Episode 1 The Great British Sewing Bee

Hello, we are back. We've got a brand-new sewing room,

you're going to love it. We've got ten brand-new sewers,

they're adorable. And in just eight weeks' time,

one of them will be crowned Britain's best amateur sewer.

This year, thousands of people from all over Britain applied to

take part in the Great British Sewing Bee.

I sew for my kids late at night, no-one around, and it's just for me.

It gives me the opportunity to create things you wouldn't normally get in the high street.

I get to really personalise something and make it fit me.

Ten of the nation's best home-sewers have made it to this sewing room.

I feel a little bit out of body at the moment,

as though this can't really be real.

I've got three daughters and I'd really like them to be proud of me.

I want them to think their mum is cool.

My family are really excited about me getting onto the competition,

and said to me, "Don't be the first one out."

Each week they will face three challenges designed to test

all of their sewing skills.

It's fantastic being with people that are like-minded,

doing the same thing. Wonderful.

They'll have to prove they have the technical know-how

to follow any pattern, then show off their creative side by transforming

an ordinarily high-street buy into something spectacular.

And finally, make the perfect made-to-measure garment.

I really just want to get in there and start sewing. I can't wait.

Everything from simple cotton tops to men's pyjamas

to prom dresses will be judged by expert sewing teacher May Martin

and Savile Row's Patrick Grant.

Pat says it as it is, you can deal with that, but May, I don't know.

I think she can tell you off.

This series we're going to be testing a range of skills,

from the most basic, which will have to be

absolutely spot-on, to the more technical,

which will really push them out of their comfort zone.

It's a bigger competition. We're going to be expecting

the sewers to take what they learn each week, grow with it,

show us more and more. We're giving them an opportunity

to really show their passion and flair for sewing.

But who will they crown the winner of the Great British Sewing Bee?

I don't feel particularly like I've got a good chance of winning.

But it's nice to be here.

They're in. The scissors are at the ready.

Welcome to the Great British Sewing Bee.

This year we're back in London's East End,

home to the nation's rag trade for 500 years.

But we've moved to the river, where, since the 16th century,

ships carrying fabrics from all over the world sailed up the Thames

and unloaded at wharfs just like this one.

Welcome to the Sewing Bee.

Huge congratulations for making it this far,

it means you are already brilliant. This week,

the judges want to see how you work with the three most popular fabrics

found in a dressmakers' cupboard.

So challenge one is cotton. This is the scary challenge.

This is when you're given a pattern that you've never seen before,

but I reckon it's week one so they'll have chosen something nice.

-What have you gone for?

-We have got a sleeveless top

-for you to make.

-Thank you.

I can hear squealing, and somebody just went "Oh."

I believe that was you, Cliff. Have you made a sleeveless top before?

I never wear sleeveless tops.

There's a haberdashery, which is wonderful, full of beautiful things.

You can choose whatever cotton you like.

You've got two and a half hours. I'm making tea.

We can tease Patrick, he likes it.

Good luck. Your time starts...now.

In this first challenge, Patrick and May want to test

how good the sewers are at following a pattern.

Oh, my God!

And to make the top, they're free to choose any cotton they like.

Back in the '60s, I had a mod shirt,

like polka dots, so I was rather taken with this one.

I have worked with cotton a lot.

It's quite easy to work with,

doesn't move about, doesn't slip.

You can do literally anything with it.

Why have you set this week's challenges about the three fabrics?

Well, cotton, wool and silk

are probably the commonest natural fabrics that we use.

They all behave very differently.

We're starting with cotton which is a very stable fabric,

won't be moving around too much,

so it's a good way of testing their basic sewing skills,

but it will also show every detail. We'll be able to see every mark,

-every stitch.

-And you've asked for a sleeveless top.

-These are the things we'll be looking for.

-Go on.

Lovely clean edges. Can you see how beautifully flat

-that neckline is sitting?

-Yeah.

We've set them the challenge of making a handmade loop.

This is the first week, and we would like to test them

on the quality of their hand-sewing.

This is a really lovely technique.

I'm looking for a tiny print, I think,

and then I don't have to worry about matching the sides,

I think, for this first challenge. I want to ease myself into it!

Mum-of-three Julie is a housing estate officer in West Yorkshire.

She began sewing just four and a half years ago.

I am very much "have a go at it".

I always think, "Oh, yeah, I can do that."

I thought I could learn laminate flooring,

that's why you're tripping over it every day in the hall!

But I always think I can do everything.

-This is divine.

-It's a little bit boring, but...

No, it's not boring, it's beautiful! First challenge, make it classic.

You're better off doing three things fantastically

-than ten things rubbish, aren't you?

-This is correct.

I'm looking at the trimmings first.

I'll try and match the fabric to the trimming.

Tamara lives in Surrey with her husband and two children.

Her mum began teaching her to sew when she was ten.

Sewing's been in the family for generations.

My great-grandmother worked for a tailor,

so she taught my mum how to sew

and then taught me how to sew.

I've chosen this fabric because of its bright colour.

Probably could have made my life easier by choosing plain fabric,

but never do easy.

I was waiting for something to actually jump out at me.

And this did.

I love working with cotton.

One of my favourite fabrics.

Lynda is a learning support assistant.

Stop cheating!

Originally from Wales, she moved to West Sussex

to be close to her grandchildren.

When I make something for them, it's like surrounding them with my love.

I could cry just thinking about it!

I'm sorry.

Lynda is deaf and can lip-read.

She also has a signer in the sewing room.

So you've got the most difficult spot in the room, because you have

the distraction of this beautiful view out the window.

I haven't had a chance to look out of the window!

And to be honest with you, because I'm deaf,

distractions that might disturb other people, like sounds

and people talking, that doesn't happen to me.

