The Great British Sewing Bee - General Discussion

[doesntworkonwood]

The judging was very... nice this week. Especially on the refashioning challenge. That skirt was horrible and did not deserve second place. I find that as I become better and better at sewing, the things that wouldn't bother me a few years ago bother me a lot more now. And the timing also bothers me. For example, Therese's tea dress looked beautiful, but if she were making it IRL it would be a bad idea to do the hem as soon as she finished the dress without letting it 'drop' first. So in a few days time, the hem of her dress would look wonky and she's have to redo it, which feels a bit like a waste to me. 

I liked the Tea Dress theme. I thought it was interesting that they showed the actual patterns on the show as they don't usually do that. Maybe they caught on to the fact that there's always a scramble for hobby sewists to find out what the pattern was after the show. 

[allonsyalice]

3 hours ago, doesntworkonwood said:

I liked the Tea Dress theme. I thought it was interesting that they showed the actual patterns on the show as they don't usually do that. Maybe they caught on to the fact that there's always a scramble for hobby sewists to find out what the pattern was after the show. 

Whoops! that was me! Anyway, here's the patten Matt used!

I'm gonna enjoy this season. I think Matt is in the running to be my Top Fave of the season, and I'm glad this show is back when we need it most

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yay, I'm so glad this show is back! I love it under normal circumstances but I definitely need something like this that's low drama, calming, and peaceful these days!

Boo, Patrick's horrible mustache is back.

Esme continues to be awesome! I loved when Patrick couldn't hold in his laughter every time she turned Peter's mannequin and he said it sounded like she was farting. I loved it even more when she said she was.

Wrap skirts were a great choice for the first challenge because they're deceptively simple but require accuracy and precision to look good.

Hazel the charity worker who loves animal print has an adorable little boy. I liked that she chose a bold colorful print but I had to laugh at her explanation of the mistake she made.

Alex the ballroom dancer needs to focus on his accuracy. Patrick was clearly disturbed by how untidy his cut out pieces were. His blue dotted skirt looked like it had an uneven hem. And he sewed the button on the wrong side!

Liz the motorcycle punk (and I'm sorry but her self description immediately made me think that she must shop at Hot Topic or whatever the English equivalent is) being more methodical about her cutting made me optimistic about her chances of doing well, and then she sewed the wrong pieces together. Her tattoo skirt looked okay until Patrick pointed out that the button loop was barely hanging on.

Peter the youth hostel manager from Bristol with the orange pirate face shirt cracked me up with his sewing fez. I liked the white and black face print he chose for his wrap skirt. The contrasting black thread could have been an arrow pointing at imperfections in the lines, but he did really well. And of course Esme found the one drop of blood he left behind on his skirt! I was totally fine with him winning this challenge.

Nicole the jewelry maker is beautiful so I shallowly hope she sticks around because I am mesmerized by the symmetry of her face. Patrick tried to hint that the stretchy material she chose wouldn't work but she didn't seem to pick up on it. Her shiny gold skirt suffered from her fabric choice. As Tim Gunn used to say, challenges are won and lost in the fabric selection.

Angillia the reiki healer seems very chill, but her skirt looked so messy because she didn't have time to press it.

Fiona must be loaded because those pilates machines are really expensive. She gets credit for trying to blame Patrick for stretching the fabric of her skirt!

I loved that Therese wasn't at all concerned when she found out that she and Fiona had both chosen the same fabric. Her explanation that Fiona had great taste made me like her. I cracked up when she said her daughters said her love of wearing floral fabrics made her look like a sofa. Her blue skirt looked very nice.

Mark the banker's paisley fabric was good choice because the print highlighted how well he'd made the skirt. Bonus points for having matching paisley in his shoes!

Ooh, I want to hear more about Matt's drag designs! His yellow skirt was messy, even from a distance. The waistband looked uneven and Patrick said the button was held in place by a single thread.

Ali the paramedic's rose print skirt looked fine but we didn't get a very good close up look.

Clare's blue print skirt had an uneven hem that was visible in the long shot.

The transformation challenge - make something out of a men's button down shirt. I never can tell who will really get creative and really make something very different from the original garment.

As soon as Nicole said she was going to get a bunch of different trim, I thought oh, no. Her skirt was pretty terrible. The orange waistband was crooked and all those different trims looked like a home ec project gone terribly wrong. Pink and purple fringe plus green fuzzy balls plus rickrack? GURL. It looked like a toddler designed it. I like that she isn't afraid to use color but I think she needs to learn to edit. I can't believe she got second place.

Clare's halter dress looked very messy and ill fitting. Th gathering at the top of the halter neckline was bad. I think the opening she used to gather it was too big which made it look really sloppy.

Therese's tank top looked much too simple. Aside from the strip of blue at the top, it was all white with not much shape. The simple bow closure in the back made it look like an art smock or a kid's apron.

Ali's A line skirt was simple but I liked the color blocking.

Liz's corset was nice. I wish we'd gotten a better look at the finished product.

Matt's skirt was kind of weird but part of me liked that it looked like a sleeve and cuff.

Fiona's skirt was bad. That ostrich trim was so tacky.

Peter's dress was confusing to my brain. I liked the random diagonal zipper and I liked that he came up with a dress but part of me hated that you could still tell that it was a shirt wrapped around a dress form.

Hazel's pink and white skirt was okay but wow, that was a high slit. I liked her fork pleating technique!

Peter's skirt was very messy and he had the zipper inside out.

I liked that Angillia's yellow top was different from everyone else's skirts but how much did she really transform the existing shirt? The only thing she really added was the white ruffle and that was really uneven.

Mark's mini dress was okay but I felt so bad when Joe tried to help him get it on the mannequin and he put a huge rip in the fabric. I mean, Patrick was correct when he said that was because the buttons only opened so far which does make it Mark's fault.

I've always referred to the dresses in the made to measure challenge as tea length dresses (not just tea dresses).

Matt's yellow dress with a Peter Pan collar was great. I liked the details and the precision of the seams. It was sweet without being too prim.

Clare's floral 40s dress had a great silhouette created by the purple contrasting with the turquoise floral.

Peter's print almost looked like tie dye. I felt bad when he realized he had to add extra fabric in the back because what he'd made wasn't wide enough to fit his model. I liked the neckline of his dress but I wanted to tell his model to dial it down when she was walking.

Mark's 60s dress with bell sleeves looked very comfy. And pockets!

Nicole's Caribbean dress with tassels was really cute. Like Esme, I thought the trim might be too much but it worked really well.

I liked the floaty sleeves and ruffled him of Fiona's dress but it looked like she had a bad case of static cling. I couldn't tell if that was because of a sewing issue, bad fabric choice, or if it really was static cling.

Angillia's gathered dress had  the same issue. The static cling was so bad that it looked like the model was wearing a jumpsuit rather than a dress when she as walking.

Alex's cold shoulder dress was not flattering on his model. It seemed too loose in the bodice. And instead of cold shoulders, it was more like cold biceps which was weird.

Ali's country fair dress with a handkerchief skirt was fine but the dark grey color was not my cup of tea. The bodice looked like it had some minor fit issues.

Hazel's African wax print dress was very summery. I loved the bright yellow paired with the print. I wish the print had been more symmetric on the top, and it looked like the turquoise buttons were slightly off.

Therese's sleeveless floral 50s dress was pretty and so evocative of a garden party.

Liz's 90s dress was definitely very grunge. Now I'm feeling nostalgic!

Congratulations to Matt for winning garment of the week. Angillia didn't do well at any of the challenges so I wasn't surprised that she was cut.

Overall, I'm so happy this show is back on!

