1960s Week The Great British Sewing Bee

As we reach our halfway point,

it's all bell-bottoms, miniskirts and hot pants,

just a few of the iconic garments

that made the 1960s the golden age of home sewing.

Welcome to The Great British Sewing Bee.

Last time - The Sewing Bee took a trip around the world.

I'd love to wear something very similar.

Tracey took top spot...

twice.

I think I'm getting the hang of this now.

Joyce took a detour with her pattern.

Isn't that more interesting?

It's not what we asked for.

But her made-to-measure dress was a one-way ticket...

It's very crisp, very neat.

It looks really well fitted.

..to garment of the week.

For Josh, it was the end of the road...

Something has gone wrong over the hip.

..leaving the women to fight it out for a quarterfinal place.

This week, the sewers step back in time...

What was it like in the '60s?

Sex, drugs and rock and roll.

..reviving iconic garments...

Magic.

..using time-honoured techniques...

I'm too young for this.

..vintage patterns...

If Elvis wore it, it's good enough for me.

..and space-age fabrics.

It's just really yucky.

But with the judges more exacting than ever...

I'm going to grab a ruler.

..will the whiff of nostalgia...

I'm hoping today does her justice, she would have liked doing this.

..put a swing in their step?

You saucy minx.

Or will the '60s be a decade they'd rather leave firmly in the past?

I'm OK.

MUSIC: Get Ready by The Temptations

There are six women left.

Go, girls, go.

My plans for this week is to follow the instructions

to the subatomic particle.

I loved the 1960s fashion, so I'm very excited about this week.

I'm hoping they're not going to bring out a 1960s sewing machine.

Good morning, sewers.

-Morning.

-Gather around.

Congratulations, you have made it to the halfway point.

-Amazing.

-This week is all about the 1960s.

For your first challenge, the pattern challenge,

the judges have given you vintage machines.

What do you think?

-Love them.

-Joyce very happy.

Good. All right.

Esme, what have you got for them?

Here you are. This is one of the most iconic garments of the '60s.

It's a shift dress,

a shift dress might sound simple, but it's colour-blocked,

made of 14 pieces.

THEY GASP

So we are looking for construction using very crisp, clean lines,

and we want well-balanced blocks of colour

to create something resembling

a work of art.

You have three hours 45 minutes, your time starts now.

-They are off.

-That's the one I want.

All the sewers are using cotton sateen fabric,

but which shades they select will have a huge impact on the success of

their colour-block dress.

I've got white and orange and minty.

That's boring.

This complex 1960s pattern will test who has the

skills and sewing knowledge to adapt to vintage techniques.

I don't know a huge amount about the '60s.

My family were back in Bangladesh, actually, in the '60s.

I sewed, in the '60s, flared trousers.

Miniskirts.

It was a long time ago.

Both my grannies sewed in the '60s.

They would be so proud of me right now.

I was born in the 1960s,

but I remember my mum wearing this kind of shift dress.

I wasn't invented until 1998.

I mainly know about the '60s from the film Hairspray.

And things like that, I know it's not exactly like the '60s.

Judges, why the '60s?

Well, it was a really good moment for home sewing.

It was post-war, people had more money,

you could buy an electric domestic sewing machine.

This is probably one of the most iconic dresses there is.

The whole point of this dress is it's crisp blocks of colour.

It is kind of a stained-glass window.

And this is the lead, and we need these to be distinctly contrasting

with the panels on either side.

Now, what colours they choose and where they place them

will have a big impact on the look of the dress.

I'm hoping that their personalities

will come out in the colours they choose.

Oh, this is not a normal shift dress,

this is a shift dress made of 1,000 pieces.

To create the front of the dress,

five blocks of colour are stitched to four thinner panel pieces.

It's then joined to the back,

which is shaped with two darts and fastened with a zip.

I have to ask you this, after last week's pattern challenge...

I'm doing it by the book.

Pencil out, soon as I've gone past one, tick it.

-On to the next.

-Good girl.

What colours have you chosen?

-Take a look.

-Oh, my goodness.

I think that will be fantastic.

I think when you're working with colour sometimes

it's about thinking what are opposites on the colour wheel.

So purple and yellow would be opposites on the colour wheel.

So that'll make the two really stand out.

I prefer that down there,

but I don't want the yellow next to the orange.

And that looks too heavy to me.

Of course there's endless, endless variations.

But one will work. This is the funny thing.

We spend a really long time just staring at bits of fabric next to

one another in exactly the position of the colour and the size of the piece,

it makes a huge difference to the look of the garment.

It's going to be quite bright and vibrant,

which is what the '60s is all about.

I think if you're given an opportunity to do a block dress, just go mad,

just take as many colours as you can.

-JADE:

-I'm giving you a black, white and grey dress.

So, in colour-block challenge,

you're giving us nothing but monochrome.

Exactly.

I've taken these off. This is the top.

Now the pattern pieces are all cut out,

the front of the dress can begin to be assembled.

Stitch panels one and two and three together.

I'm going to stitch up here.

The 1960s' domestic electric sewing machines are much more basic

than the modern-day ones.

Oh, this is weird.

What is going on here?

They are slower...

I've got my foot down on the pedal, nothing is happening.

..more fiddly...

and only do a simple straight or zigzag stitch.

I'm too young for this.

Joyce, is mine broke?

OK. You've got it on the wrong way.

Hold on, hold on. Put your foot on there.

It's a bit stiff.

