The Great British Sewing Bee - General Discussion

[bybrandy]

Or we could have shed two a week earlier. I feel like I don't know these contestants the way I have in the previous seasons. And I think that is because by the time I started getting attached to this group they started dropping like flies. The final three are who I was expecting but I not invested in who pulls it off.

[halopub]

I agree that there needs to be more backstory on the three left but I find them all to be pretty compelling contestants. Again, I find it really impressive that someone who has been sewing seriously for such a short time is doing so well against more seasoned sewers like Lorna and Neil.

 

I did not enjoy seeing an anxious Neil. Since the contestants are asked to wear the same clothes both taping days, though, it's hard to know at what point he was fretting in that interview.

 

He did tweet a pic of himself wearing that meh neoprene creation of his, which fit him well.

 

 

Deborah's lace looked more modern and fun.

 

I have to agree - it was definitely not old or stodgy.

 

Edited: spelled seasoned without the 'ed.'

Edited March 9, 2015 by halopub

[ElectricBoogaloo]

He did tweet a pic of himself wearing that meh neoprene creation of his, which fit him well.

Ha, thanks for posting that! Glad he has such a sense of humor about it!

[halopub]

The competition reaches its climax as the three finalists enter the sewing room for the very last time, with May Martin and Patrick Grant setting them three cutting-edge challenges. The first sees them taking on a pattern as complex as origami with no diagrams to help, complete an alteration task and end by fitting an avant-garde dress for a model. The judges then consider their verdict before Claudia Winkleman announces who has won. Last in the series.

       - RadioTimes

 

 

I'm sorry that that tittivating Neil lost his mojo towards the end of the season, but his final dress wasn't the disaster it could have been and with his inadvertently Trekkie, 1960s alteration, he did get Patrick to say skanklet. Hee. That was a cute story about waking up in bed with his wife and his first verbalized thought being "I think Fabric Land is open today." I also think it's great that the British Army took the time to photograph a patriotic, sewing portrait of him.

 

I have mixed feelings about everyone's different creations throughout the finale - mainly along the lines of meh it's not as bad as I thought it'd be - but if May and Patrick were sticking to the last three rounds, then I can at least see why they might pick Matt. I need to review the footage, though, because I don't think I appreciate the sew behind the final dress as much as the judges. I thought I saw some puckering in the diamond hip area but full marks to Matt for ambition. He seemed genuinely surprised to win.

 

I thought the show missed an opportunity to show more of the finalists interacting with their family models. I felt like the camera people kept cutting to Neil's wife (and even Lorna's daughter-in-law) only to show her getting bored during the long hours. I was glad when they ultimately filmed her holding her husband's hand during judging; especially since Matt's wife got mostly edited as extrovertedly supportive/adorable throughout the entire process. (Loved what the hair and makeup team did for all three models for the final judging.)

 

In case anyone else is wondering, I think I found the Japanese enka cover of Jimmy Jones' Good Timin' that they played during the pattern challenge.  

[Pallida]

I really enjoyed the attitudes of the final three during the pattern challenge.  So many American reality shows have contestants who think they need to torpedo others to win and it's always refreshing seeing contestants who want to win on their own merit and abilities (i.e. competing against themselves).   

 

I love that Lorna is so quirky and tacky-ish.  I am fascinated by how her brain works. 

[halopub]

One of the producers tries on the skanklet.

• Hardie isn't quite tall enough and the dress material looks a little plasticky in that office light but it did make me laugh.

 

A brief recap of the final from The Independent.

 

A profile of Neil, with some interesting backstory, in a regional publication.

[Ceindreadh]

One thing I've loved about this show is the way the competitors were ready to give each other a helping hand when necessary. 

 

And just how much was Matt bursting with pride as he watched his wife model the dress at the end (I don't think it was the dress he was proud of)

 

I admit that I wouldn't have picked him for the winner going in - I wasn't surprized about the other 2 making the final, but Matt was quite the underdog.

He really did deserve it though.

 

I loved the little 'what they've done since' bit at the end!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

It's baaaaack!

Quote

Claudia Winkleman hosts a new eight-part series of The Great British Sewing Bee.

Under the scrutiny of Savile Row's Patrick Grant and Central St Martin's Esme Young, ten fresh-faced home sewers face three challenges designed to test their skill and understanding of basic garment construction.

First, the sewers follow a pattern for a woman's top made up of four pieces. However, it is deceptively difficult, demanding accurate pattern matching skills, a steady hand for cutting and precision sewing.

Next, the judges want their personal style and imagination to come to the fore by transforming a maternity dress in just 90 minutes.

Finally, they take on the Made to Measure challenge, fitting a skirt to a real model. Who can keep their cool to produce a flattering waistline and perfectly level hem, and who will falter and be the first to leave the sewing room?

Clip:
http://bbc.in/1ONG1kB

 

Edited May 24, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The Great British Sewing Bee returns on May 16 with one personnel change:

Quote

May Martin will sadly not be joining Patrick in judging the sewists’ efforts this year – instead, costume designer and co-founder of fashion label Swanky Modes, Esme Young, will be casting her expert eye over their finished garments.

[txvoodoo]

Oh, thank you for posting about it. I'm tickled!

[bybrandy]

I totally missed that this was back!  I'm excited.  I'll be back when I've watched the first episode!

[halopub]

It's going to take me awhile before I start to distinguish the contestants from one another but it was great to have the show back. Plus it was lovely of them to remember Lorna.

Edited May 20, 2016 by halopub

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 5/19/2016 at 4:57 PM, bybrandy said:

I totally missed that this was back!  I'm excited.  I'll be back when I've watched the first episode!

Ha, I was SO excited that the show was back and then I completely forgot to make a note of it anywhere so I missed the season premiere too! I just remembered tonight so I am going to watch it today or tomorrow and then catch up with you guys here!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

 

Quote

Nine amateur sewers return hoping to show judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young that they can make beautiful clothes on a miniature scale.

First, the sewers must carefully follow a pattern to make a babygrow from stretch cotton jersey - but who will get the gusset and poppers in the right place and who will end up going off-piste?

Next, the sewers must show they can handle slippery satin and chiffon by totally transforming an adult bridesmaid dress into a wearable garment for a boy or a girl.

For the final challenge, real children replace the mannequins as the sewers strive to create perfectly fitted woollen capes, knowing the judges will scrutinise every cut and stitch before deciding who deserves to stay and who must bid farewell to the Sewing Bee.

 

Clips:
http://bbc.in/1XoC1Zo

http://bbc.in/2567Qc1

Edited May 24, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Eight sewers return to the sewing room to take on delicate lingerie. The three demanding challenges require the sewers to work with the fiddliest of pattern pieces and the most delicate fabric.

First, they follow a pattern for a bra which proves testing for even the most dextrous of sewers, requiring precision engineering and some of the smallest pattern pieces ever seen in the sewing room.

Next the sewers get their hands on some charity shop silk scarves which they have to transform into a piece of lingerie.

Finally the sewers make luxury robes for their male and female models. It is a challenge that requires a delicate touch, an exacting eye for detail and a fastidious feel for fit.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One more change this season: we're back to eight episodes!

S4 promo:

[halopub]

So far my favs are Charlotte and Jamie. She makes me laugh and is relatable. I like that Jamie challenges himself and it's a shame he wasn't able to fully finish his dapper cape.

