Episode 2 The Great British Sewing Bee

It's week two in our search for Britain's best amateur sewer.

Last week everybody used the following word a lot - godet.

All the time! If you know what one is, call me.

The sewers started off by tackling basic fabrics -

cotton, wool and silk.

Not really my colour.

Heather's cotton top won the first challenge.

It is absolutely beautiful.

-Tamara proved...

-Oh, that's nice!

..a master of transformation.

All together, it has been a big success.

That back's lovely, I love that!

But it was Julie's silk diamante nightie...

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

..that won garment of the week.

This week the sewers face patterned fabric.

Any competent sewer needs to know how to handle pattern.

Patterns have to work well,

they have to flow well through the garment.

So who can make a pattern flow around a pleated skirt?

Which way shall I make it fit?

How on earth will they combine two men's shirts?

This is guerrilla sewing!

-And which patterned pyjamas...

-Bung those on.

..will produce the perfect fit?

-My model's got particularly good legs.

-Absolutely.

Patrick had my 'jamas on!

The nine sewers return to the sewing room.

They have no idea what two garments they'll be asked to make today...

..but one thing they CAN be sure of -

one of them will be asked to leave at the end of tomorrow.

Lovely to see you all again.

This week the judges would like to see

how you deal with patterned fabric.

Simon looks nervous!

Of course, first challenge is the pattern challenge.

I hope May's been nice, its only week two.

-What have you chosen?

-We'd like you to make a skirt,

with box pleats at the front and the back

and a zip in the side seam.

And we would like you all to choose a clearly patterned fabric.

We are going to be looking for the matching of the pattern

through the pleats and all the way round the skirt.

Good luck, you have three hours. Your time starts now!

The Sewing Bee's haberdashery's full of different patterned fabrics.

I don't work with patterned fabric a lot,

because it takes you twice as long to make the things

because you've got to constantly match things up.

Which design the sewers choose could determine how successful they'll be.

I want something pretty, maybe with a bigger print

so it's easy to match up.

It's like doing wallpaper.

The fabric should match horizontally across four box pleats,

two at the front of the skirt and two at the back.

Each pleat should be 4cm deep on either side,

and they're created by folding the fabric in on itself

in opposite directions. Once folded,

the design should appear to run uninterrupted across the pleats.

As long as they make allowance for the fact, you know,

if the pattern isn't going to work with that depth of pleat,

they could change it, but what they have to bear in mind is,

if you make these pleats deeper, you're shortening this distance

all the way around, and if they don't sit

and think about it before they start,

they are going to put themselves in an impossible situation later on.

I'm just looking to see how big the pleat is.

I've never done a box-pleat skirt before.

I'm feeling quite good about this challenge.

I think I deal with the ones you don't know about quite well.

Jenni is the lead singer of a band.

Her husband Kirk plays lead guitar

and she makes most of their stage clothes.

Anything that's lying around the house

is being turned into any kind of garment.

Shirts are being cut up, curtains are being cut up.

No matter how crazy, Jenni seems to the able to make it.

I'm making sure my pattern is the same on both skirts,

so where it ends, it ends on the same side.

So that's where I am at the moment.

-Good morning.

-Hello.

How did the width of these pleats match with the width of your design?

-How's that going to look through the pleat?

-Absolutely no idea!

When making clothes for her job as a children's entertainer,

Tamara never worries about pattern-matching.

I think Tamara, when she's sewing,

a lot of character comes out in her work,

and lots of bright colours, lots of flamboyant things

-and a few mistakes turn into a bit of magic.

-Lovely!

Patrick did mention, did I think about what the box pleats would do?

I guess I understand now. If I'd chosen something quite linear,

I could have lined up the lines.

I chose this particular fabric

because of a very strong repeat in its pattern.

Heather's been making clothes for the last 40 years,

including the dress she wore on her wedding day.

Aw!

Shortly after I first met her, I got exposed to

this side of her. We were going out to a party and she said,

"I know, I'll just go and get some material and make a blouse to wear."

Three hours later this beautiful garment appeared,

and I said, "Yeah, that's really quite cool!"

The challenge of creating a box-pleated skirt with a pattern

is to make sure when the box pleats are closed,

the pattern is absolutely seamless and continuous.

Which way shall I make it fit?

To ensure continuity of pattern across the pleats,

the sewers need to mark out where the fold should go.

Can I borrow your pencil?

-I don't know what I've done with mine!

-Yeah, help yourself.

They look like bingo pens.

Bingo pens!

They do, don't they?

-I don't know, I've never been to bingo.

-Well, you wouldn't!

When Julie sews with patterned fabric,

she uses local Yorkshire tweeds and checks.

Julie uses different materials and different patterns,

she mixes and matches them up, but somehow it does tend to come off.

She's very good at it.

I tend to go for a plain skirt.

I don't think box pleats particularly suit me.

I always think they add weight to you.

I made a skirt with box pleats for my O Level,

when I was about 15, so I think that was the last time.

Cerina usually sews with plain fabric to produce party dresses

for herself and her daughters.

Cerina sews mainly in the dining room and mainly after midnight.

She just loves to express herself,

so sewing is just an extension of that creative flair.

Look at this! Is this a proper tool box?

Plumber's tool box. Gingham's not really my scene.

