0:00:02 > 0:00:04It's the final of The Great British Sewing Bee.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06We've gone from ten to three.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09They've had to climb a fabric mountain to get here
0:00:09 > 0:00:11and because it's the final,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15the judges want nothing less than couture. Oh la la!
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Last week, the semi-finalists created garments without a pattern.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22This is the scary part.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Tamara triumphed with her impressive yoga outfit!
0:00:25 > 0:00:28SHE SCREAMS
0:00:28 > 0:00:31But it was Lynda who didn't make it to the final...
0:00:31 > 0:00:34They're going to be looking for perfection and this isn't it.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37..and bid a tearful goodbye to the sewing room.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41- I thought it was me.- Oh!- I'm sorry.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43Thank you so much.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Now Chinelo, Heather and Tamara face the final three challenges.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52I'm going hell for leather.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Each wanting to convince the judges that they are the best.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I've given myself a lot to do, but it's the final.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01But will the pressure prove too much?
0:01:04 > 0:01:07I just want this to be over now, to be honest.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11And who will hold her nerve to win The Great British Sewing Bee?
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Such a stressful time.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15I can't not finish this one.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Huh!
0:01:44 > 0:01:47After eight weeks, three very different home-sewers
0:01:47 > 0:01:49have made it to the Sewing Bee final.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Tamara is a third-generation sewer
0:01:54 > 0:01:58whose bold fabric choices and determination to embellish
0:01:58 > 0:02:00has seen her win Garment of the Week
0:02:00 > 0:02:02more times than her fellow finalists.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05This is a jacket I would be very happy to wear myself.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10I'd never consider playing it safe.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12It would be like going against the grain.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16It'd be like the nap of the velvet going the wrong way!
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Chinelo is the least experienced of the finalists,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22but her natural ability with fabric
0:02:22 > 0:02:26and instinctive free-hand approach to cutting and shaping has seen her
0:02:26 > 0:02:28ranked in the top two of most challenges.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30The first thing I notice is the fit.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It's a really lovely shape on her.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34And the skirt flutes beautifully.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37'I am feeling nervous, I'm feeling sick.'
0:02:37 > 0:02:40I feel like a fizzy drink that's been shaken up!
0:02:40 > 0:02:41That's how I feel right now.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46Heather's cautious precision, born of 30 years of sewing experience,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48has made her the most technically competent,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51but she's never won Garment of the Week.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Very neat, very tidy.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56The most exquisite under-stitching. Well done.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00I have gone quite often for a safe option,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04I think it's time for life on the tightrope without a safety net.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08I'm going to do something that will make the judges go, "What?!"
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Huge congratulations for making it into the final.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- Can you believe it? - ALL: No.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24This week, I'm afraid they've stepped it up a notch,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26so over the next two days,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29you're going to be tested on your couture skills...
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- Huh...- I know. ..for the final pattern challenge.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Patrick, what do they have to do?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36We've tested you on all sorts of garments so far,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39but we haven't really had a good look at your hand sewing.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42So this week, we'd like you to make a tie.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Oh, gosh, hand sewing...
0:03:46 > 0:03:49And this beautiful tie needs to be made of silk.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51How do you feel about that, girls?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- Scary. - Tell you in a couple of hours.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57You have three hours and 15 minutes.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Enormous luck. Your time starts now.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05So...these are they.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06I quite like that.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I'm just seeing what pattern I like.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Obviously, pattern's quite important to me!
0:04:15 > 0:04:18I think I might go for the plain.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Although that's probably not going to hold its shape as well.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24I've never made a tie before, no. Never.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28I've gone for something that's not too slippery,
0:04:28 > 0:04:29and I think would be nice as a tie.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32It's nice to do something completely different,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34and that's quite small.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Because a tie, really, is just a long strip of fabric,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39so you can really take some time.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40Hopefully!
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Let's go with that and see what happens.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Hand sewing is not really my thing.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51I'm going to go back and look at the instructions,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53and see how it goes.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Patrick and May, why couture for the final?
