Episode 5 The Great British Sewing Bee

In this week's Great British Sewing Bee, there will be cutting,

there will be stitching, there might even be gluing -

which strictly isn't sewing, but there's

a place in the quarterfinal up for grabs,

so they can pretty much do whatever they like.

-Last time...

-Come here, Fred.

..the sewers made children's clothes...

I don't like kids' clothes.

..David's dungarees won him his first-ever challenge...

That's a good, solid sew, which is exactly what we were looking for.

For the second time, the judges awarded Lynda...

-Cocktail - you and me?

-Why not?

-Why wouldn't we?

..with garment of the week...

..and sent Cerina home.

So upset!

-This week, the six remaining sewers...

-Phew!

..face the most difficult fabrics yet.

That's going to be a brute.

They must tackle nylon...

Easing this is not very easy.

-..handle leather for the very first time...

-Ow!

..and in a new twist...

I'm not going to go right underneath!

-..make velvet trousers...

-(WOLF WHISTLE)

..for themselves.

Control yourself, Heather.

I slept awful last night.

I dunno, maybe the nerves are getting the better of me nowadays

cos we're getting so far in

and a chance of the final's not such a distant hope.

It's difficult to try and put yourself somewhere in the group

because everybody has strengths and weaknesses and every week

there's a surprise,

so you just don't really know quite where you are with it.

We're over halfway through the Sewing Bee.

Now we need to find out whether they can handle the really tricky stuff.

They need to impress us

with their skills using more challenging types of fabric.

Everyone is still in with a chance of winning.

Hopefully it'll be me!

Good morning, everybody. Are you ready for some more challenges?

-Oh, yes.

-You say yes - you might say no in a minute.

This week the judges want to see how you cope with very tricky fabrics.

Challenge one is nylon.

Oh, no!

-No? Have any of you worked with nylon before?

-No!

Patrick, what have they got to do?

This week's pattern is for an anorak with rib on the cuff and waistband.

We want the anorak to be shower-proof - with no pin holes in the wrong places.

You have three hours.

This one's tricky.

Your time starts...now.

That's a bit hard - an anorak?

I hate anoraks - I hope I don't hate them

at the end of the challenge, actually.

Maybe I should love them. Then I'll do it well!

I love anoraks - absolutely love 'em.

Most of the sewers haven't sewn with nylon before,

so figuring out how to handle it will be the first challenge.

-I can't iron this, can I?

-I don't think you can iron any of them.

It's nylon. It'll just melt.

This is entirely new to me.

It'll be fascinating to see how it turns out.

That's serious nervous laughter, like "Ugh!"

I never wear nylon. It's a bit sweaty.

It's not something I would want to associate with, myself.

Is nylon one of the trickiest materials to use?

It slips and slides, It moves about.

They have to think about how they handle it.

We want it to be waterproof so they've got to be careful

how they pin it, otherwise they'll end up with holes.

I'm pinning in my seam allowance so they don't poke holes

into the main fabric, cos it's supposed to be waterproof.

I know that - from reading the pattern - the seams are going to be covered.

Each sewer has their own method of avoiding pinpricks in their jackets.

I put my jar on top to hold the pattern down.

May said, "I don't want any holes in it that shouldn't be in it."

I think she might have been referring to pins.

Look at you!

You clever rabbit.

You're taping the pattern.

I used to cut out fabric and I used to use sellotape the whole way round.

-Did you?

-To stabilise the fabric.

They used to make the Army waterproofs out of this when I was in the TA.

-That's why you've gone full combat.

-Yeah!

So that's the front.

The bomber-jacket style anorak is fastened with an open-ended zip.

The pattern is made up of two front and one back section,

a collar, two sleeves,

ribbing and waterproof tape.

Once they've cut out their pieces, the next challenge is

working out how they all slot together.

"Pin sleeve to front of sleeve."

Oh!

The front and back sections of the anorak are joined together

diagonally across the shoulder, creating raglan sleeves.

If you're not used to putting something like this in -

is it incredibly hard?

Most sleeves would be a set-in sleeve.

A shoulder is constructed and then a sleeve is set in.

This - there's no shoulder insertion,

so it's actually a very straightforward sew.

Story goes that Lord Raglan, Wellington's aide-de-camp,

was injured in the battle of Waterloo, had his arm chopped off, and his tailor developed this sleeve

to make it easier for him to pull his jacket on and off with one arm.

Feels nice.

Well, I'm just trying to work out exactly what's going on here.

So "Sleeve seam wrong sides together, stitch into place."

The pattern demands that the raglan sleeve seams are exposed on the

outside of the garment - something none of the sewers are used to.

We're to sew wrong sides together, which is opposite to normal.

You normally stitch right sides together.

So when I sew these you won't have the

seam on the inside. The seam will be on the outside

which is why you use the tape to cover up the seams.

Pull sides together.

Once confident the sleeves' seams are in the right position,

sewing can begin.

So we're just sort of going for it, really.

As if the pattern itself wasn't tricky enough,

this week the sewers are using an unfamiliar machine

with a walking foot, designed to grip slippery fabric.

How do you get it going?

-What?

-How do you make it stitch?

Um, you need to put your foot down.

No, as in...your needle, down.

-Right.

-You should be able to go now.

Ooh!

