Episode 1 The Great British Sewing Bee


Episode 1

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Transcript


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

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

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

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

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

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take part in the Great British Sewing Bee.

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

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

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

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

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

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as though this can't really be real.

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

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I want them to think their mum is cool.

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

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

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Each week they will face three challenges designed to test

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all of their sewing skills.

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

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doing the same thing. Wonderful.

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

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

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an ordinarily high-street buy into something spectacular.

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

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

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Everything from simple cotton tops to men's pyjamas

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

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and Savile Row's Patrick Grant.

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

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I think she can tell you off.

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

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from the most basic, which will have to be

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absolutely spot-on, to the more technical,

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which will really push them out of their comfort zone.

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

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

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

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to really show their passion and flair for sewing.

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

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

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But it's nice to be here.

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

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Welcome to the Great British Sewing Bee.

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

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

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

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

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and unloaded at wharfs just like this one.

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Welcome to the Sewing Bee.

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Huge congratulations for making it this far,

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it means you are already brilliant. This week,

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

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found in a dressmakers' cupboard.

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

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

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

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-What have you gone for?

-We have got a sleeveless top

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-for you to make.

-Thank you.

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

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

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I never wear sleeveless tops.

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

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You can choose whatever cotton you like.

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

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We can tease Patrick, he likes it.

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Good luck. Your time starts...now.

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In this first challenge, Patrick and May want to test

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how good the sewers are at following a pattern.

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Oh, my God!

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

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

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

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I have worked with cotton a lot.

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It's quite easy to work with,

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doesn't move about, doesn't slip.

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You can do literally anything with it.

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

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Well, cotton, wool and silk

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are probably the commonest natural fabrics that we use.

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They all behave very differently.

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

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won't be moving around too much,

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

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

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-every stitch.

-And you've asked for a sleeveless top.

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

-Go on.

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Lovely clean edges. Can you see how beautifully flat

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-that neckline is sitting?

-Yeah.

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

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

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on the quality of their hand-sewing.

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This is a really lovely technique.

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

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

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

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

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She began sewing just four and a half years ago.

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

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

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I thought I could learn laminate flooring,

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

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But I always think I can do everything.

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-This is divine.

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

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

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You're better off doing three things fantastically

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-than ten things rubbish, aren't you?

-This is correct.

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I'm looking at the trimmings first.

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

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Tamara lives in Surrey with her husband and two children.

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

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Sewing's been in the family for generations.

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My great-grandmother worked for a tailor,

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so she taught my mum how to sew

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and then taught me how to sew.

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

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

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but never do easy.

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

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And this did.

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I love working with cotton.

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One of my favourite fabrics.

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Lynda is a learning support assistant.

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Stop cheating!

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Originally from Wales, she moved to West Sussex

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to be close to her grandchildren.

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

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I could cry just thinking about it!

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I'm sorry.

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Lynda is deaf and can lip-read.

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She also has a signer in the sewing room.

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

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the distraction of this beautiful view out the window.

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

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

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distractions that might disturb other people, like sounds

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

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

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

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crack on with it. Chocks away, Ginger.

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The pattern comes in six sections -

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one for the front and two for the back,

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and three pieces of supporting material known as facing.

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

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The front and back pieces are stitched along the shoulder,

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

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along the neck and arm holes.

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

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The side seams are then sewn together,

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then the centre-back seam,

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

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I hate pinning. Pinning is just a nightmare.

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

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David is a police constable at Scotland Yard.

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

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

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

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

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

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I've got this stool down here to lean on

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

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But one of the sewers has decided

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not to pin their fabric to the pattern before cutting.

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I usually freehand cut.

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

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

-No.

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Chinelo is a recent graduate

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who lives in Essex with her husband.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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You've chosen probably, of everybody here,

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

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

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a pattern so bold as this before.

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Unless the centre of the pattern on Jenni's fabric

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is right in the middle of her top,

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the finished garment will be off-balance

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and Patrick won't be happy.

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

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

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Jenni lives and works in Walsall,

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and is a resources manager for a software company.

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I started sewing a year and a half ago.

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Started with my wedding dress. Never sewn beforehand,

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and I haven't stopped since.

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I'm all done with my cutting out

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so hopefully I'm going to start constructing it.

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I'm just about to start

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some actual sewing. So darts first.

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Darts are triangular areas of fabric

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which are folded in on themselves and secured with

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a straight line of stitching.

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Just for extra safety.

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

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By jiminy!

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Simon works at Bradford Industrial Museum,

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and his job has fuelled his love of fabric.

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I get a bit carried away with nice cloth.

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

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and because I've worked in the mill

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

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I like to think for a long time.

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Let the construction of something just sit for a minute,

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or a couple of days, ideally.

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

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

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

-Oh, Claudia,

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-you're easily pleased.

-I am!

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'..construction can begin.'

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

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-Oh, hello!

-Aren't they cute?

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

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

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two goats, a brood of chickens and her husband.

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She's been sewing for almost 40 years.

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I have a very busy life.

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

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music that I want to listen to!

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It's about just doing stuff for myself.

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-Are you all right for time?

-I'm a bit speedy.

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

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

-OK.

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-You have to finish this.

-OK.

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-I'm just flagging it up.

-I will.

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90 minutes left to finish making a sleeveless cotton top.

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

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

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Facing is the name for another layer of material

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

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

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I'm not going to pin it.

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So I'm just pinning it,

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and evening out the fabric to make sure

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that there's no puckering.

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Heather lives in Leicestershire

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with her husband Andrew and her Jack Russell Roly.

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

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

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I didn't want to tell anybody I sewed,

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

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So it was a secret.

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You could usually feel where the points are coming

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

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so you just ease the fabric out

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and hopefully around the garment neck.

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

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as it moulds around the neck.