Angeline obviously does well with the practice pieces and the godet on her cape was a fantastic feature. But there's something about how she and Rumana are always so fabulously put together that makes it hard for me to root for them. Yeah, it's not fair to ding them for personal glamour but it is what it is.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yay, I'm so happy that this show is back! As soon as they started picking out fabric, I got totally excited! Once again, I love how sweet and helpful the contestants are. It was nice to see so many of the more experienced sewers helping the people who were having trouble cutting on the bias. You know that on other shows, there would be people screeching, "If you can't cut on the bias, you shouldn't be here! I'm not going to show you how to do it! You're my competition!" I'd like to point out that I am totally incapable of sewing (no matter how many times my mom, my mother in law, and my friends have tried to teach me, I'm THE WORST at it) so the fact that they consider cutting on the bias to create a chevron pattern and binding the neckline to be basic construction skills was hilarious to me.

I loved the first challenge. I am super OCD so if I could sew (which, as I said, I can't), it would drive me CRAZY if the pattern wasn't matched up at every seam. Charlotte's black and white top looked great - and she still had time to help someone else match up his pattern in the middle of sewing her own top! I was very impressed that Jamie was able to get his chevron pattern matched up so well with a georgette. He definitely deserved the win. And the binding matched so perfectly that it looked invisible. I was surprised that Rumana had anything to put on her mannequin. It looked like she started over three times. Yes, her top looked a bit messy but considering that she was sewing up until the last minute, I'm just glad she had something resembling a top.

I was cracking up when Patrick said that Duncan's chevron matched up perfectly in the front and that he clearly took a lot of time to do that. Wasn't he the one who had everything on the floor and had to get help from Joyce to cut/match his chevron pattern? The binding was uneven and the droopy hem would look strange if someone actually wore his top. Jade's looked really good. That bold black and white with different thicknesses in the stripes helped make her top look even better all matched up at the seams. Josh was another one who couldn't figure out how to cut on the bias correctly. He was the one who cut the first piece and then kept cutting the second piece backwards so that he was getting stripes instead of a chevron until Charlotte helped him. And even then he still managed to have the chevron going one way in the front and the other way in the back. I really liked the pink and white fabric he chose though.

Joyce's fabric wasn't one I would have chosen for a chevron challenge but it gave her top a very different look from all the other shirts with plain stripes. It's too bad the binding stretched out. Tracey was the crazy girl who chose a chevron material to make a chevron top. It ended up looking really cool. She was finished way before everyone else so I wish the back had matched up as well as the front. Ghislaine was smart enough to listen to the judges when they told her to start over using a different fabric. Considering how much time she had left to finish her top, it was matched up pretty well. Angeline chose that orange/blue/black/white patterned fabric and although it turned out well, when she had one cut piece lying on top of her uncut fabric so she could match the pattern, I thought I would go cross-eyed if I tried to do that.

I love that Esme is even tougher/pickier than May. Patrick used to be the one pulling out the ruler to nitpick so I love that Esme was making Patrick look like the generous one. I actually love their pickiness though. After seeing way too many unfinished hems on Project Runway, I want to see some better sewn garments.

The alteration challenge was much kinder to the sewers. The maternity dress they were given was essentially a giant t-shirt so they had a lot of opportunity to get creative which must have been a relief after the precision of the pattern challenge. I was imagining the Project Runway judges looking at some of these creations and saying, "I question your taste level" (but mostly because the PR judges say that whenever there isn't something that they call "young and fresh"). And in the sewers' defense, they were given shitty polyster to work with.

The battle of the blue skirts! The grey panel on the side of Jade's skirt made it look like the polyster jogging version of a tuxedo stripe. Duncan's skirt was way too simple and it was longer in the back than it was in the front. Josh's skirt wasn't much different - a gathered skirt with a waistband. Ghislaine's skirt at least wasn't gathered all the way around (which looks a bit schoolgirl-ish to me) but the waistband was noticeably uneven. Charlotte's skirt looked different since she didn't gather it. I hate exposed zippers but it looked like it fit the mannequin better than the other skirts did. I also HATED the red exposed zipper on Angeline's skirt. If not for that, I would have liked her skirt with the dark blue waistband and bow.

I wasn't crazy about Rumana's dress but I was just glad to see something that wasn't a skirt. The bright orange was a great contrast to the blue, and it looked like something you could wear in the spring. The elasticized waist and the criss cross straps in the back showed that she made some effort to change the look of the dress. Jamie seemed like he had too many ideas. I was fine with the yellow fabric he added for the criss cross top (even though I actually disliked the shade of yellow as well as the flowers) but what the hell was going on with the skirt? Was that a deflated bubble skirt on top of a regular skirt? Joyce's gold sequin addition of the godets in the skirt, the back, and the arm holes showed some good sewing technique but the end product looked like something a baton twirler would have worn in a parade back in the olden days before they started wearing leotards. I'm with Patrick - I hated the lace on Tracey's dress. It looks sad and droopy and old fashioned.

Charlotte's polka dot taffeta 50s circle skirt was so fun to watch. Heh, I first learned the British phrase "sticky out" when I watched My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Those girls really love their sticky out dresses.

Duncan's silk petal circle skirt was really plain aside from the fabric. And then he just freehanded the hem with scissors! Dude!

Josh's floral stretch denim skirt looked really good, especially considering that he was freaking about losing a piece of his pattern. I think that saved him from elimination.

Jade's high waisted tutu skirt was also really fun. I loved that she edged the skirt with silver binding. The skirt was flattering and looked like it would be fun to wear.

On a shallow note, I hated the fabric Rumana used for her obi apron skirt. I don't know if it was the colors or the pattern or the combination, but I had a hard time separating that from the actual skirt. I think the pattern was too big for that long skirt.

Esme was right - Angeline's pencil skirt with peplum fit the model really well under her ass. This was definitely the kind of skirt that would make people look twice at your ass! She was smart to add that blue piping above the peplum as well as the binding on the peplum. Both really accented the blue in the fabric she chose.

My main problem with Ghislaine's pleated wraparound skirt was her fabric choice. It was so wrinkled which ended up making her skirt look cheap. It also didn't move very much.

I was with Patrick when Jamie was describing his chiffon flounce skirt. I don't love a flounce either, but his two fabrics went well together. I also agree that the flounce should have been extended further to the side. But I give him credit for doing a rolled hem on chiffon, even if it was a little bumpy.

Tracey's wool circle skirt with hip pockets looked great when the model was walking but there were several problems. The waistband dipped down in the front and the hem was uneven. I didn't notice what the judges pointed out about having too much fabric. I think she spent too much time worrying about the pockets.

Joyce's multipaneled skirt looked good but Esme was right - choosing that patterned fabric meant that we didn't really see the godets. For someone wearing the skirt, that might be a good thing because then all you would see is the movement. But in a sewing competition, I guess it's not as great a choice.

For me, it was between Angeline and Jade for garment of the week. Both of their skirts were great. I will miss Duncan's hair, which reminded me of Bob's Big Boy.

I almost clicked away before the credits so I was about a second away from seeing that Lorna passed away!

Edited May 26, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo
Never use a period when you should use a question mark!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I posted this in the S4.E1 thread but I thought this might be a better place for it:
Lorna from S3 passed away

[zxy556575]

21 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

And even then he still managed to have the chevron going one way in the front and the other way in the back.

That was pretty funny even though it prompted bad flashbacks to my own furniture assembly blunders.