I'm a little virgin as it comes to a little walking foot.

It's very difficult, cos normally you'd only have one

set of teeth guiding your fabric, whereas with this,

you've got two.

Just working with a new machine, it's a little bit slower

but hopefully we can trot on a bit.

Having raced ahead of the others, Lynda is now unpicking.

I've sewn the right sides together instead of the wrong sides together.

This is typical me, this is!

Not thinking, just steaming ahead.

Sewers, you have two hours left.

"Place the tape onto the seam with the shiny side down,

"overlapping both sides of the seam equally."

To ensure the anorak is waterproof, the shoulder seams are sealed

with waterproof tape.

"Place the strip of tissue paper over the tape

"and using the point of the iron, run it along the seam tape slowly to start the bonding process."

The temperature of the iron needs to be just right.

I'm worried about melting it, this fabric, because it's nylon.

Too cool - and the tape won't stick.

That's the first thing they're going to do, start picking at these heat-sealed seams.

The point of this tape is it's not just

there for the next 30 minutes.

It needs to be on there for the whole life of this jacket, so it needs to be really well applied.

This is scary, a bit. Is anyone else doing it yet?

I'm just doing a little mock-up.

The iron's at what temperature?

-I don't know. It doesn't say.

-OK.

-Are you allowed to say?

-No.

That seems to be melting a little bit,

so I might put it on a little bit warmer.

I also would maybe think about

whether you want the steam on or not.

I've gone off the centre a little bit.

The judges will spot that at 20 paces.

I need to make sure that they're really well stuck, cos I know they're going to be picking at it.

Some of your sealing is just coming away there.

A little reseal of that.

I found I had to hold the iron on it for a while.

Like, look at that. I'm going to have to do that again.

I haven't done a very good job of that.

I'm not at all happy with it. But that's MY problem.

Waterproof fabric may be tricky to sew with,

but imagine a time when it didn't exist.

It wasn't until the 19th century

when a Scottish chemist named Mackintosh made an important

discovery that wet-weather gear went into production.

And not surprisingly, a lucrative business was born.

In Georgian Britain, when it rained, most men donned a thick,

lined woollen greatcoat, but this wardrobe staple would soon be

replaced by something rather better at the job.

In 1823, Charles Mackintosh patented a waterproofing process

that he'd discovered when he mixed Indian rubber and the

waste materials that came from - of all things - street gas lighting.

What he was trying to do was create something for his father,

who owned a dye works

so he was using the waste products from the local gas factory.

He wanted some ammonia, to create a dye.

Instead, he found out that with another waste product, which is

naphtha, he could melt India rubber.

And then he thought, "If I can melt it, I can spread it."

So what he did was then he started trying to perfect it.

There's the cotton on top

and then in between that, he put a layer of rubber, then cotton again.

So it's like this sandwich

and you squash it all together with a mangle.

'The rubberised fabric went into production

'and was soon in demand from the armed forces,

'the new police force and even Arctic explorers.'

What did this discovery do for the ordinary men

and women of Georgian Britain?

It didn't really work that well.

Mackintosh found this amazing invention

but for those of us who tried to wear it, it was a bit of a disaster.

You'd go out in the Mackintosh coat, it would smell

and also it's really inconvenient because if it got cold,

it got really stiff, and if it got hot, it got really, really sticky.

Mackintosh had to improve his product -

so he went into business with another inventor, Thomas Hancock,

and together they set out to perfect waterproof clothing.

Hancock's family owned a coach company.

Seeing a gap in the market for clothing that would protect

coach drivers and passengers from the rain,

he'd also started experimenting with Indian rubber.

Hancock helped in developing a robust solution that was actually

better than the one that Mackintosh had previously developed.

It was more spreadable, had a higher rubber content,

which made the fabric more waterproof

and more impervious to the great British weather,

so it was a totally waterproof fabric but more flexible, odourless

and it was more amenable to the heat and to the cold and wintertime to.

In 1824, Hancock and Mackintosh began producing coats with this new

improved waterproof fabric.

They had a brand-new business and Hancock fulfilled his ambition.

What he set out to do in the first place was

the protection of the coach drivers.

Working with Charles Mackintosh made that a possibility,

and both combined, made something really fantastic.

Waterproof raincoats are still being produced in factories in

Scotland today, using the techniques pioneered by Mackintosh and Hancock.

This iconic piece of clothing has stood the test of time,

paving the way for waterproof garments just like the anoraks

made in our Sewing Bee.

The sewers are halfway through. 90 minutes to go.

So I'm now at this stage, so I need to stitch my armholes.

Once I've done my sleeve seam,

I will have the remnants of a coat by the end of this stitch but

I need to move on to the ribbing, which I'm not looking forward to.

-Attaching the ribbed waistband and cuffs evenly...

-Nice and stretchy.

..into the stiff nylon requires preparation and precision.

God, that's really stretchy. That's going to be a brute.

So this is a bit tricky because you've got stretchy ribbing

which is very, very movey, and then this is very, very structured.

I've marked my centre

back with the back piece

and I'm matching them up, so I'm pinning them together.

I'm then going to stretch this

to the width of the fabric underneath.

Once again we've arrived at a tricky and crucial moment.

What are you doing?

-I'm...

-He's putting his cuff in.

-OK.

-What he said!

