Episode 1 The Great British Sewing Bee

40 years ago, there was nothing unusual about us

making our own clothes. And then, for a while,

it seemed we'd lost our passion for this very traditional skill.

Guess what? A quiet revolution is happening.

We're buying sewing machines again, we're going to needlework classes,

and sewing circles are popping up all across the country.

We are launching the first-ever search

for Britain's best home sewer.

We've scoured fabric shops, cafes, workplaces

and people's spare rooms to find the most talented sewers

in Britain today to compete in The Great British Sewing Bee.

I just need to be using my hands, creating things.

Ideas going in my head. I couldn't do without sewing.

No, it's just part of me.

My daughter put me forward. My family are head over heels

that I'm doing something like this for me.

Oh, my goodness!

Thousands applied and eight were selected.

Over the next few weeks, they'll be making everything

from a simple skirt to a stunning evening dress.

Each week, all their skills will be put to the test.

First, they'll follow the same pattern, then they'll transform

a High Street buy, and finally they're asked to create

a made-to-measure outfit.

I've been having a lot of dreams recently about sewing

and it took me a while to get to sleep last night.

They'll face two judges.

Savile Row's Patrick Grant and sewing expert May Martin

who's been teaching people to sew for 40 years.

I have a real passion for my subject and I'm really looking forward

to people showing me what they can do.

Some beautiful stitching, some lovely fitting.

Good construction, good finishing.

I'm fortunate to work with the best sewers in the world

and I want to see that same commitment to the craft of sewing

from everyone in the sewing bee.

I wouldn't normally machine the hem

but there isn't time to do it by hand.

Understanding the materials and understanding of shape and fit

and all those things that go into making beautiful clothes.

Who will cut...

Panic. Sheer panic.

..stitch...

Coming out again. Coming out, coming out.

..and iron their way to victory?

My chances of winning are good.

Never judge a book by its cover.

Agh!

The sewers are ready, the judges are poised.

Welcome to The Great British Sewing Bee.

The first Great British Sewing Bee is being held in East London,

once home to Britain's thriving rag trade.

Streets that were once filled with the noise

of clattering sewing machines are about to come alive again.

Over the next two days, the sewers will make three pieces

of clothing after which two of them will have to leave the sewing bee.

Welcome to the sewing room.

I'd like to introduce you to your judges.

Brilliant tailor Patrick Grant

and the best sewing teacher in the world, May Martin.

It's time to give you your first challenge.

We'd like you all to make the same item of clothing

and it's an A-line skirt. May is going to hand out the patterns.

Massive, massive luck.

You have three and a half hours. Good luck, off you go.

Patrick and May's first challenge will test how good the sewers are

at following a basic pattern.

Most women own an A-line skirt which is fitted at the hips

and widens towards the hem,

falling in the shape of a capital letter A.

The faster the sewers complete the skirt,

the more opportunity they'll have to add personal touches.

Is the key to the first challenge

to try to impress you to keep it simple?

There's plenty of chances to demonstrate additional skills

but I think in this challenge

we're looking for something straightforwardly well executed.

Basic sewing skills, putting in darts, putting in zips.

Things that every home sewer needs to know, don't they?

This skirt can be made from any fabric found

in the sewing room's haberdashery.

To have all these fabrics around you,

you just don't know where to go first.

I keep going from there to there to there.

I think I've got what I need now so I'm just going to crack on

and hope for the best.

47-year-old married mum of three Sandra

is a hospital cleaner from Wolverhampton.

I've always made my girls' clothes since they were babies.

-What kind of thing are you looking for?

-Something everyday...

'My middle daughter Rebecca,

'she had a sewing machine for her 21st birthday.'

Look at that!

Your nan made those and I made those for you.

'I think I just want to carry on because my mum's always doing it and my grandma.'

I think there's...a little bit of it's emotional there,

as well as for pleasure, for myself.

I tend to be a bit flowery and I just like the feel of that.

Sandra's fabric is very light which means she'll need to line her skirt.

I've made a decision to line it because I've picked a finer fabric

so it's just got a bit of texture,

a bit of weight to it so it's not going to...

Stewart is also planning to line his skirt.

Are you going to have time to line your skirt?

I don't know, so I'm going to cut it and then if I do have time,

I'll line it and if I don't, I won't.

Stewart, have you made an A-line skirt before?

I've never made a skirt before, Claudia, A-line or otherwise.

-Lovely to have you here.

-Lovely to be here.

Two on the right, two on the list.

41-year-old Stewart is a fitness instructor from North Yorkshire.

I got into sewing when I was 21, 22,

and it was a case of first home and wanting to make it my own.

So the first things that I made were things like curtains

and cushions and I made a quilt for the bed as well.

Do you think three and a half hours is enough?

I think I'll have had enough by three and a half hours.

-I suspect we all will!

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-That's quite a lot of lining for a skirt.

-Is it?

Look at you, you're like Miss Marple!

He might be making it floor-length.

He might be making the longer length. I didn't think of that, Patrick.

I'm beginning to look at the time now.

The number of skirts like this I've made, I would hate to count.

Dozens, I would imagine, over the years.

Ann from Birmingham goes to a yoga class twice a week

and she's been sewing almost every day for 75 years.

I started my sewing with small bits of fabric

when I made dolls' clothes and I suppose my mother looked at them

and decided I was good enough to be allowed to cut into

some precious fabric and make something for myself.

When I was about 11, I made myself a blouse.

-That's a very beautiful fabric.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

I love the bright colours.

Are you going to worry about lining your skirt?

-I'm going to line this, yes.

-Would you always line?

I will always, always line this sort of skirt, yes.