I'm not trying to be unkind, but the show promotes these folks as being among the best home sewers in the nation, and I refuse to believe that. The alteration challenge was horrifying in general and I don't know what the judges were snorting to give the win to Jamie's excrescence. But the contestants rallied for the final skirt and most did a good job, so maybe the maternity dresses themselves were to blame.

Blind judging, my ass, if Tracey's always going to insert a contrasting patterned material into a solid color overall fabric (see: her own blouse).

Rumana is gorgeous.

Edited May 26, 2016 by lordonia

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm not sure what the problem was with the alteration challenge, but yes, most of the results were terrible. I initially blamed it on the polyster fabric they had to work with (and the color was doing them no favors either - somehow that exact shade of blue made the material look even cheaper). The saving grace should have been that the maternity dress gave them a lot of material to work with, but somehow we ended up with a bunch of plain/ugly skirts. I think that Jamie was given first because despite the extreme fug of that dress, he used several different sewing techniques, unlike the majority of people who just gathered the skirt and added a waistband. I know they only had 90 minutes but it seemed ridiculous that about half of the garments for that challenge were so simple in terms of construction. I mean, seriously, they cut the top off, sewed a seam, and added a waistband. They showed almost no skills, let alone creativity.

Jamie showed several different techniques so I feel like the judges were rewarding that he shows different types of skills and he made way more effort to transform the dress than the skirt people. I'm not saying I agree with the judges but I can see understand their choices from a technical point of view. To me, it's like a bunch of people were given a blank canvas and half of the people painted a circle in the middle and then Jamie threw a bunch of paint at the canvas. Yes, it looks like a mess, but at least he tried something different. I still think it was hideous to look at and something that I would never wear, but he took a much more creative risk than everyone else AND he did more than just sew a few seams, which put him ahead in the judges' eyes.

I always find the blind judging interesting, especially in the early weeks before the judges have seen enough of the contestants' work to recognize their specific style/fabric choices right away.

Edited May 26, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Now that I've seen the first two episodes, I must agree with with @lordonia said in the S4.E1 thread - this group as a whole is not the most talented bunch of home sewers in the entire UK. In just two episodes we have heard people say they have never cut on the bias or worked with jersey, wool, georgette, and one other fabric that's escaping me from the first episode. I totally get that some people get into their niche (one of my friends was a costume maker so she worked almost exclusively with four way stretch) but you should at least experiment with other fabrics a little bit, especially if you're going to come on a competition. Go to the fabric store and buy half a yard of common fabrics that you've never sewn before and just see what it's like to cut it, pin it, and sew it. You don't even have to make a wearable garment out of it. Just cut out two pieces, pin them together, and sew them together to see how the fabric behaves when you handle it so that you aren't completely blindsided during the challenges! There are definitely some good sewers in this group but there is a clear divide in the skill level. I was sure that either Ghislaine or Josh was going home this week because they have struggled in most of the six challenges so far.

One of my favorite things about this episode was seeing how supportive the contestants' family members are about their sewing. It was really cute to see all the husbands, parents, children, and siblings talking about how happy the contestants are when they sew. Ha, love that Josh started sewing because his mom needed him to do something during his summer break. I loved the opposite reasons that Charlotte and Joyce had for never making baby grows. Charlotte said it was a waste of time because they just poop and puke on them while Joyce said that when she had kids, you still dressed them in real clothes during the day and proper pajamas at night. Loved this week's history lesson on swaddling and the doctor (William Cadogan) who did research to see if swaddling actually helped (if you want to read his paper "An Essay Upon Nursing and the Management of Children, from Their Birth to Three Years of Age," it's available here).

At first I was confounded by the term "baby grow" until I saw the example. In America, it's called a onesie. I was cracking up over the gusset when Esme and Patrick were explaining it to Claudia. I was wondering if they were going to pick up the mannequins and peer at each crotch. It was very sweet to see everyone rush over to help Ghislaine in the last few minutes but I thought damn, we have THREE people working on one garment. COME ON! I also saw Joyce helping Tracey with her snaps too.

Rumana's red onesie was cute, and the red fabric with red binding made it look like old fashioned long johns. But Patrick caught that the inside wasn't sewn neatly enough!

I wasn't crazy about Angeline's fabric choices. The yellow body with the white and light blue striped sleeves with red boats just didn't do it for me. There were some minor but noticeable errors, the most obvious being the missing snap at the top. The tiny bit of gathering on the sleeve wasn't too bad and the error on the gusset seemed minor.

Tracey's star onesie was really cute. The blue binding highlighted the blue stars. But she put the snaps the wrong way! I wonder if that was in the instructions or if she just guessed incorrectly. Esme saying, "Shall we look at the crotch? Pretty good there!" cracked me up.

Joyce's fish onesie was great except for the snaps being on the wrong side. Her binding was the perfect width though and the snaps were exactly in the middle.

I didn't like the fabric Jamie chose. Brown trucks on a grey background seem too drab. And he should know better than to deliberately not follow the pattern! The judges usually get really annoyed when people do that. Changing the binding was a bad idea for exactly the reason that Patrick explained - it's supposed to help secure the snaps more securely.

Jade's pink bunny onesie looked really good except for putting the snaps on the small side.

Josh's animal print onesie was cute but his snaps weren't lined up and there was a tiny problem with the gusset.

I loved Charlotte's onesie! The white fabric with red stars was a good unisex pattern and the red cuffs and binding were a great accent. I think the binding could have been a tiny bit wider so that the snaps would be entirely on the binding.

Ghislaine's was a complete disaster. I really didn't like that she had the white pattern on the right and solid blue on the left. I also HATED that she made the gusset blue. Why would you ever want to draw attention to the crotch of an outfit? One cuff was sewn the wrong way, the gusset was totally on one side instead of in the center, the pant legs weren't the same length, and she didn't get all the snaps on even with two other people helping her.

I'm not sure when you would ever repurpose a bridesmaid dress into anything for a kid, but I was okay with it mainly being a slippery fabric challenge.

Rumana was smart to drape her fabric since a lot of these slippery fabrics lend themselves well to that. As Patrick said, this challenge was to see how well the sewers worked with the fabric and you have to know not to fight the fabric. The sequined butterfly she made for the front was cute too.

Angeline's dress this week reminded me of Jamie's from last week: just too much going on. I did get the mermaid effect she intended (especially in the front) but it just seemed a bit too messy (especially in the back where there was sequined fabric everywhere).

Jamie's purple shift dress was kind of boring and it seemed like the big criss cross in the back wasn't laying properly. Interesting that Esme praised the criss cross for being ingenious but Joyce's dress had a similar back and it wasn't ingenious.

Jade made a pretty party dress but I hated the pink exposed zipper. I also agreed with Esme about the ragged hem. Either go full on ragged or make it nice and neat. You can't half ass it like that or it looks like an accident.

Tracey's fair dress looked a little too messy for my taste but the judges seemed to really like the petals. I think it needed some editing, but a lot of little girls would love it just the way it is.

Charlotte's light blue dress was pretty for a party dress. I didn't mind that the front was plain since there was shirring in the back.

I liked Joyce's royal blue dress. She was smart to use that sequined/beaded part from the original dress for the bodice. Lots of little girls would love that!

I couldn't believe that in 90 minutes, all Josh made was a vest. And it didn't even fit the mannequin! The armholes were obviously way too small and the judges couldn't even zip it up on the dress form.

I was pleasantly surprised that Ghislaine was able to finish her orange boxing outfit. It was a fun little outfit.