-Is it difficult?

-It's a pain in the bum.

-It's fiddly.

-Why?

That starts off that size, the cuff that it's going into is that size,

you've got to get that into that.

-This doesn't look right. Is this right?

-This is right.

Oh, well done!

'If the ribbing isn't stretched evenly onto the nylon,

'the seams will pucker.'

This is going to be a little bit tricky.

Oh, gosh, this is kind of off...

Oh, gosh.

I really, really want to do this...get this right.

Sewers, you have one hour left. One hour.

I think I need to get my skates on.

Pin collars...

Heather has moved on to the jacket collar.

Because it's on a curve, it's a little bit tricky

to ease this fabric in.

If the collar slips against neck-hole as they sew...

Easing this is not very easy!

..it could pucker around the seam.

SHE SIGHS

My collar doesn't fit.

I've tried all ways to get it to fit,

so I'm going to cut a bigger one.

I've got one little catch there.

That's been caused, because the fabric doesn't stretch that much,

it's a little bit difficult to get the curve equal all the way through.

If that's the only thing that's wrong, I shall be lucky.

-How have you found putting this collar on?

-Awful.

I'm undoing it again. It looked a bit shabby.

-You don't have much time left.

-I know.

-I'm going to do it, though.

-All right, I'll leave you to do it.

I hope nobody's going to try this out in the rain!

Everyone, you have half an hour left.

Are you serious?

They're all being a bit slow this morning.

They ought to be putting their zips in now.

And they should be getting on to that all-important topstitching.

I'm just trying to topstitch my zip at the moment.

The final component of the anorak is the waterproof zip,

which should be neatly topstitched along the front opening...

So I'm going all the way up the zip, all the way around the top of the collar, to come back down.

..to give the anoraks a sharp finish.

I've just got to topstitch my collar now.

MACHINE JAMS Uh, are you serious?

Sewers, you have five minutes left.

Five minutes to put your anoraks on your mannequins.

Ahh, come on. I think I've knackered it.

I can't find my foot. I was doing so well!

When you keep messing up, you've got to work at the speed of light.

A-ha-ha! I found it on the floor.

Go!

I've got topstitching left to do, and I don't think I'll have time to do it.

-Sewers, you have 60 seconds left.

-What?!

-That is one minute.

I've had it.

HE SIGHS Oh, that's terrible.

I've finished my coat!

OK, that's time.

Why did they put it so far away?!

-No topstitching.

-No, I haven't got any topstitching, either.

Come on, Army boy.

This is my dream come true, David.

Six anoraks in just three hours,

but whose will impress Patrick and May?

Jenni, please bring Mr Yellow Arms.

Topstitching, it's not absolutely straight.

It's not perfect, but it's doing its job.

-Good cuffs, no pleats or puckers.

-Phew!

Difficult to bond two completely different fabrics with one tape,

because obviously you can't apply more heat to one side than the other.

-The fact that you've got that very well bonded is great credit to you.

-Thank you.

Your topstitching is all on.

Needs to be a little bit closer to the edge.

To your credit, it's very even. It's just a little bit too far away.

And, in the main, your tape is secure.

I can see a tiny couple of places

where it's just trying to come off the edge, but, on the whole, it's on.

No topstitching.

I mean, it's plainly clear to everyone now, I hope,

why we've asked you to topstitch.

You can't press it into shape, you have to stitch it into shape.

We've got some puckering where you've joined the collar to the jacket,

-which is a shame.

-But... Oh, no, spoke too soon.

Tape just coming away in a couple of...

Well, it's certainly coming away there.

Unfortunately, it's clear to everyone you've run out of time

and we haven't got a finished garment.

The collar's not attached,

and we can see right here where the clock stopped!

-And from the back...

-I know.

-..it's squint.

-I know.

Sorry.

The first thing to notice is you haven't got to the topstitching,

and it's meant that the collar looks bumpy,

-and this front edge along the zip, bumpy.

-I know, I ran out of time.

It just leaves it all looking a little bit puffy and bulgy.

But, looking at your sleeve, we have no pleats or puckers.

It looks really good, and all this topstitching,

we can see the difference in how secure all of the edges are.

Really even, and well executed.

The seam tape... really well secured.

This is a jacket I would be very happy to wear myself.

I think this is really very good.

SHE GASPS

THEY LAUGH

Pick yourself up off the floor!

'So what do Patrick and May really think?'

Number six is Lynda today. Not one of your most comfortable sews.

In fifth place, Heather. Didn't get round to the topstitching,

and slightly uneven in a couple of places.

'Chinelo is fourth, and David is third.'

Second is Jenni. Really marginal whether it was second or first.

Which means, in first place, Tamara!

APPLAUSE

Finally!

That is a really professional-looking

piece of sewing. Hard to find any fault in it

All of you go and have a cup of tea,

and, when you come back, we'll give you the next challenge

which is really quite terrifying.

My mum told me, "Keep your cool, stay calm, read the pattern,"

and that's exactly what I did.

Pipped to the post! I was so gutted.

'But, that said, dead proud of myself. Second position, that's awesome.'

I don't like coming last at all, obviously,

and it's making me worry about the next challenge.

Nylon jackets, incredibly challenging.

Now, our judges want our sewers to transform,

to alter a high-street garment, using totally different fabric,

but one that's just as difficult to handle.