Are you worried about time?

I'm not sure. I'll tell you that in a couple of hours' time.

The pattern for this everyday garment

should be straightforward to follow.

So many things could go wrong.

I've made a few skirts.

I tend to make quite full ones so I've never made A-line.

Once they've cut out the three pieces,

one for the front and two for the back,

the sewers insert darts to give the skirt shape.

They sew an invisible zip into the centre back seam

and then they join the front and the back together.

When it comes to an A-line skirt which is basically a front and back,

wouldn't you just go choose a nice heavy wool, cut it out,

sew it together, done?

Trying to take a piece of flat fabric

and fit it to the shape of the body is hard for the inexperienced sewer.

It's easier to start with a pattern.

All these lines, every piece has to be cut out accurately.

Any additional space around the outside will alter the size

and shape of the garment.

These little pieces in here, this dart here,

gets folded in together which creates shape in the piece.

-Why do you have different options?

-These are different sizes.

-Depending on what size you are...

-8, 10, 12, 14, right.

This is basic geometry.

It's a simple straightforward blueprint, as May has said,

for constructing this garment.

What I'm doing is actually pinning the pattern on top of the fabric.

I try and find car fabric and I find it very difficult

and there it was staring at me. "Come and get me," so I got it!

I'm chuffed to bits actually.

Jane from Kent was widowed 15 years ago

and ever since has devoted her life to her passions.

Her grandchildren, her car and her wardrobe.

The reason I make my own clothes is because nobody else is wearing them.

I can go anywhere and I know I'm the only one with that item on.

To go out in a classic car with a classic skirt on

everyone will say, "Where did you get that from?" I made it.

Just about to put the needle to the fabric.

Excited and a little bit shaky.

Don't know why, it's only an A-line skirt.

It feels like it's the first time I've ever sewn.

31-year-old charity worker Michelle

lives in London with her husband Eddie and seven-month-old son Noah.

My earliest memories of sewing was sat at the feet of my grandma.

She used to make wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, cushions.

Anything that the family would need.

When I sew, I definitely get a feeling from my mum and my grandma

because I know they're in every stitch that I make.

Yay! I've done it. This is the dart that I'm putting into the skirt.

Darts are marked on patterns by triangles.

This area of fabric is folded in on itself

and then fixed with a line of stitching.

It helps flat fabric fit around the contours of our bodies.

I'm very happy with the two darts in that,

then I think I should have a little gaze over the instructions

cos I'm sure it'll tell you which way to iron the darts.

Sewers, just so you know, one hour has gone.

You have two and a half hours left.

When you rush something as much as this,

it can't be as neat as you'd like it to be.

With darts inserted,

the sewers can now start constructing their skirts...

It feels a little bit more real now, all of a sudden.

..whilst Patrick and May watch their every stitch.

We have various things that are quite interesting going on around the room.

Can I just check with you, is that a nine-inch zip?

The skirt needs to be fitted with an invisible sip.

This is the tricky bit.

If put in correctly, you shouldn't be able to see it from the outside.

I need my line of stitching to be really close to the zip

so if the stitching's too far away, you'll see it.

This is the third zip I've ever done in my life!

The costumes that I make are 18th-century,

way before the zip was invented, so there's no need for a zip.

Mark is 41 and works as an HGV mechanic in Derbyshire.

He makes costumes for his family to go to steampunk events at the weekend.

Steampunk is like a Victorian with a futuristic twist

so there's a lot of gadgetry and a lot of strange things to look at.

The items that I've made - waistcoats, breeches,

17th-century frock coats, 18th-century shirts.

I suppose, not everyday wear.

When I'm sewing at home, I've got a picnic table

with my sewing machine on, on my settee watching the TV.

Normally with a dog sat next to me.

This is all modern for me.

Almost all dressmakers use one of these.

A pattern. They can either stick to it slavishly

or just use it as a starting point.

But even the most inexperienced sewer will know where to begin

with one of these.

In the late 19th century, home sewers didn't know where to start.

Victorian Britain saw the role of the middle-class homemaker flourish

but while sewing was popular, making your own clothes wasn't

because there was no blueprint to follow.

Patterns, as we know them, didn't exist.

We've got these families who were moving up in the world.

The wives are very anxious to do things right

and impress the neighbours.

She wants to decorate the house right and she wants to dress right

but it was quite difficult for ladies to buy ready-to-wear clothes.

Normally, you had to go off and negotiate with the dressmaker.

They only guide the Victorian housewife had to the latest fashions

was expensive hand-coloured illustrations

which they would buy and take to the dressmaker.

Although they show you what's fashionable,

they don't actually tell you how it's made.

One entrepreneurial publisher, Samuel Beaton,

the husband of the famous Mrs Beaton,

realised that what women needed was instructions

that they could follow at home.

In 1863, he published the first pull-out paper dressmaking pattern

in his Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine.

What Beaton did that was clever

was that he showed women the step in between.

He gave them trace-it-off-yourself patterns that you could use

to recreate the fashions for yourself.

All the patterns he publishes are things

where fit isn't that important, so it's a little boys' loose jacket

or a kind of frilly wrap thing or some underwear,

so even if the pattern doesn't quite fit, it's going to look OK.

Women really never looked back, and by 1900,

you've got entire commercial empires

founded on people publishing dressmaking patterns.

When Beaton made the groundbreaking decision

to give away paper patterns in his magazine,

it wasn't just canny marketing.

It brought the fine art of dressmaking within the reach

of home sewers and subsequent generations to come.

One hour to go in the first challenge.

How are you doing, Lauren?

-I've been better but I'm all right.