I liked the made to measure challenge, but do kids still wear capes? I had one when I was about five and I loved it (mine was bright red so I pretended I was Little Red Riding Hood). And those poor kid models, stuck in the sewing room for four boring hours while the contestants sewed.

Charlotte's herringbone cape was nice, The turned up sleeves were a great addition.

Jamie's mini Sherlock Holmes cape cracked me up. It looked so solemn and grown up. Jamie was very ambitious with his cape. He had a lot of details and technical skills. I think he bit off more than he could chew though since he barely got the buttons on and didn't have time to finish the binding. It looked really great though.

Joyce's pink and grey cape was a cute idea for a little girl with the heart pockets and the "love" applique on the back, but the collar was way too big.

I liked Rumana's grey cape. I'm not sure what Patrick meant about bouncy seams - that they didn't lie flat on the collar?

Ghislaine's looked way too short. I guess you can have a short cape but it just looked like it was meant for a smaller child. The scallops were an unnecessary detail that didn't work because they weren't deep enough so the edge didn't really look very scalloped. In close up, you could see that the scallops weren't even either. And to top it all off the stitching she added to the scallops wasn't even all the way around. The front of the cape met only at the collar, which I didn't like, and the collar was so crooked. I didn't think it was possible to screw up something as simple as a cape, but this was one was so bad.

Josh's cape also looked really short on his model. And although he matched up the fabric for the patch pockets, one of the pockets was higher than the other.

Tracey's butterfly cape was cute. Loved that the green pocket lining matched the fabric she used for the applique butterflies on the front. Great color contrast.

I really liked Jade's blue cape. I loved the pom pom ties and the handwarmer pockets. But she didn't get to put all the colorful buttons on.

I loved Angeline's red cape. I thought it was hilarious when Patrick asked what the point of the godet was and she said that every outfit should have a feature in the back that makes people look - especially since her peplum skirt last week definitely made me look twice at the back! This was one of the few where I immediately thought wow, the hem looks so perfectly even. The big bow over the godet added a sweet feminine touch. I also liked the plaid fabric she used for the collar and the godet.

I'm not surprised that Ghislaine was eliminated. She struggled in almost every challenge. I thought they might spare her due to placing first in the alteration challenge. Josh should be next to go. They both seem like nice people but their sewing skills aren't as good as everyone else's. Jamie, Charlotte, Angeline, and Jade are my picks for the final.

[zxy556575]

The term "baby grow" gave me pause as well, until the garments were made and I could see what the hell they were talking about! They also threw out "poppers" a few times interchangeably with "snaps."

I loved the cape with the pom poms; it definitely would have been my favorite when I was a girl.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

It is international week as Patrick and Esme set the seven remaining sewers the challenge of tackling techniques and garment styles from other cultures and continents.

First up, they face a fiendishly hard-to-follow pattern for a Chinese Qipao-style top. This complex garment has an asymmetrical neckline, fiddly zip insertion and is made in a fabric that frays - not a challenge for the faint-hearted.

After battling with brocade, things don't get any easier on the fabric front as, for their alteration challenge, they are tasked with transforming saris. By repurposing yards and yards of beautifully draped, embroidered georgette, the sewers have just 90 minutes to create totally new, wearable items of clothing with a distinctly eastern flavour.

Finally, for the 'made to measure' challenge, the judges take the sewers to an entirely new continent - Africa. Using vividly patterned wax print fabric, they attempt to create West African inspired dresses. Figure hugging garments that demand impeccable fitting skills and an understanding of how this robust printed cotton can be used to create a dramatic, accentuated silhouette.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm glad they finally revealed that Charlotte is the one whose bunny slippered feet they showed in the first two episodes. Love that she makes her own bathing suits too!

I really enjoyed this week's history lesson. Thanks, Lucile Sutherland, for freeing women from corsets!

Hahahaha, loved that before they entered the sewing room all of the contestants specifically said they didn't want to sew bras and that's exactly what the pattern challenge was. I was also cracking up when Jade held up a tiny piece of the pattern and said, "How can that fit on someone's boob?" As someone who had no boobs to speak of all through high school, I can tell Jade - very easily if you're flat as a board! Once again, kudos to whoever chooses the music for the show. Last week there was a song about not pulling the wool over someone's eyes during the cape segment. This week a cover of "Come On Baby Light My Fire" played during the bras.

Charlotte's black lace over pink bra looked great except for that one spot where she had to add a gather in the back to make the hook and eye fit. I missed why/how that happened. It looked like the bra fit her mannequin perfectly though.

Jamie's blue bra looked pretty good except for too much of the picot showing. Jade's magenta bra cups weren't symmetric but they also looked like they weren't exactly the right shape either. The hook and eye segments meeting the fabric looked terrible. I think she had the straps too close to the center (in the back) too. But I felt for her - she tried to be pre-emptive by pressing the cups and ended up stretching the fabric. I've made a similar mistake (not with sewing but I outsmarted myself nonetheless).

Josh's orange bra was pretty bright. It didn't look awful but there were a lot of little mistakes like the twisted strap and the lumpy seam in the middle. He obviously knows where he stands when he's celebrating not getting last place. Joyce's purple bra looked really good. Her hook and eye was perfect.

Angeline's light blue bra was unfinished and had a lot of mistakes. Tracey's aqua bra looked okay but the color looked so anemic on the white mannequin fabric. Poor Rumana! When Patrick grabbed the strap and it came apart, she looked mortified.

The alteration challenge was very interesting. Three silk scarves to make some kind of lingerie! It was interesting to hear everyone's process for this.

Oh, Josh. A jumpsuit with a short skirt isn't a jumpsuit. Then Claudia asked him if that was underwear and he said it was still lingerie. No, that was a weird quasi tank top that somehow managed to expose way too much skin. The armholes were too low and the side seams were left open. I also hated the scarves he used. The dark paisley one had horses on it. That's not my idea of lingerie fabric.

Charlotte finished with ten minutes left! I was laughing at her having a cuppa while giving Rumana advice cracked me up. Just sitting here chilling while you fools sew frantically! Her camisole top looked well sewn and I liked the pattern she used on the top.

Jade's just looked like a tank top that had different fabric in the front and back. It was bunching weirdly on the side so I don't think it fit her mannequin well enough. She was smart to use the bow on the fabric in the front, but overall I didn't like this which is disappointing because I like Jade.

Ruman's twisty top was just okay. It looked like the kind of top I used to buy in college to go out dancing. It seemed like she didn't have enough of a plan for the twisting (especially when she took it off the mannequin and couldn't put it back correctly).

Tracey's camisole was pretty and draped well. She was smart to use the edge of the scarves as the top of the cups since they were already sewn. Really good use of the material she had.

Jamie's shorts looked pretty bad. Bright orange color aside, they looked shapeless which means he didn't take advantage of the drapey nature of the silk.

Joyce's nightie was simple but done well. I appreciate that she was able to make something that "covered all the bits," as she said (despite Esme's interpretation that it was mumsy) and she was so smart to use the edges of the scarf for the ruffle at the bottom.

Angeline's wasn't my favorite because the cups looked so loose. I also didn't like the thick double straps. It also looked like she did them differently on each shoulder. On the left, they came to a point but on the right it looked like two straps next to each other.

Ooh, robes! Loved listening to Jade and Tracey debate piping versus darts in the difficult of men's versus women's robes debate.

Charlotte's cotton kimono looked so well done. It looked so crisp and right. Her first garment of the week win!

Rumana's lace and crepe back satin kimono was good but not my favorite. Heh, and thanks to Esme for telling us about erogenous zones in Japan.