Patrick, what would you like them to have a fiddle with?

This week...we'd like to give you this high-street top,

and we'd like you to alter it with yet another challenging fabric.

Leather.

Do whatever you like with the leather.

You can use haberdashery.

Change that top into something really exciting.

You have an hour and a half. Your time starts now.

You two, off you go. Go, go. Bye-bye.

-Got to be purple.

-That's nice, I like that combination.

-OK.

Smells good.

I've gone for this black suede leather.

The whole monochrome thing is in, isn't it?

I love a bit of leather! Yes, I can see me getting into leather.

I've never worked with leather but, I tell you what, it's lovely.

It cuts really easily.

It's a skin and I presume you get one chance to pierce it, and that's it.

So, for me, I think it's about watching what I do with my needle.

This challenge is interesting because, for the first time,

we're giving them a material that is not a traditional textile.

It's different in the way that it's handled,

it cuts in a different way, you have to sew it in a different way.

A lot of the leather is so fine that you can sculpture it,

you can change the shape of it,

but we don't want something just thrown at it.

"Oh, yes, I've applied a little shape here."

We want something that looks good with that garment.

The button-back top is made from a heavy double-knit jersey,

an ideal backing for the leather,

as it's of a similar weight and stretch.

This challenge is right up my street, I love doing things like this.

I am just making a little frill to go right around the front of my top.

So far, so good!

Tell me exactly what you're doing,

and for why.

I've switched so the back is now the front.

I think I'm going to apply this around the neck.

-What I think I'm going to do is...

-Oh, my God! Are you using that?

-Sorry to swear...

-Yes. I'm going to cut shapes out of this,

and have this underneath so this shows through.

What are you doing now?!

There's no warning with you, Tamara, you're just cutting into it!

I'm actually going to do a backless leather top.

So it will be very...demure at the front

but the wow factor will be in the back, cos I know Patrick likes that.

Cut off the neck to make it into a sweetheart neckline.

I've cut out the side panel, and I've made it out of leather instead.

I'm going to do almost a sort of bustier front.

Well, at least this is what I've sort of got in my mind, because...

I'm not doing a very good job of freehand with it here.

I'm going to make a wrap front with a plunging neckline.

Leather marks easily when pinned,

so Patrick and May have given the sewers a sticky tape

to position it onto the supporting fabric.

Instead of using your pins, you chuck it on here.

You "chuck it on"?

Oh... Oh! I don't know what you've just done!

-HE LAUGHS

-I don't know what you've just done!

Claudia, go away!

-OK, focus on this bit for a minute.

-Let's do it together.

-Unfurl it.

I think...

I'm no expert, but I think maybe you cut tiny bits.

I'll leave you. Good luck with the tape.

-Maybe just put it on the machine. It's an idea.

-Yeah!

'One hour remaining.'

I was worried about leather, but now, having had a look at it,

it shouldn't be that difficult.

Whoa! There she blows!

To help the sewers stitch through the leather,

all the machines have been fitted with needles

with a blade-like point designed to pierce through tough fabrics.

I can't believe how lovely this is to sew.

I would love a top out of leather.

I might make myself one. Who knows?

I'm appliqueing this patch of leather onto our top

with a relatively wide zigzag, just to get a nice firm edge

to my leather, because the leather's stretchy and the garment's stretchy.

I think this is called reverse applique,

but it's where you cut away fabric to show a fabric underneath.

I haven't done this since I was probably about...12 years old,

and I certainly haven't ever done it with leather.

Oh! A bit of leather applique.

I'm just going to cut out this piece now.

That whole section? So you're keeping the sort of yoke,

if you like, but somebody will wear it and they'll be bare?

This is a "date night" top.

Oh, it's a "date night" top. I like "date night" tops.

I know! You can't get enough of it.

Oh, I can't! I could do this all day.

I've cut the back to make it tight and I've cut the top off it

so I'm just sewing it on now, to the sides.

Neither of my daughters would wear this

but would have when I was young.

I have names, by the way, for all my clothes,

like my egg top because it's bright yellow and I wore it one day

down to my daughter's and I had white trousers on.

She opened the door and I said, "I feel like an egg."

I hope this is going to be my success story top.

Look at you! This is bold! Can I just show the cameras?

That's the front. I'm a normal human being, just wearing a white top.

Thanks very much.

-Ow!

-Ow!

I've got a lilac leather back with...

Shut up! Shut up!

It's a Rouleaux loop.

Everyone, you have 30 minutes.

What's going on?

It's not even holding it together. It's just a big mess.

It's very small.

I need to find a way to hide it and stop it from coming up.

Actually, maybe if I did it right on the edge,

that would hold it in place.

What about that thing, the overlord... The overlocker?

The overlord!

-Honestly!

-No?

-No, no overlord!

No overlord, OK.

I wanted the focus to be on the shoulders and neckline,

so I'm just embellishing that as I go.

It's constantly evolving.

That technique...

I don't have a name

but it did release some tension.

You don't have the hem level, so you can hack away at it

and make big splodgy holes.

It probably looks awful.

Yeah, it does look awful, but I like it.

Everyone's doing a lot more drastic than I have, I think.

I'm making a corsage.

Lynda's making a corsage.