-We've all been better, love.

Once the sewers have constructed the skirts,

they can add their own personal touches.

I'm slightly worried that my skirt's going to be a bit plain

because other people have done lining. I've not done that.

At the moment I'm making some bias binding to be part of my hem.

27-year-old Lauren from Birmingham is the youngest in the contest

but she's got 22 years' sewing experience.

I was given a kit for my fifth birthday,

it taught you lots of different stitches

so I remember coming home from school

and my mum teaching me how to do stitches

and then we'd put it in a frame afterwards

and I've still got it now.

-Lauren, how's it going?

-It's going OK.

I am actually finished my skirt but I feel like it's a bit plain.

I think it looks beautiful, don't you?

You've made your own bias binding.

I haven't seen many other people doing so don't be too...

-What words did you just use?

-Bias binding.

Because it's cut diagonally across her fabric on the bias,

Lauren's binding will be flexible

and won't pucker when stitched to her hem.

-So that's clever.

-It gives it that little stretch which you can see

if you pull it on the bias, you've got the stretch.

On the straight, it's stiff.

Project manager Tilly is also embellishing the pattern.

I'm improvising a little bit. I've added some pockets to the pattern.

I wasn't planning to do this originally.

I just got out a bit of baking paper and drew a random curve.

Cut it out and stuck it in.

Tilly lives and works in London

and only discovered her passion for sewing two years ago,

but already she's sewn herself an extensive handmade wardrobe.

I started sewing on a complete whim.

I just suddenly felt like I really wanted to do something

with my hands and make something.

I wasn't sure what to do at first and then all of a sudden out of the blue

I thought I'll give sewing a try and it was love at first stitch.

Sometimes I make sewing up as I go along.

I also enjoy making my own patterns

so it's a combination of mathematical skills and design and drawing,

so any time I can change or adapt a pattern I probably will.

Once I turn this round the right way,

you'll have a little pocket like that which will slightly peep out

when you put your hand into it and I really like that sort of detail.

Sewers, you've got half an hour left. 30 minutes.

I'm afraid I've had to forego the lining.

I ran out of time.

I totally underestimated the length of time that this was going to take.

I did think maybe I would put a lining in

but I've decided against that.

I'm looking around at other people

and everyone is looking like they're a bit close to the wire so it's fine.

I really wanted to add a lining because I picked

one of the flimsiest materials but it's pushed me with my time

so if I don't get to line it, it might not look, you know...

Panic. Just sheer panic.

I have no idea how much time we've got left.

Last ten minutes. My hands are sweating.

Some people are handling the pressure better than others.

Certainly some people have got very anxious.

-I've never known time go so quick.

-Just made a mistake.

This is the first challenge.

They need to demonstrate that they can do the basics well.

I thought maybe that I was supposed to press open these seams

before sewing the pocket but actually,

I think that's going to be OK.

Setting yourself too big a goal in this challenge

might well be the undoing of one or two contestants.

At the bottom of the skirt, I'm just going to put a contrasting ribbon

to brighten up the gingham a bit.

Sewers, you have two minutes to get your skirts on your mannequins.

That's two minutes.

I wouldn't normally machine the hem

but there isn't time to do it by hand.

The task was to make a skirt and I made a skirt

and I think it's wearable.

Just bits and pieces of finishing now, giving it its final press.

Making sure it fits her ladyship.

OK, sewers, your time is up.

Everyone's got a skirt. That's good.

Each of the A-line skirts will now be scrutinised by May and Patrick.

Ann, please bring your garment forward.

-Beautifully inserted zip. Perfectly.

-That is absolutely faultless.

-No gap at all there, wonderful.

-The darts are well-managed.

-Pressed out.

Actually on this fabric you wouldn't quite see it as well anyway

but they have been really well treated.

-You're impressed?

-Yes.

-Yeah, I'm very impressed.

-Nicely made garments.

-Well done, Ann.

-Well done, Ann.

-Thank you so much.

You've had a little bit of trouble, I think,

controlling the cloth going through the machine,

so your seam isn't quite even,

which is just dragging the fabric a little bit.

When you do things like top stitching,

it needs to be completely even and symmetrical.

Don't use things that you can't do to a high standard.

The trim round the hem is very, very even

and that's quite difficult to achieve.

Top stitching it on takes skill and that's gone on really nicely.

Tops of the zips are level.

Just a little bit of difficulty concealing it.

Yes, you shouldn't be able to see the zip at all.

When you're adding an extra onto a garment,

it needs to be perfectly applied

and your ribbon is puckering the hem of the skirt slightly.

I think this choice of fabric is great

and I think the length and choice of fabric work well together.

Attention to details -

-the fullness at the end of the darts, press them out.

-Yes.

The first thing really to notice here is

because of the way you've done these pockets,

you've turned it from an A-line into more of a tulip shape.

If you are going to add something, make sure it doesn't detract

from the overall impression of the garment.

With these seams, we have a bulge and what's happened is

this fabric has stretched slightly so the pocket area is distorted.

It's struggling a tiny bit to hold it's A-line shape.

Because it's a softer fabric,

it wants to go in down the sides of the legs.

It doesn't give you quite the same shape, but it is a difficult fabric

and you've handled it extremely well, actually.

-Shall we turn it round?

-There's a lining!

-Yes.

-There is a lining!

-Clever girl.

You're the only person who managed to fully line the skirt.

-It's quite a bit of additional work.

-Oh, look at the zip! That's lovely!

The zip, you see, and the zip is enclosed by the lining,

which is a nice touch.

So that everyone knows just where they stand

after the first challenge,

May and Patrick will now rank the A-line skirts.