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- What's it going to show you?- Couture is the finest form of sewing.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04The most exquisite, the most accurate.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06A lot of the things we've tested so far
0:05:06 > 0:05:08are about basic assembly.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11What we're testing this week is the finishing skills
0:05:11 > 0:05:13that take a well-assembled garment
0:05:13 > 0:05:15and turn it into a beautiful piece of sewing.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Good God, there's so many pieces!
0:05:21 > 0:05:24I just feel that I need to follow the instructions,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27cos that's the only way I'm going to survive this one.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30The tie is made up of two lengths of silk sewn together.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32At each end, a piece of lining,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34known as the tipping, is attached.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Interfacing is added before
0:05:36 > 0:05:37the length of the tie is hand sewn
0:05:37 > 0:05:39with one long continuous stitch.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Finally, a hand-worked bar tack is added.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I've lain my pattern pieces diagonally
0:05:47 > 0:05:49across the grain of the fabric.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53We do that to get a bit more flexibility in the fabric.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Also, the pattern says to do that!
0:05:55 > 0:05:58I was thinking, either to do, like, contrasting...
0:05:58 > 0:06:01I really like how this green is with this silver.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04'I'd always wanted to sew. I'd always designed things,
0:06:04 > 0:06:05'and done things with my clothes.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09'But sewing, I got into that two years ago.'
0:06:09 > 0:06:10And to still be in this competition
0:06:10 > 0:06:14with two women who've been sewing all their lives is really amazing!
0:06:14 > 0:06:16But for me, this just proves that
0:06:16 > 0:06:19you can really be dedicated to what you're doing
0:06:19 > 0:06:20and progress every day.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22So I really think I can win this.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24I pray I win it. I really, really do.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28- How many metres is this? - It's supposed to be 15.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Chinelo lives in Essex, with her husband, Tunde.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Since joining the Sewing Bee,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35she's spent every spare minute behind her machine.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37'I'm so proud of Chinelo.'
0:06:37 > 0:06:40I've been neglected for the past eight weeks!
0:06:40 > 0:06:42She's been really busy practising.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43'She gets home tired,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46'and she still goes on again and keeps sewing. It's her passion.'
0:06:46 > 0:06:48It's what she loves doing.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Chinelo, normally, when I come and see you...
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Let me do your normal face... "Hi, Claud!"
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- And this is your face today, like that...- Yeah. It's a nervous face.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- Is that the nervous Chinelo?- Yeah.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02How proud of you is your husband?
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Oh, God. He's, like, so excited.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Imagine he's saying to you right now, "Chinelo, you can do it!"
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- You're making it for him. - I am. Yeah, yeah.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13You know what's the worst? I'm going to have to make it for him
0:07:13 > 0:07:15if this comes out well. He'll be putting his orders in.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Let's have a look on the list of Things To Do.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25A cup of tea would be nice, if that was on the list of Things To Do.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29This is our perfect tie. So, if you look,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31all of these edges are still very, very soft.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34There is a line of stitching holding that central seam
0:07:34 > 0:07:36which you cannot see at all.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- So what else are we looking for? - This tip here,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and the way in which this is handled at the end, is crucial
0:07:42 > 0:07:44to make that beautiful shape.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Even down to the tiny little bar tack,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48which we want them to sew by hand.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50These final finishing flourishes
0:07:50 > 0:07:52are exactly what this week is all about.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58I'm lining up the bottom half of the tie to the top.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01It's cut at an angle
0:08:01 > 0:08:05so that when I sew it, it'll be one continuous straight line.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14I've just seen something.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17I'm going to alter it slightly,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19because I want my stripes to match up,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21and if you do this,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23you can see I'm just slightly out.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- Heather?- Mmm.- Did you look at those dyes I got?
0:08:27 > 0:08:29'The house has been taken over,
0:08:29 > 0:08:30'with the final for
0:08:30 > 0:08:31'the competition coming up.'