No. This is the best sewing kit I've ever seen!

Last week I came eighth in the pattern challenge.

I might do a little bit better.

I'd just be happy to stay out of the relegation positions.

David regularly matches patterns

when making soft furnishings for his home.

David has made curtains, he's made a duvet.

One weekend, my dad and I, drinking, playing Yahtzee,

while David and my mum were busy sewing and making a dress.

I think the box-pleat skirt's doable. It's just matching the pattern.

If the box pleat was exactly one check wide, it would be really easy.

To match the pattern across the pleats,

David could increase or decrease their depth,

but unless he allowed for this when cutting out the fabric,

he'll risk changing the size of his skirt around the waist.

I would have liked the pleats on the pattern

to match one box width, but it's slightly bigger than that.

It's about a box and a half.

-You can adjust it.

-Yeah.

You could deepen or make shallower those pleats,

but then you're going to have to adjust the whole skirt

-all the way round to make it all fit together.

-Thanks, Patrick.

Having marked out the pleats,

it's time to see if the fabric matches once folded.

Doesn't it look perfect, Patrick?

Yes, it does, actually.

Look at that! Look! You see?! Come on!

If you peek-a-boo, it's the same underneath.

I mean, that is pattern-matching perfection right there.

I'm having problems already, because my fabric,

when I line them up, the pattern doesn't continue.

I think I might have to get another fabric,

because maybe the width of the pleats are not good for this fabric.

But then if I do that, I feel like I might not finish.

Chinelo has never attempted pattern-matching...

..although she made all the outfits for her church choir.

Chinelo is very creative.

I've seen Chinelo sew for about 48 hours.

and I'm not joking. She's only had three hours' sleep in two days.

She loves it!

45 minutes into the challenge,

and Chinelo is looking for a new fabric.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-What's happened?

When I've matched it up, it doesn't match.

It's not looking like it's going to go totally invisible, the pattern.

Oh! What about that?

-I don't think this is a good idea.

-OK.

I'm probably just going to stick with the pattern I've got.

That's pretty! Stick with that. That's going to be gorgeous!

Yes, I think I'm just going to do that.

-I'm sorry I'm not helpful.

-No, no, you've been very helpful.

-Thank you.

-Where does this go?

I have decided to stick with this fabric,

but I'm going to cut it the other way.

Instead of the orange going vertically,

I'm going to make it go horizontally.

Our sewing room's haberdashery is crammed full

of beautiful patterned cotton that our sewers can choose from.

Back in the 17th century,

you could only get those fabrics on the black market,

and therefore wearing them meant you were breaking the law!

During the reign of Charles II,

fashionable ladies wanted to emulate the styles at court,

which were made of embroidered cloth and silk brocades.

But these were prohibitively expensive

to all but the aristocracy.

Plain wool and linen fabrics were all that most people could afford,

but that all changed in 1631, when the East India Company

was granted permission to import beautiful patterned chintz,

which was printed on much more affordable cotton.

Giorgio, what do you mean when you say Indian chintz?

An Indian chintz is a piece of white cotton cloth

that has been drawn and then printed.

The word "chintz" comes from the word "chint"

that means to spray or to sprinkle.

Indian craftsmen used extracts from local plants and produce,

from lemon juice to buffalo milk to beeswax,

to produce bright, long-lasting dyes for the production of chintz.

The dyes were then applied by hand with a printing block.

-So that's how it would start, with the small woodcut?

-Yes.

-This is our red.

-A brilliant colour. OK.

Like this. And that's the final result.

What you do next is you might wish to use another block to do

some other parts, or you might start pencilling in the colour.

And it would end something like this?

-Yes, this is a very complicated type of cloth.

-It's so beautiful.

-Was this very expensive?

-No. It would have been quite cheap.

This is a very ornate cloth that would have competed with

the beautiful silks, but the silks would have been

10, 15, 20 times more expensive.

When chintz was first brought over from India to the UK,

it was for bedroom furnishings, for quilts, for curtains.

Once that fabric was worn out, it was given to the servants

and they made clothes out of them.

Well, this lightweight, beautiful cotton suddenly caught on,

and from then, it was brought over to be used for dressmaking.

Every woman suddenly wanted dresses made of affordable Indian chintz,

and with all the colours and designs available,

it soon became so highly fashionable that the sales of

British wool and linen plummeted,

leading the government to ban its import.

The ban was put in place in 1701,

but of course, there was a loophole.

Basically what happened, you could import chintz

only if it was for the export market, so you would arrive at the customs

with your consignment of chintz,

you would be asked where it was destined for,

you would say the colonies, you would reload your bundles of chintz,

and then you would sail around to Deal,

moor off the south-east Kent coast, and of course,

this is where you start getting the market for contraband chintz.

So women would jump in their horse and carriages and just

-bomb down to Kent to get themselves some new fabrics?

-Absolutely.

How risky was it wearing chintz in public?

Unfortunately, things took a very dark turn in 1712,

where you would get the weavers taking to the streets.

They are actually throwing ink over women wearing chintz

and even ripping the gowns from their backs.

In 1759, the law banning imported chintz was lifted,

and soon British mills started making imitation copies.

So the next time you buy some patterned fabric,

spare a thought for those brave women who would

go down to the docks to get their hands on some contraband chintz.