[GaT]

I finally got around to watching this, & I'm so glad it's back. No favorite yet, but we'll see how it goes. There's a documentary about Savile Row that has Patrick in it that I plan on watching too.

[Aulty]

10 hours ago, GaT said:

There's a documentary about Savile Row that has Patrick in it that I plan on watching too.

Let me know if his mustache is featured in it - thats gonna be a deciding factor as to whether I wanna watch it too or not 😜

Edited April 26, 2020 by Aulty

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, Aulty said:

Let me know if his mustache is featured in it - thats gonna be a deciding factor as to whether I wanna watch it too or not 😜

Haha, same here. I can barely look at that caterpillar on his lip!

[GaT]

On 4/26/2020 at 12:37 AM, Aulty said:

Let me know if his mustache is featured in it - thats gonna be a deciding factor as to whether I wanna watch it too or not 😜

 

On 4/26/2020 at 2:05 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Haha, same here. I can barely look at that caterpillar on his lip!

Mustache AND beard, & I think he looks great. It was filmed in 2008, so he's quite a few years younger. 🙂

[Aulty]

Dear Patrick, please grow yourself a full Tom Selleck - would look so much better than that lip snail you've got going at the moment. Also, full marks on chest appeal for Tom Selleck.

The 'sick swans' bit, coming from Patrick, was hilarous!

I don't know if I agree with Alex getting the boot this week. He and Fiona picked tricky fabrics and were unable to master it in the made to measure and pattern challenge respectively, but at least Alex finished both garments. His transformation was rubbish though.

I love colourful prints and palazzo pants and most of them did quite well. Most of the sewers who went for contrasting elements were on the bottom though, weren't they?

One thing I love about Sewing Bee is that they always have a good mix of 'real' people with slightly different body shapes as models and they are so good looking - and this week was certainly no exception.

I thought the 'comedy' bits with Joe talking to the male models were a bit lame - ask a stupid question and before they can answer do the time call - repeat thrice.

As its children's week next week, I will probably skip it.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Aulty

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S6.E2: Holiday Week

Quote

The 11 remaining sewers return for holiday week. First up, it is the pattern challenge, which this week is a pair of palazzo pants, perfect for keeping cool whilst abroad. The sewers are asked to insert an invisible zip and pockets, and the judges have a keen eye on how well the sewers pattern match bold prints. Next, for their transformation challenge, the sewers are asked to turn towels into stylish beach cover-ups in just 90 minutes. 

For the final challenge, male models arrive in the sewing room to be fitted with a made-to-measure holiday shirt, using bright and colourful fabrics. The sewers must create a perfectly relaxed fit. Whose holiday shirt will bring on the sunshine, and who will become the second person to leave the sewing room?

Original air date: 4/29/20

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ooh, palazzo pants! I loved that all the men said they wanted to wear them. Patrick, please post a picture of yourself wearing them on holiday!

Claire chose a very vacationy looking print for her palazzo pants. The light blue was very evocative of the sea and the watercolor buildings reminded me of the Italian coast.

Therese's yellow and red palazzo pants were very tropical.

The particular shade of blue that Liz chose for her palazzo pants reminded me of scrubs from a distance. She did some really precise pattern matching with that small print!

Mark's hibiscus pants reminded me of Hawaii.

Matt's leopard print pants looked like something that a particular kind of woman would wear on vacation (or not on vacation if they lived in the O.C.).

I thought it was funny that Alex said studying AI means he likes to be very precise when he sews because he seemed to have a lot of mistakes last week in all three challenges. The crotch on his pants looked off, even from a distance. The zip wasn't invisible and Esme found a hole in the bottom.

Ali's floral print was a bit more abstract so she really had to put some thought into where to cut her pattern.

Peter picked a very cool (as in temperature) looking light blue color but I didn't like the actual pattern which was a bit too busy. The leopard print pockets were a big risk and it didn't pay off because the leopard print was really visible.

Hazel's orange fabric was very eye catching. I liked the yellow color she chose for the pockets but I laughed when Patrick said they had all lost their minds with these contrasting pocket fabrics.

Nicole's red pants looked very Hawaiian. Contrasting pockets AND waist facing? GIRL.

Fiona's blue flowered pants were not even close to lined up in the front.

Congrats to Ali for winning first!

The towel transformation was a pretty generous challenge since they didn't have to deconstruct anything. The towels were just rectangular pieces of fabric so this should have been pretty easy compared to some of the transformation challenges we've seen in the past.

Hazel's fringed crop top wasn't bad but I didn't like the weird slit on the front of the skirt.

Ali's ruffled yellow and red dress was cute.

Nicole's romper looked like exactly what it was: a towel wrapped around a dress form with some decorative fringe tacked on. It looked so bad. How did that come in second place?

Liz's dress looked very homemade. It might have looked a little better if she'd had time to iron it. I hated the seams on the outside. If I wore that, it would drive me crazy to brush my arm against those outside seams as I walked.

Mark's cover up was colorful but it was SO short.

Therese's blue dress was good. It looked like she put thought into the construction instead of just whacking some towels together.

Peter's orange striped cover up was nice.

Clare's orange cover up was simple but well made.

Fiona's creation was a mess. And if Patrick thought Therese's dress had a centimeter too much of side boob, this was a ridiculous amount of overexposure. Almost no boob coverage at all and the skirt was so short that it definitely wouldn't cover the crotch.

Mark's skirt was too simple and too short.

Alex's cover up was also too simple. It looked like a kid took two towels and draped them over his shoulders to make a superhero cape. There looked like there was no construction at all.

Congratulations to Peter for coming in first!

Edited April 30, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[GaT]

It was a toss up between Fiona & Alex going home this week. I'm not sure what tipped it to Alex, but I knew it was going to be one of them. I won't be surprised if it's Fiona next week.

I think Clare is really underrated, her work is always spot on with incredible matching.

I love, love, LOVE Matt's Frida shirt, it gives me a case of the grabby hands. 

[2727]

I've been rewatching the previous seasons, mostly to track Patrick's varying facial hair. I really want a special of him modeling all the garments he said he'd like to wear: glittering harem pants, silk robes, beach shorts with pom poms.

The progression since 2013 from pattern pinning to pattern weights is very noticeable. Esme is more enjoyable to me than May, just because she has more personality. Patrick seems to defer to her more than he did to May.

I only vaguely recalled the contestants and who won except for season 3, where I even remembered some of the specific garments. That was a nice group of sewers.

I miss Claudia. And Patrick calling her Winkleman.

[allonsyalice]

On 4/30/2020 at 5:08 PM, GaT said:

It was a toss up between Fiona & Alex going home this week. I'm not sure what tipped it to Alex, but I knew it was going to be one of them. I won't be surprised if it's Fiona next week.

I think Clare is really underrated, her work is always spot on with incredible matching.

I love, love, LOVE Matt's Frida shirt, it gives me a case of the grabby hands. 

I ADORE Clare! I love her style so much. And her llama shirt was gorgeous!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I finally had time to watch the made to measure challenge - I was in suspense wondering who sewed what! I was cracking up at so many of the male models wearing jean shorts with what was clearly not beach footwear.

Ali's blue and pink floral shirt was fun, and I loved the blue lining she had for the collar and button placket. When her model walked out with his shirt unbuttoned, I was worried that she hadn't finished the buttons or that they were crooked, but Patrick said everything looked good (and I didn't get a close look so I'll have to take his word for it). The points on her collar were really sharp!

Matt's Freida shirt had such a great inverted pleat in the back.

Clare's llama shirt was a nice change from all the tropical prints but still looked festive and vacationy. Her pattern matching was so good!