It's OK, I used a machine like that when I was younger.

What section is that?

That's your booby bit.

That's the stuff for there.

-They are my colours.

-Exactly.

-My colours!

-They're my colours as well.

Get this, get this, while I'm here,

I'm going to use this as a fake microphone.

Sewers, you have had one hour.

One hour, I have not even started sewing anything yet.

"With right sides together, matching your notches..."

Stitch this white one onto here.

The dividing border between the colour blocks

must be exactly 1.5 inches wide

and perfectly parallel.

That bit's straight.

-Straight across the middle.

-Like that?

Yes.

-PATRICK:

-This challenge is all about accuracy, and already it is off at the top.

You know, you've got like a big strip running right down the middle.

If it deviates, it will be so visible.

They want precision, they'll get precision.

The '60s to me...

I was a screaming girl.

And... I mean, do you remember Marty Wilde?

He's got a daughter, Kim Wilde.

She sings, and I remember going to see him, all sorts of local stars,

it was just brilliant. But Elvis was my favourite.

You were either Elvis or Cliff Richard, and I was Elvis.

Oh, I had all his records and posters on the wall.

-Joyce?

-Yes.

What was it like in the '60s?

Sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Brilliant.

MUSIC: A Little Less Conversation by Elvis Presley

-Magic.

-That looks like the front of a dress to me.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-How are you getting on?

-Yes, not too bad.

So far, so good, I think.

Oh. I've done it the wrong way round.

You've got this back to front.

You've mirrored the front.

How did you manage that?

I don't know.

Pattern challenge is about following the pattern.

I just picked it up wrong.

Are you undoing it, Angeline?

There's no time to go back and rectify it.

Well, couldn't you just kick yourself?

The colour-block dress is arguably the ultimate '60s garment.

Emerging from this melting pot of a decade where haute couture, art,

home sewing and pop culture collided to create a fashion icon.

The '60s saw the rise of the teenager,

as young people sought to distance themselves from the older generation.

The 1960s, it was like lights, camera, action.

Suddenly everything changed.

You had new music, you had pop art, everything was different.

And it was so exciting

that the clothes had to be completely different.

One of the most famous designers

to respond to the changing times was Yves Saint Laurent.

He used a classic shift dress as a canvas

to display his love of modernist art.

These dresses were inspired by a number of different modern painters,

but specifically a Dutch painter called Mondrian,

hence the name of the collection.

And he puts it together in what is the illusion of a very simple dress.

It's very straight, it's got an A-line skirt to it,

but it is an incredibly complex dress to put together.

He put the seams where the lines are,

so it looks like a completely seamless dress.

Only a few people could afford such a covetable couture garment.

But with home sewing enjoying a resurgence,

this was a market Yves Saint Laurent was quick to embrace.

Usually couture fashion was a very secretive art,

and people just had to copy it from what they saw in magazines.

Yves Saint Laurent brought out the dress,

but also brought out a pattern.

The home dressmaker could actually have the exact Mondrian dress.

And Yves Saint Laurent went so far as to actually include

little dress labels you could sew into your dress,

so that you could feel like you had a couture dress.

Yves Saint Laurent had made haute couture accessible to all.

And as a result, his dresses remained

a much-loved icon of '60s home sewing.

Sewers, you have 45 minutes left to create colour-block '60s dresses.

Right, start on the back.

Pin and sew the double ended, or fish-eye darts,

matching up the marks from the pattern.

I'm inserting darts.

Because my back is yellow,

I've had to change the colour of the thread to yellow.

I need to really pull something out of the bag here.

Like Angeline, Joyce and Charlotte are matching their thread colour to

their blocks of fabric.

The others, however, have gone for a different design approach.

Blue and yellow. I like the contrast of it.

Are you guys changing the colour of your thread?

-I haven't.

-You're just going to have grey on black?

-Yeah.

-Grey on black.

Sewers, you only have half an hour left on this '60s pattern challenge.

-Jade, what colour zip?

-That mint green.

Putting in the zip will be one of the scariest parts

of the pattern.

One feature of this dress that our sewers may struggle with

is this zip.

This is what we call a lapped zip.

A slim lap of fabric that sits over the top.

We want this lap so it's not only covering the zip,

it's covering the top stitching.

If it's not right, is it possible for them to do it again?

Well, if it's not right, they should do it again.

OK. Just an idea.

SHE LAUGHS

Slide the zip into the opening with the teeth facing up.

It's a hard thing to do, this zip.

Have you ever created a lapped zip?

-I haven't.

-I feel bad I'm being a bother, but that is my job.

Doing the overlap. This is the fiddly bit.

Oh, dear me.

So you've put your zip in.

-I have.

-The only thing is, we can see the stitching.

Esme wasn't terribly happy with my zip.

So what I'm doing, I'm doing it again.

I'm unpicking just because the zip won't close.

I feel sorry for the people in the '60s.

I think I'm having trouble getting it up.

-So I think I'm going to undo it.

-I think you're going to have to...

No good if you can't get it up or down.

It defeats the object of the zip.

Oh, it is horrible.

I just realised I'm not doing the right kind of lap zip.

You're supposed to have it so that the lap completely covers

your line of stitching.

This is going badly wrong.

-Did you hear that, Rumana?

-What?

I was doing the wrong kind of zip.

-I was doing a centre zip.

-That's what I was doing.

Read the instructions.

Oh, shoot.

Yes.

-Did you do the right zip?

-Yes.

Oh, disaster.