0:08:31 > 0:08:33There's a dummy dressed up
0:08:33 > 0:08:34in different ways in the hallway,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36and the dining room's taken over with materials.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38'And after that, I anticipate
0:08:38 > 0:08:41'being able to sit around the dining table
0:08:41 > 0:08:43'without fighting off taffeta silk.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45'It would mean everything to me if she won!'
0:08:45 > 0:08:46Heather's invested so much into this
0:08:46 > 0:08:49and it would be very, very exciting, it would be wonderful!
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Sewing has always been Heather's secret hobby,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54while dressage riding has been her career.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56I've competed in things all my life
0:08:56 > 0:08:58and this is the last push.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00This is like doing the last canter pirouette,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02before turning up the centreline
0:09:02 > 0:09:04and coming down into the halt
0:09:04 > 0:09:06and saluting the judges.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08This is about finishing the job.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- It's the final. You're here. - I'm here.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13When you first started, did you think, "Do you know what,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- "I'll probably be in the final"? - No! I'd honed to perfection
0:09:15 > 0:09:18my leaving speech. Honed it, perfectly.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- And here you are.- And here I am.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Enormous luck.- Thank you. - I don't want to put too much on it,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25but everything's riding on this.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26Ha-ha-ha-ha! Go away!
0:09:30 > 0:09:34I'm just folding my tie in half, as per instructions.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37"Stitch ends from small dot..."
0:09:37 > 0:09:40To produce the classic mitred point on either end of the tie,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43the sewers need to work inside-out.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46They create a small pleat to form the point,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48then attach the lining fabric, known as tipping,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51by carefully securing it with a row of stitching
0:09:51 > 0:09:54so that when it's turned the right way round,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56the point is sharp and the lining isn't visible
0:09:56 > 0:09:57on the front of the tie.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02I'm just sewing the tip of the tie
0:10:02 > 0:10:05as it shows on the instructions.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I'm really trying to follow these instructions
0:10:07 > 0:10:11as carefully as possible, because I have no clue what I'm doing.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I'm just inserting my lining.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I believe this is called tipping,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19which I heard Patrick and May mention.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Never heard that word before,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24so I'm just trying not to show my ignorance by just nodding.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26"Oh, yes, tipping."
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Do you remember this birthday dress that you made for me,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- many, many, many years ago?- I do!
0:10:31 > 0:10:32'Tamara got'
0:10:32 > 0:10:34her influence for sewing from me
0:10:34 > 0:10:36and I got it from my grandma,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40who taught me how to sew when I was a little girl.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Starting with dollies' clothes, then progressing
0:10:43 > 0:10:45to proper dresses, and it was the same for Tammy.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47She bought dolls and she wanted to sew for them,
0:10:47 > 0:10:52and it's progressed from there. So now she's at the stage where
0:10:52 > 0:10:54she's better than I am, I think.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Tamara's job as a yoga instructor has had to take a back seat,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00in the run-up to the final.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Which fabric do you like best -
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- purple or green? Charlie, what do you think?- Green.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07'The past week, for me, has been getting up early,'
0:11:07 > 0:11:09going to the fabric shop, backwards and forwards.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11I'm almost in there on a daily basis.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13'I have a sketchbook by the bed.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16'If I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm making notes.'
0:11:16 > 0:11:17It really does take over your life.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20'I've been working really, really hard
0:11:20 > 0:11:21'because I really want to win it.'
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Yeah, man!
0:11:23 > 0:11:24What have you been doing this week?
0:11:24 > 0:11:28- I've been pulling all-nighters. - Just practising?
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Just eating, breathing, living, sleeping...sewing.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Who knew that on tie week,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36you'd be wearing a tie as a belt?!
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- I know!- Did you make this? - No. I wear lots of ties.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40- I don't make them.- OK.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42(But I might wear this one.)
0:11:45 > 0:11:49There's that funny little pleat at the end. Isn't that cute?
0:11:49 > 0:11:53I'm just sewing the side-seams of the point.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01I don't know why there's a pleat there!