Two hours left to finish a box-pleated skirt.

If they are sure they have accurately matched the pleats

-across the front and back sections...

-Here we go.

-..the sewers can stitch them into position.

-Woo-hoo!

Those elephants are all going that way,

and those elephants are all going that way. Sorted!

Happy with that!

Right, then, "Stitch the side seams, leaving the left side open."

Simon grew up surrounded by fabric.

His dad is a weaver for a woollen mill in Bradford.

I can make the cloth,

but he just comes along and sews it all together.

I just don't know where he gets it from, our Simon. Brilliant.

-How are you getting along?

-The pattern's gone off.

You have to match at some point, and you also have to decide

where it's not going to match and it's how you treat that.

-So you've got the horizontal...

-The horizontal works here,

but once you go over the top of the soldier,

the patterns no longer match,

and as long as the centre looks right, then you're in good nick.

Thank you.

-How's it going?

-I ignored the pattern,

because they didn't work with the pattern of the fabric.

-Did you just tell May, "I ignored the pattern"?

-Yeah.

-Wow. A brave policeman.

-So why did you change your pleats?

I adjusted my pleats, so this is one full square.

-So you wanted complete symmetry?

-Yeah.

-Hold it up for us.

-Oh, right.

-Holy moly! That's for...

Well, it would be nice for a doll.

He's tried to make the checks totally symmetrical in both directions,

so he's taken out too much fabric.

Halfway through the challenge.

Once the front and back sections are joined,

the side seam is completed with a zip.

Get a longer piece of cotton and we'll be away with it.

The judges want the sewers to showcase their hand-sewing,

so they've asked for a special kind of zip.

-What is a lapped zip?

-A lapped zip.

You have a fold of fabric that covers the zip.

What you do is you machine the first side in,

and then the hand-picked zip, it's a tiny, tiny stitch.

This is a lovely test of hand-sewing skills.

It needs to be done delicately to look right.

It's really big. I don't get it.

I'm finding the instructions for the zip a little bit confusing.

So I'm just going to put it in how I think it should go in

and hope for the best.

Julia's decided to go for a zip she's more familiar with.

I'm just sewing the concealed zip in.

A concealed or invisible zip is machine-stitched into a garment

and involves no hand-stitching at all.

They're going to tell me off because I'm not following the instructions.

I know I'm going to get into trouble!

This is an invisible zip.

-But it asks for a lapped zip.

-I know, I'm hoping they won't mind.

-You've met May.

-But invisible zips look much nicer in a side seam!

Sweetheart, it LOOKS much nicer,

but you'll get points for a lapped zip.

OK.

Linda sews for her family

and was encouraged to enter the Sewing Bee by her daughter, Sarah.

She would do anything for anybody.

It's really nice to see her doing something for herself for a change.

She made my prom dress, and she also made my wedding dress.

I wish I could wear it every day!

I've taken the offending zip out, and I've put a lapped zip in.

I'm just following the instructions.

It says, "Finish the zip by sewing the pin flap

"with neat pin-prick stitches," so I'm doing that by hand.

Sewers, you've got 30 minutes left.

I'm not going to have time for this. Come on! Really?

You know something? I think I'm ahead! Yes!

Cool.

I've cut a new waistband in an attempt to have it roughly match

the pattern on the front of the skirt.

Matching the waistband to the top of the skirt is tricky.

It should be closer than it would have been, anyway.

Eh-up. He's like a great white, isn't he?

I'm just applying the waistband,

but I've just realised that I've put it on...wrong.

I've lined up the pattern, and that's the back of the skirt,

not the front, so I'm just going to quickly unpick it and reapply it.

A little bit stressed. I can't lie.

Once attached, the waistband is finished off

with a neat machine-sewn top stitch.

I've just got to make sure that the top stitching here is

perfectly perfect, right on the edge.

But Julie's doing her own thing again.

I'm going to hand-stitch it down,

because I think sometimes it creates a better finish.

I always get told off, I've just got to face that, telling off.

-Everyone, you've got only five minutes left.

-Oh, jeez! Oh, man!

-Just little finishing touches.

-I think it's sweet. I really like it.

-I've got sweaty fingers now.

-I need that chalk they give to gymnasts.

I need some.

-How you doing, Jen?

-Have you finished?

-Yes.

-Oh, don't.

Go away! I don't want to talk to you.

60 seconds. Put the skirts on the mannequins.

-SHE GASPS

-I've got a gap there! There shouldn't be.

Just hoping this actually does fit on my mannequin.

I haven't seen David try his on the mannequin.

Dave, you've done the same as me.

I must have made it too small, and I don't know how I've done it.

Yes! Finished. Woo-hoo!

Because it doesn't fit, it looks better pinned on.

Time is up.

Please, bring your mannequins into the haberdashery.

-Do you think they'll notice?

-Asking a bit much, that, I think.

MUSIC PLAYS

The nine box-pleated skirts will now be judged by May and Patrick.

Tamara, please bring your lovely skirt forward.

This was one pattern

-that I was worried about.

-Yes.

Actually, you've handled it extremely well.

I mean, it runs straight down the centre and, actually,

even on the waistband,

this little curl here becomes a continuation through this leaf.

I think there's an issue with the pleats at the front.