So I'm totally in my own little world when I'm sewing.

I'm going to lay the pattern out, then we're going to

crack on with it. Chocks away, Ginger.

The pattern comes in six sections -

one for the front and two for the back,

and three pieces of supporting material known as facing.

Darts are sewn into the front to give the top shape.

The front and back pieces are stitched along the shoulder,

and the facing pieces are stitched to the reverse of the fabric,

along the neck and arm holes.

The two back pieces are then passed through the shoulder sections.

The side seams are then sewn together,

then the centre-back seam,

and that's topped with the hand-sewn button and loop.

I hate pinning. Pinning is just a nightmare.

I end up pinning myself more than I do pinning the garment.

David is a police constable at Scotland Yard.

But he's recently been spending more time at home in Surrey

with his wife and two children after an operation on his leg.

I'm the sewer of our household. The wife doesn't do any sewing.

She's managed to sew on one of my daughter's swimming badges.

I then promptly unpicked it and did it myself because it was awful.

I've got this stool down here to lean on

so I can stay upright long enough to do some cutting-out.

But one of the sewers has decided

not to pin their fabric to the pattern before cutting.

I usually freehand cut.

So I would draw my measurements onto it and then...

-So you don't use a paper pattern at all?

-No.

Chinelo is a recent graduate

who lives in Essex with her husband.

She bought herself a sewing machine second-hand just two years ago.

I was taught to sew by an aunt of mine - she's a tailor.

She just was freehanding everything. Whilst she was doing it,

I was writing what she was doing, and I'd come home and I'd practise,

so that was how I learned to sew, without using a pattern.

Chinelo is the only sewer using two contrasting cottons for her top.

Everyone's got a lot more experience than I have,

everybody else has been sewing for, like, 30 years,

but I think that's an added advantage for me.

They're probably knackered from doing it for 30 years!

You've chosen probably, of everybody here,

and I'm now going to worry you, probably the most obvious pattern.

I saw it as a bit of a challenge. I've not worked with

a pattern so bold as this before.

Unless the centre of the pattern on Jenni's fabric

is right in the middle of her top,

the finished garment will be off-balance

and Patrick won't be happy.

I noticed that you re-laid the whole thing and got the centre pattern,

so...good to see that you've done that!

Jenni lives and works in Walsall,

and is a resources manager for a software company.

I started sewing a year and a half ago.

Started with my wedding dress. Never sewn beforehand,

and I haven't stopped since.

I'm all done with my cutting out

so hopefully I'm going to start constructing it.

I'm just about to start

some actual sewing. So darts first.

Darts are triangular areas of fabric

which are folded in on themselves and secured with

a straight line of stitching.

Just for extra safety.

Without them, the fabric won't shape around the bust.

By jiminy!

Simon works at Bradford Industrial Museum,

and his job has fuelled his love of fabric.

I get a bit carried away with nice cloth.

I'm not sure, really, if it's being from Bradford,

and because I've worked in the mill

and my dad's worked in the mill all his life. Maybe it's in the blood.

I like to think for a long time.

Let the construction of something just sit for a minute,

or a couple of days, ideally.

'If they've managed to sew their darts correctly...'

That looks beautiful, what you've done there! I don't know much,

-but I know that is going to make May weep.

-Oh, Claudia,

-you're easily pleased.

-I am!

'..construction can begin.'

Stitch the front and back shoulder seams together, and press.

-Oh, hello!

-Aren't they cute?

I'm not wearing this. This isn't for a 50-year-old woman.

Cerina lives in Hampshire with her two daughters, two dogs,

two goats, a brood of chickens and her husband.

She's been sewing for almost 40 years.

I have a very busy life.

Sewing means that I can sit quietly, I can listen to some music,

music that I want to listen to!

It's about just doing stuff for myself.

-Are you all right for time?

-I'm a bit speedy.

I get bored easily, I go, "Oh, can't be bothered."

-I've got a lot of unmade things at home.

-OK.

-You have to finish this.

-OK.

-I'm just flagging it up.

-I will.

90 minutes left to finish making a sleeveless cotton top.

A lot of people seem to be a little bit ahead of me.

I'm just preparing to put the facing onto the neckline.

Facing is the name for another layer of material

sewn onto the reverse of the fabric, which gives it strength.

I'm making sure everything's in place, then I'm going to sew it.

I'm not going to pin it.

So I'm just pinning it,

and evening out the fabric to make sure

that there's no puckering.

Heather lives in Leicestershire

with her husband Andrew and her Jack Russell Roly.

Well, I've been a closet sewer for most of my life.

When I really needed to make clothes because I couldn't afford them,

I didn't want to tell anybody I sewed,

because I thought they might just think, "Oh, she's really home-made."

So it was a secret.

You could usually feel where the points are coming

if they're going to be a little bit sort of over-bulky,

so you just ease the fabric out

and hopefully around the garment neck.

Clipping ensures that the fabric's edge won't bulge or sag

as it moulds around the neck.

I don't like doing this stuff.

Unless it's clipped at regular intervals,

the finished neckline will be ruined.

I think if I start thinking of the end, I'm going to make mistakes.

Cliff took up sewing three years ago,

when he retired as a Buddhist prison chaplain.

I like the concentration. I'm very competitive with myself.

I'm not happy if what I do isn't as good as I can do,

so there's internal competition.

In between each of these things I just sort of mentally stand...

..come back to the centre and then carry on.

What else can we do?

Sewers, you have one hour left.

-Ooop!

-Give over!

I feel pretty calm, actually.

Been doing a lot of sewing at home.

I took my sewing machine on holiday with me so I could practise.

Ensuring the facing lies flat around the neckline...

Can do that, can do that.

..requires a simple technique that's new to some.

"And understitch the facing from the right side."