I've seen my granddaughter's got one on her hair band or something

and I'm trying to recreate it but I'm not sure how it goes.

Getting the needle through the leather is really, really difficult.

It's very, very thick.

I don't know how I can join it all together.

Maybe if I do one at a time. That sorts that out.

I think I might have chipped a tooth.

Everyone, you have ten minutes left. That is ten minutes.

I'm just deciding what to do with the neck edge, at the moment.

I think I might tuck it in and tack it in underneath.

Toying at whether to make a kind of necklace which sits on,

with leather bits falling off it.

Little buttons at the back, just to take it in.

I'm just going put two buttons at the bottom as well.

They said radically change and alter your top.

I think they'll hate it.

Ooh! Mind that!

Green is for leaves, to go with my flower.

Don't do this at home! End up at the dentist.

Did you just use tape or did you use the machine?

I did use the machine, although you can see half the tape.

Oh, David!

It's sticky tape. Just roll it over and no-one will notice.

-Are those leather leaves?

-Yes.

Come on! Come on!

Trim, trim, trim, trim.

Guys, your time's up!

Your tops have to be on your mannequins.

Bring them forward. We'll jumble them around.

# Oops! My heart went oops

# The moment that we met

# My heart went oops

# I never will forget

Patrick and May have no idea whose alteration is whose.

Well, there's certainly been an awful lot of work gone on

in the hour and a half since we left the room.

And I'm surprised at the range of things that have been done.

There's a lot of different techniques here.

Without that, I'd say it was a much better-looking garment.

I don't understand why we've got grosgrain and lace

and floral buttons.

We've obviously had a bit of trouble with the seaming down here.

A nice idea. The a combination of the two leathers isn't bad

but it seems to me a little bit confused in its execution.

I just feel this looks a little bit messy.

That's a clever bit of cutting to make that sit and flute like that.

Yeah. And the lace is quite nicely and neatly attached

all the way round.

I think I'd have liked to have seen all of this just cut out

and disappeared and end up with a nice V-neck.

Some really nice panelling here.

Actually, a nice use of the fact that leather can be left

as a raw edge.

A very nice, smooth line both over the bust

and down through this line.

And also, a good use of some leather circles which have been

sewn together to make this lovely flower.

To give the sewers a clear indication of their success

with handling leather,

Patrick and May put the mannequins in order of preference.

-OK.

-So, then, can we invite the creator of blue Hiawatha, please?

David!

Be confident in what you've created and look at it and think,

"Is that a nice piece of clothing?" If it is, don't think,

"I've got five minutes left. I need to do more."

Please could the owner of number five come up?

It's Heather!

The little bit of suede you put in the front was nicely executed

and then the rest of it just went a bit mad.

It did. It went completely mad.

'Tamara is fourth and Jenni is third.'

So here are your top two.

And there they both are.

Could the creator of number two come and get her?

ALL: Ah!

Well done on a great garment.

I like the way in which you

cut the curve on the suede.

It works very, very well.

-Thank you.

-And the winner is Lynda!

Well done.

Surprise.

You've done a fantastic job here.

It shows just what you can do

with the right material in the right place. It's just a really

well-executed sew.

You did brilliantly. Nylon and leather.

You all deserve awards. Go home. Have some doughnuts.

We'll see you tomorrow for a big challenge with a tricky fabric.

You know, I never do very well in these challenges,

so to come first was absolutely brilliant.

Second again. I need to climb up soon but I was very happy.

Today I came fifth and fifth. Tomorrow I'm going to really panic,

pray, and hopefully sew really well.

One more challenge and one more day, at the end of which Patrick

and May must decide who will be going forward to the quarterfinal.

How did they do yesterday?

Tamara finally resisted the urge to go off-pattern

and ended up sewing a really fantastically professional-looking garment.

Lynda had a totally mismatched day.

She lost the anorak challenge and then she came top.

Lynda went from zero to hero in just those two challenges.

What yesterday showed us is that it's very difficult to pick

a frontrunner, and it's very difficult to pick

who might be in trouble.

Nobody is secure.

It hinges on how well they do with this challenge.

After you, Lynda, darling.

As usual, the sewers have had a chance to practise this challenge

at home, but for the first time in the sewing room,

they'll be making a made-to-measure garment for themselves.

So to ensure the perfect fit, they'll be pairing up.

-Good morning, everybody.

-ALL: Morning.

So this week is all about tricky fabrics.

Today the judges would like to see how you cope with velvet.

They'd like you to make a pair of velvet trousers.

They suggest you all choose a fit buddy and you help each other

with measuring, etc.

You have six and a half hours, to make a pair...

Can't wait to see yours, David!

..of velvet trousers. Your time starts now!

Velvet trousers. Who wears velvet trousers?

I haven't made velvet trousers. I've made other things in velvet

and I love it but it's a beast to sew.

Velvet is most commonly made from cotton, woven together

in two layers. This is then sliced apart, revealing a tightly

packed cut thread, or pile, which sits proud

on the surface of the fabric.

I just always call it a hairy fabric.

The pile can be brushed in either direction.

This is called the nap.

The sewers need to pin their patterns on to the velvet,

so that the nap brushes in the same direction, or the trousers will end up looking patchy.

If you brush it one way, it looks dark. If you brush it

the other way it's all shiny...ish.