They don't actually meet. There's a little bit of a gap there.

Your waistband line - you're almost there in the front.

Just a smidgen out there.

Horizontally, this orange line that runs continually all the way

through is pretty good.

The prick stitching - a teensy-weensy bit smaller.

This matching is absolutely spot-on.

You have got a beautifully hand-picked sewn-in zip.

I mean, this is lovely, neat, even.

This is a really great-looking skirt.

-The first thing I noticed...

-I know, I know.

THEY LAUGH

I think I were that obsessed with my elephants meeting on the pleats

that I think I must have taken too much fabric.

And...I see...

-I know, I know.

-..an invisible zip.

-I know, I know.

And, although the hand-stitched waistband is a pleasing look,

-what did it say on the brief?

-Yeah.

Cos we'd like to see how well you top-stitch along an edge.

I would've done it fantastic.

LAUGHTER

There is no obvious centre to this pattern but, actually, it is

running straight up and down.

A little bit of a gap in the pleats at the top but this...

This lap on the zip is very neat, conceals the zip perfectly.

Overall, it's a good sew.

Pattern-matching-wise, we've almost got exactly the same amount

running all the way down, but it is a shame

that the waistband isn't quite lining up.

That lap is really nice.

It's...it's sitting very flush with the skirt.

Pretty good sew altogether.

So, I know what's happened here.

You've adjusted the size of the pleats but what have you not done?

-Adjusted the size of the skirt front and skirt back.

-Yeah.

It is just worth saying that those pleats are pretty near perfect.

You've done some beautiful tiny stitches.

-They are almost invisible, aren't they?

-Yeah.

If this mannequin was two sizes smaller,

this would be an excellent skirt.

But it isn't.

Patrick and May now reveal which box-pleated skirts are the worst

and which are the best.

In ninth place was Julie.

It doesn't fit the mannequin

and generally just needs to be a little bit tidier overall.

And in eighth place, Simon. Your pattern-matching -

not good enough this time, I'm afraid.

Jenni takes seventh position,

David, sixth,

Lynda's fifth,

Chinelo is fourth

and Cerina is third.

And in second place, Tamara.

Beautiful pattern-matching

but your stitching could've been just a tiny bit better.

And, obviously, number one is Heather.

APPLAUSE

So, congratulations to you.

You completely followed the brief that we set

and executed it extremely well.

So, well done.

What can I say? I produced a pile of rubbish

and I got what I deserved so I can't really say much else.

Absolutely amazing. That was a repeat performance of last week.

How lucky can I get?

Heather's won second time around so she's the one to watch.

But I'm right behind you, Heather!

OK, so that challenge was all about following instructions,

about being precise.

Now that has all gone - there are no instructions.

The sewers have to use their creativity, their brains

and, if you don't mind me using this word, their oomph.

The next challenge - it's an alteration challenge.

What garments have you got for them?

This week, we have got not one but two men's shirts.

What we are asking you to do

is really the opposite of pattern-matching.

It's understanding how you take two garments and combine them together

and how you take two patterns and create something completely new.

Let's wow them. You've got an hour and a half. The rails are in there.

Off you go.

-Quick, quick, quick.

-Oh.

-Oh, good God.

-Oh, no. They're vile.

These sewers have over 50 patterned shirts to choose from.

They need to carefully pick two that work well together to produce

one completely different garment.

No. No idea.

Patrick and May are leaving the sewers

to get on with this challenge alone, so they'll have no idea

who is responsible for which transformation.

What do you hope to find out?

What I'm hoping to see here is a kind of innate understanding

of how shape and pattern work on the body.

Do you want them to totally

take these shirts apart and remodel them?

They can completely deconstruct them

and they can use all of the elements in them in a different way or

they can just use bits of the shirts, but we want them to be brave.

Hop it, missus.

I'm trying to be conscious of the pattern

because I know that this is pattern week

so even though they say, "No brief," I'm pretty sure they'll crucify us

if our pattern's messed up.

If they want patterns they can have patterns.

And if there's one thing I've definitely got here,

it's lots of patterns.

I'm going to make it a dress.

A little girl's dress, with a gathered skirt.

I'm enjoying ripping this up.

Cerina has had the same thought.

She is also making a child's dress.

-A little sailor dress.

-Oh, lovely.

Is this something you would have ever done before?

-I made a dress out of my wedding dress...

-Did you?

..for my 18-month-old

-who promptly sicked up on it.

-They do that.

-As they do.

That was a good use of the wedding dress.

Jenni's planning to turn two checked shirts into a skirt.

I've cut out the front part of my skirt

and on the back I'm going to do alternative sides like this.

I'm going for it. I can do this.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-What are you doing?

-A skirt.

-A skirt.

These are two totally different fabrics.

-I'm just fascinated by your choice.

-Well, the tones are very similar.

The only problem is this fabric is very different than this.

-But I quite like the fact that they are so dramatically different.

-Yes.

-You won this challenge last week.

-I did. Pressure! No pressure.

-Is that too much pressure?

-No, I love this kind of thing.

-Sewers, you have one hour left.

-Serious?

-I am.

I want to see how different patterns might work next to one another

and how those colours and patterns will be complementary to each other.

We don't want to see a shirt that's just been cut down and altered

and slightly changed shape and just a band added of another colour.