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I don't like doing this stuff.

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Unless it's clipped at regular intervals,

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the finished neckline will be ruined.

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

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Cliff took up sewing three years ago,

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when he retired as a Buddhist prison chaplain.

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

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

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so there's internal competition.

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

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

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What else can we do?

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Sewers, you have one hour left.

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-Ooop!

-Give over!

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I feel pretty calm, actually.

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Been doing a lot of sewing at home.

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

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Ensuring the facing lies flat around the neckline...

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Can do that, can do that.

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

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"And understitch the facing from the right side."

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

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So we put this in here...

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

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along the edge of the facing.

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We want it nice and close to the edge.

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

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

-Perfect.

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

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-doesn't happen, does it?

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

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

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That's how I would normally do it.

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

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instead of understitching.

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

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not really looking at the pattern that much

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

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45 minutes remaining.

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I'm doing OK, I think.

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

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

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Okey-dokey, here we go.

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

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-Do you want a go?

-No. It looks hard!

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

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

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

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Can't get my big fat fingers in.

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

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-Oh, this is exciting!

-..it will become stuck.

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Jenni, how do you work this out?

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It's just a bit fiddly,

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poking everything back through the shoulder piece.

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-Were you bringing the whole thing through?

-Yeah.

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Why didn't it work, then?

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Fantastic.

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A-ha.

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-You're not doing it this way.

-I did it that way.

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-That's the way I did it.

-Oh.

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-Oh!

-OK?

-Yes!

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-Look at that!

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

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-Lovely fit.

-Done.

-Lovely fit.

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Ten out of ten.

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

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

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

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Whereas this is loose. If you come through here,

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-you'll be able to get back through.

-Do you think?

-Yeah.

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-So I did it right?

-Absolutely fine,

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you were just pulling it through the wrong side!

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You nana.

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What a dummy!

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That mannequin's got more brains than me.

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THEY LAUGH

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Boys and girls, you have half an hour left.

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

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

0:15:460:15:49

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

0:15:490:15:52

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

0:15:520:15:56

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

0:15:560:15:59

HE SIGHS

0:15:590:16:00

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

0:16:000:16:03

Don't know what that's all about,

0:16:030:16:05

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

0:16:050:16:09

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

0:16:090:16:13

so the technique I'm using probably is wrong.

0:16:130:16:16

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

0:16:160:16:22

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

0:16:220:16:25

and the thread is slipping out of my hands.

0:16:250:16:28

-What do you mean, you've cheated?

-I've not hand-stitched my loop.

0:16:280:16:31

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

0:16:310:16:34

Sewers, you've got five minutes left.

0:16:340:16:37

Only five minutes.

0:16:370:16:39

Oh, gosh.

0:16:390:16:41

SHE SIGHS

0:16:410:16:43

Not going to have time to do my button.

0:16:430:16:45

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

0:16:470:16:50

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

-Just finishing off now.

0:16:520:16:56

Come on, roll, roll, roll!

0:16:560:16:58

I'm trying to roll this hem.

0:16:580:17:00

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

0:17:000:17:03

HE GROWLS

0:17:030:17:04

See? This is why you pin.

0:17:040:17:06

Patrick, don't look at this.

0:17:060:17:08

OK, that's it.

0:17:190:17:20

The first challenge is over.

0:17:200:17:22

Whatever you have, put it on your mannequin.

0:17:220:17:25

-I like, er, Chinelo's.

-I don't like it.

0:17:250:17:29

I think the colours are horrible.

0:17:290:17:31

But my colours are boring as hell.

0:17:310:17:32

# I can be happy I can be sad

0:17:340:17:37

# I can be good or I can be bad

0:17:370:17:40

# It all depends on you... #

0:17:400:17:45

Ten sleeveless cotton tops made from scratch

0:17:450:17:48

in just two and a half hours,

0:17:480:17:50

but what will May and Patrick think?

0:17:500:17:52

Cerina, bring your mopeds.

0:17:520:17:54

Here come the mods.

0:17:540:17:56

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

0:17:560:17:59

The neckline is lovely,

0:18:020:18:03

the understitching is very near the edge.

0:18:030:18:06

And the back...

0:18:060:18:07

we have a loop!

0:18:070:18:09

And it fits beautifully over the button,

0:18:090:18:12

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

0:18:120:18:14

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

0:18:140:18:17

-We've got no understitching on this one.

-No.

0:18:220:18:26

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

0:18:260:18:28

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

0:18:280:18:31

But we did look!

0:18:310:18:32

And we did ask for it.

0:18:320:18:34

Immediately, I'm struck by the remaining pins.

0:18:370:18:41

-Yes.

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

0:18:410:18:45

Sadly, it's pulling.

0:18:450:18:48

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

0:18:480:18:52

Very neat, very tidy.

0:18:580:19:00

The most exquisite understitching. Well done.

0:19:000:19:04

It is absolutely beautiful.

0:19:040:19:07

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

0:19:070:19:10

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

0:19:100:19:13

that's very nice.

0:19:130:19:15

This front edge

0:19:180:19:20

is not running parallel down the centre of that pattern.

0:19:200:19:23

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

0:19:230:19:25

However, we have understitching in the neckline

0:19:250:19:28

and it is right on the edge.

0:19:280:19:31

-Haven't managed to get a button on.

-I did, but it fell off!

-Really?

0:19:310:19:34

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

0:19:340:19:36

You, of everyone, have chosen

0:19:410:19:42

the most challenging pattern,

0:19:420:19:45

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

0:19:450:19:49

And actually, looking along the bottom hem there,

0:19:490:19:52

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

0:19:520:19:54

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

0:19:540:19:57

The understitching should be right on the edge.

0:19:570:20:00

Not half a centimetre away.