I'm going to choose to go down the fabric,

simply because I love that wonderful sheen.

Heather's making a classic pair of slim-fitting trousers,

out of a firm cotton velvet, which will be half lined on the inside.

I'm afraid I'm abusing the judges' furniture. I hope they don't mind.

I'll be off this before they get in here anyway, I hope.

I have never worked with velvet before,

so I'm a little bit nervous about the challenge

but I love velvet.

I would kill for a velvet suit, so I'm looking forward to making them.

But it's going to be a tricky one!

Jenni is making high-waisted trousers, with a zip fly,

tapered at the ankle with turn-ups

out of a fluid synthetic silk velvet.

Your velvet, to me...

I'm just going to be honest

with you. It feels really "floopy".

Are you all right with that?

Erm...yeah. Because it's a tapered trouser, I'm not too worried

-about the "floopiness".

-Are you worried about time?

I have practised with velvet at home and I didn't complete in time.

Oh, my God. I'm getting out of your way. Bye, snazzy girl.

I've actually got boots on today

because my legs are very fat at the top and really thin at the bottom.

So I've worn the boots to try and even out the shape of my legs.

I don't know whether that's cheating or just being crafty.

I don't know.

Lynda's making a classic straight-legged trouser

with a zip fly and side pockets.

Once, I've used velvet in the past.

I think it was 30 something years ago.

And I made a lovely velvet dress with a white collar,

for my daughter, Sarah. And that's the only time I've ever used velvet.

Where's my tape measure?

I'm making a gentleman's pair of trousers from this pattern.

Very Saturday Night Fever.

David's chino-style trousers will have a front fly and side pockets.

-Hello.

-You all right, mate? How are you doing?

-I'm all right. Who's your fit buddy?

-I'm going to go with Tamara.

Love it. And also, you'll be used to buddying up.

# Nee-naw, nee-naw. #

"Come on. I've got your back!"

-It's all about the buddy system.

-That's what we're doing now.

-Get down!

-I'm not getting down. I've got business to do.

Fine! I'm just in my own little police velvet world.

Wouldn't it be marvellous if we just gave everyone

-a velvet uniform to wear?

-Why wouldn't you?

It would stop crime overnight. People would be too busy laughing.

I've cut my trousers and I'm now tacking them together

before I make them up.

Sewing velvet cannot be rushed.

To prevent the seams from puckering, the two leg pieces should be

secured together before going under the machine.

Velvet has the tendency to creep.

Because the piles are sitting next to each other, they can move,

so really careful handling.

Where could people really go wrong?

Any surface stitching could look awful. Also, seams, if they move,

you could have one piece of fabric

puckering on another piece of fabric. Bulk!

Velvet is bulky, so there are all sorts of things to think about.

The rule of thumb is, if you think you've got enough pins in,

double it. Because it's a bit of a walking fabric.

What I want to do is get it right first time

and not have to chase this.

Here we go.

I'm going to sew this together.

Just sewn on like that.

There's your pocket, then.

I have practised this challenge. I made it in an awful velvet.

I think it was furniture velvet, actually.

And it was just awful.

Chinelo's skinny-legged trousers are topped with an asymmetric

peplum ruffle, which is lined in a contrast fabric.

Have you worked with velvet before?

A hundred million thousand times.

A hundred million thousand? That's a lot.

It's one of my favourite fabrics.

Why do you love it so much? Cos it's difficult to sew with.

I just think it looks luxurious.

I feel like I could drape myself somewhere when I wear velvet.

-I love you, Chinelo-chops.

-On a piano or something...

A piano! We need a piano for judging.

..whilst my husband plays it, oiled up.

We've just turned a corner

but don't think that that image isn't staying with me.

I'm just doing my side seams so I can do my first fitting.

Tamara's Capris pants are made from

a lightweight cotton velvet.

She's lining the inside of the waistband

and a back pocket with a contrast print.

Are you still riding high on anorak?

Of course not! That doesn't mean anything.

You're only as good as your last garment.

Gosh! You suddenly became May.

You, happily, have got police boy, on crutches, to be your fit buddy.

-Aren't I lucky?

-Is he useful?

We're going to have our first fitting very shortly.

Great. I'll get my trousers off.

Go on, Dave, get them off.

-WOLF WHISTLES

-Control yourself, Heather!

-(Jen, I'm just going to go in.)

-OK.

To achieve a good fit, the sewers have paired up.

Jenni is Heather's fit buddy.

I should have had the Bridget Joneses on.

I wasn't going to say that.

How important is it to have a fit buddy?

It's virtually impossible to do a good fit on yourself.

What are you aiming for?

-The back of the calf, here?

-Just above the ankle, actually.

As soon as you bend down to tack a hem,

you know, the trousers ride up.

As soon as you turn round to look at the back,

you're twisting the whole trouser out of shape and out of balance.

You're trying to put something around

all sorts of curves in three dimensions.

It's almost impossible to get a really good fit

without standing straight up and down

while the clothes are being fitted on you.

Chinelo is my buddy. When I was slim,

I was not the same shape as Chinelo but we've both got big bums.

-Not big! Round.

-Round bums.

-Yes.

-Yes.

So I think we'll be good to fit on each other.

-Just be careful with the pins.

-Yes, I will.

-What I'm doing, David, is making sure that your centre seam...