0:12:01 > 0:12:05I don't know anything about the construction of a tie.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22I'm really worried about Chinelo.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24She's had a great deal of difficulty
0:12:24 > 0:12:26in following the instructions.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Throughout the competition, she's been doing garments
0:12:29 > 0:12:31that she's reasonably familiar with.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33This is something that's quite different for her
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and it's really revealed to us
0:12:35 > 0:12:38- how limited her pattern-following skills are.- Mmm.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43Oh, God...
0:12:45 > 0:12:47- Right, how are you getting on? - Not very well.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50I just don't know what I'm doing, to be honest. I'm just trying to...
0:12:50 > 0:12:52- Well... - ..stop myself from crying.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54..what you have to remember is that
0:12:54 > 0:12:57that is not the tip of your tie.
0:12:57 > 0:12:58THAT is the tip of your tie.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00And all of this sits back
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- from that edge, like that.- OK.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05And then these roll around...
0:13:05 > 0:13:07and form the shape of the tie.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11- Does that help?- Yeah, it does help. Thank you, Patrick.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15- Right.- Oh! - I know, it's incredibly hard.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Sewers, you have had one hour, 37.5 minutes.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24That means you're halfway through.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Maths genius!
0:13:29 > 0:13:31OK, we're on to the interfacing.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35It's asking me to baste along centre by hand,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38with very loose running stitch through all thickness.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42It's crucial the tie joins perfectly down the centre of the interfacing.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Hmm, this is going to be tricky.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49A few millimetres out could make it twist out of shape.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51- Tamara?- Yeah?
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- Do your edges meet? - Erm, really, really narrow.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56I don't think they overlap an awful lot.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59- I think they might just be kissing each other.- Right.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- CHINELO:- I think I've done this wrong.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be on the inside somehow.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13I think I'm supposed to have... No, I've done it the right way.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16I just don't get it.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18This is difficult, to be honest.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20I think because I'm really panicky, as well,
0:14:20 > 0:14:22and I'm trying to just relax myself.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26I was going to ask somebody, but I'm going to let them get on, because...
0:14:28 > 0:14:30I don't know what I'm doing...
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Girls, you have half an hour left.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43I'm on the home stretch. I am galloping down the last furlong.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I've still got a bit of wind left in me.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48The most crucial part of this challenge
0:14:48 > 0:14:51is the quality of the finalists' hand sewing.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55As a child, I used to hand stitch my dolls' clothes,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57so I have done it in the past.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01The slip stitch, which runs along the length of the tie,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03should be completely invisible from the outside.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06I've done quite a bit of hand sewing.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09It's a very important part of dressmaking.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Without hand sewing, you're going to be up the creek a little bit.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16I just want this to be over now, to be honest.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18If they're looking for fancy hand stitching,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20I don't think they'll get it from me today!
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Guys, ten minutes! Ten minutes before you have to put your ties
0:15:25 > 0:15:27on your mannequins.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31I'm just going to have a little steamette of that.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36The judge is standing there - it's like the execution squad!
0:15:36 > 0:15:41While Heather and Tamara finish their ties with a gentle pressing,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Chinelo has yet to start her slipstitch.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Chinelo, sew it!
0:15:47 > 0:15:50- Sew it... Shall I sew it?- Mm-hm.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53(Go on, go on. Don't worry about pressing, just sew it!)
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Do you know what? Sod the instructions.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- OK. Got a needle and thread ready? - Oh, gosh...
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Right, hand-sew it like the wind!
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Sewers, you have one minute! One minute left!
0:16:07 > 0:16:09A bar tack to finish.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24This is the last tie I'll ever make in my life.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Sewers, that's it! Time's up!
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- Chinelo, Tamara, Heather-chops... - Hallelujah!
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Finalists, with your tie...
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Is it just me who wants to break into song?
0:16:42 > 0:16:45# When I'm all upset, I never fret
0:16:45 > 0:16:47# I never sit around and cry... #
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Two and a half silk ties made by hand
0:16:50 > 0:16:52in just three and a quarter hours.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Tamara, please bring your lovely tie forward.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Pretty even.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20We've got the pattern running perfectly parallel
0:17:20 > 0:17:22with the corner of the tie.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25We've got some really good hand-stitching.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Can I have a look at the tip in that end?