What are you making?

I was going to just sort of keep one shirt intact and add to it

but I think I'll also give it some darts

so that it becomes a sort of dress as well.

-Right, so, a shirt dress.

-Yes. Shirt dress.

Heather and Julie are also making women's shirts...

I'm going to put a couple of pleats in the back seeing as I've had

a bit of pleat practice this morning.

..but they're using the fabric from their second shirt

to add more feminine features.

I'm going to put a ruffled frill around the bottom of it.

I'm making some scallop features for of the front.

I've never done this before. I'm just making it up as I go along,

but it looks more like the Loch Ness Monster.

-What are you making?

-I'm making, like, a button-down boob tube.

-Love a boob tube.

-Me too.

And I'll cut out the sides so it gives some structure.

-You know, give it a bit of...

-Yes.

-..a nipped-in waist sort of thing.

-It's going to be gorgeous.

-That's what I'm going to...

All right, I'll get out of your way

-cos you guys haven't got long.

-No, we haven't.

45 minutes remaining to combine the two shirts.

David, I feel that we're close enough that I can say this to you -

your choice of fabric is borderline hilarious.

It's pretty awful, isn't it?

-Are you making a skirt?

-I'm making a skirt.

OK. You've already done that in the blue flowers.

What are you doing in this paisley, striped...?

I'm sticking a big triangular panel in the front.

Oh, lovely. OK, all right.

These are the pieces of my bow.

Oh, gosh, what's happened there?

If I don't get this bow done,

my top's not going to have the effect I want it to

and I won't have used both fabrics.

All right - to the room for a bit of ribbon.

Looking OK - got nice, big, shiny bit in the middle.

OK, looks kind of dressy.

OK, I have a skirt, so I'm halfway there, but if I can get a hem,

I think that'll be good enough, hopefully.

Sewers, you have 15 minutes left.

Just adding a bit more interest, trying to make it more feminine.

This is guerrilla sewing.

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, come on!

Just breathe. Wait.

Getting those sweaty fingers again.

It's boring. But at least it'll be finished on time.

I have a hem! I have a hem.

Question is, do I push it and try to get that pocket on?

Look at the back!

Oh, they are going to cry with joy.

SHE SIGHS

I'm attached!

OK, that's it, sewers.

Oh, my life!

Bring your mannequins forward and we'll jumble them up.

Up you come.

Patrick? May? You can enter.

Goodness me!

-They're amazing!

-Good, isn't it?

-Yup.

# Why don't you join the group?

# It's better than being a party poop

# Obbligato

# Pizzicato

# Guy Lombardo... #

Let's start at the beginning.

-The bow is fabulous.

-That is fantastic.

And it's attached up here.

-Beautifully staged.

-Brilliantly draped.

-It is.

-Step forward girl number two.

-Yes.

To have the vision to take this insane-looking shirt

and to take the sleeves and make this belt

and this big pleat at the back.

-It's like a cummerbund.

-Yup.

Just amazing!

-May is genuinely freaked out.

-I'm really impressed!

Right...

It's a little simpler in its overall concept.

It hasn't got the flair in the colour.

Striped shirting, cut on the diagonal.

Tucks in the back - very effective.

This fabric doesn't quite work for me with that other one.

Step forward, Junior.

This is fantastic!

I think it's a really good choice of two fabrics.

I think it's a good choice of trim.

And clever to cut the little sailor collar.

Yeah, that's terrifically clever.

OK...

-I mean, it's simpler...

-However, we've got scallops.

Given my non-love of scallops,

that's not a badly executed scallop at all.

-Again, I mean, that's a complete and utter transformation.

-Yes.

-Nice use of the spots on there.

-And lovely little gathered skirt.

Very cute and very effective.

And finally...

-Pleats in the back.

-Yes.

-Good use of a pocket, recycling.

-Really very good.

Patrick and May now rearrange the mannequins in the order

of which garments demonstrate the most dramatic

and successful transformation.

Whoever owns number nine, please come up.

I don't want to be associated with this garment.

It's hideous.

Can I tell you what our thought was?

Of all of them, it was the least transformed.

-It still looks like a shirt.

-Yes.

Whoever owns this lovely human, number eight.

Heather.

Again, it's still very similar to a shirt in appearance.

Come on, Hermione, we're leaving.

LAUGHTER

David is seventh, Julie, sixth.

Jenni is fifth.

Lynda is fourth.

Cerina is third.

Could the owner of this piece please step forward?

Amazing - really, really well done. It's a total transformation.

It shows great understanding of the female form

and of how material drapes.

So you need to be incredibly proud of it.

Well done.

And the winner is Tamara - well done!

APPLAUSE

I didn't see the original shirt, but I can only imagine it was

probably one of the foulest shirts ever to grace a human body

and you've transformed it into something that looks really

very modern and very cool-looking.

Tamara, well done!

So, a huge well done.

Time to go home, have a nap, have a cocktail

and we will see you tomorrow for the big one.

So glad they saw how much effort went into the finish of that garment,

cos I literally squeezed every ounce of energy

and creativity out of my body and my bones to produce it.

It's lovely to be rewarded with second place,

but I need to win - I need to win one of these challenges soon!

Tomorrow is a completely new challenge, a new day,

and hopefully, this time, I am going back up.