Angeline's bright red puff sleeved crepe back satin vintage robe looked like something a glamorous old fashioned movie star would have worn. I wasn't crazy about the puffy sleeves though.

Tracey's satin and lace robe with gathered sleeves was a pretty color but I didn't like the sheen of the satin. I also disliked the white lace which made it look very old fashioned. Between the shininess of the fabric and the lace, it looked like something from an old movie that a housewife would wear. I also didn't like the darts. But bonus points to her for the old school A Team reference!

I loved the fabric Jade used for her piped silk robe. The graphic black and white design looked great with the fuchsia piping. The fabric for the pockets matched perfectly. Ha, I love that she said every robe needs a cheeky pocket so you can hide biscuits.

Jamie's quilted silk housecoat with a shawl collar was not as good as I expected from him. The collar was wonky even in the long shot so I was glad that the judges explained why. He skipped quilting the collar, didn't get the pockets on, and left a pin in the back. The cuffs were uneven and there were gathers at the seams. Definitely not his best work.

Josh's stretch satin housecoat looked too short on his model. The purple collar was a good combination with the blue and purple floral fabric. My quibble was with how small the chest pocket was but Emse also pointed out that it was on the wrong side. Interesting that he used the same pattern as Jamie.

Joyce's lined robe seemed like a bad idea. If you choose a nice silk, you don't need a lining. But using a polyster and then lining it with a different polyster - why? The paisley looked very manly.

I can't believe that Josh survived to sew another week. He is lucky that Jamie had such a disastrous week. I'm guessing that the fact that they used the same robe pattern and Josh finished his is what pushed it over the edge.

[zxy556575]

Dreading lingerie or not, I thought almost everyone displayed a  higher level of expertise this week. The alteration challenge continues to present the most difficulty; they're all much better when working with a pattern.

Those bras made me itch looking at them.

Can't someone help Claudia with her makeup? Those harsh raccoon eyes are distracting, particularly coupled with such heavy bangs.

[Rinaldo]

I think that's Claudia's trademark look.

It was a shock to see Jamie go. Like others on camera, I was sure he'd at least make it to the finals, if not outright win. But there have been occasions before (if not quite so early), both on this and the Bake-Off, when a potential #1 competitor tried for something big and missed it. As Josh wouldn't seem to be long for this world, that will leave us with an all-woman playing field.

I get a kick out of Esme. As a contrast to her predecessor, who was always such a proper lady, she doesn't hesitate to ask "What the hell is that?"

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

This week, the sewing room is transported back to the 1960s as the six remaining sewers revive vintage garments, take on time-honoured techniques and wrestle with antique equipment in an attempt to show Patrick and Esme they deserve a place in the quarter-finals.

For their first challenge, the sewers are asked to follow a pattern for an iconic 60s colour block dress. With multiple panels and clean, crisp lines required, precision is everything.

For their alteration challenge, the sewers take a classic 1960s rainmac, but trying to make a wearable garment from PVC is no mean feat.

For the made to measure challenge, the sewing room goes from squeak to chic as the sewers try to create impeccably fitted, flawlessly finished 1960s-inspired jackets. There are only five places in the quarter-final and with such a labour-intensive, tailored item as a jacket to perfect, the stakes have never been higher and achieving the perfect sew has never been harder.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Clip from the sari alteration challenge:
http://bbc.in/213BGLf

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was really looking forward to this episode as soon as I saw the description of tasks last week. All three tasks are very different and should result in beautiful garments!

Patrick was very nice to tell Jade where she had gone wrong with the binding on her qipao. It was also nice of Jade to inform everyone else in the room. Considering how many people had the snaps on their onesies/baby grows a few weeks ago, I was expecting at least half of the sewers to have the fronts of their tops going the wrong way this week.

Angeline's red qipao was just a little too tight so it was pulling the fabric. I agreed with Patrick about the collar not being even.

Tracy's blue qipao looked really good. It fit the mannequin well - and she finished early enough to have a cup of tea! Time to spare and she came in first place.

I knew that Joyce's red qipao was going to be criticized when she said she was going to do the binding differently. Don't do that in the pattern challenge! Hee, I loved that Patrick and Esme put her in last place for that after much "philosophical rumination." I hate to sound like a hardass but if you don't penalize people for not following the pattern, what motivation is there not to do their own thing? And afterward, she tried to justify it by saying that there were "only" two things that she changed which made me even happier that they put her in last place for that. You can get creative in the other two challenges but NOT the pattern challenge!

Rumana's teal qipao was good except for Esme pointing out that there would be some "bosom" showing through at the top where it was a little droopy.

Jade's qipao looked like it didn't fit well at all. I don't know what else to say.

Poor Charlotte! First she was struggling to get her top on the mannequin and then she realized that she hadn't unzipped it. Then she realized she had stretched out the collar because she made some other technical mistake (which I didn't quite hear).

Josh's black qipao looked like a mess to me. I thought Esme was very kind in her comments. I can't believe he placed second.

I was also excited about the alteration challenge because I love sari material - the vivid colors, the gorgeous ornamentation, and the flowy nature are all so beautiful.

Tracy's fuchsia rectangular top was great. She used her fabric so well, putting the gold bits at the bottom and on the sleeves. And once again, she finished before everyone else and still managed to win first place. I'm beginning to think she could win the whole thing even if she stopped to take a nap.

Charlotte's purple pants had a nice shape. I wasn't crazy about how the waistband looked after she added the elastic (the top was a bit uneven).

Angeline's green robe was a smart use of the fabric. I also admired how she didn't put a ton of extra seams in it. Too bad she ran out of the border on one sleeve, but other than that it was a great use of where the trim was.

I guess I should give Josh credit for his belly dancing costume since he was the only one who did a top and a bottom, but I thought it would have been better for him to make one good piece instead of two okay pieces. Earlier he said he was going to make the top sexier and then he added more fabric. The way he added trim to the neckline was uneven or wonky. The pants were definitely too tight.

Jade's pink pants were a pretty color but they didn't fit. If she had noticed that the fabric wasn't wide enough to fit all the way around the mannequin's hips earlier and planned to add panels on both sides, at least it would have been symmetric, but only adding an insert on one side made it look janky.

Rumana's orange dress was very pretty and I think that having to add the panel down the front middle ended up working in her favor because it made her garment look even prettier with that bold gold/pink/purple/teal trim. The paneled skirt was very well done.

Joyce's pants looked really great. Of all the pants, her waistband looked the best but of course it was impractical since no one could actually wear them since she just sewed that on the top without any elastic or other give. I'm glad that the judges took that into consideration and ranked them so low. What good are clothes on a mannequin if you can't put them on a real person?

I liked this week's lesson on batik in Thailand transforming into ankara fabric in West Africa.

Tracy was smart to buy some ankara fabric and make something with it at home before this week's final challenge. But why did her final garment not fit her model well? I saw how loose it was even in the long shots. The fabric around the collar area was so far away from her skin. I know she said that she normally doesn't make very fitted garments for herself, but Patrick was able to grab a fist full of fabric at the waist.

Angeline's strapless dress was such a good use of patterned fabric. I hated the choker though. If I were a judge on Project Runway, that choker would make me say, "I question your taste level."

Ha, I totally loved that Charlotte said she would have to be careful about placing that circle fabric on the bodice so she didn't end up with targets over the boobs. Despite Patrick's concerns, I thought the double ruffle looked good. It's too bad that the bodice didn't fit well.