So in eighth place, sadly, Stuart.

Just a general lack of finesse into some of the sewing you've got there.

Seventh place, Mark.

The treatment of that zip just wasn't quite clean enough

and I think a big part of the challenge was getting the zip right.

Tilly's baggy pockets leave her in sixth place. Michelle is fifth.

Jane is fourth and Ann secures third.

Second place is Lauren.

Beautifully made skirt, some nice processes in there.

But sadly not first today, because our first place goes to Sandra

because Sandra actually put a lining in.

The work was finished off very well on the inside,

-so today you are our winner.

-Well done.

And don't be disheartened - I'm mainly talking to the boys here,

no offence - because you've got two more challenges to do.

# Talk about a moon

# Floating in the sky... #

Before the next challenge of the day,

the sewers retire to the local cafe.

My daughters will be like bottles of pop.

I think they'll be really, really pleased.

I didn't expect to ever be a challenge winner,

to be there on the first week.

I've just got to try and keep it up.

Absolutely fair comments from the judges.

I thought, "Oh!" Yeah, it didn't look great.

I don't think I'll ever do enough to impress them judges!

One pattern, eight completely different skirts.

And now it's time for the next challenge.

They don't have to make something from scratch this time.

We went out and bought eight simple tops.

All our sewers have to do is transform them.

But here's the problem - they've only got 60 minutes to do it in.

You've all got one of these tops

and we'd like you to alter and cut into the neckline, please.

You can make a V-neck, sweetheart, scallop edge.

Whatever it is, you will have one hour for this task.

So, go, alter, cut. Good luck.

There are no instructions with this challenge,

just a neckline that needs altering.

When you're given a challenge with something so wide open

you could do anything to it,

then it's difficult to try and narrow it down and know what's best to do.

May and Patrick will be looking for good ideas,

creativity and a neat finish.

The top should be easy to work with

as it's made from a wrinkled seersucker cotton.

If you're interested, seersucker gets its name

from a Persian word meaning "milk and sugar."

Totally out of my comfort zone again!

I've got an idea for what I want to do

and I just want to make sure that my execution is better.

It's all going on up here. Yeah.

I think I'm going to give it an edging of that broderie anglaise,

threaded through with that little narrow ribbon.

Broderie anglaise literally means "English embroidery"

and is a lace-patterned fabric

that has been used to finish sleeves and collars since the 1820s.

I think it is going to be quite fiddly,

but I'm sort of working it out in my head as I go along.

Jane's going for something a little less delicate.

I've cut in an inch and a half lower.

Then, I'm going to attach this wild and wacky stuff round like that.

Hopefully!

40 minutes remaining to alter a neckline.

Nothing like a little bit of pressure! Good for the heart.

Michelle is going for a square neckline

with a lace panel insertion.

I just have to detach the seam from here

and see if I can bring it down to get box edges here.

But we shall see. We shall see.

Mark's playing it safe with a simple V-neck.

The neckline will be very similar but it'll just drop down slightly,

because in the time we've got, it's not a lot of time.

Sandra's using a classic technique - facing.

I'm making the neckline up as I go along.

It's a neckline I think I've seen in magazines.

Sandra is adding a floral fabric border.

She cuts her neckline into a scallop shape,

she sews the border and neckline together along the raw edge and

then she turns the border out and stitches it to the front of the top.

This should both decorate and reinforce the alteration.

My eldest daughter, she's a nightmare.

She's always bringing me loads of alterations.

I think she thinks that's my first job!

I'm a little bit disheartened after the last challenge,

so I'm just going to try and pick it up now and show them

what I can do, so I'm going to, rather than just sticking things on,

I'm going to very quickly draft a collar and see what happens.

Totally different ideas. Isn't that interesting?

Incredible creativity coming out. Really surprising.

I'm going to say out loud now that I would like to buy Ann's shirt.

-Beautiful.

-I think it's a great idea and sufficiently intricate,

I think it can be done in the time.

I also think if Tilly executes her collar,

that could look extremely, extremely effective.

I think it will make a substantial difference to the garment.

What about our floral pattern lover over there, Sandra?

I think that's going to be good,

providing she doesn't stretch the scallops out of shape.

-Is a scallop, is that...?

-I'm not a lover of the scallop.

Even if it's done well, I'm not a big fan.

Sewers, you are halfway through. 30 minutes left.

Time is ticking, oh, my God!

Most of the sewers have chosen to

encase the raw edges of their altered neckline

with a ribbon of material known as binding.

This is folded around the new shape

and is usually secured with a neat line of top stitching.

I've not got anything to fix it if it's wrong.

The ribbon that I'm using is a little bit slippy,

so it keeps moving under the foot.

I'm trying to keep stitching as straight as I possibly can.

I don't know how even I've got it till I turn it the right way.

-Oh, God! Goodness, I've sewn it on the wrong why!

-Yes, you have.

-Yes.

Oh, my word!

Sandra has sewn her facing on back to front,

so when she turns it out,

the wrong side of her floral fabric will be on display.

Sandra's made what we call in the tailoring world "a bit of pork."

Which is, she's made a pretty fundamental mistake.

So now she's busy cutting it away, and she's got to restitch it.

Once she's cut it away you've lengthened all that seam.

So we could end up with a raw edge,

with an edge that is completely un-neat.

-You are not going to like that, May?

-No, not going to like it at all.

-A raw edge and you...

-No.

-Finished.

I might have come top of the last challenge

but I think I'll be bottom of this one.

Everybody, you have 20 minutes left.

It's a bit of a disaster

and I've lost one of my collar pieces as well. Is it gone?