Therese's parrot shirt was a nice bright print.

I liked the bright blue that Hazel used on her print. It was a nice contrast, but it seemed almost like cheating to put on a pocket that didn't have to be pattern matched. The bright color also made it really obvious that the pocket was way too low. I think the entire pocket was under the model's nipple. The buttons also looked crooked.

Nicole's yellow hibiscus print was a very classic aloha fabric. The pintucks were a lot of extra work so I was glad they turned out so well.

Mark's blue and white floral fabric was a great choice. He did such a good job pattern matching the pockets. His model looked so perfectly beachy with the hat, the relaxed shorts, and the flip flops.

Peter's sleeves were WAY too big, even after they were rolled up. I wasn't a fan of the feather fabric for this particular challenge because it wasn't very tropical.

Liz's koi fabric was a lovely choice for this challenge. It's too bad she only had time to sew on two of the buttons.

Fiona's shirt was messy looking even from a distance. I didn't like the yellowish brown color of her fabric and I really didn't like the dark green of the collar and pockets. I don't know how she managed to have such an unfinished shirt. The pockets weren't attached and there were no buttons.

I liked the colors of Alex's fabric but he wasn't even close on his pattern matching, which was really noticeable. A shirt like that CAN be sewn with 4 way stretch but you really have to know how to work with it. But he managed to get three buttons on (as opposed to Fiona's complete lack of buttons).

Congratulations to Mark for winning.

Fiona is really lucky that Alex did so badly in all three challenges because I thought she was going home.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S6.E3: Children's Week

Quote

The garments might be mini, but they are a mammoth challenge because they are fiddly to sew.

To test the sewers’ dexterity, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young kick off the pattern challenge with a classic for any little girl’s wardrobe – a smocked dress. The task requires the sewers to combine tricky techniques, including making a bias binding and a Peter Pan collar, and, most difficult of all, creating a smocked bodice.

Next in the transformation challenge, the sewers let their imaginations run wild, turning sleeping bags into food shaped fancy dress.

Finally, the Sewing Bee welcomes mini-models for the made-to-measure task, which is to make a pair of dungarees for a girl or boy. These must be perfectly fitted but allow enough freedom of movement to play in.

Who will climb their way to the top and win garment of the week, and who will stumble, becoming the third sewer to leave the Great British Sewing Bee?

Original air date: 5/6/20

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I remember having smocked dresses when I was a little girl! I guess I should have appreciated how much hard work went into them. I was cracking up at everyone ripping the arms off their mannequins to get the dresses on. Vicious!

Matt's flowered dress was so cheery. The collar looked so flat and even. The only thing I didn't like was the embroidery pattern of his smocking, which is just a personal preference. Ha, I loved that he used the gigantic yellow button that Joe found.

Nicole's floral dress was pretty. I liked the white smocking which looked very even. I was worried when she initially said that her collar wasn't great but she didn't have time to worry about it.

I didn't like the dark red patterned fabric that Ali chose. It didn't look like something a child would wear.

Hazel's blue dress was cute. I really liked the orange smocking and orange collar - really nice color contrast.

Liz's yellow dress looked nice but I didn't like the light blue collar.

Mark's pink dress was okay but the gathers on the bottom row seemed uneven from a distance (hence the big folds in the skirt). The white collar looked good.

Fiona's blue floral dress looked really good. It's too bad that she missed the top row of gathering stitches.

Peter's light blue dress had a visibly uneven gathered section.

Clare's blue floral dress was pretty but she definitely chose the wrong fabric for the collar.

Therese's animal dress was cute but the collar was uneven. I'm just glad she managed to finish in time.

The transformation challenge was...not great. It's hard for me to blame the contestants since they were cutting up sleeping bags to make food costumes. I mean, who the hell thought this was a good idea?

Ali's pizza was messy but it made me laugh. I loved that when Esme said she had no idea what it was and Patrick said, "Have you lost your mind?"

His consternation when she couldn't figure out Peter's sushi costume totally cracked me up.

Liz's orange/pumpkin was sad looking. It was too flat. It definitely needed some stuffing and plumping.

Nicole's carrot was, as Patrick said, not the carrotiest carrot.

Hazel's burger was like a straitjacket. There's no way anyone who wore that could raise their arms above elbow level.

Mark's bag of chips was simple but effective. The bar code on the back was hilarious.

Clare's watermelon was very recognizable and well done. I would have been okay with her coming in first (instead of second).

Fiona's watermelon was not great.

The best thing about Matt's pea/apple was when Patrick put the little hat on.

Therese's grapes was a fun idea. She got creative and it paid off!

Dungarees aka overalls!

I did not like the mustard color that Matt used for his kid's dungarees. I also didn't like the contrasting blue fabric (I actually don't mind that shade of blue but I didn't like it against that putrid shade of yellow). It was a cute idea to have the model draw a design on the pocket.

Clare's black dungarees were so personal. The giraffe fabric contrasted with the black fabric and the pocket with Africa (and Kenya highlighted) was a great touch.

Therese's yellow dungarees were very summery. Not all overalls have to be in a heavy fabric, Patrick! These looked perfect for running around in the summer.

I did not like the brown color of Peter's dungarees. I also did not like the button attachments for the straps.

Liz's star overalls were fun but I didn't like the sharp shape of the top which made it look more like an apron.

Ali's tie dye overalls were so colorful. I didn't like the flipped up straps though.

Nicole's nautical dungarees were cute but how did she not have  time to hem the bottom? Heh, maybe she should have taken a page from Liz's book and said the raw edges were on purpose.

Mark's green overalls were not my favorite. It looked like they didn't fit the model well. I also didn't like the skinny straps.

Fiona's classic blue dungarees had several problems, but I liked the contrast cuff.

Hazel's red overalls were so bright. The astronaut pockets were a cute idea but when she realized she had cut them out upside down, I found myself wondering why she didn't just cut two new ones, which she could have done in the amount of time she spent trying to figure out what to do. I didn't understand the extra strip of fabric under the pocket.

Farewell, Fiona!

I was surprised that the judges loved the grape costume enough to give it garment of the week. Congratulations to Therese!

[GaT]

Fiona was the one I called last week, so, no surprise for me.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S6.E4: Sportswear Week

Quote

To test the sewers’ ability to create practical and stylish sportswear, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young kick off the pattern challenge with a rugby shirt. The task requires a tricky combination of hard-to-handle stretch fabrics and a fiendishly difficult-to-construct placket.

In the transformation challenge, the sewers take cover and turn cagoules into miniature waterproof onesies for toddlers.

Finally, the made-to-measure challenge involves tennis outfits. These must be perfectly fitted but allow enough freedom of movement to win a grand slam. Who will smash their way to the top and win garment of the week, and who will score a double fault, becoming the fourth sewer to leave the Great British Sewing Bee?

Original air date: 5/13/20

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I remember when everyone (meaning non-rugby players) were wearing rugby shirts! I never realized how much work it was to make them though. The placket in particular seems like a lot of work.

Matt's blue and white striped rugby shirt looked very classic thanks to his color and fabric choices. I didn't quite understand what they were talking about when they initially explained that not sewing the collar on precisely would result in the placket not being lined up, but I got it once Patrick pointed out the slight error on Matt's shirt.

Clare's burgundy rugby shirt looked great. She's been the sleeper of this season. She has consistently sewn well and this was no exception. The placket looked great and the white top stitching highlighted how straight her lines were. Always the bridesmaid. I am going to be so excited when she finally wins a challenge.