Rumana's dress and cape looked gorgeous together. The cape elevated her dress into something far more regal looking. Ha and I loved Claudia running around the workroom with the cape on. Interesting to see how Angeline and Rumana used the same fabric so differently.

Jade matched the pattern of her fabric really well but I agree that it was a bit too tight.

Josh really gave him a huge challenge by using two different colors of the same fabric and then matching the pattern. But the lumpiness along the seams showed his weakness.

Joyce's dress fit her model really well so she really made up for her poor showing in the first two challenges.

I'm not surprised that Josh was eliminated. I'm actually surprised that he lasted this long. He seems like a very nice guy and it's obvious that the other contestants liked him. It was definitely time for him to go because his skills are not up to par with the others.

[zxy556575]

I've been glad to see the improvement in everyone's level of expertise in the alterations challenge; they turned out some nice pieces using the sari fabrics.

Not sure how Josh managed to get that big pooch-out into a straight seam on his ankara fabric dress.

The tops required some very precise geometry as well as sewing, especially the front flap/zipper combo. Tricky to get right. I spent some time online looking at various dresses and tops for sale and in general, it seems like modern manufacturing has simplified the pattern and done away with the traditional piecing.

The support and cooperation among the contestants continues, which is always heartening. Everyone is so peaceable and nice that there isn't anyone I want to leave, but I'm the most drawn to Rumana so hope she hangs in until the finale.

I would have called the Chinese top a cheongsam, so had to look it up:
"The main difference between qipao and cheongsam is the origin of the words. Qipao is basically a Mandarin Chinese name for the dress while cheongsam is an English derivation from the Cantonese name cheuhngsaam. The word cheongsam originated in the south of China and eventually in Shanghai. The other term qipao is used in the Northern part of China."

Wikipedia weighs in:
"In Hong Kong, where many Shanghai tailors fled to after the communist revolution in China, the word chèuhngsāam may refer to either male or female garments. The word keipo (qípáo) is either a more formal term for the female chèuhngsāam, or is used for the two-piece cheongsam variant that is popular in China. Traditionally, usage in Western countries mostly followed the original Shanghainese usage and applies the Cantonese-language name cheongsam to a garment worn by women."

I'm most familiar with the garment through Hong Kong, so I guess that makes sense.

Edited June 7, 2016 by lordonia

[halopub]

I was a bit surprised when Patrick broke out with the "chi pao" instead of calling it a cheongsam. I've heard both transliterations in English but it can be tricky knowing which old Romanized Cantonese words are still acceptable for everyday use. I would guess that using Peking is as out of touch in the UK as it is in the US. However, there is a sizeable, vocal Cantonese population from before the Hong Kong handover, so maybe some of their words persist over Mandarin names?  

Anyhoo, the fitted garments we saw are more of a twentieth century invention than the kind of flowing brocade clothing that preceded them.  And has some complicated political and pop culture legacies. The challenge wouldn't have been out of place in next week's 60s episode, since that's when Nancy Kwan (Suzie Wong) popularized it in the American consciousness.

I too, felt for Charlotte, when she forgot to do that extra stitching and her tears got to me a bit. While it was time for Josh to go, I'm glad his chi pao turned out pretty well. His skill level and experience may not be up to par with his fellow contestants, but if he takes his time and has a pattern, Josh apparently is capable of creating beautiful garments.

So when and where does Patrick envision himself wearing Charlotte's purple harem pants? Heh.

[Pallida]

Was that a sitar version of I am the Walrus during judging of the alteration challenge? 

I also enjoy the support and cooperation of the sewers. I especially appreciated Josh apologizing for stealing Tracy's thunder when the group celebrated him coming in second. 

[Kimberley L.]

OK, just had to drop a note to say how much I loved Charlotte's Foxes in Houndstooth dress for this ep.  I made my friend a pair of sleep shorts in that pattern and will probably use the scraps for the pockets of my next pair of jeans or shorts. 

I'm also more than a little impressed with the last couple of episodes.  In the first couple of episodes really underplayed the sewists technical skills and their experience with different fabrics, so these past two episodes have been a pleasant surprise. I may have to go back to see if they were editing it to make the playing field seem more even.  That said, it does seem like the alteration challenges are really weak this season as half the sewists end up doing basically the same thing. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

I especially appreciated Josh apologizing for stealing Tracy's thunder when the group celebrated him coming in second.

I thought that was super sweet too. He really seemed like a nice guy. It's too bad his sewing skills weren't as good as everyone else's!

Quote

it does seem like the alteration challenges are really weak this season as half the sewists end up doing basically the same thing.

It seems to me that this year's group of sewers isn't very imaginative/creative about repurposing fabric and thinking on their feet, both of which are key for the alteration challenge. Most of them seem to go to the easiest/fastest thing they can make, which is understandable since they only have 90 minutes for that particular challenge. On top of that, they don't seem to be embellishing the finished garment much. I'm not saying they need to sew on a bunch of trim or extra buttons, but I feel like in past seasons the sewers added little touches to their altered garments so that we got a lot more personality (or we were at least able to differentiate between them so we didn't end up with a line of plain blue skirts).

Edited June 10, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Claudia Winkleman hosts the quarter-final of the Great British Sewing Bee, where the five remaining sewers sweat it out over activewear, creating complex, hard-wearing garments from the most technical of fabrics.

For the pattern challenge, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young ask the sewers to make a man's lycra cycling top, which requires expert handling of a fabric that stretches in all directions and a complex zip insertion that tests their patience.

Next, for the alteration challenge, the sewers use all their ingenuity to transform garish 1980s ski suits into children's jackets.

Finally, the made-to-measure challenge sees the sewers create the most fitted garments ever attempted on the Sewing Bee - yoga outfits - to secure one of four places in the semi-final.

Edited June 21, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This is the first time that the top six has been all women (I even checked wikipedia to make sure). I'm so sad that this season is already halfway over. I will be so sad when the season is done. Even though I can't sew at all, I love watching this show.

I loved that the pattern challenge was a color blocked shift dress because it shows how everything comes around again. Color blocking has been very popular for several years and shift dresses are timeless, so this challenge was a nice history lesson in fashion. I also loved that the color blocking required precision. I also really liked that although the dress is simple in theory, it gave everyone the opportunity to get creative with their color choices (even moreso than in previous pattern challenges).

I can't believe it took us until for Patrick to break out his trusty ruler! I loved this week's history lesson about Mondrian-inspired Yves Saint Laurent color blocked dresses. I didn't realize he was one of the first haute couture designers to sell official patterns for his designs (complete with labels!), which just makes me like him even more.

I continue to love the music choices on the show. The Austin Powers theme was cute for the color blocked dresses and "Je T'aime" by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainesbourg during the PVC challenge was hilarious.

I totally cracked up when someone asked Joyce what the 60s were like and she said, "Sex, drugs, and rock & roll!" We live in such an ageist society that anyone over the age of 30 isn't supposed to talk about stuff like that (unless you're surrounded by old hippies as I am in Berkeley). It was also nice to see her helping everyone who was having trouble with their 60s era machines. I liked the purple and turquoise that she used on the top sections but I didn't love the orange section at the bottom. She is such a good sewer and she makes great decisions about her finishing (like redoing the zip until she got it right on the third try and matching the thread for her top stitching to the orange). It looked perfect. Not at all surprised that she got first in this challenge.