Wonder if I could do it as some sort of haiku and it would make sense.

So we put this in here...

Understitching is a row of stitching on the inside of the neckline

along the edge of the facing.

We want it nice and close to the edge.

It ensures that the neckline and facing lay flat against the body.

-So when I turn this one in, how beautiful is that?

-Perfect.

And then try and turn this one that hasn't been understitched...

-doesn't happen, does it?

-It's sort of lumpier, isn't it?

It's a finishing technique that one sewer has decided to skip.

That's how I would normally do it.

To save time, Julie is attempting to press her facing flat

instead of understitching.

I'm not sure how the judges will respond to me

not really looking at the pattern that much

but at the end of the day, it's the end garment that matters, isn't it?

45 minutes remaining.

I'm doing OK, I think.

Well, it will all be revealed when I turn it the right way out.

Until now, the sewers have been working inside-out.

Okey-dokey, here we go.

They now have to carefully turn their top the right way round.

-Do you want a go?

-No. It looks hard!

It's really clever. And I have never done this before.

The two back pieces need to be carefully pushed to the front,

through the shoulder straps, and pulled out the other side.

Can't get my big fat fingers in.

If they attempt to push the front sections through to the back...

-Oh, this is exciting!

-..it will become stuck.

Jenni, how do you work this out?

It's just a bit fiddly,

poking everything back through the shoulder piece.

-Were you bringing the whole thing through?

-Yeah.

Why didn't it work, then?

Fantastic.

A-ha.

-You're not doing it this way.

-I did it that way.

-That's the way I did it.

-Oh.

-Oh!

-OK?

-Yes!

-Look at that!

-So now the facings are done, aren't they?

-Lovely fit.

-Done.

-Lovely fit.

Ten out of ten.

Ah. Pull it through this way, not that way.

Pull it through from the back end, not the front end.

Then you'll get... Cos this is stopping you.

Whereas this is loose. If you come through here,

-you'll be able to get back through.

-Do you think?

-Yeah.

-So I did it right?

-Absolutely fine,

you were just pulling it through the wrong side!

You nana.

What a dummy!

That mannequin's got more brains than me.

THEY LAUGH

Boys and girls, you have half an hour left.

You have no idea how short 30 minutes can actually be.

I'm not 100% certain I'm going to finish.

Rush hour now. Basically got to put the sides together.

I'd like to neaten the side seams but I don't think I've got time.

Cos it's quite plain, I'm going to try and embellish it a little bit.

HE SIGHS

I've still got the button loop to do. Argh!

Don't know what that's all about,

but I think time's going to be called before I finish it, anyway.

I've never done one of these hand-sewn button loops before,

so the technique I'm using probably is wrong.

I'm just going to tie off that end carefully so it can't slip.

My hands are all hot now because I'm panicking,

and the thread is slipping out of my hands.

-What do you mean, you've cheated?

-I've not hand-stitched my loop.

I have no idea how the judges are going to feel about that.

Sewers, you've got five minutes left.

Only five minutes.

Oh, gosh.

SHE SIGHS

Not going to have time to do my button.

I just could not be bothered getting this hem right, so I'm just doing it.

-No, don't look, it's hideous.

-Just finishing off now.

Come on, roll, roll, roll!

I'm trying to roll this hem.

I need the hands of a seven-year-old.

HE GROWLS

See? This is why you pin.

Patrick, don't look at this.

OK, that's it.

The first challenge is over.

Whatever you have, put it on your mannequin.

-I like, er, Chinelo's.

-I don't like it.

I think the colours are horrible.

But my colours are boring as hell.

# I can be happy I can be sad

# I can be good or I can be bad

# It all depends on you... #

Ten sleeveless cotton tops made from scratch

in just two and a half hours,

but what will May and Patrick think?

Cerina, bring your mopeds.

Here come the mods.

# ..It all depends on you... #

The neckline is lovely,

the understitching is very near the edge.

And the back...

we have a loop!

And it fits beautifully over the button,

and our tops are level, and we've got right angles.

I like the choice of fabric, it's a bit of fun.

-We've got no understitching on this one.

-No.

I deliberately didn't, because if I pressed it well,

I didn't think it were necessary. If you hadn't looked...

But we did look!

And we did ask for it.

Immediately, I'm struck by the remaining pins.

-Yes.

-Really a lack of all sorts of stuff going on in here.

Sadly, it's pulling.

I think this could be a clipping issue on the inside.

Very neat, very tidy.

The most exquisite understitching. Well done.

It is absolutely beautiful.

This is quite a crisp fabric, but you've handled it very well.

We have a hand-sewn loop, it's the right size,

that's very nice.

This front edge

is not running parallel down the centre of that pattern.

We're wider away from it there than we are down the bottom.

However, we have understitching in the neckline

and it is right on the edge.

-Haven't managed to get a button on.

-I did, but it fell off!

-Really?

That's worse - don't tell us that!

You, of everyone, have chosen

the most challenging pattern,

and that line through the centre, you've executed it really nicely.

And actually, looking along the bottom hem there,

a pattern like this is a dead giveaway, but that spot,

and that spot there, they're in exactly the same position.

The understitching should be right on the edge.

Not half a centimetre away.

Did you clip it

-all the way round?

-Maybe left it a little bit too wide.

Yes. Can you see how that's stretching out?

And that's a sure sign that it can't lay completely flat.

It's hemmed all the way round.

Neater at the front than it is at the back.

You have struggled

a little bit with the shoulders and the arm hole.

Which is a shame.

We have a button, we have a loop.

It's well-anchored, it's not been bound.

Our understitching -

ooh! - is quite a way in.

There's a bit of a distance.

It should be nearer the edge.

-Okey-dokey.

-You've got something happening in your back seam.