0:20:000:20:03

Did you clip it

0:20:050:20:06

-all the way round?

-Maybe left it a little bit too wide.

0:20:060:20:09

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

0:20:090:20:12

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

0:20:120:20:15

It's hemmed all the way round.

0:20:150:20:16

Neater at the front than it is at the back.

0:20:160:20:18

You have struggled

0:20:210:20:22

a little bit with the shoulders and the arm hole.

0:20:220:20:25

Which is a shame.

0:20:250:20:27

We have a button, we have a loop.

0:20:270:20:28

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

0:20:280:20:31

Our understitching -

0:20:350:20:36

ooh! - is quite a way in.

0:20:360:20:39

There's a bit of a distance.

0:20:390:20:41

It should be nearer the edge.

0:20:410:20:42

-Okey-dokey.

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

0:20:420:20:45

It's puckering slightly.

0:20:450:20:47

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

0:20:470:20:49

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

0:20:490:20:52

whether you can do one of those or not.

0:20:520:20:53

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

-No.

0:20:530:20:57

Harsh!

0:20:570:20:58

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

0:21:030:21:07

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

0:21:070:21:11

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

0:21:110:21:14

Is there something it's hiding?

0:21:140:21:16

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

0:21:160:21:20

I would rather you followed the brief exactly.

0:21:200:21:23

You haven't done a handmade loop.

0:21:230:21:25

What you have done, you've done well,

0:21:250:21:27

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

0:21:270:21:30

For the record, I love the trim.

0:21:300:21:33

I'm mad for the trim.

0:21:330:21:34

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

0:21:350:21:38

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

0:21:380:21:42

Sadly, in 10th place, Cliff.

0:21:420:21:45

Just didn't get through the work in time.

0:21:450:21:47

And in 9th place, Simon.

0:21:470:21:50

There were things that weren't finished.

0:21:500:21:52

David is 8th, Chinelo 7th,

0:21:520:21:54

Lynda 6th, Julie 5th,

0:21:540:21:57

and Jenni is 4th.

0:21:570:21:59

And in 3rd place, Tamara. You lost points

0:22:000:22:03

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

0:22:030:22:06

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

0:22:060:22:12

-and a very close-run thing.

-And in first place, Heather.

0:22:120:22:15

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

0:22:150:22:18

APPLAUSE

0:22:180:22:20

So huge congratulations. First challenge done.

0:22:200:22:23

It never gets tougher than that.

0:22:230:22:25

I'm totally lying.

0:22:250:22:26

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

0:22:260:22:30

it's time for challenge two.

0:22:300:22:32

# Teacher's pet

0:22:320:22:35

# I wanna be... #

0:22:350:22:36

I cannot believe I won that.

0:22:360:22:40

-Fantastic!

-SHE LAUGHS

0:22:400:22:42

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

0:22:420:22:45

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

0:22:450:22:48

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

0:22:480:22:52

I could definitely agree with the comments.

0:22:520:22:54

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

0:22:540:22:56

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

0:22:560:22:59

It's not THAT bad.

0:22:590:23:01

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

0:23:010:23:03

but for the next challenge, they have nothing.

0:23:030:23:06

No instructions, just a garment,

0:23:060:23:09

and all they have to do is totally transform it.

0:23:090:23:12

Easy, right? I don't think so.

0:23:120:23:15

Well, this morning you tackled cotton,

0:23:170:23:19

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

0:23:190:23:23

Ooh!

0:23:230:23:25

We have a long, boring skirt.

0:23:250:23:27

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

0:23:270:23:30

You can chop it, twist it, pleat it,

0:23:300:23:33

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

0:23:330:23:35

by the time you've finished with it.

0:23:350:23:37

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

0:23:370:23:41

Good luck! Off you go.

0:23:410:23:43

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

0:23:460:23:49

Nice quality.

0:23:490:23:50

I've not...used wool before.

0:23:530:23:55

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

0:23:550:24:00

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

0:24:000:24:03

It had better soon.

0:24:030:24:05

There are no rules,

0:24:060:24:08

and so that they can surprise the judges

0:24:080:24:10

with their ideas for deconstructing

0:24:100:24:12

and reconstructing a garment, Patrick and May

0:24:120:24:15

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

0:24:150:24:19

-MAY:

-Wool is really lovely to manipulate.

0:24:200:24:23

It stretches, it moulds.

0:24:230:24:24

There's also enough fabric

0:24:240:24:26

to actually cut some bias shapes into it,

0:24:260:24:29

-and flute it round.

-Yep, and they could insert pieces into it.

0:24:290:24:33

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

0:24:330:24:36

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

0:24:360:24:38

I think ultimately we want to see both imagination

0:24:380:24:41

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

0:24:410:24:44

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

0:24:440:24:48

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

0:24:480:24:52

I'm just cutting off the bottom,

0:24:520:24:54

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

0:24:540:24:56

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

0:24:560:24:59

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

0:24:590:25:03

But some are also altering the width.

0:25:030:25:06

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

0:25:060:25:08

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

0:25:080:25:12

Lynda is not alone in attempting a godet,

0:25:120:25:15

which is a triangular piece of fabric which creates flare.

0:25:150:25:19

It might be an absolute disaster.

0:25:200:25:22

I'm going to come up to the hipline

0:25:220:25:24

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

0:25:240:25:29

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

0:25:290:25:32

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

0:25:320:25:36

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

0:25:360:25:40

I still think dress. What are you doing?!

0:25:400:25:44

JENNI WHISPERS

0:25:440:25:45

-(Why?

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

0:25:450:25:50

Boom! Hell, yes! That's bold!

0:25:500:25:53

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

-Yeah, yeah.

0:25:530:25:56

One hour remaining.

0:25:580:26:00

I'm going to put that at the bottom.

0:26:000:26:03

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

-Divine.