Sewers, you have ten minutes left.

Ten minutes, are you joking?

-Ten minutes.

-Ten minutes to go.

Oh, hating it.

Oh, sugar. I wish I hadn't touched the zip.

It's not so good. Oh, blow.

Do you know what they're going to say to us? "Read the instructions."

But we did.

You've got five minutes left.

Oh, man.

-How are you, Joyce?

-I just want a bit of orange thread to do the hem.

I'm using white thread for my hem

because I just don't have time to change it.

Three minutes.

My machine has come unthreaded now. Oh, that's all I need!

Two minutes, then we need your dresses on the mannequins.

Doom. Doom.

30 seconds left.

Well done, Rumana.

Charlotte.

That is it, that is time.

Angeline, now!

Oh, it's on.

Let's bring up your mannequins to the judges.

Man, that was awful.

Come up. Come up.

Six 1960s colour-block dresses

in just three and three quarter hours.

But what will Patrick and Esme think?

Joyce, you are up first.

I'm going to grab a ruler.

Oh, God.

This challenge is all about precision.

And everywhere we look, these bands are absolutely spot on.

And I really like the fact you've used orange thread.

The right colour of thread on your top stitching

is absolutely critical to making it look precise.

Talk about the zip, shall we?

It looks pretty good to me.

It's perfectly even all the way up.

I put it in three times.

You may have had to do three times,

but at least on the final go it looks right.

And I also think the colour combination is really good.

-Were you copying me?

-I wasn't, promise!

We have the royal colours of Sweden.

Oh, I didn't realise that.

I'm not overwhelmed by this.

The big issue for me, really, is the zip.

It was a big issue for me as well!

-Well, yes.

-You've put the lap the other way round.

And also the fact you've used yellow top stitching doesn't work for me.

-Really does let you down.

-Yes.

I like the monochrome.

I think it has impact.

But it's not fabulously sewn.

I'm going to grab my stick.

One and 7/16 there.

12/16 there.

It's a bit off.

It's just a little bit wider here than it is there.

I know you wanted to do contrast,

but, for me, it doesn't actually work.

The zip is not great.

I mean, obviously the step at the top we'd see.

But if this was black, it wouldn't look half as messy.

The one thing that is clear

is that you've put these panels the wrong way round,

so you've mirrored the front of the dress.

-It's just not what the pattern asked for.

-Yeah.

But actually, it's pretty neatly sewn.

This zip is not bad at all.

You've changed your top stitching threads,

so you've used white on the front and yellow on the back.

There is one thing for me, this white band at the bottom.

What it does visually, it makes it look like the dress stops here.

It's just a visual thing.

They are not the punchy primary colours that everybody has gone for,

but actually they do work extremely well together.

-How did you find putting...

-I really struggled with the zip.

Here the zip has covered over this top stitching.

But when we get to here, this is narrower,

the lap over, and it's not covering the top stitching on this side.

Also you have done a white top stitching on a mint green.

Just not crisply finished.

More than anyone,

I think you sat and planned where your colours were all going to go

and you moved them around.

And I think the result is absolutely spot-on.

There's nothing that interrupts the sharp edges of all these blocks,

which is exactly what we want.

Self colour for the hem, which we like.

Unfortunately, this side of the zip,

it's overlapping the actual teeth of the zip.

And it should be absolutely on the edge there.

You know what, though? You should be very pleased with that.

The judges will now rank the '60s dresses from worst to best.

In sixth place, Tracey.

-I'm not surprised.

-It wasn't very neat and tidy,

and we didn't like that contrast.

In fifth place is Jade.

The zip wasn't great.

In fourth place, Angeline.

Just a shame that you mirrored the front of the dress.

In third place is Rumana.

Very nicely done.

In second place...

..Charlotte. Fantastically sewn.

The margin just was in that zip.

So in first place, Joyce.

THEY APPLAUD

The finish was great, it was all very accurate.

The zip was great.

Oh, thanks so much.

Well done to all of you.

Give yourselves a huge pat on the back.

When you come back, the '60s alterations challenge.

Well done.

I'm thrilled.

You've got to remember I'm a '60s girl, and I remember those dresses.

I'm not in the least bit surprised by that judging.

That zip was the most horrendous thing I've ever done in my life.

'60s week is going well so far. I'm enjoying it.

I have no idea what they are going to throw at us for the

alterations challenge. I can't even begin to imagine.

Having been tested on a complex pattern,

now it's all about freeing their minds,

as the sewers are asked to totally transform a classic '60s garment.

Welcome back, sewers.

For your '60s alterations challenge,

the judges would like you to use a fabric that was all the craze then.

-Patrick, what have we got?

-We are giving you...

THEY LAUGH

PVC raincoat.

Groovy.

Actually, one of the very first things I made

were outfits out of shower curtain fabric.

OK? Enormous luck.

You've got 90 minutes.

You two, go away so you don't know who's made what.

Your time starts now. Off you go.

Choose the one you like.

MUSIC: Shout by Lulu

Mind if I go for red?

Do you know what? I want that one.

-Lilac-y one. Oh, Jesus!

-I might go with this one.

If you're going to make something ridiculous,

you might as well make it see-through.

All right, I'll be wearing those.

PVC! It's not something I have in my wardrobe!

This is a great alteration for '60s week.

Plastic is actually a really difficult fabric to sew.

It doesn't handle at all like a normal fabric.

-It's not a woven.

-It can tear.

So these are yours.