I'm adding a little gathered rose to the front of the neck.

But my hands are very sweaty,

so it's a little difficult to pull the needle through.

I can't keep doing this.

I'm almost there, actually.

I'm just going to play around with the bow

that I'm going to put on the front.

It's there! Got it!

I really should have learned from the last task,

where I tried to impress the judges by adding pockets,

and then what happened was it completely distorted the shape.

I've probably just made the same mistake twice.

Having cut out her first attempt,

Sandra has to make the best of what she's got left of the neckline.

So, she's going to decorate it with strips of the floral print.

If I can just get it top stitched on, it'll be a bonus.

I don't think it looks right. I think it looks a bit ridiculous

but it'll give everybody something to smile about, won't it?

Sewers, you have ten minutes left on this alteration challenge.

As soon as that time pressure came on

we saw a couple of massive clangers.

I think that Tilly was a little over ambitious.

She gave herself a pattern drafting challenge as well as making

the collar before it went onto her top. A lot to achieve in an hour.

Conversely, I think Mark undertook something really quite

straightforward in an attempt, I think, to bring himself back

from a slightly shaky start.

Sandra really dropped the ball in a quite substantial way.

I don't know whether it's going to lie right, whether it's going to look right.

It'll take something quite special to come back from that

without it looking really a bit weird.

(You haven't got a gin and tonic in your bag, have you?)

(I do not have a gin and tonic in my bag. Good luck.)

The finish on Ann's garment is exquisite, it's beautiful.

She set herself a task that was manageable within the time

and she has done it superbly.

OK, can everybody stop sewing, please?

Put your tops on your mannequins and put them

at the end of your sewing desks.

Every stitch of every neckline will now be inspected by May and Patrick.

You've balanced the weight of fabric

with the fabric that you're altering of the blouse,

so it doesn't overpower. It's very dainty.

I think you needed to make this notch just a little bit smaller,

cos it's just a little bit too big for the loop,

and you don't want to make the loop big.

The loop's the right size, but just having that a little bit smaller,

cos what it's done is it's dragging it across the bust there.

But I am being super picky.

Otherwise, you've actually done a terrifically neat job.

Because this is square, I think

if you'd just squared off the top of that and maybe just pleated

that in, just cos you've got a bit of a round attached to a square.

Just be careful that you don't pull things out of shape

when you're changing necklines.

You've just got a little bit of puckering.

-I like the rose - you've clearly done that before.

-Yes.

It's sitting very nicely.

I'm not even sure whether it's a V or a round.

It's looking a little ragged.

If you stand over there, it looks pretty cool.

-It's good from afar...

-Yes.

-..but far from good.

Ann's neckline is exquisite.

Probably one of the simplest techniques in the room.

It was a straight lace

and you've shaped it beautifully to sit on the neckline,

threading this ribbon through and putting on a bow.

You clearly were up against it time-wise.

We could see the fear in your eyes as you were getting towards

the final stages there. I might have made them just a fraction deeper.

They do look a little bit mean.

You've actually got to stand back and think,

"What can I do in the time? What can I do well?"

You have stretched the neckline out of shape.

You've lost your continuity,

so that you've got a wider bit up there,

you've got a narrow bit down there,

so it doesn't flow nicely round the neckline.

-It looks very messy, doesn't it?

-Mm.

I mean, it really hasn't gone very well, has it?

But you're not mad for scallop edge?

I mean, I wasn't mad for it in the first place,

I'm less mad for it now!

What a brilliant first day of sewing. Go home, get some rest,

we'll see you very early tomorrow.

The day, as a whole, I've come from top to bottom.

So, it's a bit of half and half.

Today was harder than I expected.

I knew that time would be an issue but it really did fluster me,

so I think that's something that I just need to try and get used to.

I was happy to have pulled it back a little

and hopefully I'll be able to continue that tomorrow.

# Everybody

# Loves a lover

# I'm a lover... #

One more garment to make,

after which, two people will be leaving the sewing bee.

-So who's in trouble, May?

-Mark's in trouble.

His skirt was adequate, his neckline was appalling.

I think Stuart's in a bit of difficulty.

We're looking here for exceptional sewers.

I want to quiz you about Tilly.

She keeps pushing the bar too far,

-adding in things that she hasn't got time to do.

-She's over ambitious?

She's over ambitious

and she really, really needs to complete this challenge well.

Are you ready to have everything turn around?

It could turn on this challenge today.

I want Mark to blow your mind and win and be crowned

and we carry him through the streets of Dalston in a sedan chair.

He'd have to do a really amazing job.

-Maybe he could make his own sedan chair?

-Love it.

For their final challenge, the mannequins are gone.

Wow!

This time, they're making clothes for real people

and each sewer has their own model.

-Susan.

-I'm Ann. Hello!

Welcome back to the sewing room.

Today, it's the big one.

The judges want you all to create a casual dress.

The judges are looking for excellent fit and excellent finish.

You have seven hours. Your time starts now.

It's time to find out if our sewers can make

a made-to-measure dress fit a real person perfectly.

Almost empire line, so it nips in here.

They've chosen their pattern and their fabric

and have practiced at home,

but this is the first time they've seen who they must fit the dress to.

Those patterns are designed to fit a standard form

and with the best will in the world,

not any one of these models are a standard form.

Some have sloping shoulders, some have very square shoulders,

some have rounded backs.

All of these postural changes are not on those patterns,

so they have to take those patterns and know how to manipulate it.

-I'm going to go bust first.

-OK, fine.

-It's a starting point, the bust line on a woman.

-What is the bust line?

-Is it midway?

-Round across the nipples.

-Right.