0:26:030:26:06

-Are you worried about time?

-No.

-You're not?!

-No.

0:26:060:26:09

Cerina's alteration is also focused on the hemline.

0:26:110:26:14

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

0:26:140:26:18

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

0:26:180:26:21

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

0:26:210:26:25

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

0:26:250:26:29

so it's a continuous circle.

0:26:290:26:30

So that is going to fit this.

0:26:300:26:32

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

-Adorable.

0:26:320:26:35

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

0:26:350:26:38

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

0:26:380:26:41

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

0:26:410:26:44

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

0:26:440:26:47

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

0:26:490:26:53

a style made popular in the 1930s.

0:26:530:26:56

I'm going to freehand cut the circle,

0:26:560:26:58

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

0:26:580:27:00

Once she knows the circumference of the waist,

0:27:000:27:03

Chinelo can transfer the measurements to paper,

0:27:030:27:06

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

0:27:060:27:09

and then cut along the curves to produce

0:27:090:27:11

a circle of fabric that will fit the waist exactly.

0:27:110:27:16

This is my chance to climb up from seventh place.

0:27:160:27:19

45 minutes left to transform a woollen skirt.

0:27:200:27:24

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

0:27:240:27:27

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

0:27:270:27:30

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

0:27:300:27:34

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

0:27:340:27:37

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

0:27:370:27:41

-These are the straps for my dungarees.

-Straps for dungarees.

0:27:410:27:44

Bold. Ten out of ten.

0:27:440:27:46

To ensure a neat finish for her straps,

0:27:460:27:49

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

0:27:490:27:52

It's going to take me an hour.

0:27:520:27:54

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

0:27:540:27:57

Before she can attach them to her skirt,

0:27:570:27:59

she needs to turn them the right way round.

0:27:590:28:02

OK, we're winning.

0:28:020:28:04

-Are you happy?

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

0:28:040:28:08

Heather is keeping things a little simpler.

0:28:080:28:10

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

0:28:100:28:14

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

0:28:140:28:18

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

0:28:200:28:24

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

0:28:240:28:29

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

0:28:290:28:34

Simon is also hoping to impress with a pocket.

0:28:340:28:37

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

0:28:370:28:41

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

0:28:410:28:44

Everyone, you've got ten minutes left.

0:28:450:28:48

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

0:28:490:28:52

Oh, that's nice.

0:28:520:28:54

I'm not feeling so confident any more.

0:28:540:28:56

It's the most ridiculous orange in the world

0:28:560:28:59

and I'm going to put these buttons on.

0:28:590:29:02

So hopefully it'll be wacky enough.

0:29:020:29:05

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

0:29:050:29:09

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

0:29:090:29:12

Maybe I should hand-stitch this.

0:29:120:29:14

I'm quite happy that I've finished.

0:29:140:29:16

I'm just going to check it over,

0:29:160:29:18

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

0:29:180:29:20

This is now damage limitation, actually.

0:29:230:29:26

It's just letting me down here.

0:29:260:29:29

Sewers, you have ten seconds.

0:29:310:29:33

No panic, don't panic.

0:29:330:29:35

I've not done this very well at all.

0:29:380:29:41

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

0:29:410:29:42

Please put your skirts on your mannequins,

0:29:450:29:47

bring them to the front, mix them around.

0:29:470:29:51

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

0:29:510:29:57

Patrick and May have no idea whose skirt is whose.

0:29:590:30:02

I'm terrifically impressed.

0:30:020:30:04

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

0:30:040:30:08

They're certainly all dramatically different.

0:30:080:30:11

Really interesting use

0:30:130:30:14

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

0:30:140:30:17

-Does the button do anything?

-No, it's just decorative.

0:30:170:30:20

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

0:30:200:30:23

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

0:30:270:30:30

They're looking slightly like a pair of ears.

0:30:300:30:34

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

0:30:340:30:37

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

0:30:390:30:42

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

0:30:420:30:45

Look, we've got silky fabric inside.

0:30:450:30:48

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

0:30:480:30:52

It's simple but it's very effective.

0:30:560:30:59

It's a complete transformation.

0:30:590:31:01

It looks symmetrical, the length of this peplum

0:31:010:31:04

and the length of the skirt appears well-balanced.

0:31:040:31:06

-That's a very nice effect.

-Very pretty.

0:31:060:31:09

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

0:31:130:31:15

This is cotton and this is wool.

0:31:150:31:17

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

0:31:170:31:20

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

0:31:200:31:24

I was a little concerned

0:31:280:31:29

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

0:31:290:31:32

-But actually...

-It's all in the back.

0:31:320:31:34

And that's good fabric handling.

0:31:340:31:37

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

0:31:370:31:39

and not with the tape.

0:31:390:31:41

There is something of the Bohemian about it.

0:31:440:31:47

It's been really nicely done.

0:31:470:31:48

Really nicely finished at the top.

0:31:480:31:50

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

0:31:500:31:54

Just a nice combination of fabric for the insertion,

0:31:580:32:02

-the choice of button and the choice of ribbon.

-And the pocket.

0:32:020:32:05

A little bit ragged at the top here.

0:32:050:32:08

Just a little frill on the bottom of this one.

0:32:110:32:14

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

0:32:140:32:17

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

0:32:210:32:24

Probably one of the simpler adaptations.

0:32:240:32:26

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

0:32:260:32:31

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

0:32:340:32:37

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

0:32:370:32:41

-Happy?

-Yes, I'm happy.

0:32:440:32:45

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

0:32:450:32:49

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

0:32:510:32:55

The person who created number nine.

0:32:550:32:57

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

0:32:570:33:00

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

0:33:000:33:04

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

0:33:040:33:09

And Lynda is fourth.