-Yes.

-This is... This was a shower curtain, is that right?

-Exactly.

-It still has that shower curtain feel to it,

but you can top-stitch it,

you can dart it and put snaps onto it, you can gather it.

I'm hoping they're going to give us something graphic,

something pop, but something wearable.

I had a little yellow coat with a matching sou'wester hat.

I sweated like Billy-o in it.

Can you imagine when I went to the Roxy in that?

I'm just going to cut and see where it takes me.

-It's nice to cut.

-No hemming required.

I'm trying to take some sort of inspiration from Esme.

It's going to be a bit risque,

but Esme was very daring with her designs.

I know she's probably looking for something really out there.

-OK.

-What I wanted to do...

One shoulder! Look already how chic that is!

I might do a cut-out of another fabric, maybe black.

I feel I need to put my rain hood on.

My God!

Finally, everything makes sense.

What I'm planning to do is turn it back to front,

so that the buttons go down the back and make a shift dress,

put circles underneath.

Since Esme did a lot of stuff in PVC when she first started,

hopefully we'll live up to her expectations.

It's going to be a cut dress and there's going to be a waistband here

to attach to a boxy skirt and then the buttons are at the back.

How does somebody wear that?

-Just here.

-Ring-a-ding-ding!

I'm going to have a strap round the back that ties in a bow.

A halterneck top and pleated skirt.

Something you might want to wear underwear underneath.

I'm going to make this into a short crop top shirt,

and then I'm going to turn this into a skirt.

I think that's great.

Who doesn't want to lilac see-through PVC crop top?

Exactly.

A bit indecent there.

Whilst most rain macs are getting skimpier by the second...

I hope it's wearable.

Less is not more for all the sewers.

It's an artists' top.

-A smock.

-A smock top, yes.

I'm making it a bit wider at the sides.

I'm going to put nice pockets...

Like a handyman's pocket?

-Nice.

-That the brushes go in.

-Did you wear this?

-I wouldn't wear that stuff if you paid me.

Sewers, you're halfway through.

Halfway through PVC transformation challenge.

It's really sticky, especially when you're panicking in here.

It's just really yucky,

and I don't know what it's going to be like to sew.

I bent my needle.

It's not easy to sew with.

Slippery, but then also sticks.

This stuff is sticky!

It's terrible.

I'm just sewing in my circles.

It stretches slightly as you rotate.

Definitely one of the weirdest challenges we've had to do.

I don't know why people think that PVC is sexy.

It must be the most sweaty, uncomfortable thing to wear in the world.

If my husband knew I was sewing pink PVC now, he'd go, "Hmmm".

But he can wear it because I'm not.

You saucy minx.

-Joyce.

-Oh, don't!

Sewers, you only have half an hour left with your raincoats.

As well as using the original features of the mac...

-Is that black?

-..the sewers can add to their alterations

by making use of the haberdashery.

I'm using the binding just to finish the edges of the PVC.

It's just to give a wee bit of a splash of colour.

Trying to make it fitted at the waist.

I just want to make it really clear -

this is not something I would sew for myself.

I'll tell my mum to go out for a cup of tea when this is on.

I've got this tape and the last bit of the buttons making a pocket

and putting it on the front.

Cut out the hole in the middle. Red PVC underneath.

And those are pockets?

-Yeah.

-Oh, my gosh, that's adorable.

Keys. Lip salve.

Tissues, lip salve, definitely lip salve.

-You seem relaxed.

-I think so.

It's not like I've got to put a zip in, is it?

You'll never do a zip again.

I'm going to put a zip in it.

If I put something technical in a hard fabric they might...

they might like it.

I'm using only the PVC.

I want to show the judges what you can do with just a mac.

Sewers, I have news.

Ten minutes left.

Oh, God.

-Jade, you happy?

-Just adding darts.

What? Duh, duh, day!

It's a flower because '60s flower power age.

They might not like that.

Yours is cute...in a PVC kind of way.

That is the most revealing thing I've ever seen in my life.

Lady Gaga could wear this outfit.

I think that works. Sometimes you've just got to stop.

Sewing in some more of my circles.

-Do I get to announce the time?

-Yes, you're in charge of the time.

Tell them it's five minutes.

Five minutes, everyone, and I'm not panicking.

-Yes!

-Yay!

Unfortunately, I've got a horizontal seam

running across the front of my skirt.

It's fine. We're not looking for perfection.

Sewers, if your outfit isn't on your mannequin, there will be trouble.

-No.

-It's all ripped.

-No, don't say that.

-I'm just going to trim that up a bit.

Done.

That is time. Well done, everybody.

Well done.

Perfectly decent. Wear that to Sainsbury's.

-Does it really need to be wearable?

-Come on, Angeline.

SONG: Je t'aime...mon non plus

Patrick and Esme have no idea whose alteration is whose.

-Impressive.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-This is pretty bold.

-Very bold.

Strangely sort of sexy.

This must have taken quite a while.

Grosgrain ribbon behind those cut-outs.

-Yep.

-I like how it's been gathered in at the top.

It looks well thought out.

I think it has an impact to it.

So, we've got a top and a skirt here.

The skirt has required quite a bit of re-engineering.

-Open ended zip.

-That works very well.

The one thing I like about this, where the darts are,

you get that four layers of the plastic so it emphasises that shape.

But actually it's not madly complicated.

Still got many elements of the mac.

Very obviously '60s.

Yes, with the target.