-Yeah.

..is in the centre of your darts.

You're fantastic.

I'm not going to go right underneath.

What do you mean? Why not?

If you don't mind! There's friends and there's friends.

Feels like it could go in.

-Yeah, it can, a little bit.

-Ooh, careful.

My tights are interfering with the velvet.

-Yeah.

-So I've taken my...

-..knickers off.

-I've taken my tights off.

-OK.

But you will see my bottom.

If you take that in there, look...

-You'll have to go from the top seam, obviously.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-OK.

That's where it needs to sit...

-OK.

-Brilliant. Thank you, darling.

Hopefully we're nearly there. Hopefully.

Sewers, you're halfway through.

This zip is going to be in the front of my trousers

so when my trousers are zipped up, it just looks like a seam.

While Chinelo's inserting a straightforward invisible zip...

It has to be perfect cos if it's not, it'll look silly.

..Jenni is attempting a more complex fly fastening.

This piece here is the under-flap of the fly.

When you undo your zip, you can see this flap here -

that's basically what I'm doing now.

There's quite a lot of layers on there.

I think there's about four layers of fabric.

And it's just struggling a little bit.

No, I don't like you.

A fly.

That's the best one I've ever done.

There's Patrick, looming over there.

All I heard was, "It's the best one I've ever done."

He's going to wonder how bad the other two were.

I've got a wrinkle in my zip, which is a shame.

When I did it at home it was perfect.

Typical, isn't it?

He's bound to see it.

He'll spot that at 20 paces.

Morning. Now, what're you doing?

Nothing, Patrick.

-I'm not happy with my zip.

-No. I can see that.

-Don't look yet.

-Got a little bit of a wrinkle.

-A pucker.

-Yeah.

Difficult unpicking velvet.

-I know. I'm going to see what I can do without unpicking it.

-OK.

-I'll leave you to get on with it.

-I'll have a try with this zip.

-Good.

Everyone's seen my

wrinkled zip, so I'm trying to iron it out, press it out.

Steam it out? Anything it out.

I'm doing my waistband at the moment.

On the pattern, there's a V at the very front,

but the back is quite plain.

So I've made my own

pattern piece. I'm going to put a V in the back as well.

I'm making sure that my V point lies in line with the centre back seam.

This is the interfacing for the waistband.

It's stiffening. It gives it some body.

So I put it in the centre here.

And when that folds over, that gives a nice waistband.

-Hello, green velvet lady.

-Hi.

Let me have a look. Ooh, that's nice.

Um, I've done the fly and I've done my pockets.

Waistband needs to look really stiff and very crisp.

And that fabric hasn't got an awful lot of structure

-compared with some of the other velvets.

-I know.

Velvet's a difficult fabric anyway. This one is particularly slippy.

I'm going to sew in this sturdy interfacing with my waistband.

I'd be tempted to double this up because this is a very soft fabric.

-I know you're worried about time, so we'll leave you.

-Thank you.

14 plus 14 is...

Chinelo is the only sewer adding an extra layer on top of her trousers.

I like peplums because of the shape they give.

They make your waist

look smaller and hips look bigger and I like that kind of shape.

I've just cut out the length of my peplum.

Then, I'll move this up four inches on this central line.

It makes it longer at the back.

See? When it's held up like that...

Heather is the only sewer adding an extra layer underneath her trousers.

I'm going to half-line my trousers because

when you get warm, velvet tends to stick to you a little bit.

I've just literally made a copy of my trousers

and these will just slip onto the insides.

They look like giant bloomers, don't they?

What's the matter?

-Can you put it right?

-Not without re-doing my waistband.

(The thing is, it should be...)

That's fine. It's supposed to be like that.

(Thanks, darling.)

I've done the double interfacing, so I've got a nice, stiff waistband.

But I was so concerned about the velvet

and the lining that I've put my waistbands on the wrong way round.

Sewers, you have half an hour left.

Seems roughly about right. Do you want to look?

-That's cool.

-Yeah?

-Thank you very much.

-No worries.

Because velvet bruises easily,

the hems should be delicately hand-sewn.

I love hand-sewing. Lovely.

My favourite thing to do.

But David plans a short cut.

Tell me what hems you're going to do on these.

I'm going to try to do a blind hem with the machine.

The mere fact that you have to fold the velvet

as you put it under

the machine, you are creasing your velvet, so that is really crucial.

On Savile Row we'd normally sew this by hand.

Quite tempted to do it by hand.

Sewers, you've got ten minutes. Ten minutes left.

I'm very, very quickly trying to hand-sew my hem.

I don't mind-hand sewing. It's good when you've got time, not great

when you haven't.

I'm hemming my trousers, I've only got five minutes.

So to say it's rushed is an understatement.

Right.

Just got to put my bar and hook on now

but I want to press my waistband at least.

I'm just sewing in my hook and eye

but finding this whole process quite upsetting.

There's nothing worse than

putting all your effort into a waistband that's wrong.

One minute. One!

I think they're good enough for a dinner party.

Lovely.

Right. That's it. That's it. Time's up.

Chinelo, I need to see you. Oh, yes.

What I haven't told you is we're all going to a velvet trouser

party back at mine. Well done. Look at you.

Honest opinion? I hate them.

They're terribly finished and the waistband's not right.