Just the final challenge remains - at the end of which

one person will be awarded Garment Of The Week

and another will be asked to leave the Sewing Bee.

The boys didn't have a brilliant day, did they?

David's skirt, even though he matched the pattern,

was too small.

Simon came last in the alteration challenge.

I mean, if I had to put my money on somebody leaving the competition,

I'd think it'd sit somewhere between Simon, David and Julie,

at this point.

Because Julie came last in the first challenge.

The skirt wasn't brilliant, but I think she's definitely got

more talent and skill than she showed us yesterday.

Absolutely, yeah - I mean, Julie needs to excel today.

In this last challenge, the sewers

will create a made-to-measure outfit for a male model.

-Simon - nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-I'm so happy you've got dark hair.

-Yes.

Because I've got pink fabric -

-it's going to look lovely with your dark hair.

-Great.

For this made-to-measure challenge,

the judges would like you to make a pair of men's pyjamas

using a patterned fabric.

You have six hours and your time starts...now.

The sewers have chosen their own fabric

and whatever style of pyjamas they fancy.

Soft, quite soft?

Yeah, it's nice.

They've been given their models' measurements in advance,

so have had the chance to practise making it at home,

but it's the first time they've fitted it to the real person.

42...

Pyjamas, shouldn't it just be baggy?

I mean, it needs to be a comfortable fit on the body,

but we want them to make sure

that the shoulders finish in the right point,

the sleeves must be the right length,

the trousers need to finish at the floor and not, you know,

four yards beyond their feet.

I'm just going to go and measure my model's arms,

because I just need to make sure he hasn't got ones like an orangutan.

I'm cutting out the pattern,

which I've just adjusted for my model, Chris.

He's got a long pair of legs,

so I've had to add a couple of inches at the bottom of the pattern.

David's brushed cotton, checked pyjamas

have a collar trimmed with piping and elasticated trousers.

-Have you measured this little character?

-This chap? Yeah.

-He's a big boy.

-Love it.

This fabric design is by William Morris -

very, very traditional fabric.

But it's been shrunk down.

The original design would've been larger.

Cerina's floral cotton lawn

will become a pair of pyjamas with a large, piped collar

and drawstring bottoms.

Visually, what jumps out is these little pairs of carnations.

I'll have to make sure those are in line.

Because the stripe is quite wide,

there's a danger of getting it exactly wrong

rather than exactly right.

Here we go.

Heather's bold-stripe cotton pyjamas

have a collar, patch pocket and elasticated trousers.

Is this stage vital?

Pinning on the pattern is really important,

because when you're using a striped pattern like this,

you need to make sure that the seams are going to match,

that the stripes run and meet.

-That's decided now?

-Yes, absolutely. If you don't get this bit right,

you're playing catch-up the whole way through.

Tamara's using the busiest fabric in the room.

Tell me how you've dealt with your pattern.

What I've done is picked out a detail in the pattern

which is easy to match up.

-Underneath, I've just matched it.

-Brilliant.

I'm hoping that's going to sort me out with matching the pattern.

-Do you think that's all right?

-I'm not going to tell you.

SHE LAUGHS

Tamara's newsprint pyjamas

will need to match word-for-word across the front opening

and patch pocket.

Simon has opted for exactly the same style of pyjamas as Tamara.

Do you feel any particular pressure, given that your next-door neighbour

-is making from exactly the same pattern as you?

-Is she?

-Different fabrics.

-Yeah, yeah. Yeah, nice fabric.

If I'm honest, I'd say I like yours a little more,

but...that's just personal preference.

SIMON LAUGHS

Simon's brushed cotton checked pyjamas

also have a patch pocket and drawstring trousers.

I really like my cloth, actually.

I'm pleased with it, cos it's lovely and soft.

It's very traditional, Simon, just like you.

Oh! I'm not sure how to take that.

SHE CHUCKLES

Good morning - tell me what you're making.

It's a pyjama top and some shorts. Very basic.

All right - how basic?

Extremely basic?

-Collar?

-No collar.

-Cuffs?

-No cuffs.

-Fly?

-No fly.

-It's going to need to be very, very good.

-I know, I know.

Chinelo's pull-on V-neck top and elasticated shorts

are made from a crisp striped cotton.

I'm just getting my centre folds in for the back and front.

My plan is a basic pattern, done very well.

I'm going for this design, because my model's got particularly good legs -

Roddy is going to look a dude in this blue-and-white stripy number.

-Aren't you, Roddy?

-Absolutely.

-Oh, he's the man.

Julie's short-sleeved top has a contrast collar

and the elasticated shorts have a button-fly opening.

Is it hard to match up, though?

It's fiddly, because of the tiny stripes.

-That's my worry.

-But it'll be effective when it's done.

Once the fabric's cut out...

..construction begins.

The only thing I haven't done before is piping

and I'm putting piping on this,

so fingers crossed it works out as well as it should.

Lynda's red piping will run all the way round the edge of the collar,

down the front opening

and across the pocket of her candy-striped pyjamas.

-How are you getting on?

-Well, I'm going to be honest.

I've used piping, and I've never used it before.

Well, we're looking for a very high-quality pyjama,

so piping is important - piping is important.