That target motif was a very big recurring theme

-in the clothes of that era.

-Yes.

As was this neckline.

Also a button back.

It definitely shows good understanding

of the clothes of the period.

-Yeah.

-You don't sound madly enthusiastic.

I'm not that keen on the shape of it.

I think it should have been slimmer.

This one is almost a sort of '50s vibe.

Yes, it is, yes.

With a '60s vinyl.

You could be on the beach in this,

except you'd probably sweat quite a lot.

A little dart here to make a shape for the bust.

-Yep.

-The person has joined two bits together here to get the length.

I guess it was because they didn't have a long enough piece.

I would have liked it if the seam had just...

-Carried on.

-..carried on.

-I like this.

-I really like it.

It's got a sort of nerdy sailor look to it.

-Yes.

-In neon pink.

Have they turned the front into a pocket?

Yeah, I think that's very clever.

They've got... Added a triangle to give it this shape.

More flair.

I don't like this pom-pom flower thing here.

Can we look at the back?

A-ha. They've thought about the binding to match the button.

I really like it.

Blimey.

Is it '60s?

Definitely has a touch of the Barbarella about it.

Yes, yes, it does.

It's just been split and pulled apart and bound.

Actually, on the back, why is it crossing over?

Is that a feature, do you think?

I think it's a mistake.

It is imaginative,

but it's never going to stay on anyone's bosom

unless they are completely flat-chested.

I think you need some toupee tape.

I think you'd need a bit of something.

Patrick and Esme will now rank the alterations,

starting with the least successful.

In sixth place is the white spot.

That's me.

I'm quite worried about what's going to happen here.

Some tit tape. Yeah.

And maybe a vest!

In fifth place it is the black polka-dots on the clear,

the halterneck.

It's very nice. It's very clear what you were setting out to do,

but it was up against tough competition.

In fourth place is the lilac outfit.

I like this a lot, but it's still got many elements of the mac.

In third place, it's the targets.

It's great. It's really fun.

It's got a very distinctly '60s feel to it.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

You've got Rumana and Joyce left.

In second place is the red outfit.

We loved this. It's really graphic.

It works really well and very imaginative.

-Very well done.

-Thank you very much.

Oh, dear God.

Which means, of course, in first place,

it's Joyce's pink...

It's like a Liquorice Allsort.

It's almost edible.

I don't know what to say.

-Thank you.

-Very well done.

Go home. Listen to some '60s music.

We'll see you back here tomorrow for the big made-to-measure.

Night-night. Sleep well.

Just so amazed.

Well done.

Two firsts! Oh!

Oh. I just... Yes, absolutely brilliant.

I am quite disappointed,

but, yeah, the competition's just getting stiffer.

-RUMANA:

-I cannot believe I got so close to first place.

So close.

But Joycey again just comes in, and it was brilliant.

I thought hers was fantastic.

I am certainly looking forward to going back

and celebrating.

I got two firsts and I'm going to have two Chardonnays.

It's day two and time for the final '60s challenge,

and with only five places in next week's quarterfinal,

there's everything to sew for.

So far, have you been impressed?

Yes, I have. I've been really impressed.

Joyce came top in both challenges.

She'd have to have a disaster today for anything untoward to happen.

But I think Charlotte as well.

-Yes?

-That dress was really very, very well made.

I mean there was very little between the two of them at the top.

So, then, let's talk about those who are in trouble.

Tracey, she came bottom in the colour-block.

She messed up actually.

She did the colour top stitching and the zip was a mess.

Jade's monochrome colour-block dress

just lacked the crispness of some of the others.

And is Angeline in trouble?

We did put her bottom in the alteration challenge.

But in earlier shows, we've seen Angeline do quite badly

in the first two challenges and then get garment of the week.

Yeah, I think that's exactly right.

Yeah, it could. I mean, Angeline's had garment of the week twice.

For the made-to-measure challenge, fit is crucial,

so the mannequins have made way for real models.

Morning, hon?

You all right?

Nice to see you again.

OK, sewers, for your made-to-measure challenge,

the judges would love you to use vintage '60s patterns

to make wonderful jackets. Are you ready?

-Yeah. Woo!

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-You have six-and-a-half hours.

Your time starts now.

This is the one challenge the sewers have been able to practise at home.

The judges will be looking more and more at the detail.

Time to up my game.

Need a glug of water, some prayers.

I really want to stay, but it's very tough now.

There are a lot of good sewers here.

Oh.

The sewers were allowed to pre-cut their main pattern pieces,

but the fitting and construction must be done now.

Phwoar! Steamy.

It's week five. You've never asked them to make a jacket before.

Why have you waited until now?

We haven't really tested them on their tailoring skills.

It seems an appropriate time now, with it being the '60s,

a decade when the jacket really transformed itself.

Tailoring became, you know, exaggerated and exuberant.

Do you want buttons? Do you want pockets?

Will that all get extra marks?

Well, it depends how it's executed, actually.

Making a jacket is all to do with the finish.

So, when we do the catwalk show,

you want to be transported back to the '60s?

Yes.

Nice. I'm going to go for some music.

That would be good.

MUSIC: Puppet On A String by Sandi Shaw

# I wonder if one day that you'll say that you care

# If you say you love me madly I'll gladly be there

# Like a puppet on a string... #

My jacket is inspired by Jackie Kennedy in the early '60s.

She, sort of, inspired a whole generation of fashion, really.

Away from the nipped-in waist of the '50s.