And that's the fullest part of the bust.

You haven't seen mine, love! All right, look, Sandra's doing waist?

-Waist, seat.

-Bust, waist and hips.

But Ann is taking measurements from almost 20 more points...

-Can you just do that with your arms?

-Yes.

..to ensure the perfect fit for her model.

I make my own clothes for me and it's years since I made for anybody else.

Ann has chosen to make a round neck shift dress

with a contrasting front panel from a crepe wool -

a material that was first fashionable in the 1930s.

Mother sewed her ordinary clothes.

She had a dressmaker who made her best clothes.

I can remember her being very disparaging about people who

bought clothes off-the-peg. It was not the done thing in those days.

So, I mean, I was brought up in a family where clothes made-to-measure

were an absolute standard.

-Head up.

-Yet again, Tilly has drafted her own pattern.

I've drawn the pattern on Swedish tracing paper.

It's woven, so you can stitch it if you want to

and you can use it to check the fit on the model.

Tilly's making a vintage style

scalloped neck dress in red raw silk.

There are lots of different approaches to doing this

and this is a good one.

So, fairly happy with that,

but I need to do a little more smooshing and... Sorry, Natalie!

There might be an extra dart needed somewhere in there.

You can see where the fullness is and it's sitting away.

I'm just going to try my best with this, so, we'll see.

-Yeah, good. All right.

-Thank you.

He says there's another dart needed and I've got no idea where!

Where was he looking?

-What measurements did you take?

-The bust, the waist and the hips.

-OK.

-And have you made any adjustments to the pattern?

-No, not yet, no.

-Do you feel confident that this pattern will fit her?

-Yes.

What I'm going to do is do the basic pattern,

stitch the shoulders, and then fit it down the side.

And if it all goes wrong, I can only blame myself.

You certainly can, you certainly can!

Mark is making a round neck shift dress from a cotton,

with blue and white polka dot side panels and waistband.

Dresses aren't my thing.

If I make something, I normally make it for myself,

so I know it's going to fit. I chose this sort of fabric.

It's got a slight stretch to it, gives you a little bit more

room for error, and also my wife helped me choose somewhat!

My wife's got her own sewing machine, I've got a sewing machine.

We sit in the living room, watch the TV, and sew.

I suppose it saves arguing.

# Hold me close... #

Once the sewers are confident they've managed to adapt

their patterns to fit their models, they can begin cutting their fabric.

Many moons ago, I made a wedding dress.

And I vowed I'd never make another one.

That Christmas, we didn't have Christmas dinner on the table

because of this wedding dress.

They're divorced now.

I absolutely adore this fabric.

It's very modern and very striking but it's an elegant fabric,

so I'm enjoying working with it.

Stuart is making an empire line dress with a pleated skirt.

I'm hoping that the thing that will impress the judges

is the improved finish that I give to the garment.

It's lovely, this is, for a real person.

The downside, of course, is that she might say she doesn't like it!

I think it's really interesting to see the change in the atmosphere

in the room now that they've got models standing next to them.

-Stuart seems much happier with the...

-He's chatting.

-..emotional support.

I'm really interested to see how that pattern works out.

It's hard because it's a big repeat.

It's a big repeat and it's going to be all over the place, isn't it?

He's made a rod for his own back there, if he's not careful.

That's your back piece.

Michelle has set herself the hardest task out of everyone.

Oh, my gosh. The stress is weighing.

She is attempting to make a dress that is reversible.

Take your time, Michelle, take your time. It's fine.

That's what Grandma would have said.

The floral side of Michelle's wrap dress will be made out of pure silk.

The reverse, a navy blue polyester.

It's not going to be as demanding a fit,

I think, as some of the other garments, which is to her advantage.

But it has got a very long, straight front edge which, again,

is always a bit of a giveaway.

If she doesn't get the balance quite right,

that front edge will be a real standout.

Just looking from a distance, she has got very slippery, slidy fabric.

I think the blue is a bit crisper and a bit more stable

so she has got the challenge of dealing with those two back-to-back.

There are just four hours left to deliver a made-to-measure dress.

Each week on The Great British Sewing Bee,

we give you a step-by-step guide on how to make something lovely

and simple and gorgeous for the home.

This week it is the turn of the laundry bag.

Start by cutting out four pieces of fabric -

two for the front and back and two for the side panels.

Sew along the side seam so you have a rectangular tube.

Hem the opening and create a channel for the drawstring.

Cut an additional piece to fit the base

and stitch onto the bottom of your tube.

Cut out two strips of fabric for your drawstrings

and snip off the ends at a 45 degree angle.

Feed the cut strips through a bias binding maker.

Then stitch all along the edge. Repeat for the other drawstring.

Use a large safety pin to thread one end of the drawstring

through the channel.

Repeat with the other drawstring and knot the ends

and your laundry bag is ready to be used.

The sewers are halfway through their final challenge but suddenly

Jane has been taken ill and has had to leave the sewing room.

As I was stood just doing some ironing I turned round

and noticed that, you know, Jane just didn't look herself.

Let's talk about Jane. She felt unwell. She's left.

At the end of today, you were going to ask to people to go home.

We will be sending one person home today and Jane will be coming

back into the competition if she is well enough next week.

OK, you have two hours left. That's two hours.

I can see that one of my competitors has an actual dress on an actual

model and I haven't even constructed any pieces properly yet.

With a loosely construct dress on their model...

And breathe in.

..the sewers can see which seams need to be adjusted...

Can you turn round?

..to create the perfect fit May and Patrick are looking for.

Mark, we were really worried about him fitting his model

because he didn't fit her at the beginning.