Ali's red and white rugby shirt looked well made. I laughed when Patrick pointed out that someone from Yorkshire made a shirt with Lancashire colors. I liked the red buttons on the white placket. I wasn't as bothered by the red and orange striped cuff as Esme was (and I also give the contestants a lot of leeway with stuff like that since they have limited choices).

Mark's blue striped rugby shirt looked lean from a distance. I love when Esme nitpicks, not because I want the contestants to fail but because they know they can't get away with less than perfection.

Therese's blue rugby shirt looked fine from a distance, but Patrick and Esme found some issues up close. The placket was more of a problem for me than the size of her X box. I didn't like the orange cuffs though.

Peter's blue and grey striped rugby shirt had a fun pop of color with the red collar and the red top stitching. I felt bad when he realized he had cut two right sleeves and there wasn't more fabric to cut a new left sleeve. Heh, I loved that he and Joe had a bet as to whether Patrick would notice.

Nicole's pink and black rugby shirt was so striking because of the fabric choice. I liked the pink thread on the dark placket. She definitely deserved first.

Hazel's maroon rugby shirt was not hanging well on the mannequin. At first I thought it just needed to be adjusted but it turned out to be a construction issue which is why there was a noticeable fold. I think she just doesn't follow instructions well because she had a lot of little errors like the placket not being top stitched on both sides.

Liz's blue rugby shirt was a bit of a mess. At least she realized that she had sewn the collar on upside down and had time to take it apart and re-sew it the right way. I hoped she would realize her error sewing the placket shut eventually and undo that too, but nope. No surprise that she came in last.

I had no idea what a cougale was when the judges initially introduced the transformation challenge. I googled it and learned it's just a windbreaker/anorak. You learn something new every day! I wasn't really clear on whether the kiddie onesies they were making were meant to be worn out in the rain or if they just had to be a one piece outfit. Some of the creations were not very practical for the rain (tulle tutus and feathered cuffs).

Clare's rainbow onesie was so cute. She made such good use of her colorful fabric. The patch pocket was a cute addition (although unnecessary because kids that small don't usually use their pockets for anything).

Mark was smart to pick that bright yellow fabric to contrast with the dark blue space fabric. I liked the racing strips he added.

Ali's orange and zipzag onesie was so bad. Why didn't she just CUT THE FABRIC instead of having legs that were twice as long as necessary and then scrunching up the fabric?

Peter's red and blue onesie was giving me Spiderman vibes. Once again I have to ask why he didn't just cut the fabric instead of having arms that were about 6" too long.

Therese was really bold to mix pink camouflage with a blue floral print. It was a very bright and cheery combination, but I think she won based on that rather than her actual onesie which looked too big on the mannequin.

Hazel's pink and red tutu onesie was a mess. It was not well designed and was too messy looking for me. The velcro back was ridiculous and, despite everyone claiming you could use it to change the kid's diaper, not very practical. So you're just going to lay your kid face down on a changing table, unvelcro the panel in the back, and somehow remove the diaper that way? And clean the kid's butt while he's lying face down? No.

Liz's turquoise and black onesie was really ill fitting. It looked very poorly constructed. That random patch of velcro at the shoulder to close it looked like an attempt to fix a mistake. No surprise that it was last place.

Matt's leopard print onesie fit the mannequin well, but the foof on the wrist was really impractical. A kid would get that dirty within minutes of putting it on and you can't just throw that kind of trim in the washing machine (and no parent wants to hand wash a onesie in the sink).

Nicole's half zebra half tiger print onesie was my favorite. It was bold and colorful and I loved the asymmetric zipper going all the way down (which is very practical!). The green added a fun pop of color. I really hope someone calls Patrick's bluff and makes one so he has to wear it next week as promised. I would have given the win to her instead of Therese.

The contestants were given a lot of leeway with the tennis outfit challenge.

Therese's black tennis dress was fun. I could definitely see her Serena Williams inspiration. I agreed with the judges about it being slightly too big in the chest though.

Mark's cerise and black tennis dress was very sporty. I agreed that the pockets ruined the line of the dress.

Clare's science tennis dress was fun. The racerback looked perfect. I agreed with Esme about the V pulling though.

Matt's 80s skirt was so fun. It was a classic tennis skirt but with a really colorful print. The top was a miss for me because of the sleeves. The collar looked terrible in the back.

Nicole's retro look seemed like cheating. She made a t-shirt and shorts, neither of which required as much fitting as some of the other designs. The terry shorts should have been a little shorter.

Ali's pink animal print tennis dress fit her model really well. I think that is what won her the challenge more than anything else. She definitely gets bonus points for the ball pocket in the back and the matching shorts underneath the dress.

Hazel's classic tennis dress was good in theory but bad in execution. I know it was a lot of work to do all those pleats, but it looked so bad  in the three inches between the waistband and the pleats. A white tennis dress has to be immaculately sewn or it looks messy. The top had lots of problems too - the stretched out binding, the messy zipper, the ill fitting top.

I was certain that Liz was going home after coming in last during the first two challenges, but she really pulled herself up with her tennis dress. The ruffled skirt was cute and the sports bra looked like it fit her model really well.

Peter's dress was NOT a tennis dress. Although I'm terrible at tennis, I was friends with several varsity tennis players in high school and none of them would have worn that loose dress with huge floppy pockets, straps hanging down, and that giant collar (which would just make you sweat even more).

Congratulations to Ali winning garment of the week! No surprise that Hazel was eliminated. She doesn't seem to have the technical skill. Peter is lucky that he didn't get sent home this week.

 

 

 

[Aulty]

I love a good comedy bit featuring Esme to start the show. Took them a few years to find the perfect judging duo, Esme has taken the show to another level. Love her.

Didn't know Patrick was Scottish. Cute pictures from his rugby days.

Sorry to see Hazel go - she didn't do well and unfortunately there was nobody left who did worse. Nicole has really redeemed herself with 3 very good pieces. Therese recovered well from a dreadful pattern challenge, as did Liz whose tennis outfit I loved. If Matt hadn't messed up his collar he would have been up there with Liz and Ali for garment of the week - at least in my book.

I'm off looking for a nice stripey rugby shirt - loved to wear those back in the day.

Edited May 14, 2020 by Aulty

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S6.E5: Sleepwear & Lingerie Week

Quote

The eight remaining sewers return to the sewing room for lingerie and sleepwear week. The garments might look luxurious, but working with the slippery and delicate fabrics is hugely challenging.

To test the sewers’ handling skills, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young kick off the pattern challenge with a boned basque. The task requires sewing together small pattern pieces for a precise fit and creating a tricky hook and eye fastening. Next in the transformation challenge, the sewers transform pajamas and nightwear into summer dresses.

Finally, the models are back to be fitted for two-piece female sleep sets, each of which has to incorporate lace somewhere in the design. These must fit comfortably, and the luxurious fabrics must be finished precisely and expertly. Who will have a dream of a week and win garment of the week, and who will have a nightmare, becoming the fifth sewer to leave the Great British Sewing Bee?

Original air date: 5/20/20

[Aulty]

Peter is such a Project Runway type contestant

Therese can do terrific work - congratulations on garment of the week - but she regularly gets flustered in the first two challenges. Liz is a similar story. So far they have managed to get themselves out of trouble with stunning made to measures, but they will have up their game on day 1 otherwise the remaining middle of the road sewers (Matt, Marc) will clinch a remainer's spot instead of them.

It was the complete opposite with Clare and Nicole this week, wasn't it? Both great on day one, but really wonky sleep sets. Nicole is such a hit and miss - the dungarees were an inspired idea, the babydoll was really bad - she has to be careful now too.

Its quite amusing that everyone imagines the likes of Esme, Mary Berry and Camilla getting sloshed on Gin Tonics all the time? You'd call everyone else a drunk, but with little old British ladies its delightful.