It's puckering slightly.

I think this is perhaps an issue when you joined it together.

You haven't got on to the button loop so we don't know

whether you can do one of those or not.

-I don't think you'd want to wear that out the house.

-No.

Harsh!

We have an extra! Did you finish all the things we asked of you?

We have understitching, we have a really clean, flat neckline.

Now, why did you choose to put the trim down that back seam?

Is there something it's hiding?

No, I actually chose my trims first and then the fabric.

I would rather you followed the brief exactly.

You haven't done a handmade loop.

What you have done, you've done well,

but you've let yourself down a bit by doing things we didn't ask for.

For the record, I love the trim.

I'm mad for the trim.

So that everyone knows where they stand after this first challenge,

Patrick and May will now rank the tops from worst to best.

Sadly, in 10th place, Cliff.

Just didn't get through the work in time.

And in 9th place, Simon.

There were things that weren't finished.

David is 8th, Chinelo 7th,

Lynda 6th, Julie 5th,

and Jenni is 4th.

And in 3rd place, Tamara. You lost points

by doing the extra things instead of the things that we requested.

Second, Cerina. Everything you did was extremely well done,

-and a very close-run thing.

-And in first place, Heather.

Well done! A really good job. A very clean garment.

APPLAUSE

So huge congratulations. First challenge done.

It never gets tougher than that.

I'm totally lying.

But, er, have a lovely break, and then when you come back in,

it's time for challenge two.

# Teacher's pet

# I wanna be... #

I cannot believe I won that.

-Fantastic!

-SHE LAUGHS

I did the two things I promised myself I would not do.

One, try and do too much, and the second one,

I promised myself that I'd play by the rules, and I didn't do that.

I could definitely agree with the comments.

I think it's a little bit harsh, though,

saying you wouldn't want to step out in it. It will still cover!

It's not THAT bad.

So we've seen what they can do with a pattern,

but for the next challenge, they have nothing.

No instructions, just a garment,

and all they have to do is totally transform it.

Easy, right? I don't think so.

Well, this morning you tackled cotton,

and this afternoon, we're welcoming you to the world of wool.

Ooh!

We have a long, boring skirt.

We want you to make it look amazing. Give it some flair.

You can chop it, twist it, pleat it,

but please, we don't want it to look anything like this

by the time you've finished with it.

The bad news is, you only have an hour and a half.

Good luck! Off you go.

This woollen maxi-skirt can be found on any high street.

Nice quality.

I've not...used wool before.

For this 90-minute challenge, the sewers are completely on their own.

Nothing! Nothing is going through my mind at the moment!

It had better soon.

There are no rules,

and so that they can surprise the judges

with their ideas for deconstructing

and reconstructing a garment, Patrick and May

won't be in the sewing room to see them work.

-MAY:

-Wool is really lovely to manipulate.

It stretches, it moulds.

There's also enough fabric

to actually cut some bias shapes into it,

-and flute it round.

-Yep, and they could insert pieces into it.

It's also pretty hefty, so if you want to apply things

to the top of it, it won't pull it out of shape.

I think ultimately we want to see both imagination

and a demonstration that they know how to do more than straight sewing.

I'm just wondering where it's going to be good to chop it off.

I think that's first things first, it's too long, isn't it?

I'm just cutting off the bottom,

cos it's going to turn into a mini-skirt.

I'm a bit scared to cut this, though. What if I get it wrong?!

All the sewers have decided to shorten the length of their skirts.

But some are also altering the width.

I'm making a piece to go in the front.

It's spelt G-O-D-E-T, but I don't know how to say it.

Lynda is not alone in attempting a godet,

which is a triangular piece of fabric which creates flare.

It might be an absolute disaster.

I'm going to come up to the hipline

and I'm going to sew in a big purple triangle.

Simon's insert won't change the shape of his skirt,

but it will be made up of a variety of woollen fabrics.

I'm going to take off and put in a sort of...thing.

I still think dress. What are you doing?!

JENNI WHISPERS

-(Why?

-Because...I want to make a pair of dungarees.)

Boom! Hell, yes! That's bold!

-Simon, you are...you're finished!

-Yeah, yeah.

One hour remaining.

I'm going to put that at the bottom.

-Then I'm going to make a pocket with a trim of that on.

-Divine.

-Are you worried about time?

-No.

-You're not?!

-No.

Cerina's alteration is also focused on the hemline.

I'm putting a ruff on the bottom of the skirt, with a teeny little hem.

Tamara's hoping to create a ruffle with even more impact.

This bit is the long piece of the skirt which I have cut in half

and then made into strips, and sew in one long strip

so it's a continuous circle.

So that is going to fit this.

-It's going to be a ruffle-y bit at the bottom.

-Adorable.

And then I'm going to put an extra layer on top.

Chinelo's ruffle will sit on top of her skirt.

I'm going to turn it into a fitted peplum skirt.

A peplum is a ruffle often attached to the bottom of a blouse.

Chinelo plans to attach hers to the top of her woollen skirt,

a style made popular in the 1930s.

I'm going to freehand cut the circle,

so I'm just trying to get the circumference of the waist.

Once she knows the circumference of the waist,

Chinelo can transfer the measurements to paper,

fold the paper into quarters, do the same to her chosen fabric

and then cut along the curves to produce

a circle of fabric that will fit the waist exactly.

This is my chance to climb up from seventh place.

45 minutes left to transform a woollen skirt.

With the time we have, it's going to be really difficult to get

all these ruffles perfectly straight, which is what I would do normally.

This is the piece that I've just cut out on the front of the skirt.

I'm laying it onto the cloth here. Marking it up.

I'm hoping it will just about squeeze into the original gap.

-These are the straps for my dungarees.

-Straps for dungarees.