How does that feel?

He did lots and lots of the dressmaking processes,

joined the shoulders together and slipped it over his model

and it doesn't look a bad fit.

When you actually see your work, and somebody else,

it gives you a sense of satisfaction.

The moment of truth.

I've got to ask you about Tilly. How is she doing?

The model she's got has a very full chest.

She has got a very fitted bodice

so she has had to do a lot of extra work.

She has had to put additional darts into the pattern that

weren't in there originally, just to get that shape in.

-Let's talk about Stewart.

-He has got a pattern issue.

If you use a big design on your fabric,

you have got to make sure it flows through the garment.

Even if he didn't match it through the waistband,

and obviously you can't match it through the pleats,

it needed to start in the middle right at the top.

You will look at it and the first thing that comes

to your eyes is half a lantern wedged halfway up a V.

If you can just hold your hair up

and then I can see how the shoulder sits on you.

Michelle looks like she is in real danger

of not finishing this challenge at all.

It looks a bit on the big side but we'll see.

She has got to deal with the problem of joining two very different

fabrics. She is yet to put the thing together.

She is going to have a real job.

All I need to do now is attach it to the silk.

I don't have to fit it. I've done all the adjustments.

This morning was spent with loads and loads of prep.

I don't need to do the prep now because I've got the garment. Yes.

One hour to go.

Just enough time to embellish the dresses to make them stand out.

No dress is complete without a bit of prettiness, is it?

Well, as long as you have got

the plain bit to flatter your figure.

You're being true to yourself and you like it

-and that's exactly the important thing there.

-I'd wear it.

I'd have to lose a few pounds for a size 12.

Sandra is making a denim tailored shirt dress.

Her floral fabric will form the cuffs and the collar.

I'm just trimming round the edge of the collar where I've sewn.

I'm trimming a lot closer to the point

cos I want to chop as much bulk off as I can.

When I push it through, you want it as sharp as you can.

You see that's a little bit rounded there.

I'm going to trim that a bit more down there.

So I've trimmed all the inside there

and I'm just turning it through.

I'm happy with that.

I keep having a quick look round at everyone else and thinking,

"I'm not safe here. I'm not safe."

Mark is planning to finish his dress with cap sleeves.

It's not going on very well.

To put a sleeve on, yeah, it is quite tricky

cos as you're sewing it, you've got a slight angle to

go around so therefore you've got a chance of puckering

the fabric as you're going. And if you pucker the fabric,

when you turn it the right way round, you're going to end up

with little darts and puckers all the way down the seams.

That is where the fabric's just not caught properly

so what I'm going to do is just pull the sleeve back

and just take the seam there so it actually catches it inside.

Finishing Michelle's reversible dress might not

be as straightforward as she had hoped.

I have encountered a few issues.

Mainly, you just can't overwork the silk. It is so fragile.

Her silk has stretched and is no longer the same size or

shape as the blue dress it needs to match.

If it is overstretched

then it's going to spoil the whole effect of the reversible

dress thing so I'm just going to shrink it down with

a bit of steam to the desired...

The desired length.

I really have no idea whether it is going to be good enough to

keep me in because I haven't dared look at what everyone else has made.

Tilly is still adjusting her bodice.

I spent a long time doing fitting

but that is what they are looking for - a good fit.

I am really behind but I knew this would happen

so I gave myself a sort of contingency 40 minutes.

OK, everyone, you have half an hour left.

Sod it, then, just do my own thing.

I would have liked to have spent a little bit more time on the hem.

I think it will do.

I can live with that.

I am just pinning the trim that is going to make the dress,

that's going to accent the dress.

I am pinning that to both layers of fabric.

I am trying to remain calm because I am hand stitching.

The last thing you want to do when you're hand stitching is panic.

How long have we got left? About 20 minutes? I might just manage it.

Just this little edge to sew down and that's it.

My hands are going a little bit shaky but I am just trying to remain calm.

I have a herbal tea in front of me.

I'm trying to pretend I've got the music on

and I'm just sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon.

You have got 15 minutes. Are you going to be fine?

I don't know, Claudia.

I am just doing a final, final press.

I have got it the wrong way.

I'm coming out again. Coming out, coming out, coming out.

Just forget the complete basics under so much pressure.

Like which way to stitch.

And a last-minute inspection to see that

I have got no bits of tacking thread anywhere.

My needle's stuck in my dress.

What's on the inside isn't bad.

I'm just trimming off all the straggly ends.

We're there.

OK, that is the end of the challenge.

-You have to stop what you're doing.

-Oh, is it?

-Please, this minute.

And please put the dress on your model. That is the end.

Overall, I am really proud of myself that

I finished a dress in seven hours.

I've never done that before and it doesn't look too bad.

I think I should just call myself the polyester girl cos I'm never

going to work with silk ever again because it's been a nightmare.

I've never made a dress before so I've not done bad.

I know that I did a better job than yesterday

and that's all I want them to say.

Ann, please come forward with your dress.

It's simple but it's very bold.

The combination of colours is really good.

-I mean, it's just an elegant piece of clothing.

-Thank you.

Gorgeous zip insertion and a lovely kick pleat at the back.

-Did you fit the sleeve to that length?

-Yes.

I mean, if it was me, I honestly would have just finished it

fractionally above the crease in the elbow.

Either finish it below or above but it's just in that kind of

no man's land in between.

The balance is a little bit off.

If you look at the dress from the side,

it looks like it's running up to the front.

It looks like it's just tilting backwards.

That's what we mean by balance. I think if we lift it here,

you should see that bottom hem straighten. What it is doing...