Edited May 21, 2020 by Aulty

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I had no idea what they were talking about when they kept talking about basques. I didn't realize until they started showing diagrams that they were talking about corset tops. That is definitely a challenge - there are so many pieces so that in itself is a lot of work, but on top of that there's the boning which is a pain in the ass.

Mark's white and lavender basque looked a little wrinkled/rumply which made me think he probably wasn't precise enough with his seam allowances. When Esme turned the mannequin around, it also looked like the edges on the left and right of the hook and eye section weren't lined up. The left side looked higher on the top and the right side looked lower on the bottom. 

Liz's black basque was definitely kind of goth. I thought the material she chose wasn't the best for this challenge. The shininess highlighted every little bump. If she had chosen a different black fabric, it would have looked smoother. I liked that she chose a blue binding for contrast, but as Patrick pointed out it made it obvious where it wasn't perfectly even.

Clare's peach and white basque fit her mannequin like a glove. She sewed it well, but the reason it looked so smooth in the front was her fabric choice. I wonder what she would have done if Nicole had said, "Yes, I DO mind you using the same fabric!" 

Nicole's basque looked even better. I agree that a good press (especially in the back) would have helped. 

Ali gave herself a challenge when she chose that striped fabric, but I liked the way she turned the fabric horizontally for the cups. It looked a bit messy with all the loose threads and unfinished binding. She might have done better with a heavier fabric though. The thinner fabric didn't look as sleek in the finished basque.

Matt's basque was WAY too big. He had the same problem as Mark with the edges in the back being crooked. It was even more noticecable because of the green binding. And I don't know what he did to his hook and eye section but you definitely don't want skin peeking through there.

Therese's white basque was a complete disaster, which was not a surprise considering how many problems she had throughout the challenge. The cups were obviously uneven, there was no binding, it was too big, and the whole thing was a wrinkled mess.

Poor Peter. I don't know how he managed to forget all the back panels. I did laugh when he said that he was expecting a smaller model. 

I actually thought Nicole's basque looked slightly better than Clare's so I thought she should have won first, but I guess the judges saw something that I didn't.

The contestants got a lot of fabric for the transformation challenge. A pair of pajamas plus a nightgown is a lot of fabric. I guess the trick was finding two that went together well.

I liked the black and white checked fabric that Ali had, but I hated what she did with it. The faux wrap top looked very ill fitting and didn't have enough actual design to it. The skirt looked like an afterthought. 

Nicole's overalls were really cute and the judges pointed out that what she did was actually a lot of work. The shirt underneath probably wasn't necessary but it goes to show how much she did in 90 minutes.

Mark's skirt, on the other hand, looked like it took him 90 minutes (or less) to make. It just looked very basic and simple. I liked that he used both materials.

Matt's half and half top was kind of weird. The skirt looked unfinished.

Liz's sleeveless dress looked messy and kind of shapeless. I agreed with Esme that the ruffle down the center of the skirt looked like an afterthought and an excuse to say "I used the other material too!"

Therese's shirt was terrible. It still looked like a pajama top and the ruffles down the front and back looked tacked on for the same reason that Liz had a ruffle.

Peter's top would have been better if he had transformed the pajama top portion at all. I liked the faux corset at the bottom and the big sleeves, but they looked like he literally stapled them to an existing pajama top. 

Clare's dress looked like a home ec project. It didn't look like it fit well and there wasn't enough transformation since she used the pajama top as a base.

I'm so glad that Nicole won. Hers was the only one that was completely transformed. You'd never know that they were made from pajamas!

Liz's black pajamas were cute. Everything fit her model well and I liked the proportions. As someone who lived through the 90s, I can tell you that a crescent moon was not considered goth.

Clare's light blue pajamas were okay. The hem of the top looked crooked. I'm okay with having pajamas that aren't skin tight but the shorts looked really large and the top looked like it barely contained her model.

Mark's pajamas had a weird proportion on the top which made the model's boobs look weirdly shaped. The lace was stiff enough to stand up on its own which means it would probably irritate my skin.

Peter's top looked like the left side of the bodice was uneven. I liked the blue lace for contrast.

Matt's pajamas were a beautiful color and the fabric was perfect for what he made. But the black lace on the bodice looked too thick (or maybe too big?). But the pattern he chose was great. I remember Victoria's Secret selling a pajama set just like this.

I didn't like the cream color that Ali chose, but she had a lot of fit and construction issues.  The shorts were so crooked. One leg was visibly longer. When Esme was inspecting the weird panel on the side, I noticed that there were some sloppy sections in the back too.

Therese's fabric looked exactly like summer pajamas. It looked like it fit her model pretty well, but the shorts were crooked.

Nicole's purple babydoll pajamas were too heavy because of all the lace. 

I would have given garment of the week to Liz or Nicole. I thought Liz had the best pajamas in the made to measure challenge and Nicole's overalls were so good.

Farewell, Ali! Therese really had quite a turnaround and saved herself from going home after two disastrous challenges.

[GaT]

Therese really pulled it out, I thought for sure she was going home until the last challenge.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S6.E6: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Week

Quote

The fashion industry is the biggest polluter of our planet besides oil, so for reduce, reuse and recycle week, all the fabric in the haberdashery is replaced with charity shop clothes and soft furnishings.

To breathe new life into this old fabric, host Joe Lycett kicks the seven remaining home sewers off with a pattern for a man’s bomber jacket, which must be pieced together from four secondhand women’s garments. Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young are looking for precision sewing and the ability to design and create garments using attractive colour combinations.

In the transformation challenge, the sewers are tasked with turning laundry bags into stylish, wearable garments, and then have to use old knitwear to create a made-to-measure jumper dress, perfectly fitted to their model. One of the jumpers has to be brought in from home and mean something to them personally. It’s a Sewing Bee first, as the sewers have never been asked to sew with knitted fabrics before.

Original air date: 5/27/20

[GaT]

16 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

One of the jumpers has to be brought in from home and mean something to them personally.

Yeah, definitely don't like this part. It's gimmicky, & makes me think of competition shows where the winner has the best sob story instead of the best skill. How can having a piece of clothing that means something to them make the new garment better? & this also means that they are asking them to take something that means a lot to them, & destroy it. Nope, do not like.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

15 hours ago, GaT said:

Yeah, definitely don't like this part. It's gimmicky, & makes me think of competition shows where the winner has the best sob story instead of the best skill. How can having a piece of clothing that means something to them make the new garment better? & this also means that they are asking them to take something that means a lot to them, & destroy it. Nope, do not like.

I don't like either of those aspects. If I were on a sewing show (which would never happen because I'm terrible at sewing) and they told me to bring a piece of clothing that means a lot to me so I could make it into something else, I'd just go buy a new t-shirt and make up a story about where it came from. There's no way I would actually rip up something that had sentimental meaning to me for a tv show.

One thing I hate on certain cooking shows is when they want the recipe to have a family connection or whatever and all this meaningful history. Not everyone grew up with family members that cooked traditional homemade recipes that have been passed down for generations, but you're not really allowed to say, "This was inspired by the hot dogs I used to throw in the microwave after school because both of my parents had full time jobs." I was lucky to have parents who cooked for us every night but I know that's not the case for everyone, and it sucks to be at a disadvantage because of something that was out of your control twenty years ago.

[GaT]

Interesting. Nothing was said about one of the jumpers having to mean something to them, but from some of the things people said (and poor Liz cutting up her daughter's cardigan), it sounds like that was part of the challenge, but somebody realized that maybe it wasn't a good idea so they cut all the parts about it out. 