Bold. Ten out of ten.

To ensure a neat finish for her straps,

Jenni has sewn two strips of woollen fabric together inside out.

It's going to take me an hour.

It won't take you an hour, it will take you three months.

Before she can attach them to her skirt,

she needs to turn them the right way round.

OK, we're winning.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah, the problem is I have to do the other one now.

Heather is keeping things a little simpler.

If you're making a box pleat, you need to fold it in three,

so when the pleat opens, you get a little kick effect.

Everyone, you have got half an hour left. That's 30 minutes.

Lynda and Julie are both attempting patch pockets as well as their godets.

I think I want to impress May because I didn't impress her this morning.

Simon is also hoping to impress with a pocket.

I'm cutting a hole for a letter box pocket.

I'm going to tuck that in there, put in a little silky pocket.

Everyone, you've got ten minutes left.

I'm nearly done with the ruffle, which means I have extra time.

Oh, that's nice.

I'm not feeling so confident any more.

It's the most ridiculous orange in the world

and I'm going to put these buttons on.

So hopefully it'll be wacky enough.

I'm pinning the hem to try to make it neater than the last project.

I'm just putting a little contrast hem on the bottom.

Maybe I should hand-stitch this.

I'm quite happy that I've finished.

I'm just going to check it over,

see if there's anything else I'd like to do.

This is now damage limitation, actually.

It's just letting me down here.

Sewers, you have ten seconds.

No panic, don't panic.

I've not done this very well at all.

All right, that's it, that is the end.

Please put your skirts on your mannequins,

bring them to the front, mix them around.

# Every little movement has a meaning all its own... #

Patrick and May have no idea whose skirt is whose.

I'm terrifically impressed.

There's a terrific amount of variation in what you've all done.

They're certainly all dramatically different.

Really interesting use

of contrasting fabric. We've got a button here.

-Does the button do anything?

-No, it's just decorative.

The brief was "be bold" and it's quite simple.

So we've got a godet in the side and one in the back.

They're looking slightly like a pair of ears.

But they're just a little bit off-centre.

This is a really nice dramatic effect, isn't it?

Putting this jetted pocket in there in the time, lined.

Look, we've got silky fabric inside.

In terms of transformations, I think that's substantial and impressive.

It's simple but it's very effective.

It's a complete transformation.

It looks symmetrical, the length of this peplum

and the length of the skirt appears well-balanced.

-That's a very nice effect.

-Very pretty.

I'm not sure about the combination of fabrics here.

This is cotton and this is wool.

It's the colour that, somehow, this doesn't quite work for me.

I think this band isn't terrifically well handled on the waist.

I was a little concerned

that it might just be a little bit of trim around the bottom.

-But actually...

-It's all in the back.

And that's good fabric handling.

To me, it would be nicer just with this little box pleat in the back

and not with the tape.

There is something of the Bohemian about it.

It's been really nicely done.

Really nicely finished at the top.

Gathering up that fabric. It's quite evenly distributed, isn't it?

Just a nice combination of fabric for the insertion,

-the choice of button and the choice of ribbon.

-And the pocket.

A little bit ragged at the top here.

Just a little frill on the bottom of this one.

Where the binding joins, it's got a step in it.

It's the only one that's above the waistband.

Probably one of the simpler adaptations.

We've just taken a lump off the bottom, applied a contrasting trim.

Patrick and May will now rearrange the skirts in the order they feel

has shown the most creative ambition and the best technical execution.

-Happy?

-Yes, I'm happy.

Could the owner of mannequin number ten please come and claim her?

Thank you so much, Cliff. The binding at the top let you down.

The person who created number nine.

It was a nice idea. If they'd all been even and well executed,

I think we might have nudged you a little bit further up.

Julie is eighth. Heather seventh. Cerina sixth. Jenni is fifth.

And Lynda is fourth.

Patrick just turned to May and said, "I can guess these three now."

Let's see if you're right.

The owner of number three, please come forward.

-That's a fiver to me.

-Is it?

Well, for a start,

there's, like, a history of Bradford in the front of that skirt there.

-A combination of woollen weaves.

-Absolutely.

We're down to the last two.

Who owns this skirt? Please come forward.

We love the peplum and the way it falls.

It's the choice of fabrics, it's a really good alteration.

That means the winner is Tamara.

APPLAUSE

We're impressed with the combination of fabrics.

It shows an innate understanding of how shapes go together.

Altogether it has been a big success.

You did absolutely brilliantly.

Thank you for today. Two challenges done.

Tomorrow is the big one. Night-night.

How exciting! I'm so happy, I'm so chuffed.

I think the second challenge suited me better

because it's more spontaneous, it's freehand. So it's more my thing.

I'm glad to have risen a little in the standings.

A little bit disappointed with ninth.

I've really got to up my game a little bit.

That was just such a horrible test.

All I want to do now is go and have a bucket of wine.

# It's a lovely day today

# So whatever you've got to do

# You've got a lovely day to do it in

# That's true... #

There's one more item of clothing to make before somebody wins

Garment of the Week and somebody has to leave the Sewing Bee.

I want to talk to you about Heather. You were so impressed with her top

and then, not knowing which skirt she did,

she came all the way from first to seventh.

The execution was good but the drama wasn't there.

May tore a bit of a strip off Tamara for going off-piste

in the pattern challenge.

But actually that demonstrated to us that she clearly loves sewing,

she loves the creativity and I think she's got a great chance to shine.

Can I ask you about Chinelo?

She doesn't follow shop-bought patterns, she likes to just go

with what she feels and I think that will stand her in good stead.

Can we talk about the boys?

They all came bottom

and then, at the last minute, shot to number three - Simon!

He demonstrated some good techniques.

Are you disappointed with Cliff and David?