Piping is a decorative technique,

where thin strips of fabric are sandwiched between the seams.

Every stage of piping needs to be well-executed.

You have to be very precise, both cutting it, making it

and attaching it.

Will you be very impressed by very good piping?

-I certainly will.

-Show me your impressed face.

Oooh!

I have no experience in piping whatsoever,

but you can't not have a bit of piping on a bit of PJ, can you?

Jenni's back piping will decorate her classic pyjamas,

which are made from a complex pattern

featuring hats and moustaches.

This is a new experience for me.

But hopefully, it gives me the finish I'm looking for in the pyjamas.

Well, it's the first time I've used piping, and I've messed up

so I'm trying to undo it to put it right.

This has seriously messed up my timing.

I'm just concerned that Patrick's going to say that it's too wide,

-but I quite like it wide, so you can see it, right?

-Yes!

And if you don't sell it as piping, but as something else,

as a flourish, as a border...

I guess you could say border, couldn't you?

-Which section is this?

-That's the collar.

I'm just about to get into the collar, which is the scary part.

Mm...

I'm just trying to work out how this collar goes on.

What we should see is a nice, neat notch

and these notches need to be at the same point, the same angle,

and the pattern needs to run into them at exactly the same point.

We need to see them finishing accurately.

I've gone for round collars.

They are a bit more difficult because you've got to make sure that

the curve is the same on both sides, and symmetrical.

I'm really trying to be careful today,

because I had a bad day yesterday, I need to impress.

-This is the collar, so this will get turned.

-Look, perfectly matched up.

-And hopefully, matched up into the middle.

-Yeah. Come on!

90 minutes remain to finish a pair of men's pyjamas.

I don't want it too tight, because if it's pyjamas, it's a casual fit.

-I think I might be a little bit ahead of Simon.

-Where are you?

-Sleeves, putting the sleeves in the shoulder.

-Oh.

That's actually our armhole, that's then the shoulder

and then it comes back through in the armhole.

And then what I will then do is put the two sides together...

And so, and I have a sleeve.

The sleeves are a tiny bit shorter than I would have liked.

But they're OK, for pyjamas.

You don't want them hanging in your porridge, do you?

This is my cuff, where it sews together.

I'm going to stitch down here, so when you fold back,

you'll have no seam, but you'll have your piping showing.

Chinelo has no cuffs on her pyjamas, but she is attaching a patch pocket.

I'm just putting my pocket in,

but I'm making sure that it disappears once I've put it in.

So it's in, so if the pins weren't there,

you probably wouldn't see the pocket if you looked at it from afar.

Look at that.

Slightly matched in terms of pattern.

It's gone off a bit here but the pattern-matching will do, I think.

Simon, his jacket's all over the place.

-Did you notice the pocket doesn't match?

-Oh, OK.

It's so sad, because it's only half a check out.

Tamara, who's doing the same pattern,

the match across the front of that pyjama jacket is absolutely perfect.

-Cool.

-OK.

-Thank you very much.

Sewers, you have one hour left.

One garment down, one to go.

Trousers...

-So the sewers fit their models for a second time...

-Good boy.

SHE CHUCKLES

..to ensure the trousers are roomy around the seat...

That's great. OK, lovely, thanks.

..before sewing up the side seams.

-Bung those on.

-Like that?

-Yeah, stick 'em on like that.

-They might be on backwards, turn around?

-Feels like it.

Yeah!

Take them off, put them on the right way round.

He had them on backwards.

David's trousers are a rather snug fit.

It's supposed to sit on the hip.

But there's not really very much he can do.

As I was just testing the size, he's ripped the seam.

The trousers should be secured at the top

with a drawstring or elasticated waistband,

but some sewers are also attempting to insert a fly.

I've done a classic fly. I've never done it before.

But I thought it went with the traditional-type pyjamas

that I've made.

This is the fly. Oh, I've just sewn it shut, haven't I?

SHE LAUGHS

-Oh, Simon!

-What?

-I've just sewn my fly shut.

HE LAUGHS

I shouldn't worry about it. You don't really need it.

If it's drawstring, you just drop 'em, don't you?

Sewers, you've got 30 minutes left. 30 mins.

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

I love saying that.

What have they got left to do?

Well, a lot of them are doing their buttonholes.

They have to line up, so buttonholes on this side

need to be evenly spaced.

There's a lot of tension in that room.

They're rushing to get finished.

And one thing you cannot do with a buttonhole,

you have got to take your time.

It's like the icing on the cake, it's the finishing touch.

Oh, hang on a minute.

I thought I'd got the bottom level when I put my buttons on,

and they could all do with going up a little bit.

They're looking nice.

Oh, you're the man.

Whoo! Patrick had my 'jamas on!

You've got ten minutes left, I'm afraid. Only ten minutes.

Blimey.

Oh, no, sorry, no. Not quite finished with it yet.

-You have got five minutes.

-That's not long enough.

-They're kind of big for you, aren't they?

-Slightly massive for me.

I don't have time to sort anything out now.

You have only one minute left, sewers, one minute.

It's not going to happen, is it?

-Very comfortable.

-Just say to me, "Do you want some papers, darling?"

-Do you want some papers, darling?

-See?

Thank you. Very nice.

OK, that's it. The challenge is over.

Step away from your models. Don't even look at them any more.