0:33:090:33:11

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

0:33:110:33:14

Let's see if you're right.

0:33:140:33:16

The owner of number three, please come forward.

0:33:160:33:19

-That's a fiver to me.

-Is it?

0:33:200:33:23

Well, for a start,

0:33:230:33:24

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

0:33:240:33:29

-A combination of woollen weaves.

-Absolutely.

0:33:290:33:33

We're down to the last two.

0:33:330:33:35

Who owns this skirt? Please come forward.

0:33:360:33:39

We love the peplum and the way it falls.

0:33:390:33:42

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

0:33:420:33:46

That means the winner is Tamara.

0:33:460:33:48

APPLAUSE

0:33:480:33:50

We're impressed with the combination of fabrics.

0:33:520:33:55

It shows an innate understanding of how shapes go together.

0:33:550:33:59

Altogether it has been a big success.

0:33:590:34:01

You did absolutely brilliantly.

0:34:030:34:05

Thank you for today. Two challenges done.

0:34:050:34:08

Tomorrow is the big one. Night-night.

0:34:080:34:10

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

0:34:120:34:16

I think the second challenge suited me better

0:34:160:34:18

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

0:34:180:34:22

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

0:34:220:34:26

A little bit disappointed with ninth.

0:34:260:34:28

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

0:34:280:34:30

That was just such a horrible test.

0:34:300:34:33

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

0:34:330:34:36

# It's a lovely day today

0:34:380:34:41

# So whatever you've got to do

0:34:410:34:44

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

0:34:440:34:47

# That's true... #

0:34:470:34:49

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

0:34:490:34:52

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

0:34:520:34:55

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

0:34:550:34:59

and then, not knowing which skirt she did,

0:34:590:35:01

she came all the way from first to seventh.

0:35:010:35:03

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

0:35:030:35:06

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

0:35:060:35:09

in the pattern challenge.

0:35:090:35:10

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

0:35:100:35:13

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

0:35:130:35:17

Can I ask you about Chinelo?

0:35:170:35:18

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

0:35:180:35:21

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

0:35:210:35:24

Can we talk about the boys?

0:35:240:35:26

They all came bottom

0:35:260:35:27

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

0:35:270:35:31

He demonstrated some good techniques.

0:35:310:35:34

Are you disappointed with Cliff and David?

0:35:340:35:36

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

0:35:360:35:38

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

0:35:380:35:42

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

0:35:420:35:45

I get the impression that David is solid and organised.

0:35:450:35:48

He will have practised this

0:35:480:35:50

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

0:35:500:35:52

For this final challenge, the mannequins are gone.

0:35:520:35:56

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

0:35:570:36:00

I'm Simon.

0:36:000:36:02

Each sewer has their own model.

0:36:020:36:04

Good morning, everybody.

0:36:060:36:09

You've met your lovely models.

0:36:090:36:10

The judges would love you to make a nightgown.

0:36:100:36:14

It can be anything you like.

0:36:140:36:15

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

0:36:150:36:18

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

0:36:180:36:23

This is the one garment

0:36:240:36:26

the sewers have had a chance to practise at home.

0:36:260:36:29

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

0:36:290:36:32

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

0:36:320:36:35

and prove that they know how to handle silk.

0:36:350:36:37

Silk is so difficult to work with.

0:36:380:36:40

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

0:36:400:36:43

The measuring stage is crucial. This is a nightgown,

0:36:430:36:45

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

0:36:450:36:49

So, precise measurements, and really work to them.

0:36:490:36:51

And they have to handle the fabric well.

0:36:510:36:54

We're looking at the fit.

0:36:540:36:55

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

0:36:550:36:58

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

0:36:580:37:02

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

0:37:020:37:06

You know something?

0:37:060:37:07

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

0:37:070:37:11

Heather is making a slim-fitting lingerie-style nightgown

0:37:120:37:16

with a shaped bust and lace overlay.

0:37:160:37:19

Every different type of silk is different to handle.

0:37:190:37:22

This is crepe de chine.

0:37:220:37:24

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

0:37:240:37:29

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

0:37:290:37:32

Shot silk has got a different coloured warp to weft.

0:37:320:37:36

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

0:37:360:37:40

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

0:37:400:37:44

Simon's heavy-shot silk dupion

0:37:440:37:46

will become a semi-fitted, one-piece nightgown

0:37:460:37:49

with a lace-trimmed neckline.

0:37:490:37:51

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

0:37:510:37:54

I'm doing this incredibly simple version over here.

0:37:540:37:56

-Haven't you made stuff for your girl?

-No.

0:37:560:37:58

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

0:37:580:38:01

She doesn't wear it.

0:38:010:38:02

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

0:38:020:38:07

Getting the pattern was a bit of a nightmare.

0:38:070:38:09

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

0:38:090:38:13

for the first time ever, make my own pattern.

0:38:130:38:16

Her 1940s-style silk satin nightgown

0:38:160:38:19

has a pin-tucked waist and shoulders.

0:38:190:38:21

You can see how old it is.

0:38:230:38:25

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

0:38:250:38:28

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

0:38:280:38:31

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

0:38:310:38:34

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

0:38:340:38:36

They were all a bit old-fashioned.

0:38:360:38:38

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

0:38:380:38:41

So I picked a dress pattern.

0:38:410:38:43

She's adapted the pattern for a slip dress

0:38:430:38:46

to create a bias-cut nightgown

0:38:460:38:48

with a lettuce-edge hem.

0:38:480:38:50

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

0:38:500:38:52

and then I'm going to have a lace overlay

0:38:520:38:55

and finish it with a sprinkling of black diamantes.

0:38:550:38:58

Chinelo doesn't have a pattern at all.

0:38:580:39:01

This is how it would be done in Nigeria.