Or do you think they could both come first and second today?

These challenges are set up to test three completely different skills.

Things could completely turn around in the course of today's sewing.

I get the impression that David is solid and organised.

He will have practised this

and I have a feeling he could be a lot better today.

For this final challenge, the mannequins are gone.

This time, they're making clothes for real people.

I'm Simon.

Each sewer has their own model.

Good morning, everybody.

You've met your lovely models.

The judges would love you to make a nightgown.

It can be anything you like.

It's got to be silk and it's got to fit them beautifully.

You've got five hours, enormous luck, time starts now.

This is the one garment

the sewers have had a chance to practise at home.

It says 24, but that's the wrong end of the tape measure.

But now they need to fit their nightgowns to a real person

and prove that they know how to handle silk.

Silk is so difficult to work with.

Isn't that going to be very hard for them, week one?

The measuring stage is crucial. This is a nightgown,

it's going to go against your skin. You are going to sleep on it.

So, precise measurements, and really work to them.

And they have to handle the fabric well.

We're looking at the fit.

We want to see it soft. We don't want to see it pulled or puckered.

We want to see nice, clean lines and nice balance on the garment.

On the model, it's a very different challenge from on the mannequin.

You know something?

This is the very first nightie I've ever made in my life.

Heather is making a slim-fitting lingerie-style nightgown

with a shaped bust and lace overlay.

Every different type of silk is different to handle.

This is crepe de chine.

Nice, crisp silk, but at the same time it's got flow.

I've chosen to use shot silk. It's quite a thick one.

Shot silk has got a different coloured warp to weft.

It's got a turquoise warp and a pink weft which means that,

under the right light, it will shimmer ever so slightly.

Simon's heavy-shot silk dupion

will become a semi-fitted, one-piece nightgown

with a lace-trimmed neckline.

Because I've never done anything for a woman before,

I'm doing this incredibly simple version over here.

-Haven't you made stuff for your girl?

-No.

I made her one thing, actually. I made her a vest.

She doesn't wear it.

Jenni has attempted to track down a pattern which is 70 years old.

Getting the pattern was a bit of a nightmare.

The one that I could find didn't turn up. So, very nervously, I decided to,

for the first time ever, make my own pattern.

Her 1940s-style silk satin nightgown

has a pin-tucked waist and shoulders.

You can see how old it is.

I was just working off the image when I was creating the pattern.

Hopefully, I've got the same kind of style.

Julie's pattern isn't quite what Patrick and May have asked for.

I couldn't find anything that I liked, really.

They were all a bit old-fashioned.

Most of them looked like they were modelled on Wee Willy Winkie.

So I picked a dress pattern.

She's adapted the pattern for a slip dress

to create a bias-cut nightgown

with a lettuce-edge hem.

I scooped the back out to make it a little bit lower

and then I'm going to have a lace overlay

and finish it with a sprinkling of black diamantes.

Chinelo doesn't have a pattern at all.

This is how it would be done in Nigeria.

She's transferring her model's measurements directly to the silk.

I'm just marking the measurements, then I'm going to cut it out and construct it that way.

The bust of her floor-length gown

will be finished with lace

and the low-cut back will be

fastened with crisscrossing ribbon.

I'm going to cut out the waist measurement and the top half of it,

then I'm going to cut out the length to get the bottom part.

And then that's basically my skirt done.

Cutting silk accurately is notoriously difficult.

-Are you finding it tricky?

-It is. It just moves all over the place.

Even with pinning, it moves as it's cut,

making pattern pieces harder to line up,

raising the risk of a misshapen finished garment.

I'm actually using a rotary cutter because as you use scissors,

what happens is the fabric moves and silk can stretch in both ways.

I'm trying to minimise the stretch of the fabric under the pattern piece

so I get the correct shape.

Tamara is making an empire-line

babydoll nightgown with a lace trim bust.

You can see the fabric isn't really moving at all. Ta-da!

Lynda's nightgown requires

cutting more pattern pieces than anybody else.

Yes!

That was the bit I was dreading, cutting out all of that fabric.

I've been a total diva today. I'm leaving fabric on the floor.

I don't worry about the mess. I don't care.

Lynda's empire-line nightgown

will have a lace bust and straps

with a full skirt

made out of five panels of silk.

-I'm going to tell you a story.

-OK.

In the deaf community, people have sign names for each other.

It's something that is particular to the person.

And my daughter, every time she talks about you,

she's like, "Patrick! Patrick!"

So your sign name is now Patrick...

because you make her heart beat a little faster.

Well, it could've been a lot worse. I'll take that. That's lovely.

Once the seams of their skirts are sewn,

work on the nightgown's bodice can begin.

I'm just getting the lower bodice part fixed.

Creating shape in silk is harder than with any other fabric.

It's going to be quite loose in the breast area,

hopefully very flattering.

Any puckering around the curved seams at the bodice

will be highly visible as the silk catches the light.

These two are going to make the cups.

Pins. I hate pins.

Just pin, pin, pin.

David's bodice will be trimmed with lace

to complete a classic, semi-fitted,

empire-line nightie.

I'm just trying to get these points at the top of the bust piece

as sharp as possible

so that when May and Patrick look at it, they will go,

"Ooh, they're nice and sharp." Not really my colour.

I'm just tacking the top part of the bodice.

There will be top stitching along here.

Cerina is attempting

to gather her bodice around the bust

to complete a 1930s-style

bias-cut nightgown.

It's a long stitch and I'm going to pull it

and it will gather up the bodice.

Just pull the top thread and that gives me a very fine gather.

I'm really, really struggling with my bodice. I've unpicked it three times.

Finding it really difficult to work with the fabric.

Even if they've managed to create shape in their bodice,

most of the sewers have given themselves the extra challenge

of applying lace.