# My baby kissed me good night

# And I'm glad to relate

# That by the time I got home

# I was feeling great.... #

Nine pairs of men's pyjamas, constructed in just six hours,

but what will Patrick and May make of them?

First up, it's Jenni.

# And all because you kissed me

# Good night. #

Definitely that top looks too long,

and those trousers definitely look a bit long.

The piping is beautifully on the edge, and it's very, very fine.

You've executed it very well.

Barring the obvious, that it looks a little bit too large,

I'd say it's a very good pair of pyjamas.

Looking at the pattern, it's a very good match.

-All the way into the sleeve.

-May we look at your trousers, please?

-Sure.

Right. A little on the snug side, would you say, David?

At model's request.

The placement of these stripes versus the edge of your revers here

is absolutely spot on, and if we turn him round,

the stripes through the collar run absolutely perfectly.

But the front edges do not match.

No, because I was in such a hurry to get the buttons on. That's why.

For me, this piping is a bit big.

I'd like to see it probably half of that size. But it is very even.

Originally when I looked at it, it was absolutely spot on going across.

It's just slightly slipped, hasn't it?

-Can we see the top of your trousers, please?

-There was a fly, but...

-It's a fly that's no longer flying.

-I accidentally sewed it up.

It looks very crisp, and it's very nicely even.

The collar's sitting very nicely.

The pattern is running slightly off the edge here.

The white stripe starts there and ends up here.

Looking at the trousers, I think

we definitely could have done with a button on that fly.

There's a danger of a certain amount of indecency there.

Just an overall impression, I think it's a nice...

I'd probably wear that. I'd wear it out, never mind at home.

The pocket is beautifully top-stitched.

You've got the centre of a stripe right in the centre of this V.

That is crucially important, I think, on any pattern.

Everything you've done, you've done very neatly.

You just haven't done as much.

The first big thing that leaps out at me is here.

These two lapels are not at all even.

I think we've got pretty good matching across the front.

The pocket isn't lined up.

Well, I have to say that the piping is very good.

The stripe here running very evenly down the front edge,

and also, you've chosen to cut the collar running the other direction,

but you've got that running perfectly evenly round the edge.

-That was a bit of luck, then!

-Let's not call it luck.

-Let's call it skill.

-I planned it like that.

I think it's a really excellent, really excellent pair of pyjamas.

The pattern is running round the body,

and also, you've centred the pattern in the back.

Those collars, it's quite a big collar.

But it's very even, and it sits nicely,

and the pattern-matching is excellent across the top.

Sewers, thank you so much.

It's now time for you to go and have tea and cake.

The judges will choose their favourite garment of the week,

and sadly, they'll announce who's going home.

I'm very proud of my pattern-matching.

It paid off.

My confidence has dwindled massively.

I might be packing my little bag tonight

and saying goodbye to everybody and going home.

I think I did quite a nice job.

-But I don't know if it's enough to redeem myself.

-Not confident at all.

I did find it quite difficult. So just fingers crossed.

-How hard has it been to choose who's going?

-Tough.

I think we started off yesterday.

Simon had two pretty weak challenges.

He was bottom in the first,

and he was second from bottom in the second.

But his pyjamas weren't terrible.

-David had some issues.

-Julie didn't do too well.

Her first challenge, the skirt, she didn't make it fit.

But you liked her pyjamas, though? You said you'd wear them.

I think the pyjamas were really pretty good.

Let's do the good bit first.

And announce the best garment.

May and I's favourite garment of this week is...

this one.

-Thank you so much.

-Well, it was a near-flawless piece of sewing.

-We were really very impressed.

-Thank you. Thanks.

Now the horrible bit. Somebody unfortunately has to leave.

That person is...

Simon.

-So sorry.

-Can we just come and rub ourselves against you anyway?

-Can we come and give you a hug?

-Thank you.

You've been great,

and you have been such a fun part of what we've been doing.

Thank you very much.

Simon's such an enthusiastic sewer, but I think his inexperience told.

He doesn't have the techniques that everybody else has.

His pattern-matching wasn't as good as it could have been.

We were a bit disappointed.

My performance left a bit to be desired,

but I've certainly kept up with the big kids.

Simon's my little mate, my little six-foot-four mate.

And I am really, really sad to see him go.

It's definitely made me aware that I can do it,

and I'm quite good at it, actually.

Definitely.

I'm absolutely gobsmacked.

I can't believe my pyjamas were chosen as garment of the week.

-You've left me alone with all these women.

-Last man standing!

It's going to be me and seven women.

Most men's dreams, but in this situation, it's a bit intimidating.

At the next Sewing Bee:

The sewers take on a completely different kind of fabric...

-It's a bit S&M, isn't it?

-It does have a hint of that about it.

-..when they're asked to produce clingy leggings.

-You know what?

It's not bad.

They take a simple T-shirt

and fashion it into something completely different.

Don't want a baggy bottom.

And finally, take on the most fitted made-to-measure garment yet.

This is going to be a total disaster.

I want to drown in a bucket of gin.

'Applications for the next series of Sewing Bee will be closing soon,

'so if you or someone you know would like to apply,

'please go to bbc.co.uk/sewingbee.'

'You'll also find ideas therefore sewing projects

'inspired by the series.'