[Corgi-ears]

GODAMNIT. I can't deny that Peter's made-to-measure looked shit, and that it probably came about because, in his own words, he approached it like it was a "five-hour transformation challenge." But he has been such an imaginative designer, especially on those transformation challenges, that I'm mad that he got cut and will now deprive me of seeing more fantastic creations like that laundry bag dress.

[Aulty]

Totally agree with youse on the 'bring something from home' issue. I am not sure whether the contestants are allowed to take home the stuff they made on the show, which would make incorporating somthing they have a strong emotional attatchment to even worse. And even if they were allowed to take some pieces home - bully for the boys who won't wear a winter dress and the women who are a different size than their models.

One of the worst Project Runway episodes was the one where another contestant had to choose one of their items to turn into something else and there was high drama about a very expensive pair of jeans and a very beloved scarf (?)

I hope Liz's daughter had more than one school uniform cardigan, but poor Mark and his adorable piano jumper!

They writing was on the wall for Peter from the very beginning. Unfortunately have now reached the stage where every week we'll loose a decent contestant.

Loved so many of those bomber jackets!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I have mixed feelings when fashion shows do these reduce/reuse/recycle challenges. On the one hand, it's good to draw attention to the fact that the industry is SO wasteful. On the other hand, these shows are contributing to it by having multiple contestants create multiple garments that no one is ever going to wear, which is why having one episode seems like lip service. But I guess if it gives people something to think about it and maybe it inspires a few people to upcycle instead of buying more new crap, then yay? I did find the historical lesson about the rag industry interesting though.

Mark's blue bomber jacket had a great color palette. I liked that he got blue tones that coordinated well. It looked very well sewn too.

Nicole's jacket was so colorful. I liked that she used the dashiki fabric in the front and lined it up so well. The blue printed sleeves were a great contrast and I like the black and white pockets. I didn't notice the issue with the collar but that's probably because I was so distracted by all the different prints.

Therese's kimono bomber jacket was a great use of fabric. I liked that she combined the dragon fabric with the palm fabric. The dragons on the pocket were a fun touch. The collar was definitely bunched up in the back, but other than that her jacket looked great.

Liz's red and light blue jacket was mostly good, but the spot where the front didn't line up was really noticeable because of the color blocking. I didn't like the button placket that she used on the front. I found it really distracting but I did laugh at Patrick referring to it as a scratching flap.

Matt's jacket was a hideous mustardy brown color. I hated the pocket on the back because it's not practical or useful. The front pockets looked uneven.

Clare's dotted blue jacket looked great. I loved the red contrast she used on the zipper and collar.

Peter's jacket was SO colorful! The yellow floral fabric, the orange animal print sleeves, and the bird pockets were a lot together.

Oh, Clare, second place AGAIN. Congratulations to Mark, but this is the third time that Clare has come in second in the pattern challenge!

I felt a little bad that the contestants had to sew with those plastic bags for the transformation challenge. That stuff is hard to sew and it's so stiff!

There's dress was okay on the top but the pleats at the waist made the skirt flare out. All I could hear was Michael Kors saying that no woman wants her hips and stomach to look bigger. She could have used that in her favor if she had dropped the waist a bit and then flared the skirt out like a Dior look kind of thing, but instead it looked like a lunch bag that someone had breathed into. I loved that she used the zippers for straps.

Nicole's jacket was good. I liked the wide belt and adding patch pockets was a nice touch.

Mark's trench coat was fine but instead of working with the fabric's stiffness, he went the opposite direction and decided to just let it hang straight down.

Matt's tube dress was fine, but I didn't like the red feather trim - tacky and extraneous.

Peter's strapless dress was fun. I liked the diagonal zipper in the back.

Liz's bubble skirt was okay but it was forgettable.

Clare's skirt, on the other hand, was so cool. I loved how architectural it was and I really liked that she alternated the red and blue patterns. It looked like she put a lot of thought into it.

I'm glad we didn't get a bunch of sob stories with the jumpers that everyone brought in.

Matt's dress reminded me of a mullet - business on top, party on the bottom. The top was a regular conservative sweater and the bottom was this crazy Stevie Nicks skirt made for twirling. It looked like mountains on fire.

Clare's dress was a more grown up version of Matt's. I loved the bright colors of the skirt that contrasted with the black top. The points at the top of each color were so precise.

Therese's blue and orange dress was okay but I hated where she joined the seams on the bodice. They hit her model squarely mid-boob so it just looked terribly unflattering.

Mark's purple dress was good. The asymmetric lines were interesting. I liked that he used the piano piece from his childhood sweater because his reasoning behind it was exactly why you should use stuff like that: I've held onto it forever, I don't even fit it anymore, so what am I going to do with it if I don't use it for this?

Liz's purple, black, and grey chevron dress was nice but I didn't like the black and white patterned fabric. I liked the placement of the pockets.

Peter's witch dress was too costumey. It wasn't just the striped tights either. It was the cut of the dress and the execution of it.

Nicole's yellow and striped dress was cute. It was one of the few dresses that looked like a professionally made dress (rather than an upcycled homemade dress made of leftover sweaters). From the pattern to the fabric choices to the finish, it looked great.

Congratulations to Matt and Nicole on their double win! And farewell to Peter. His winter dress was really a mess.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S6.E7: 80s Week

Quote

The six remaining home sewers head back in time to the 1980s, attempting to revive the glamorous - and sometimes ridiculous - style of the decade. This is more than a stroll down memory lane, as they tackle the decade’s most tailored, fun and over the top garments.

First, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young challenge the sewers to get down to business with the trickiest pattern so far, a woman’s power jacket. Creating the perfect jacket involves grappling with tailoring fabrics and taking on such daunting technical hurdles as lapel construction and inserting shoulder pads, hopefully without getting in a flap.

For the transformation challenge, it's party time as the sewers let rip with their imagination, turning high-vis work clothes into party outfits.

In the made-to-measure challenge, the sewers take on their final icon of eighties fashion, the cocktail dress. Working with bold, shiny fabrics, they must create a knee-length-or-above dress that embodies the excess of the 1980s.

Who will disco dance their way to garment of the week, and for whom will eighties week signal the end of an era, as they become the seventh sewer to wave goodbye to the Great British Sewing Bee?

Original air date: 6/3/20

[GaT]

I don't understand how Matt managed to measure everything so wrong. 

[Aulty]

Esme and the cocktail shaker 😂 - thats all I have to say.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This show always has great music, but A+ for Depeche Mode at the beginning of this episode. I was hoping they would go with the 80s theme and they did not disappoint!

I'm okay with shoulder pads in moderation. Sometimes it helps add a little bit of structure if you're using a softer fabric. But those 80s shoulder pads, WOW.

Clare's bright pink blazer looked great. The points were so sharp and the shoulders looked perfectly 80s.

Mark's light pink and purple tweed (?) looked like it would have been seen on Dynasty but the shoulder pads were uneven. I liked that the judges noticed the arms were leaning backwards.

Liz's yellowish blazer was the wrong color. That was more of a 90s shade of mustard. I agreed wit the judges about the shoulder pad issues.

Therese's bright turquoise satin blazer was obviously unfinished. Her shoulder pads weren't even sewn in and she didn't have a button. The lack of pressing made it look even messier than it really was. The lapels didn't look even to me and they were a bit floppy.

Matt's orange and red blazer almost matched the shirt he was wearing. The seams and darts were almost invisible which was great.

I was worried when Nicole said she was using red PVC. I mean, red PVC is very 80s (especially with that black collar) but it was not a great fabric choice. It's difficult to sew with and you can't really press it.