0:39:010:39:03

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

0:39:030:39:06

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

0:39:060:39:10

The bust of her floor-length gown

0:39:100:39:12

will be finished with lace

0:39:120:39:14

and the low-cut back will be

0:39:140:39:15

fastened with crisscrossing ribbon.

0:39:150:39:17

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

0:39:180:39:21

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

0:39:210:39:24

And then that's basically my skirt done.

0:39:240:39:27

Cutting silk accurately is notoriously difficult.

0:39:270:39:31

-Are you finding it tricky?

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

0:39:310:39:34

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

0:39:340:39:36

making pattern pieces harder to line up,

0:39:360:39:39

raising the risk of a misshapen finished garment.

0:39:390:39:42

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

0:39:420:39:45

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

0:39:450:39:49

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

0:39:490:39:53

so I get the correct shape.

0:39:530:39:55

Tamara is making an empire-line

0:39:550:39:57

babydoll nightgown with a lace trim bust.

0:39:570:40:00

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

0:40:010:40:05

Lynda's nightgown requires

0:40:070:40:08

cutting more pattern pieces than anybody else.

0:40:080:40:11

Yes!

0:40:110:40:14

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

0:40:140:40:17

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

0:40:170:40:22

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

0:40:220:40:25

Lynda's empire-line nightgown

0:40:250:40:27

will have a lace bust and straps

0:40:270:40:29

with a full skirt

0:40:290:40:30

made out of five panels of silk.

0:40:300:40:32

-I'm going to tell you a story.

-OK.

0:40:320:40:34

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

0:40:340:40:39

It's something that is particular to the person.

0:40:390:40:41

And my daughter, every time she talks about you,

0:40:410:40:44

she's like, "Patrick! Patrick!"

0:40:440:40:46

So your sign name is now Patrick...

0:40:460:40:50

because you make her heart beat a little faster.

0:40:500:40:52

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

0:40:520:40:56

Once the seams of their skirts are sewn,

0:40:580:41:00

work on the nightgown's bodice can begin.

0:41:000:41:04

I'm just getting the lower bodice part fixed.

0:41:050:41:10

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

0:41:100:41:13

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

0:41:130:41:16

hopefully very flattering.

0:41:160:41:17

Any puckering around the curved seams at the bodice

0:41:170:41:20

will be highly visible as the silk catches the light.

0:41:200:41:24

These two are going to make the cups.

0:41:240:41:27

Pins. I hate pins.

0:41:270:41:29

Just pin, pin, pin.

0:41:290:41:31

David's bodice will be trimmed with lace

0:41:310:41:33

to complete a classic, semi-fitted,

0:41:330:41:35

empire-line nightie.

0:41:350:41:37

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

0:41:380:41:42

as sharp as possible

0:41:420:41:43

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

0:41:430:41:46

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

0:41:460:41:49

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

0:41:490:41:52

There will be top stitching along here.

0:41:520:41:54

Cerina is attempting

0:41:540:41:56

to gather her bodice around the bust

0:41:560:41:58

to complete a 1930s-style

0:41:580:42:00

bias-cut nightgown.

0:42:000:42:01

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

0:42:040:42:06

and it will gather up the bodice.

0:42:060:42:08

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

0:42:090:42:13

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

0:42:130:42:18

Finding it really difficult to work with the fabric.

0:42:180:42:21

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

0:42:250:42:28

most of the sewers have given themselves the extra challenge

0:42:280:42:31

of applying lace.

0:42:310:42:32

-This is really quite fine lace.

-Have you worked with lace before?

-No.

0:42:340:42:39

-Have you worked with silk before?

-No.

-Holy moly!

0:42:390:42:42

It requires quite delicate handling and hand-stitching.

0:42:440:42:48

It's all time-consuming, really.

0:42:480:42:50

I'm trying to be speedy. Be brave.

0:42:500:42:52

Hope the sewing gods are with me.

0:42:540:42:56

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

0:42:560:42:59

I have to literally go around the whole thing,

0:43:010:43:04

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

0:43:040:43:08

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

0:43:080:43:11

but it's a bit trickier.

0:43:110:43:13

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

0:43:160:43:18

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

0:43:180:43:21

There isn't really much room to hide in.

0:43:210:43:24

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

0:43:240:43:27

where the skirt meets the bodice.

0:43:270:43:29

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

0:43:290:43:31

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

0:43:310:43:34

I'm going to burst into tears.

0:43:340:43:35

-This looks beautiful, by the way.

-It's nice, isn't it?

-Gorgeous.

0:43:380:43:42

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

0:43:420:43:46

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

0:43:460:43:50

To sew in the sleeves correctly,

0:43:500:43:51

he first has to pin them to the bodice

0:43:510:43:53

without allowing the silk to pucker.

0:43:530:43:56

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

0:43:560:44:00

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

0:44:030:44:07

has long been associated with the rag trade.

0:44:070:44:10

Since the 1550s,

0:44:100:44:11

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

0:44:110:44:15

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

0:44:150:44:18

But the silk trade's golden era

0:44:180:44:20

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

0:44:200:44:24

The Huguenots were highly skilled French craftsmen.

0:44:260:44:29

They were also Protestants.

0:44:290:44:30

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

0:44:300:44:35

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

0:44:350:44:39

Around 50,000 Huguenots arrived on our shores

0:44:410:44:45

and many of them gravitated here. Spitalfields.

0:44:450:44:48

The whole area really began to flourish

0:44:480:44:51

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

0:44:510:44:56

The silk they wove was exquisite

0:44:590:45:02

and the resulting fashions were unlike any dresses seen before.

0:45:020:45:05

Huguenots were hugely beneficial

0:45:070:45:09

for the British silk industry

0:45:090:45:11

because they brought with them a load of trade secrets.