There's a sort of theory that it was cos she kept having babies.

Charlotte's Jackie Kennedy-inspired single-breasted boxy jacket

will have a flat Peter Pan collar, covered buttons,

and set-in sleeves.

The judges do have very high standards.

Especially with jackets and things.

I always worry cos Patrick, of course, knows his tailoring.

I chose this navy blue, because it's a pea jacket.

Originally, a pea jacket was used by sailors.

Joyce's pea jacket is double-breasted with lapels,

a notched collar, set-in sleeves,

and in-seam pockets.

Now, this is going to make me sound awful,

but Elvis wore a similar jacket

and if Elvis wore it, it's good enough for me.

So I have gone for an Audrey Hepburn-inspired jacket.

She's just a style icon, and when you look back at pictures,

it's unbelievable how glamorous and, still, how fashionable she is.

Rumana's A-line coat has raglan sleeves

for a soft, '60s shoulder,

a flat Peter Pan collar,

covered buttons and welt pockets.

I'm just doing my pockets.

And how are you finding that?

-I did one.

-It's not too bad.

I'm hoping this one's a bit better.

Well, don't make it too much better,

-cos then it will make this one look worse. You want them even.

-OK.

My jacket is inspired by the later part of the '60s.

The swinging '60s.

It's going to be bright and vibrant.

Angelina's wool-flannel A-line coat

has patch pockets

with contrast Paisley fabric,

A high funnel collar,

and covered buttons with Rouleau loops.

I'm adding some fur.

-Stop it!

-Along the bottom.

-No!

-Just here.

That with Paisley and bright orange?!

I've got something at the back of my neck.

I'm kidding. It's fantastic.

If that doesn't win, I don't know what will.

I mean, possibly something else.

But, still...

-Let's give it a go.

-OK.

Not all the sewers are going for the bells-and-whistles approach

to the jacket.

That's better.

Mine is a little bit less complicated than everyone else's.

It's only, like, five pieces.

But, it's the way that I'm going to sew it together

that's hopefully going to wow the judges.

I think, just the techniques that I'm going to use,

and make sure it is perfectly sewn and matching.

Jade's cropped jacket has a flat Peter Pan collar,

elbow length set-in sleeves,

and is made from a wool and silk-blend

tweed fabric.

You're going to see something amazing.

It's pattern-matched all the way through.

Stop it! It IS pattern-matched.

CLAUDIA GASPS

Can you see a seam at the front anywhere?

-No!

-It's right there.

-CLAUDIA GASPS

I could not see that!

-Well done.

-Thanks.

Let's have a look at this fur?

It's like Rod Hull has stepped into the room.

I don't know Rod Hull is.

Do you not remember? With Emu.

Oh, I remember Emu, yes.

Once I was doing the research,

there was a lot of fur on jackets,

especially in the late '60s.

But, actually, that looks a little bit, sort of, well, fancy dress.

I've chosen a pattern that's based on an original 1960s pattern.

It's got this, what's called a grown-on sleeve.

So, the sleeve and the body are all cut in one.

I've got to make sure this is good today, really,

if I'm going to be staying.

Tracey's tweed cardigan-style jacket

has bracelet length grown-on sleeves

with a side gusset,

welt pockets and a flat collar.

And it is inspired by her mum.

This was an outfit my mum made in 1960, on her honeymoon.

She made it on honeymoon, or she wore it on honeymoon?

No. She made it to wear on honeymoon.

It wasn't a good honeymoon if you were sewing, was it?

Then, just to make you laugh,

she turned that outfit into something for me when I was three.

So, she was a fantastic sewer.

All sorts of things, yeah. Was really good at sewing.

I'm hoping today does her justice, really.

She would have liked doing this.

-All right. I'm really looking forward to this.

-Good.

MUSIC: Knock On Wood

You've had one hour 35, boys and girls.

Girls.

The judges aren't sure if the fur is going to work.

So, I'm not going to put it on.

I came last in the alteration challenge,

which wasn't ideal.

So, under pressure.

Armholes, good.

The sewers will have to continually make adjustments

to ensure their jackets are a perfect fit.

I just need to take this in just a tiny bit.

Just to make it fit her better.

Otherwise, it looks like she has got odd boobies.

Fit is very important to me because it's not something I'm usually very good at,

so I really don't want to let myself down with that.

But a good fit isn't all the judges will be looking for.

The sewers have to figure out where and how

to give their jackets structure.

I'm just going to get some more interfacing.

What is interfacing?

Interfacing is a layer, either of canvas or iron-on fabric,

that gives the jacket a structure and a good finish.

Allow the fabric to drape naturally where you need it to drape

and use interfacing where it needs to be crisp.

I've done my interfacing, to give it a bit more steadiness.

I've used interfacing so it doesn't all go misshapen in use,

and when you put the buttonholes in.

Collar needs interfacing which is what I'm working on now.

That's a better fit.

I'm slightly worried Angeline hasn't interfaced that front.

It's quite bouncy fabric

and there still needs to be a crispness to the finish.

I've put interfacing on the front section of my jacket.

How do you think Jade is getting on?

She doesn't have an awful lot to do process-wise.

Given that this is not the most complicated of garments,

she's going to have to make this...

-Beautifully.

-..beautifully.

I'm taking my time and making sure that everything's perfect.

Hopefully the judges will be very impressed by it.

Sewers, you're halfway through.

Sewing in sleeves at the moment.

Nearly got the second sleeve sewn in.

