.

Serena's Villanelle inspired dress was a great color/pattern and I loved the movement of the skirt. Like Esme, I was impressed that Serena bagged out the ties for the waist. The gathers on the skirt were perfect.

Jean's fabric was a little confusing when I initially saw it. Is it a floral? Is it an animal print? But it looked great as her finished dress. I liked that it was loose and flowy without looking like the model was wearing something four sizes too big.

Lawratu gets points for adding pockets. I wish the skirt had been a smidge shorter because it's a pet peeve of mine when I take off my high heels and the hem starts dragging all over the ground.

I wasn't crazy about Adam's huge paisley print and I didn't love the open sleeves, especially because every time the model put her hand on her waist, her entire arm was bare. Like what is the point of having long sleeves if that's what happens? I laughed when Esme said hiding things and discovering them was sexy and the model started giggling. The hem looked crooked but since the judges didn't mention it, I don't know if that was just the camera angle.

I liked Rebecca's dark red floral print dress. It had a very 90s feel to it. This was definitely in the top for me. It seemed weird that we saw other models walking down the entire runway then posing and posing and posing before the judges' comments but with Rebecca's model, we got a quick shot of her walking for like two seconds and that was it.

Cathryn's cactus dress looked like a regular wrap dress to me, not a buffet dress.

Damien's model looked like she didn't know how to walk. The dress fit her really well though.

I felt bad that Julie didn't have time to finish her white dress. I don't know how she thought she would be able to make that dress without a lining though. What she had done was pretty and well made, but it was a peplum top, not a dress so I get why she was eliminated. I did not understand why her model walked down the runway holding her forearms parallel to the ground. It looked like she was carrying an invisible tray.

In contrast, Farie didn't have time to add the third tier of her skirt, finish the edges, or sew in the zipper but her garment was still long enough to be considered a dress. And it had pockets! I was thinking of Project Runway when time was running out: "You can cry, but you need to sew and cry!" It was sweet to see Rebecca, Joe, and her model try to comfort her. I love that we learned Rebecca had a bag of 50 chicken nuggets in her hotel room.

Congratulations to Raph for winning garment of the week!

[allonsyalice]

as a side note, watching Patrick crack up over the alteration challenge was such a joy. Highlight of my last two months. After the year he's had, it's nice to see him laugh

[Aulty]

For anyone interested: The third series of Glow Up starts tonight on BBC one (and will probably make its way onto Netflix too) with Maya Jama as the new host.

Edited April 20, 2021 by Aulty

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S7.E2

Quote

Summer Week hits the sewing room, with three challenges themed around sewing clothes to look and feel cool in even the fiercest heat.

Patrick and Esme’s pattern challenge is a pair of paperbag shorts. They might be a small garment, but creating the signature shape means perfecting pockets, tackling tricky turn-ups, and wrestling an elastic waistband with a mind of its own.

The sewers hit the beach in the transformation challenge, sculpting second-hand men’s swimming gear into a woman’s outfit worthy of sunset cocktails, all in just 90 minutes.

Finally, button-down sun dresses are the focus of the made to measure challenge. As well as style, fit and finish, the judges have their eagle eyes primed for perfectly aligned buttonholes and secure fastenings. Who will miss the mark and be the second sewer to leave the competition?

Original air date: 4/21/21

[Ceindreadh]

Interesting.  Usually the second episode is the one with kids clothing.  I wonder if with Covid restrictions they've decided to not have a kids episode just to be on the safe side. 

[allonsyalice]

I don't like how they're showing us the made to measure patterns this series! THey used to show the brand/number, and that's how I got so many new patterns but not this year. I'm gonna have to go on a deep dive to see if i can find a couple from this episode. 

And, like last week, I'd rather stab myself in the eye than do all those buttons and buttonholes on a time limit. 

Lawratu is so lucky! I wonder if she knows the lotto numbers

[ElectricBoogaloo]

6 hours ago, allonsyalice said:

I don't like how they're showing us the made to measure patterns this series! THey used to show the brand/number, and that's how I got so many new patterns but not this year. I'm gonna have to go on a deep dive to see if i can find a couple from this episode.

Sew Direct has a list

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Meet the contestants!

Adam

Age: 31
From: Leicester

Adam is a Cruise Ship Entertainment Director whose nickname on board is ‘ABBA’ because he’s known as a Dancing Queen. He loves performing and knitting cute clothes for his 18-month old nephew.

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Adeena

Age: 40
From: Birmingham

Adeena is a Student Engagement Officer. In her spare time she loves getting creative, either sewing or painting or sketching. She enjoys making clothes for her sisters, who love wearing her designs.

*******************************************************************

Andrew

Age: 54
From: Hull

Andrew is a maths teacher, and we’re sure his students will be impressed to see him on telly! His partner is a priest and Andrew makes vestments for him, as well as enjoying bellringing and making stained glass windows.

*******************************************************************

Cathryn

Age: 57
From: Yorkshire

Cathryn is a Post Office worker who loves to recycle fabrics and give them a new lease of life. When she’s not in front of her sewing machine, you might find her growing veggies at the allotment or hanging out with her cat Ziggy Stardust (she loves David Bowie!).

*******************************************************************

Damien

Age: 39
From: Bolton

IT installation engineer Damien first picked up a needle and thread when he needed to alter some trousers, and he hasn’t looked back since. He also enjoys brewing craft ale, playing the guitar and busying himself with woodwork projects.

*******************************************************************

Farie

Age: 34
From: Dunstable

Farie is an accountant who uses sewing to provide her with a creative outlet. She loves designing clothes for her daughters, who enjoy wearing outfits that nobody else can get their hands on!

*******************************************************************

Jean

From: County Down

Jean’s mum taught her to sew when she was growing up as one of eight children in Stoke-On-Trent. She works as an art psychotherapist, helping young people through tough times, and enjoys making clothes for herself and her partner Jo.

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Julie

Age: 62
From: Rotherham

Julie is a beauty therapist and former dancer, who has made award-winning dresses for Ladies’ Day at the races – fancy!

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Lawratu

Age: 37
From: Surrey

Local authority officer Lawratu got into sewing because she wanted to tailor her own clothes to suit her better. In her spare time she’s a member of her local Women’s Institute, but wants to set the record straight that the WI is cooler than you might think!

*******************************************************************

Raph

Age: 34
From: London

Raph works as a Textile Artist (his job involves dying fabric to be used in movies), but he only taught himself to sew during lockdown. He also enjoys gymnastics and playing the trumpet in two orchestras.

*******************************************************************

Rebecca

Age: 23
From: Scunthorpe

Rebecca works as a customer assistant at a local supermarket, and her hobbies include watching her team Scunthorpe United playing football. She studied textiles at school, and sees sewing as her stress relief.

*******************************************************************

Serena

Age: 21
From: Glasgow but now studying in Edinburgh

The youngest contestant in this year’s competition, Serena is a medical student who loves to customise charity shop bargains with her sewing skills. She learned to sew with the help of YouTube videos.

[GaT]

Wow, all I saw from the transformation challenge was 11 seriously ugly outfits.

[allonsyalice]

10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Sew Direct has a list

Wonderful!

Adding to this, Foldline breaks down each pattern from the pattern challenge, and the made to measure, which is a fantastic resource (and of course the only one I really wanted from e2s made to measure is a Vogue pattern 😤😤😤)