But at least I'm not walking around in my pants.

JOLLY '20s MUSIC

The sewers will now model their own trousers

for Patrick and May to judge.

First up, the goddess that is Lynda.

I would say those are a really good-fitting pair of trousers.

-Thank you. They feel lovely.

-Yeah.

-Nice, flat waistband.

Also we cannot see where you stitched your hems.

Invisible.

Can we look at the fly as well?

Can we have a look?

-One little pucker.

-That's what I was worried about.

But it's a very neatly sewn and well-fitted pair of trousers.

They fit you really well. They really are a good fit.

Some really lovely top stitching around your waist.

The execution of that peplum is really, really good.

It's been nicely handled.

But you haven't concealed the hook and bar.

Somehow it's pulling open a bit but...

I think overall it's a pretty good pair of trousers.

-Yeah. Well done. Well done.

-Thank you very much.

I think your darts are slightly uneven.

This one is just slightly

deeper than that one but they're very cleanly pressed.

And I measured them as well. It must be about two stitches.

Really well inserted zip. Putting a zip in on a fabric like this

is tricky, isn't it?

-Everything you've done, you've done well. Well done.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much, Heather.

-Thank you.

-Jenni, please come forward.

I have to say, Jenni, that this was probably one of the most difficult

velvets to work with in the room. It just bounced all over

-the place, didn't it?

-Yes.

Now, what happened with the waistband?

In my attempt to ensure I had a stiff waistband,

as per Patrick's requirement,

I lost it for a moment and put it on the wrong way round.

Yes, your shaping should be slightly different.

I think the fly isn't quite right, it's not concealing all of that

-zip as it should be.

-No.

-What's going on at the bottom?

-It's double.

It just looks a little bit lumpy.

They're not sitting cleanly round the bottom.

OK.

I think they're a very, very good fit.

They don't appear to be dragging, hanging nicely.

I'm a bit concerned that we're seeing

a little bit of that facing coming through.

That just needs controlling somehow. If you're going to put

a contrast inside,

you have to make absolutely sure that it's all on the inside.

This pocket looks smashing.

Can I turn you sideways? We have got a tiny bit of movement here

but a minor detail.

Overall, it's a very good pair of trousers.

-I think they're a good-fitting pair of trousers.

-Thank you.

Your darts are pressed out well

and you've done a good job with the pockets.

But on this side we've got some walking. The back part

of the seam is flat and the front bit, there's some fullness in there,

where it's moved as you've sewn it.

The fly's well executed.

Maybe just needed a prick stitch along the edge just to keep

that velvet closed but it is covering the zip which is

the important thing. Overall, a perfectly wearable pair of trousers.

Thank you.

Thank you for your brilliant trousers and indeed your modelling.

Go and have a relax. The judges will deliberate.

And when you come back in,

they will announce who will be leaving the sewing room.

Velvet trousers. I was so excited but I just completely underestimated

what I was letting myself in for. It was a tough, tough day.

Yesterday wasn't a great day for me. I just don't know

whether I've done enough to stay.

Let's talk about who's going.

I think there are probably a couple of contenders.

-OK.

-Sadly, Jenni's trousers really were a bit of a mess.

The waistband - we've got a huge mistake here -

the fly wasn't terrific.

These turn ups are not very good at all.

Jenni didn't cope with that challenge very well.

Heather came fifth in the first two challenges.

Well, her trousers were really good.

But not the most complicated construction - no pockets.

They were the simplest pair of trousers.

This wasn't very well finished, wasn't one of our best anoraks.

She could be in trouble.

I think, for sure, Heather needs further consideration.

Good luck, guys.

Before the bad news, the good news.

And the judges can reveal their garment of the week. Patrick.

This week we chose...

-this garment.

-ALL: Yey!

So congratulations, Tamara,

brilliant, professional piece of sewing.

And Patrick would quite like to buy it from you.

Now the hideous bit.

The person who's leaving the Sewing Bee is...

I'm really sorry. It's Jenni.

I told you.

-Oh, sorry.

-No, it's good. It's the right decision.

You're our most inexperienced sewer

but you have done some brilliant sewing.

Given the very limited amount of time that Jenni has been sewing,

she has really impressed both May and I.

It's sad to be losing her to the competition

but, at the end of the day,

we're looking for the best sewer and this week that wasn't Jenni.

It's getting harder to say goodbye to people each week now,

especially Jenni. It's going to be really hard not having

her in the room and her energy.

-Cos she's my Jenni baby.

-Yeah.

Sewing, for me, gives you everything you can ever imagine.

You think of something in your head

and you're able to recreate that in a garment that you can wear.

Anybody can pick up a needle and thread and make something,

and that's just phenomenal.

I love you guys.

I didn't think I'd be in this long but to be

though now to the quarterfinal is brilliant.

Wow!

At the next Sewing Bee...

I'd better get a shift on.

..the quarterfinalists face a mysterious pattern.

It's almost like it's in Morse code.

They transform an entire man's suit.

That's a big bloke, isn't it?

And take on the heftiest made-to-measure challenge so far.

It's so bulky!

A classic coat.

I have got a lot to do.

RIPPING

Oh, lordy!

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

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

please got to... bbc.co.uk/sewingbee

You'll also find ideas there

for sewing projects inspired by the series.