I made sure that even the sleeves were pattern-matched.

Oh, yeah!

Five of the six sewers have cut out individual sleeve pieces

and are now attaching them to the shoulders.

You just match the side seam and the shoulder seam with your markings

and then you can just ease the rest in.

Super groovy.

It's a little bit tricky with this grown-on sleeve.

But Tracey's sleeves aren't separate.

They're part of her T-shaped bodice.

Just done the underarm seam,

and then I'm fixing the underarm to the panel

that goes round the side of the body.

This means she has to insert a fiddly gusset where the seams meet.

A little bit of a lump there. That shouldn't happen.

It is a really, kind of, perplexing shape.

It does look OK, but it's just taking her ages.

I might get rid of it with enough steam.

Joyce, you are pressing.

They will be very pleased about that.

Press, press, press, Claudia.

-How are you finding this challenge?

-I like it.

I really like tailoring.

This is getting the collar right, it's quite difficult.

-I know.

-So, if you could knock another 20 minutes on

-at least at the end?

-Leave it with me, Joyce.

-Leave it with me.

-Thank you.

-SHE MOUTHS

Sewers, you have one hour left.

That seems to have gone very quickly.

I'm pinning my lining jacket, which is now complete,

to my jacket jacket, which is also complete,

and I'm going to sew them together.

To attach their linings,

the sewers are using the bagging-out technique.

Bagging-out is you sew the lining to the body of the coat inside-out

and then pull it the right way round.

At that point, you realise it either works or it doesn't work.

The lining can actually make or break a jacket.

If the lining is too small, it might pull up the jacket from the inside.

So, now I've got a thing that doesn't in any way

look like a jacket.

Turn the whole thing through. It's like giving birth.

It's probably the most exciting bit of jacket-making.

-I'm about to give birth!

-I'd like to be your doula.

-Would you?

-Yeah.

I'm really hoping this goes right.

-We're birthing.

-We're birthing!

It's all twisted.

Some weird creature's going to be born.

I can see the collar.

Shall I pretend to be Enya?

Aaaah!

Give it some whale music.

It's like an episode of Countryfile.

Aah! I can't watch.

CLAUDIA GASPS

It's... What are you going to call it?!

-Jacket!

-Hello there, Jacket!

That's a coat.

That's the kind of birth I can get my head around.

We make a perfect couple.

We do. We really do.

Oh, God, the lining's too small.

Just one big mistake.

Sewers, you have 20 minutes left to get your coats

on your beautiful models.

We're going to set up a catwalk show.

I can do that in 20 minutes.

-Four buttons.

-What are you using for buttons?

Cos that was originally worn by sailors...

-Anchors!

-Yes!

-An anchor motif.

Cute!

It is important for buttonholes to be neat, definitely.

You don't want wonky buttonholes.

Uneven buttonholes?!

SHE CHUCKLES

They're proving a little bit tough because the fabric's so thick.

Sewers, you have ten minutes left.

Disaster.

I was so looking forward to not rushing at the last minute.

How are you getting on?

-Rushing.

-You're rushing?

-As per my usual.

There is a black hole in the corner of the room,

it's sucking all the time into it.

There's a black hole in the corner of the room.

I call it Patrick.

Well done, Charlotte.

I need to press this.

Three minutes, everybody.

Three minutes.

Just constantly pressing.

You made this hat?

-Cereal box.

-Out of a cereal box?

What's going on with my lining?

Get them off. Quickly.

Done.

I don't know why mine's twisting.

Rumana, you have one minute. Angeline, one minute.

Come towards me.

That's it. Time.

Just want to keep pressing. OK.

I know you want to keep pressing.

Tools down.

Are you still happy?

-No. No.

-What?

-It's better not to.

I'm OK.

The buttons were completely off.

Honestly. There is so much wrong with mine.

Serious, there's so much wrong.

Look at my hem at the back.

-I think my mum would have really liked this.

-Yes.

-VOICE BREAKING:

-I think she'd be proud of me.

MUSIC: (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me by Sandi Shaw

Right. Pull yourself together, woman.

# I walk along the city streets you used to walk along with me... #

Six 1960s jackets made in just six-and-a-half hours.

Tracey, you're up first.

Please bring your beautiful jacket to the front.

Right, Tracey.

I'm really pleased that you've done the sleeve you've done.

Because, for me, that's very '60s.

It was very difficult. I don't know if I'd do it again.

-I would have liked this a little narrower.

-Right.

And, also, you can see exactly where the sewn line is here.

That needs to disappear for me.

It needs to be much better pressed out.

I've just got a little bit of lining...

-Yes, showing there.

-..showing here.

It's a shame about the lining.

-Are you pleased?

-I am pleased.

I think it's a very good-looking jacket

that you could very, very happily wear.

MUSIC: Please Mr Postman by The Marvelettes

I saw it sitting on the mannequin,

and, I've got to say, I didn't love it on there.

But on the body, it really comes alive.

I like the wide neckline.

It looks really, really '60s.

Your buttonholes are very even.

That front edge is nice and crisp.

But, one of my problems, I have to point this out,

is this front is longer than that front.

-(It's not really.)

-Well...

Don't argue with Esme.

Look, look, look.

-Let go.

-No.

-It is.

-LAUGHTER

I love this fabric.

That soft shoulder is really '60s.

Your welt pockets are actually really well done and...

pretty even.

There are two things that leap out. Are you seeing the same two?

-Well, the hem.