0:45:110:45:14

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

0:45:140:45:19

So all of these techniques, the weaving,

0:45:190:45:21

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

0:45:210:45:24

That allowed domestic industry to grow and, essentially,

0:45:240:45:28

meant that new fashions could flourish.

0:45:280:45:31

You could get these incredibly lustrous,

0:45:310:45:33

gorgeous, beautiful, opulent silks being created right here.

0:45:330:45:37

Amongst the new inhabitants was a labourer called Mongeorge

0:45:410:45:45

who arrived here from his native Lyon with a secret

0:45:450:45:48

that would make British silk the best

0:45:480:45:51

and the most sought-after in all the world.

0:45:510:45:53

Mongeorge used a technique of lustring

0:45:550:45:57

which involved steaming and waxing yarns of silk before weaving,

0:45:570:46:00

which gave it extra gloss.

0:46:000:46:02

This did have lustring on it,

0:46:030:46:06

but it's been worn

0:46:060:46:08

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

0:46:080:46:10

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

0:46:100:46:13

So that was protected.

0:46:130:46:16

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

0:46:160:46:19

You can just see how shiny it is.

0:46:190:46:22

It would have been that shiny, if not shinier.

0:46:220:46:25

-Look at that! That looks like liquid gold.

-He invented shine.

0:46:250:46:28

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

0:46:280:46:32

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

0:46:340:46:38

known by only three firms in the UK.

0:46:380:46:41

Mongeorge became quite philanthropic, very, very wealthy

0:46:410:46:44

because obviously he had the secret.

0:46:440:46:46

He basically supported apprenticeships within the silk industry

0:46:460:46:51

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

0:46:510:46:55

-Good at silk, and good.

-And good, yes.

0:46:550:46:58

Thanks to Mongeorge, almost overnight,

0:46:580:47:01

the silk industry boomed here in Spitalfields.

0:47:010:47:05

French silk imports fell drastically

0:47:050:47:08

and British silk became THE must-have fabric.

0:47:080:47:11

The golden age had begun.

0:47:110:47:13

Cliff has started to feel unwell.

0:47:180:47:21

Just can't think any more.

0:47:210:47:22

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

0:47:220:47:25

He has chosen to stop working on the final challenge

0:47:250:47:27

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

0:47:270:47:31

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

0:47:310:47:34

because he was such good fun.

0:47:340:47:36

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

0:47:360:47:38

So he'll be missed, very sorely missed.

0:47:380:47:41

I know it's a competition, but nevertheless,

0:47:410:47:43

we all want each other to succeed as well.

0:47:430:47:45

You've got 30 minutes left.

0:47:530:47:56

By placing the loosely constructed nightgowns on their models,

0:47:580:48:01

the sewers can identify which seams need to be altered

0:48:010:48:06

to make it fit perfectly.

0:48:060:48:08

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

0:48:080:48:11

to bring it in a little on the waist.

0:48:110:48:12

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

0:48:120:48:15

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

-Yes.

0:48:150:48:20

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

0:48:210:48:25

Get in!

0:48:250:48:26

You have 15 minutes left.

0:48:270:48:30

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

0:48:300:48:33

I need to get the hem done.

0:48:330:48:36

I need to do the back seam.

0:48:360:48:37

I need to get a shifty in.

0:48:370:48:39

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

0:48:390:48:42

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

0:48:420:48:46

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

0:48:460:48:49

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

0:48:490:48:51

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

0:48:510:48:56

-Thank you, David. Practically married.

-Indeed.

0:48:560:49:00

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

0:49:000:49:03

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

0:49:030:49:06

Five minutes.

0:49:060:49:08

I'm going to need every minute.

0:49:080:49:10

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

0:49:120:49:14

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

0:49:140:49:17

I love diamantes. I put diamantes on everything!

0:49:210:49:24

I've always got diamantes somewhere.

0:49:240:49:25

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

0:49:250:49:28

Oh, Jesus, just help me.

0:49:280:49:29

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

0:49:290:49:32

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

0:49:330:49:36

This is just so shoddy.

0:49:390:49:41

I can't get the thread off.

0:49:480:49:50

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

0:49:500:49:53

Come on.

0:49:530:49:54

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

0:49:560:50:01

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

0:50:010:50:03

I'm not turning round.

0:50:030:50:05

Finished!

0:50:050:50:07

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

0:50:070:50:10

# In the cool, cool, cool of the evening

0:50:110:50:15

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

0:50:150:50:17

Each silk nightgown was made to measure in just five hours

0:50:190:50:22

and will now be judged by May and Patrick.

0:50:220:50:25

My first impression is that this looks great.

0:50:270:50:30

It isn't quite finished,

0:50:300:50:31

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

0:50:310:50:35

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

0:50:350:50:38

I love the way that the shaping fits underneath the bust

0:50:380:50:41

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

0:50:410:50:44

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

0:50:440:50:47

-It's the sort of nightie

-I

-might like to wear.

0:50:470:50:50

Come for a measurement.

0:50:500:50:52

It looks a little stiff.

0:50:530:50:55

It hasn't got that soft drape

0:50:550:50:57

that we would really want from a piece of lingerie.

0:50:570:51:01

In terms of balance and line, it looks good.

0:51:010:51:04

But it fits more like a dress might fit

0:51:040:51:06

rather than a piece of nightwear.

0:51:060:51:09

Fundamentally, you've just got the wrong fabric.

0:51:090:51:11

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

0:51:170:51:22

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

0:51:220:51:26

I notice you haven't finished.

0:51:260:51:27

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

0:51:310:51:36

This little diamond section

0:51:360:51:37

that should be sitting neatly in the centre of the diaphragm

0:51:370:51:41

is just off and up a little bit.

0:51:410:51:42

And the lace could really do with some more anchoring.

0:51:420:51:46

It's trying to detach itself.