Not only doing it to that bottom hem,

it's doing it to this waistband here.

It's making that run up at the front.

-The pattern should run from the bodice, through the band.

-Absolutely.

The centre back seam. Can you see how we've split the pattern again?

That centre back seam should be whole shapes.

You shouldn't be able to see where the two pattern pieces join.

This piping this really beautifully neat

and actually you've done a terrific job on that.

That's difficult to do and you've executed it really extremely well.

There's a few issues on the fit.

You're squashing her bust a bit.

She does look squashed in, doesn't she?

And your bust darts are a little bit too high.

The fit is really, really good.

These lines come down beautifully over the bust

and also the back is fitting really well.

This contrast collar stands out beautifully

and this is very well executed.

The shaping on the bodice is too baggy here.

We've got too much fabric here.

If you'd have taken out a bit more in the darts,

you could have actually fitted all of that out.

-Can you see the surplus here?

-It's complicated geometry in there.

It's taking flat pieces and working them

into a very complicated three-dimensional shape.

I think, you've got slightly the same issue as Stewart.

Just a little bit of balance but not to quite the same extent.

I think if we didn't have the slip underneath I think

we would be looking at a dress that is almost a bit indecent.

This, to me, looks as if it has either stretched or perhaps needs

to be fitted slightly better. No, it still doesn't...

Can you see how it is not sitting closely to the model?

I also think this neck is sitting a little high.

If that was me, that is too close.

But will Michelle's dress work better on the reverse side?

I wondered whether it would be less obvious this side

because this wasn't the side you had stretched out.

It could have looked better this side than the other but it doesn't.

It's a shame because it is really pretty idea, actually.

I think you've pulled off a bit of a coup here.

We were talking earlier on about the process you

followed for fitting this dress.

It wasn't as methodical as one or two of your fellow sewers here

but, actually, I think this is visually very arresting,

it's two materials but they complement each other beautifully.

It is pretty perfectly in balance.

That bottom hem runs very horizontally.

There is no drag across the bust, the waist is sitting nicely.

Lovely little sleeves. I like that touch. My only criticism,

we've got a little bit of buckling down the back of the zip.

-But your fourth zip?

-Yeah.

Across this band, you have got the spots right on the edge.

That spot of those three is sitting right in the centre there.

That's the sort of execution on pattern that we are talking about.

Mark, thank you very much. Well done. That was a huge challenge.

Please go, relax.

The judges are now going to decide who stays and who goes home.

I was really surprised to hear such nice comments from the judges.

I think I impressed them slightly.

Perhaps it could have been looked at in a more favourable light

but they are judges and it is their job to judge.

I am having a really, really great time here

so it would be really nice to come back.

Very likely that this will be it for me. But I'm fine with that.

Absolutely fine.

The challenge today, the competition has just turned itself on its head.

The dresses have really changed our view of our competitors.

Having been sitting here for an extra day, the nerves have

calmed and things have changed and, you know, maybe if you have a

bad day, you think, "Well, no, I have got nothing to lose here,"

and you relax and you actually start to sew to your true potential.

-I am having a real job deciding who should leave.

-Go on. Between?

Michelle and her dress.

It's hard to understand how the person that did this has done this.

It is basically unwearable.

Tilly's issue comes from the shape of the model.

I hated the extra fullness round the bust here.

I went in this morning thinking,

"Stewart's in a bit of trouble here."

You know, we said a lot about the pattern matching.

We know that is not right. I think he knows that now

and I don't think he will ever do it again in his life.

-So, you have got your decision?

-Yeah.

-Let's bring them in.

So, first thing to say is thank you so much for the last two days.

You have all worked incredibly hard.

Every week, the judges are going to choose a best piece.

Just a beautiful thing that made them want to do roly-polies

and star jumps.

There were three pieces that really stood out for us this week.

Two of them were by Ann.

Your day dress and your altered top yesterday

and the third one was Mark's.

Your day dress today was really something special.

We chose this one because it looked fantastic on the model.

-It was a knockout.

-Well done, Mark.

-Well done.

Well done. OK, now comes the horrible bit.

Somebody has got to leave.

And I promise you it was a really closely run thing.

The person who is leaving the sewing room is...

..it's Michelle.

I'm all right. I've got loads of good things to go home to

so it's all right.

I'm going home to my baby.

I'm a bit sad, obviously, but I know I did my best.

She had the pattern, she bought the material,

she practised the dress in advance but, sadly, it went wrong.

It was a really tough decision.

It's disappointing because I think she's a great sewer.

She's really got technical ability there. She just overstretched.

Unfortunately for her, it has let her down.

Good and happy sewing for you and your baby. Yes? Yeah.

-It should have been me.

-No. Don't say that.

I am absolutely shocked by the results.

I was so ready for them to call out my name

and I had completely come to terms with it.

Double gin tonight.

You're not kidding.

I suspect I am on a sort of final warning.

I hope it inspires the people watching this to get

Grandma's old sewing machine out of the cupboard and try

and make something and then go out and walk around in it.

At the next sewing bee...

-What can you see, Sandra?

-We have got a seam at the back.

..the home sewers make a pair of trousers in just four hours...

Just an excuse to look at his bum.

..customise a high street skirt in 60 minutes.

That is a lovely pocket.

-..and tailor...

-Geronimo.

-..a perfectly fitting blouse.

-Oh, no.

But who will create the garment of the week?

The pressure's on and some of these blouses are not together yet.

-And which two sewers...

-It's all gone a bit Pete Tong.

..will have to leave the contest?

This could be it for me. This could be it.

I think you could have been more ambitious

-and I think we'll leave it at that.

-Thank you.

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