-The hem.

The lining is pulling the coat.

-Yes.

-What I would do is, when you sew it, it falls over like that.

Then there is no way the lining can pull.

Such a shame because from here up,

it looks terrific.

Apart from the one other thing,

which are that your buttons are in the wrong place.

-Yes.

-It's a great piece of sewing apart from those two bits.

-Yes.

MUSIC: Blueberry Hill by Elvis Presley

Right, Joyce, well, this looks pretty nicely made.

I think it is first-rate.

My great issue is, I don't get '60s from this.

This, to me, feels '80s.

Sorry, Patrick, I have to disagree with you.

Well, I know it's a '60s pattern. We saw it was a '60s pattern.

I think, if you'd made it in a different fabric,

it might have been.

If you'd have chosen different buttons, it might have been.

This feels of a different era.

The only thing, for me, is here...

Yes.

..where it's not lying flat against the neck.

Yes. OK. Well, I'll agree with you on that.

-Oh, you will? OK.

-I will.

MUSIC: It's Not Unusual by Tom Jones

It's certainly eye-catching.

I think, of all of them,

it's the boldest in terms of the fabric choices.

Love the orange.

I love the Paisley.

It has an impact.

I think, fit-wise, it just looks soft and a little bit lumpy

and it needs crispness and rigidity to give it the impact

that it really needs.

Did you interface the whole front?

-No.

-You didn't.

It's quite a soft fabric and it's just, sort of, collapsing.

And the hem is a mess.

The lining's short inside

and you can see where it's just dragging the coat up.

You did originally plan to give us a fur trim.

I'm glad you haven't

because I think that would have really overloaded it.

It would have hidden the hem, actually.

-Well, I was going to say, yes.

-Yes.

Right, Jade. I love this.

It looks very '60s.

I love the fabric.

-Thank you.

-I love the style.

Sounds like there's a but coming.

-No.

-I don't think there's a but.

I think it's really spot-on.

It absolutely epitomises the era we were looking for.

-It fits really well.

-It fits really well.

Just look how beautifully she's matched it

right through the top of the sleeve,

right across the chest.

-Esme, look.

-Yep.

Oh, she's matched the buttons.

Matched the stripe going right through the top of that button.

You know, this is quite a simple jacket.

If you're doing something simple, it has to be absolutely perfect.

And it really is.

It's exceptional.

I really love it.

Well done to everyone.

There are flapjack mountains waiting for you.

So, go, relax.

When you come back in, the judges will announce

the garment of the week

and will announce the person who's leaving the sewing room.

That challenge went absolutely amazing.

I'm so over the moon with how that went.

We're all aiming for perfection and being really hard on ourselves,

and I think I definitely fell victim to that today.

I didn't have a great week.

And it's all about how you performed that week.

It would be absolutely wonderful...

..if my mother's jacket saved me from going home.

She'd be really proud.

I've done that jacket in tribute to her.

Am I ready to go home?

So, this morning, judges, the people who were in trouble

were Jade, Tracey, and Angeline.

Does it still stand?

No. With respect to Jade,

she's pulled herself out of any mire at all.

In fact, this jacket, for me, is a contender for garment of the week.

So, what is that up against?

It's up against Joyce's colour-block dress.

The near faultless rendition of that pattern challenge.

So that means Jade is now safe.

That leaves Tracey and Angeline.

How will you choose?

The alterations were all reasonably even.

Tracey shaded that one.

I think what we have to do is have a look at, firstly,

the two colour-blocked dresses.

Tracey has done all this colour top stitching

that doesn't actually work.

And the zip isn't sewn in correctly.

Whereas, Angeline's colour-block dress is a pretty good rendition.

But, today, that was reversed.

Tracey's jacket was good and Angeline's coat was a mess.

It's a tough one.

Huge congratulations to all of you for '60s week.

The first bit is the good news.

The garment of the week. Patrick, what is it?

Our favourite garment of this week is...

-..this one.

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Oh, God!

It just looked perfect.

I'm so happy.

Now the bit that is a bit painful.

The person leaving the Sewing Bee is...

I'm so sorry. It's Angeline.

-Yes.

-Sorry.

Don't worry, darling.

-No, don't. Give me a hug.

-Too late. Too late.

Devastated to be leaving the Sewing Bee.

But being here has taught me that I can...

..achieve more than what I first thought.

I'm sad to send Angeline home.

She hasn't the experience in tailored clothes,

and that's ultimately what's let her down.

It's really, really hard to send people home.

Absolutely is.

They're such a little community.

I could feel my pulse racing and my butterflies going.

And I thought, "It's me, it's me, it's me."

When it's somebody else, you're, kind of like,

"Thank God it's not me",

but then you're upset because it's somebody that, you know,

you've really grown to love over the last couple of weeks.

Five weeks of sewing with these amazing sewers.

Yeah, I'm incredibly proud.

My family will be so proud.

-PHONE DIALS

-'Hello.'

I only went and got garment of the week.

'Oh! My! God!

'Smashed it!

'Get in there!'

Oh, come on.

Next time, the sewers take to their marks with activewear.

What are you doing this weekend? I'm just going cycling.

As they wrestle with the stretchiest...

Oh, my God!

..most technical...

Just a total nightmare!

..and figure-hugging garments yet.

They fit!

For a place...

I think it's an exceptional fit.

..in the semifinal.

I had to go to the dentist yesterday and have a tooth filled.

I think I'd rather go back there than do this again!