I really didn't like Tracey's color choices. My biggest issue was that she used yellow for the strips. I also HATED that she used yellow thread on top of the blue and purple fabric on the hem and around the zipper. I like to tease Mr. EB about being super picky about tiny details, but he has not bought clothes that he really liked because he didn't like that the thread used for the top stitching didn't match the fabric. In this case I would totally agree with him. I thought the yellow thread on top of the purple and blue fabric made her dress look really cheap. On another nitpicky note, the skirt was too wrinkled.

Jade's black, white, and grey dress would have been okay if it had been sewn perfectly because then the stark colors would have looked crisp. But the skinny sections were obviously not the same width even before Patrick got out the ruler again. HATED the white thread on the black fabric in the back. And the top edges on either side of the zipper looked terrible.

Angeline's orange, blue, yellow, green, and white dress was very mod in the color choices. It's too bad she didn't realize until too late that she had mirrored the pieces. YAY for changing thread colors on the hem so that they matched in the front as well as the back.

I really didn't like the bright orange, light blue (she and Patrick both said it was mint green but it looked light blue on my screen), and white color choices of Rumana's dress. Hee, I loved that Patrick and Esme complained about every person who didn't match the color of their top stitched thread to the color of the fabric. White thread on the mint green/light blue? I guess it wasn't as bad as Jade's white thread on black fabric but I still didn't like it.

Charlotte's yellow, white, orange, green, and blue was very mod in the color choices. I loved that she cut tiny pieces of the colors and played around with them until she figured out where she wanted to put each color on the dress.

The alteration challenge was interesting. PVC can be a bitch to sew because it's thick and a little stiff, plus it sticks to itself. Heh, I loved Claudia's question: "Who doesn't want a lilac see through PVC crop top?" Exactly.

Rumana's red one shouldered draped top was interesting but the black ribbon behind the three little cut outs on the shoulder made me think of a watermelon. She did a nice job draping that finicky fabric too.

Jade's lilac crop top and skirt looked a little too similar to the original, but at least she sewed a zipper in.

Tracey's shift dress was so cute. Loved the red circles underneath the sheer white polka dot fabric and I especially loved the big ones that she made into pockets. I agree with Esme that the silhouette could have been slimmer though.

Charlotte's halter top looked too unfinished. I'm not sure if it was the material itself (that was the most see through of all the materials they had to choose from) or the design itself. Because it was so transparent, usiing some sort of black edging would have made it look more finished.

I really liked Joyce's pink smock (although I didn't agree with Patrick about it looking like a nerdy sailor). The black binding was a nice contrast to the pink and it looked like a real garment. Not at al surprised that she won first. Hilarious when she said, "I got two first places and I'm going to have two glasses of chardonnay!"

Angeline's dress is something that would definitely make Michael Kors or Nina Garcia say, "I question your taste level." That huge triangular cut out in the front would definitely expose some boob. But I liked that she edged it in yellow to make it look more finished and to give it a nice contrast from the black material. But the edges where it buttoned were noticeably uneven.

I was really excited about the made to measure challenge because I love 60s coats. I loved hearing about the inspirations this week (Elvis, Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn). I loved when they were all birthing their jackets and talking about whale sounds.

I liked Tracey's jacket. I don't know if I've ever seen one with sleeves that are part of the bodice like that.  I agreed with Patrick that she could have made the wrists a little smaller, but overall it looked pretty good. I also liked the fabric she chose.

Charlotte's Jackie Kennedy jacket looked so pretty on her model. And I love that she made the hat out of a cereal box! When Esme pointed out that the hem wasn't perfectly even and then Charlotte held the edges together and Esme told her to let go but Charlotte said no, I laughed.

I really liked Rumana's fuchsia Audrey Hepburn coat. Her two mistakes were really obvious to the judges though. I might not have noticed the lining pulling at the bottom, but I could see the buttons were off.

I wasn't sure if I would like Joyce's pea coat because the fabric didn't seem right when she first showed it (I'm used to wool pea coats) but it turned out really well.

Oh, Angeline. When she showed all the stuff she was going to use (the bright orange color, the paisley, and the orange/yellow faux fur), I was sure it was going to be a disaster. Between that and her dress from the alteration challenge, I felt like I was turning into a Project Runway judge, clutching my pearls about her taste level. At least she listened to Patrick and left out the faux fur trim. That shit was seriously hideous. I agree that her dress looked too soft and collapsed because of a combination of no interfacing and the too short lining pulling te hem into lumpiness.

Jade's cropped jacket was great. Loved that she pattern matched everywhere. It looked so crisp and perfectly sewn. I also liked the 60s eyelashes on her model. So happy that she finally got garment of the week.

When the judges were deliberating, I couldn't believe that they said that Angeline and Tracey were pretty even in the alteration challenge. Are you kidding me? Tracey's polka dot dress was adorable and well sewn. Angeline's was tacky and messy. Angeline knew she was going home, but it was sad to see everyone crying about her elimination.

[Rinaldo]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I totally cracked up when someone asked Joyce what the 60s were like and she said, "Sex, drugs, and rock & roll!" We live in such an ageist society that anyone over the age of 30 isn't supposed to talk about stuff like that...

I found this hilarious too. When I surprise younger friends (or students) in that way, I have to remind them to do the math: people in their late 60s now would have been teenagers during the late 60s, with all that that implies.

[zxy556575]

What was Esme wearing?

I was a teen in the 60s and would have bought Joyce's hot pink smock if it had been available to me. I still retain my fondness for bright colors and patterns.

I really wanted one of the sewers to add a belt to her (preferably mustard yellow) coat so I could live vicariously:

Yes, that's her hat on my mother's lap.

Edited June 14, 2016 by lordonia

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha I was wondering what in the hell Esme was wearing too. 

What a fabulous picture, lordonia!

[Pallida]

Ditto on Esme's outfit. The plaid on the top was the most confusing part for me. 

My dad was born in 44 and my mom in 54, so the music throughout the episode made me think of the music I grew up with. There's no shock in my household talking about sex, drugs, and rock & roll.  My dad and I have a joke where I will say "hi" and his response is "not now, maybe later."  (Pretty sure he stopped doing that before I was born...)

I like that Tracy talked about the color wheel, but her shift dress hurt my eyes. I thought her alteration challenge dress was really cute though, and since I often think she's a bit on the frumpy side, I was happy to be proven wrong.  I'm used to pvc in goth or fetish clothing, so the challenge was a nice alternative for me. 

I wish Angeline's coat had worked out. I would love to wear something that bright and wonderfully obnoxious. I would even wear it with the fur. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Claudia Winkleman hosts the semi-final of the Great British Sewing Bee, where just four sewers are left to battle it out to for a place in the final.

All that stands in the way are three challenges designed by judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young. This week, they want to test the sewers' knowledge of complex patterns and pattern cutting. For the pattern challenge, the sewers are tasked with making an asymmetric yoked skirt inspired by modern Japanese pattern cutting. This brain-teasing pattern requires the sewers to stitch one of the most technically difficult and curved seams ever seen in the sewing room.

Next, it is the alteration challenge and the sewers are asked to transform a duvet cover into a female garment. To add to the difficulty level, the judges declare it is a no-waste challenge so every scrap of fabric needs to be used by draping and sculpting it around the mannequin. How will the sewers cope with this radical approach to creating clothes?