0:51:460:51:48

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

0:51:540:51:58

It's sitting pretty level

0:51:580:52:00

despite the lack of a hem at the bottom there.

0:52:000:52:03

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

0:52:030:52:07

your lace is nice and flat.

0:52:070:52:09

I think because you handled it so much,

0:52:090:52:12

they're just stretched out a bit.

0:52:120:52:13

The first thing I noticed,

0:52:230:52:24

which is competently different to anything anybody else has done,

0:52:240:52:27

we've got this wonderful rolled hem

0:52:270:52:29

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

0:52:290:52:34

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

0:52:340:52:37

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

0:52:370:52:39

so you have got a narrower back.

0:52:390:52:41

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

0:52:410:52:44

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

0:52:440:52:47

within the lace, which is a nice detail too.

0:52:470:52:50

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

0:52:550:52:58

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

0:52:580:53:01

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

0:53:010:53:03

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

0:53:030:53:06

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

0:53:060:53:09

It really is pretty good.

0:53:170:53:18

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

0:53:180:53:22

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

0:53:220:53:24

so it's wrinkling a little bit.

0:53:240:53:26

But you did all of this without a pattern.

0:53:260:53:28

I'm very, very impressed.

0:53:280:53:31

The fit at the back is absolutely terrific.

0:53:310:53:34

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

0:53:340:53:38

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

0:53:380:53:41

Some really, really lovely work.

0:53:410:53:42

However, we've got some pins in the back

0:53:420:53:45

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

0:53:450:53:47

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

0:53:570:54:00

Looking at the fit of it,

0:54:000:54:02

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

0:54:020:54:05

The position of the bodice is very good.

0:54:050:54:08

The little V comes right into the centre of her back

0:54:080:54:12

and this back seam runs very straight.

0:54:120:54:14

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

0:54:140:54:19

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

0:54:190:54:24

When it came to this challenge,

0:54:240:54:26

I thought you'd be really good at time management

0:54:260:54:29

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

-Thank you.

0:54:290:54:32

Well done. Thank you very much, David.

0:54:320:54:34

Thank you, that was incredibly hard.

0:54:340:54:37

Please go off and have a relax

0:54:370:54:39

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

0:54:390:54:43

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

0:54:450:54:49

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

0:54:490:54:54

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

0:54:540:54:57

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

0:54:570:55:01

Confidence is middling at the moment.

0:55:010:55:03

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

0:55:030:55:06

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

0:55:060:55:09

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

-This is very untidy.

0:55:090:55:13

-You loved his skirt in the second challenge.

-Absolutely, yes.

0:55:130:55:16

But his nightdress was just awful.

0:55:160:55:19

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

0:55:190:55:24

He definitely redeemed himself.

0:55:240:55:26

If I was to pick one other person

0:55:260:55:27

who might be looking a bit shaky at this point,

0:55:270:55:30

it would probably be Jenni.

0:55:300:55:31

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

0:55:310:55:34

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

0:55:340:55:37

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

0:55:370:55:40

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

0:55:400:55:43

Huge congratulations for your first week.

0:55:500:55:53

You all did absolutely brilliantly.

0:55:530:55:55

Patrick is going to reveal the garment of the week

0:55:550:55:58

but wanted to say something first.

0:55:580:56:00

We just wanted to make special commendation to David.

0:56:000:56:03

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

0:56:030:56:06

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

0:56:060:56:08

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

0:56:080:56:12

It was finished and you matched the seams beautifully.

0:56:180:56:22

There were some really nice touches, well done.

0:56:220:56:25

Now here comes the bad news.

0:56:250:56:27

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

0:56:270:56:32

..nobody!

0:56:390:56:40

CHEERING

0:56:400:56:42

LAUGHTER

0:56:420:56:44

The judges didn't want to lose anybody else.

0:56:490:56:52

They believe you all have something more to offer.

0:56:520:56:55

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

0:56:550:56:57

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

0:56:580:57:01

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

0:57:010:57:06

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

0:57:060:57:10

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

0:57:100:57:13

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

0:57:130:57:17

of how people can change their positioning on every challenge.

0:57:170:57:22

I think keeping all the sewers is the fair result.

0:57:220:57:25

The challenges will get harder,

0:57:250:57:26

the techniques will become more demanding.

0:57:260:57:28

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

0:57:280:57:32

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

0:57:320:57:36

Almost winning, coming second was brilliant.

0:57:360:57:38

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

0:57:380:57:41

I'm going to burst into tears AGAIN.

0:57:410:57:42

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

0:57:420:57:47

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

0:57:470:57:49

I don't think my heart can take it.

0:57:490:57:51

At the next Sewing Bee...

0:57:510:57:54

I have a hem, I have a hem.

0:57:540:57:55

..the sewers take on patterned fabric...

0:57:550:57:58

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

0:57:580:58:01

..making box-pleated skirts.

0:58:010:58:04

Mmm...which way shall I make it?

0:58:040:58:06

The alteration challenge is twice as hard.

0:58:060:58:10

I'm enjoying ripping this up.

0:58:100:58:11

And made-to-measure...

0:58:110:58:13

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

0:58:130:58:16

..men's pyjamas.

0:58:160:58:18

I love saying that.

0:58:180:58:19

But who will create the best garment of the week?

0:58:190:58:22

Show me your impressed face.

0:58:220:58:24

And who will be asked to leave the Sewing Bee?

0:58:240:58:27

This is guerrilla sewing.

0:58:270:58:28

Happy with that!

0:58:280:58:30

Patrick had my jamas on.

0:58:320:58:34

Feeling ready to sharpen up your sewing skills?

0:58:360:58:38

Visit the website...

0:58:380:58:40

to find tips and ideas featured in the series.

0:58:400:58:44

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