The neon transformation challenge

I liked Mark's shorts. They looked very 80s but I wish he had one more than add strips of sequins and neon webbing. The top was a mess though.

Clare's tube top and skirt reminded me of Wonder Woman because of the colors (particularly the yellow boob shapes on the red tube top).

Liz's halter top was okay, but that translucent bubble skirt was terrible. It looked like she just wrapped a strip of duct tape at the bottom. The bubble skirts of the 80s definitely had the ends tucked under (hence the name) so the raw edges hanging out looked bad and weren't accurate so they served no purpose.

Matt's smiley face made me laugh as did the way he positioned the opening on the other side for breastfeeding. Esme was correct about the skirt being all wrong though. It was too long, too loose, and the colorblocking wasn't right.

Nicole's one shoulder top didn't seem super 80s but I had more of an issue with the random ruching combined with the grey strips on top of the red. The only thing really 80s about the top was the neon yellow trim. I didn't like the yellow skirt with the blue tulle on top. It seemed like she couldn't decide which to keep so she just threw one on top of the other.

Therese's outfit didn't look 80s at all to me. I didn't like the way you could see the ends of the black trim on the yellow top. I also didn't like the purple fringe hanging off the bottom of the top. I didn't like the blue velcro over skirt or the mini car wash skirt underneath (both of which were too shirt to cover anyone's butt).

Matt's metallic fabric wasn't right for the dress he made. It was definitely an 80s fabric but with the pattern he used, it looked wrinkly and stiff/loose, like if you tried to make a dress out of wrapping paper.

Liz's plum colored one shoulder dress with a grey ruffle was very 80s.  The big bow was also 80s. Loved the colored tights too.

Clare's dress pattern and fabrics were 80s, but they shouldn't have been used together. The velvet wasn't right for the bodice of the dress. The metallic fabric for the poufy skirt and sleeves were also not great because they looked wrinkly. It also looked like one shoulder was poufier than the other.

As soon as Nicole said she was using PVC for her dress, I was like girl, you are just asking to be eliminated. As previously noted, PVC is difficult to sews. Like Clare, she chose a pattern and fabrics that were 80s but not together. Her dress looked so wrinkly and bunched up because of the fabric. I was surprised that the judges liked it so much.

The black and gold lamé that Therese used together was very 80s, but if I recall correctly, those waterfall skirts weren't popular until the early 90s (like 1992). The bows on the shoulders were really 80s.

Matt's gold cocktail dress was so 80s, especially the peplum. I know he had issues and had to recut his pieces but it didn't fit his model well.

I was honestly shocked that Nicole won garment of the week. I think the only reason Matt wasn't eliminated instead of Therese is that he did better in the earlier challenges.

My biggest disappointment this week was that we didn't get to see a picture of Esme from the 80s!

[allonsyalice]

Nicole 100% deserved best garment this week! That dress was beautiful!

I’m really proud of Matt for pulling through and just sticking with it. We all have those days at the machine, without the added pressure of a time limit. Ive had those projects where everything goes wrong, but (since Patrick’s never been around to motivate me, I guess,) I’ve just binned them all. it's so easy just be be like "fuck it, im done im never picking this garment up again" and he did the right thing by walking away and then the added right thing by finishing it! Yay Matt! 

Clare continues to have stolen my heart, 100%. She was so cute trying on her blazer.

It is WILD how good these sewers are this week. The skill and talent they show on a weekly basis is honestly incredible. and I'm glad to see their personal voice and style come out with each one as well. And the tricky techniques, like Nicoles made to measure. 

I love them all, I want them all to win. 

Lastly: Joe was living his best life during the alteration challenge..

Quote

This show always has great music, but A+ for Depeche Mode at the beginning of this episode. I was hoping they would go with the 80s theme and they did not disappoint!

Speaking of, I didn't know this until last night, but this season, the show is putting playlists of the songs from episodes on spotify! (Sensational tweet from Patrick)

Quote

My biggest disappointment this week was that we didn't get to see a picture of Esme from the 80s!

Here!

[TVbitch]

Esme and her friends look like they could be in the band "The Human League!" 

Loving this show, as usual. ..and learning, as I never knew what "rag and bone" meant and other interesting things. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S6.E8: International Week

Quote

The five remaining sewers go global, taking on garments and techniques from around the world.

First, they must follow a pattern they have never encountered before, as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young ask them to make a Filipino terno blouse. Delicate-looking but deceptively robust, this garment involves difficult-to-handle fabrics worked into distinctive, voluminous butterfly sleeves and intricate covered buttons.

Next, it’s the transformation challenge, as the sewers take on Provencal table cloths from France. These colourful, strikingly patterned cloths must be transformed into a brand new outfit in just 90 minutes, making imaginative use of the distinctive, bold print.

And for the made-to-measure challenge, the sewers take on the dramatic Flamenco skirt from southern Spain. They must create a perfect figure-hugging fit combined with impactful ruffles achieved by inserting yards and yards of fabric into the skirt.

Who will win a place in the coveted semi-final?

Original air date: 6/10/20

[allonsyalice]

I adored the flamenco skirt challenge. I loved Liz's, even if it was a little big. It was just so striking. 

I will die for Clare, but even I gotta admit her made to measure wasn't the best. I'm with Esme when she said she wished Clare got the tulle on, but I loved the colour of her skirt, and the fact she did boning. And Clare literally destroyed the other two challenges. Her tiny dress in the alterations 😍

Matt's "U Ok Hon?" tee totally got me. Highlight of the week. I love it so much i want one.  

Imagine if Patrick nailed puling the tablecloth off the table. Just imagine.

 

[rhys]

I have one of those tablecloths. Gah! Imagine my horror. I was hoping Liz would win as I thought Clare had a surprising bit of clunky sewing at the back (?) of her dress. It was cute tho and I preferred it without the goofy Masonic apron--ha!

loved the blouses--even Nicole had a good start. She just didn't think the buttons/button hole through with that fabric. It was gorgeous tho.

[GaT]

Nicole keeps saving herself, but I think Clair is going to be the winner. Her made to measure was a disappointment, but she's been consistently good throughout the competition.

[Aulty]

Claire is certainly the one to beat. I admire her confidence in her sewing technique - casually opting for french seams and executing them well. But I dunno what got into her in the made to measure: the fabric was FUGLY AF and adding the netting would not have improved that skirt, it would still have looked like a transformation challenge item.

Amusing that Matt went for neoprene - a favoured choice for Project Runway contestants because it doesn't need hemming. He did a rolled hem all the way around?

Well done Nicole - she pulled a Therese again, wriggling herself out of contention for the boot with a colourful flamenco skirt.

I enjoyed the bit about filipino fashion - the blouse itself is not something I would go for, but the high fashion inspired by it looked gorgeous. Imelda Marcos is a greedy c*nt. I read up a bit on her after Simon Reeve met her in one of his programmes and can't believe she had the audacity to run for office again after the scandal.

Surprised that Liz didn't come first in the transformation, BUT iirc Nicole made belt like that in a previous transformation challenge and - correct me if I'm wrong - also did something kimono style in one of the first episodes. So it was probably a bit derivative. The sewing on Claire's was quite shoddy in places.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On a shallow note, I loved Esme's purple nail polish this week.

Liz's terno blouse had great butterfly sleeves. I liked the black binding for contrast but it drew attention to the fact that it wasn't perfect. It's too bad she only managed to get three buttons done. As Esme predicted at the beginning of the challenge, everyone left the buttons until the end and many of them didn't have time to finish.