-This is really quite fine lace.

-Have you worked with lace before?

-No.

-Have you worked with silk before?

-No.

-Holy moly!

It requires quite delicate handling and hand-stitching.

It's all time-consuming, really.

I'm trying to be speedy. Be brave.

Hope the sewing gods are with me.

There's more pins on this than a five-week old Christmas tree.

I have to literally go around the whole thing,

all these little leafs, have to follow each and every one.

I thought this would take me, like, three minutes to do,

but it's a bit trickier.

I've got myself into a bit of a muddle.

Jenni's self-drafted pattern doesn't feature any lace.

There isn't really much room to hide in.

But she set herself the difficult task of tucking the silk into pleats

where the skirt meets the bodice.

I'm really nervous about my iron at the moment.

I can't seem to get the detail but I want on the tucks.

I'm going to burst into tears.

-This looks beautiful, by the way.

-It's nice, isn't it?

-Gorgeous.

Cliff is the only sewer attempting to make a nightgown with sleeves.

That's stitched to that and that's stitched to that.

To sew in the sleeves correctly,

he first has to pin them to the bodice

without allowing the silk to pucker.

I cannot for the life of me... And I've done this in practice.

The Sewing Bee's home here in London's East End

has long been associated with the rag trade.

Since the 1550s,

boats would come up this river with loads of silks and dyes

and they'd be unloaded at wharves like this one.

But the silk trade's golden era

came with the arrival of Britain's first wave of refugees from France.

The Huguenots were highly skilled French craftsmen.

They were also Protestants.

So when, in 1685, the Catholic king Louis XIV outlawed their religion,

they sought refuge outside France and set up trade in Britain.

Around 50,000 Huguenots arrived on our shores

and many of them gravitated here. Spitalfields.

The whole area really began to flourish

as many of our new arrivals were experts in textiles, mainly in silk.

The silk they wove was exquisite

and the resulting fashions were unlike any dresses seen before.

Huguenots were hugely beneficial

for the British silk industry

because they brought with them a load of trade secrets.

It's kind of like an early form of industrial espionage, I guess.

So all of these techniques, the weaving,

but also finishing the silks, is what they brought with them.

That allowed domestic industry to grow and, essentially,

meant that new fashions could flourish.

You could get these incredibly lustrous,

gorgeous, beautiful, opulent silks being created right here.

Amongst the new inhabitants was a labourer called Mongeorge

who arrived here from his native Lyon with a secret

that would make British silk the best

and the most sought-after in all the world.

Mongeorge used a technique of lustring

which involved steaming and waxing yarns of silk before weaving,

which gave it extra gloss.

This did have lustring on it,

but it's been worn

and it's now a nice piece of plain taffeta.

You've got lustring where... Cos this would be tucked behind.

So that was protected.

And you've got this, which was only brought out on special occasions.

You can just see how shiny it is.

It would have been that shiny, if not shinier.

-Look at that! That looks like liquid gold.

-He invented shine.

He invented shine, which, let's be honest, is like gold.

To this day, Mongeorge's valuable secret is closely guarded,

known by only three firms in the UK.

Mongeorge became quite philanthropic, very, very wealthy

because obviously he had the secret.

He basically supported apprenticeships within the silk industry

and church schools and also the Foundling Museum to help children.

-Good at silk, and good.

-And good, yes.

Thanks to Mongeorge, almost overnight,

the silk industry boomed here in Spitalfields.

French silk imports fell drastically

and British silk became THE must-have fabric.

The golden age had begun.

Cliff has started to feel unwell.

Just can't think any more.

I'm trying to do something which I've done before.

He has chosen to stop working on the final challenge

and he's also decided he will be leaving the Sewing Bee.

It was such a shame that Cliff wasn't well enough to carry on

because he was such good fun.

I'd really have liked to have seen what he made.

So he'll be missed, very sorely missed.

I know it's a competition, but nevertheless,

we all want each other to succeed as well.

You've got 30 minutes left.

By placing the loosely constructed nightgowns on their models,

the sewers can identify which seams need to be altered

to make it fit perfectly.

At the moment, I'm just finding a line down this seam

to bring it in a little on the waist.

Not too much obviously, because my model needs to get out.

-And you have to bear in mind when this is going to be worn, yes?

-Yes.

That back's lovely. I love that. It fits you lovely over hips.

Get in!

You have 15 minutes left.

I'm not going to finish my dress, I know that for a fact.

I need to get the hem done.

I need to do the back seam.

I need to get a shifty in.

It doesn't fit the model and I'm running out of time.

It fits the model, I'm way ahead of schedule.

I've got the hem to do, with a rolled hem.

You can't rush silk, otherwise you ruin it.

I haven't even bothered pinning, I'm just stitching in desperation.

-Thank you, David. Practically married.

-Indeed.

I doubt very much I'll be scoring very highly.

I don't know how much time we've got left, to be honest.

Five minutes.

I'm going to need every minute.

Stress, stress, stress. This is literally the last bit.

I'm not going to have time to put the trim on the bottom.

I love diamantes. I put diamantes on everything!

I've always got diamantes somewhere.

You don't get these in Marks & Spencer, you know.

Oh, Jesus, just help me.

I'm going to hand-sew while it's on you.

Pop that over your head for me. Put it on.

This is just so shoddy.

I can't get the thread off.

I think I would probably do that a little bit differently next time.

Come on.

OK, that's it. Please step away from your models.

Don't turn around. It's finished, don't turn around.

I'm not turning round.

Finished!

Look! Turn round. It's finished(!)

# In the cool, cool, cool of the evening

# Tell them I'll be there... #

Each silk nightgown was made to measure in just five hours

and will now be judged by May and Patrick.

My first impression is that this looks great.