For their made-to-measure challenge, their ability to draft and create patterns is put to the test as the judges seek to draw out the sewers' inner designer. Creating their own patterns in the sewing room, as well as constructing and fitting their dresses is the sternest test yet of their all-round sewing skill and their ability to imagine clothes, but who will flourish and who will fail to make the grade so tantalisingly close to that place in the grand final?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 6/14/2016 at 3:35 PM, Pallida said:

Ditto on Esme's outfit. The plaid on the top was the most confusing part for me.

For me it was the combination of the plaid and whatever was dangling from it. I kept staring at her trying to figure out exactly what was going on with her top.

Quote

I wish Angeline's coat had worked out. I would love to wear something that bright and wonderfully obnoxious. I would even wear it with the fur. 

I thought it was much cuter without the faux fur. I live in Berkeley so I know a lot of Burners which means that faux fur is basically everyday wear. But it gets matted really easily which make it look cheap. Plus every time I see faux fur, I start thinking about that joke about having to murder Muppets to make faux fur and then my imagination goes to bad places. I think if Angeline had added the faux fur trim, it would have ended up looking too much like wannabe rave wear. I know that Patrick and Esme are not as obsessed with things like that as the Project Runway judges are but I was concerned that if she added the faux fur, they wouldn't like it (especially since it was really clear from the look on Patrick's face that he wasn't a fan of that as a trim).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was so excited about this week because the sewers had to use four way stretch! I liked how practical Tracey was about the judges assigning them this fabric. As she said, there are a lot more people wearing activewear, but whether they're being active when they're wearing it is another story. We can all thank lululemon for making yoga pants acceptable to wear for just about every occasion.

It's totally understandable that people have personal preferences about what tools they use, but I wasn't sure why Joyce thought her age had to do with not being able to use a rotary cutter. Push and trace around the edge!

When Charlotte said that no one is ever comfortable working with lyrcra, I had to laugh because one of my friends (who is a self-taught sewer) makes custom performance costumes and just about everything she makes is four way stretch.

I am glad that each of the sewers got their own overlock/serger and cover stitch machine. I think in a past season, they had to share oerlock machines which I thought was unfair.

Charlotte's grey and blue cycling top looked pretty good from a distance, but once the judges pointed out the slight unevenness at the bottom of the zipper and where they could see she had sewn and ripped apart the collar, I could definitely see it.

Tracey's red and light blue cycling top was a very vivid color combination, which I liked. The stark color contrast made her straight lines stand out even more. She definitely deserved first for this challenge!

Rumana's dark blue top with a red zipper looked very sleek but oh, that collar. I wonder how much of that was due to her using the cover stitch machine the wrong way. Would her collar still have sagged if she had cover stitched it correctly? Or were those two separate problems?

Joyce's yellow and blue top was so Ikea! Was she the one who used those colors last week too? Ha, I had to laugh at Patrick's very British compliment: "It's really not bad at all."

I liked the purple color that jade chose, but her top was a mess. The neck was stretched, she had multiple rows of hemming, the zipper didn't match, etc.

The 80 ski suits for the alteration challenge were hilarious, as were the sewers' reactions when they saw them. Interesting that this week they weren't allowed to use any additional fabric. Loved this week's history lesson about how duvet covers were turned into ski jackets. Thanks to Klaus Obermeyer for plastic ski boots, sunscreen, turtlenecks, and mirrored sunglasses!

High five to the music people again this week. "Cold as Ice" for the intro song to the ski jackets was hilarious.

Joyce was really brave taking that hideous orangish brown color. I liked the way she used the embroidery from the original.

Tracey's blue hooded duffel coat was nice. I liked the stripes on the back and the binding she added.

Jade's navy blue, red, and yellow jacket was interesting. The way she sewed the sleeves was definitely different. I'm not sure how practical they would be for a little kid, but points for making an effort to do something unusual to change the look of her original jacket.

Rumana's pink and white flamingo coat was freaking adorable. She made a lot of smart choices in how to repurpose the original pieces and she had a great idea. I've seen lots of animal hooded stuff for kids, but it was so well done. I would have put her in first place instead of Jade.

Charlotte's leopard skin trimmed light blue jacket was not my favorite and the zipper was crooked at the top.

I was interested to see the variety of yoga outfits for the final challenge.

Charlotte seemed a little worried since she was the only one not to make a super tight top or leggings, but what she made is very popular in activewear and I liked it. The sports bra fit her model well and I liked the looser top over it (and she picked a cute print). I liked the ruching on the side of the leggings waistband, and I liked her double criss cross straps better than Jade's triple straps (also totally on trend).

I appreciate the technical aspects of Joyce's navy blue and aqua yoga outfit, but my personal preference is not having all those big panels. The judges were right about it not being tight or loose.

Jade's sports bra and leggings fit her model really well. The pink and black lightning print she chose was definitely something you'd see at the gym. It's too bad the straps weren't totally even in the back but that seemed the only issue. Two first place finishes for her this week!

Tracey's yellow and orange tie dye yoga outfit had some fit issues. When she talked about doing the little criss cross straps at the ankle, I was afraid they would be too tight and it looked like maybe they were a bit too snug. I'm not sure if the band at the bottom of the sports bra was too long but it was noticeably loose from a distance.

Rumana's black and white graphic leggings looked pretty good but the red binding was too loose. It was a good idea add that as a contrast, but that also made it really obvious that it was baggy.

Ooh, those donuts on the table while the sewers were having tea caught my eye. Now I need a donut!

Before I watched this episode, I thought Jade might be the next one to go home but it just goes to show you never know when someone will have a good week and someone else will have a bad week. I'm sad to see Rumana go, but I'm excited about next week!

Edited June 21, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Ceindreadh]

On 14/6/2016 at 11:11 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Jade's cropped jacket was great. Loved that she pattern matched everywhere. It looked so crisp and perfectly sewn. I also liked the 60s eyelashes on her model. So happy that she finally got garment of the week.

 

Her pattern matching was good, but I wonder how good it would have been if they hadn't been allowed to pre-cut their pattern pieces before the challenge.

[PepperMonkey]

Why are all my favourite "The Great..." and Masterchef-any-country-but-the-US wrapping up soon??? What am I going to do this summer and early fall? Go outside?

I was hoping for Jade to go home and I'll miss Rumana quite a bit. I thought her flamingo jacket was the cutest and I didn't care for Jade's 80s inspired kids jacket at all. I kind of thought they were supposed to bring it out of the 80s.

I really can't tell who's going to win yet. I was putting money on Joyce, but she's having ups and downs and downs towards the end of the game are a bad thing. I'm actually thinking it might be Tracey and I'm good with that. I like her a lot.

I don't DISlike Jade, but I haven't warmed to her as I have some of the ladies.

[zxy556575]

The remade jackets were all cute and so much better than what these same women turned out in the first episode. It's really nice to see them grow and become more confident. The cuts hurt more now because the contestants are all doing good work, but I thought Rumana's jacket should have won and maybe would have given her a slight edge over Jade.

Tracy's work is excellent sometimes and a bit slapdash at others so I feel she may be on the bubble.

Edited June 22, 2016 by lordonia

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was curious as to why they let them pre-cut the pieces for that particular made to measure challenge but not the others. Do coats normally have lots of pieces or is there some other reason that they would do that? I don't remember them letting that do that in past seasons (although, to be fair, I'm forgetful so maybe they have).

[Pallida]

Ugh now that you mention Burners, I don't want any fake fur :)

I seem to remember a few instances where the sewers could cut ahead of time. I can't remember if it was because of number of pieces or tricky fabric though. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Haha, sorry I ruined faux fur for you!