I didn't love the brown leaf pattern on Clare's terno blouse, but the fabric was the right choice. The binding was even but I wish she had used a solid color because having the pattern turned into a thin binding wasn't visually appealing to me. But major bonus points for the French seams which made her sheer blouse look even neater. And she got all five buttons on!

Matt's cream blouse looked crooked and off kilter to me. I couldn't tell if it was the neckline being janky or the sleeves being uneven but there was something about it that didn't look balanced to my eyes. And he only got two buttons on.

Nicole's white beaded terno was a great choice. That is exactly the kind of fabric I could picture that kind of blouse being made of. And it was extra challenging due to the beading. Were they told they couldn't use premade binding or were they told that they had to make their own? Thanks to the coronavirus, I saw a tutorial about how to make binding very quickly using a piece of folded cardboard! Ack and no buttons.

Mark's blue/turquoise terno had some issues. The sleeves weren't poufy enough due to his soft fabric choice. The neckline looked uneven in the back and he used regular buttons.

Congratulations to Claire for winning!

Hahaha, I laughed so hard when Patrick tried to do the tablecloth magic trick and he made a huge mess of the tea set.

Nicole's wide ruffled pants were great except for the uneven pattern matching. Unfortunately the last thing you want to do is draw people's attention to your crotch with a mismatched pattern.

Liz's dress looked a bit messy. It looked like something a kid would make if you gave them access to a mannequin, a huge piece of fabric, and some pins.

Mark's purple jacket looked very loose and easy to wear. I loved that he KNEW Patrick would hate the purple but he added it anyway.

Matt's tiny top and skirt were extremely small, but as the judges pointed out, he had a clear plan with the pattern. I alsos liked that you never would have known that it was a tablecloth since this is supposed to be a transformation challenge.

Clare's little dress was very sweet. The only thing that I wish she had done differently was the placement of the pattern on the bodice. Having that big orange off kilter was really distracting. Other than that, I really liked the pattern placement everywhere else.

Matt's and Clare's were my favorite two. Congratulations to Clare for winning again! After winning the first two challenges, I was really hoping she could pull off a hat trick.

I loved that all of the models were WORKING those flamenco skirts!

Nicole's skirt was so colorful and I loved how flouncy her layers were. The gold trim highlighted how swooshy the layers were, and the top part fit her model really well. I agree that adding the waistband would have made it look even more polished and finished, but I loved what she made.

I think Matt should have either used a non-traditional fabric OR used a non-traditional pattern. I think doing both really took away from the authenticity. Using neoprene seemed like a bit of a cheat since it allowed him to create stiff ruffles and not have to fit the model as well (as neoprene is stretchy). I didn't like that the V pointed down though. I agreed that he didn't need to add a zipper because the neoprene is stretchy enough that his model could have just slipped the skirt on. That wide waistband definitely needed something to keep it from falling over. The fact that he needed to adjust it after his model walked a very short distance.

Clare's blue curtain skirt was hampered by her fabric choice. It was more the jacquard aspect than the color that was an issue. I also agreed with the judges that she could have taken it in a lot more in the waist and hips. The way she made it ended up looking like a skirt with a long ruffle rather than a flamenco skirt, which should be tight at the top and then flare out.

Liz's red and black Dracula inspired skirt looked great. It was a bold color combination and her model was totally into the flamenco theme. For the record, I loved that red dress in Bram Stoker's Dracula too. Winona Ryder looked gorgeous in that movie, which was due in large part to Eiko Ishioka's gorgeous costumes.

Mark's flamenco skirt was very colorful but making it a wrap skirt seemed like cheating. I agreed with the judges about seeing the back of the material in that cascade in the front. Maybe if he had lined it in a contrasting color?

Congratulations to Nicole for winning garment of the week! Awww, it was sweet to see Esme tearing up after Mark was eliminated.

[allonsyalice]

I'm excited for next week! New challenge theme: movie week. (Although I just bought a Marilyn Monroe style halter pattern and I'm concerned that seeing the pattern challenge next week will make me want another one oops)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 hours ago, allonsyalice said:

I'm excited for next week! New challenge theme: movie week. (Although I just bought a Marilyn Monroe style halter pattern and I'm concerned that seeing the pattern challenge next week will make me want another one oops)

I bought a black and white polka dot Marilyn Monroe halter style bathing suit a few years ago and I LOVE it! I ended up buying another one in red because it was so cute!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S6.E9: Movie Week

Quote

The four remaining sewers go to the movies, taking on garments and techniques from the silver screen.

First, the semi-finalists must follow a pattern like none they’ve encountered before, as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young ask them to make a dress inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s in The Seven Year Itch. The techniques involved in creating the iconic halter-neck dress include a bagged-out ruched bodice and perfectly inserted pleated skirt.

Next, it’s the transformation challenge, with the haberdashery transformed into a futuristic scrapyard. From the junk, the sewers have to create a science fiction-inspired outfit in just 90 minutes, making imaginative use of the hardware supplied.

For their final challenge, the made to measure, the sewers take on the Jazz Age with a flapper dress inspired by films like The Great Gatsby. Tasked with creating a dazzling dress fit for dancing the night away, they must ensure their dresses skim the model’s body, are heavily beaded and stretch out of shape. But only three of these four incredibly talented sewers can make it through to the grand final.

Original air date: 6/17/20

Edited June 22, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[allonsyalice]

Upon reflection, I do not want that pattern from the first challenge bc all those pleats 😬

I know they’re iconic photos, but apparently Marilyn Monroe hated shooting that bit. The photos were taken when the scene was set as a publicity bit where anyone could come and watch, and the real scene was filmed on a soundstage. Imagine being on a subway grate with people swarming around, waiting to get a peek at your underwear (which she was wearing three pairs of.) anyway, Dimaggio hated it too, but not for supportive reasons. 

Spoiler

The next day, Marilyn showed up with bruises. After Seven Year Itch was done filming, she filed for divorce.

Anyway, those pleats, huh! Tricky af to work with and Matt was the only one who really nailed it. Shame Nicole didn’t bag her bodice out. I loved the colour of Clare’s and it interesting how they all made the same skirt mistake. 
 

Very Project Runway-esque unconventional alteration. Very interesting, and I like what Clare did with it. 
 

Liz’s made to measure was the best, IMO! I like Nicole but I wish she went home! 
 

How is next week the finale!? Time just flies (when youre in quarantine lmao)

[GaT]

6 hours ago, allonsyalice said:

Imagine being on a subway grate with people swarming around, waiting to get a peek at your underwear (which she was wearing three pairs of.) 

I was just looking at pictures of her & wondering why her underwear was so big & bulky. 3 pairs explains it.

Quote

I like Nicole but I wish she went home! 

Nicole has managed to save herself so many times this season when she was the one going home. If she somehow manages to win, I won't be happy.

[Aulty]

Nicole should have gone home and I think they were either very kind while judging her flapper dress, or it was a very edited version. Pesme (nice one, Nicole 🙂 ) criticise Matt for the length of his slip and seams and how simple his dress is, but there isn't a word about the tragic bust and wonky seams of Nicole's slip dress or top. Her beaded top was also skewed and the pattern didn't sit centred.

I am biased though, I love Liz's aesthetic because it reminds me of my youth. If asked whose stuff I wanted to see in the final, it would have been Liz (so 90s), Claire (whacky 50s) and Nicole (colourful).

My money is on Claire.

[TVbitch]

None of the flapper dresses dazzled me like I thought they would when looking at those beautiful fabrics.  

I was a bit worried about Claire, cuz she really botched her flapper dress, but her space suit saved her. That really was stunning and looked like future fashion. The red dress was okay but it's been done and didn't meet the brief. The other two were trash, let's face it! : D

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. I hope she takes the trophy!