It isn't quite finished,

but this crepe de chine is a much lighter, more fluid fabric

and that's why we're getting this lovely movement.

I love the way that the shaping fits underneath the bust

and the way in which you've hand-sewn the lace.

Absolutely beautiful. The sort of nightie I'd like to wear.

-It's the sort of nightie

-I

-might like to wear.

Come for a measurement.

It looks a little stiff.

It hasn't got that soft drape

that we would really want from a piece of lingerie.

In terms of balance and line, it looks good.

But it fits more like a dress might fit

rather than a piece of nightwear.

Fundamentally, you've just got the wrong fabric.

You have got masses of panels in your skirt. Lots of seams.

I think I gave myself too much to do in the time.

I notice you haven't finished.

The centre line is not running down the centre of the body.

This little diamond section

that should be sitting neatly in the centre of the diaphragm

is just off and up a little bit.

And the lace could really do with some more anchoring.

It's trying to detach itself.

The fit around the bust is verging on the slightly indecent.

It's sitting pretty level

despite the lack of a hem at the bottom there.

Although the cups aren't sitting completely, hugging the bust,

your lace is nice and flat.

I think because you handled it so much,

they're just stretched out a bit.

The first thing I noticed,

which is competently different to anything anybody else has done,

we've got this wonderful rolled hem

that's been stretched as you work it to give this lovely fluted effect.

I love the pattern-matching down the side, that's really good.

And the way you've graded it down at the back as well

so you have got a narrower back.

The flow of the garment is really very, very nice indeed.

The diamante, you've carefully thought about where it's placed

within the lace, which is a nice detail too.

It's not sitting around the body, it's bagging.

I'm not sure about the way you've attached the skirt to the bodice

because it's just got lots of puckers in it.

There isn't a really good system going on there.

It's silk so it needs to be gathered in a way that's precise.

It really is pretty good.

You've got a little bit of a fit issue here

and it's just a bit long through the side there,

so it's wrinkling a little bit.

But you did all of this without a pattern.

I'm very, very impressed.

The fit at the back is absolutely terrific.

It does assist you, though, because by the way you've laced the back up,

you could fit it to suit the person. Quite a clever technique.

Some really, really lovely work.

However, we've got some pins in the back

and we've got a hem that isn't finished.

I think you've done a really good job on this.

Looking at the fit of it,

there's very little, really, that I can find to criticise about it.

The position of the bodice is very good.

The little V comes right into the centre of her back

and this back seam runs very straight.

You've also got shaping across the bust which sits in the right place.

And you've actually mitred out the corners at the tops of the cups.

When it came to this challenge,

I thought you'd be really good at time management

-and I think you've proved me right. Well done.

-Thank you.

Well done. Thank you very much, David.

Thank you, that was incredibly hard.

Please go off and have a relax

cos now the judges have to decide who will be leaving the Sewing Bee.

We're all a bit nervous now waiting for the judges' decision.

We've all bonded together great and I don't want to say ta-ra to anybody.

The judges' comments today made me beam from ear to ear,

especially after yesterday's. I'll be chuffed to bits if I stay in.

Confidence is middling at the moment.

I don't want to think about it. I really think I'm going home.

There are two or three people that are not safe at all.

-Simon, we've got some awful hemming there.

-This is very untidy.

-You loved his skirt in the second challenge.

-Absolutely, yes.

But his nightdress was just awful.

First thing this morning, David didn't impress us a great deal.

He definitely redeemed himself.

If I was to pick one other person

who might be looking a bit shaky at this point,

it would probably be Jenni.

The fit wasn't good, the pleating was all over the place,

she'd stretched the neck and arm holes, they weren't sitting closely.

Has Jenni's nightdress meant that you don't want to see her sew again?

I think we'll have to discuss it and make our mind up.

Huge congratulations for your first week.

You all did absolutely brilliantly.

Patrick is going to reveal the garment of the week

but wanted to say something first.

We just wanted to make special commendation to David.

Because we found it very difficult to choose a winner this week.

It could've been you, but sadly it isn't.

Our garment of the week this week...is this one.

It was finished and you matched the seams beautifully.

There were some really nice touches, well done.

Now here comes the bad news.

The person leaving the Great British Sewing Bee this week is...

..nobody!

CHEERING

LAUGHTER

The judges didn't want to lose anybody else.

They believe you all have something more to offer.

I'm so sorry, did I make you cry?

I'm so sorry. But we'll see you next week.

Huge congratulations and very well done to you, Julie. Well done.

I'm really pleased that everybody's staying in the competition.

I think we've got a fantastic group of contestants.

I think Julie getting best garment of the week is a demonstration

of how people can change their positioning on every challenge.

I think keeping all the sewers is the fair result.

The challenges will get harder,

the techniques will become more demanding.

The point of all of this is to find Britain's best amateur sewer.

I can't really believed what's just happened but I think my face says how I feel right now!

Almost winning, coming second was brilliant.

I'm still here! I really can't believe I'm still here.

I'm going to burst into tears AGAIN.

I can't have this much liquid in me, surely! But tears of joy.

Although, we'll have to go through all that tension again.

I don't think my heart can take it.

At the next Sewing Bee...

I have a hem, I have a hem.

..the sewers take on patterned fabric...

Those elephants all go that way and those elephants go that way. Sorted.

..making box-pleated skirts.

Mmm...which way shall I make it?

The alteration challenge is twice as hard.

I'm enjoying ripping this up.

And made-to-measure...

Right, Mark, if you'd like to take your kit off.

..men's pyjamas.

I love saying that.

But who will create the best garment of the week?

Show me your impressed face.

And who will be asked to leave the Sewing Bee?

This is guerrilla sewing.

Happy with that!

Patrick had my jamas on.

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