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Yes, your tipping is neat.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32You have made an attempt at the bar tack.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35It's not the neatest bar tack I've ever seen,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37- but at least it's a bar tack.- Yes.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39So there we are,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42definitely a wearable piece of men's neckwear.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04I feel the hand stitching is quite untidy, I have to say.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07You can see rather a long stitch
0:18:07 > 0:18:11and it's not completely even either, which is a shame.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Looking at the tipping,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15you've got the body of the tie rolling over
0:18:15 > 0:18:17and sitting back from the edge,
0:18:17 > 0:18:19as it's supposed to be.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21It's a little bumpy.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23You've managed to give it a press.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26You've not crushed the bounce out of the fold.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- You've managed that, actually, quite well. Not bad at all.- Mmm.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32- Thank you. - Thank you, Heather.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Sorry.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54- I'm pretty disappointed.- So am I.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57We don't have an assembled tie.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Actually, you were getting there.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Shape-wise, it's pretty good.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04It's nice and balanced.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09You've got the construction of this tipping right, here.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13You've got this little mitred tip absolutely spot-on.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16But it just took you forever to get there.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18So, sadly, we've got no hand stitching, which is a shame.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I did start the slip stitch on that side.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23- You did start it, did you? - I did, yeah.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Yes, we have got sort of...
0:19:25 > 0:19:28We have got a few stitches. Um, yes.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39So which tie will win the last pattern challenge of the Sewing Bee?
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Very marginal.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49OK, who's in third place?
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Sadly, Chinelo, it's you, because we haven't got a completed tie.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57In second place...
0:20:01 > 0:20:05..Heather. Very close to call, but I think
0:20:05 > 0:20:08a little bit more finesse required on the hand stitching.
0:20:08 > 0:20:14And in first place - Tamara. APPLAUSE
0:20:14 > 0:20:18- We loved your really beautiful hand stitching.- Thank you.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Huge congratulations. Well done, Tamara. Go and have a break.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23When you come back, we will give you
0:20:23 > 0:20:26your second challenge - my particular favourite. Off you go.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33I just lost the plot a little bit. It was just so confusing.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36'I just really wanted to stay true to the instructions'
0:20:36 > 0:20:39and I got lost.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Just so frustrating, though, isn't it?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44'Of course I would have loved to have come first,'
0:20:44 > 0:20:46but just visualising it was just a tiny bit tricky.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49'I feel a little bit closer to winning'
0:20:49 > 0:20:51the overall Sewing Bee.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54'And now I've learnt all those different skills,'
0:20:54 > 0:20:56it's all coming together right at the end,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58just when it needs to happen.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Well, that tie was incredibly tricky to make,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06so what would be lovely is if the judges now set the sewers
0:21:06 > 0:21:10a gentle, sort of easy alteration challenge.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Oh, it's the final.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13This week...
0:21:15 > 0:21:16HEATHER LAUGHS
0:21:16 > 0:21:17..we would like each of you
0:21:17 > 0:21:21to breathe new life into an old wedding dress.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23We would like you to make an outfit for a child -
0:21:23 > 0:21:28a dress for a special occasion, a christening, a bridesmaid.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31So there are six wedding dresses next door. Choose one.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35You have two hours for this. Your time starts...now!
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Come on, girls, let's go!
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- Ooh!- Wow!- Dresses!
0:21:40 > 0:21:43The second-hand wedding dresses are all made from
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- different luxury fabrics. - I think I quite like this one.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49The sewers can use everything for their couture alterations.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Gosh, she's a tall bird, this one is!
0:21:52 > 0:21:55It's really hard. You may have some idea in your head
0:21:55 > 0:21:59of what you would make, until you see the dresses,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and they kind of determine how you design your dress.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06This one is going to be quite interesting
0:22:06 > 0:22:09cos there's plenty of fabric to do things with,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11and the idea of making a little frilly child's dress
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- is actually rather nice. - My wedding dress was rented,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17actually, so I don't have it any more.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21- I do like the idea of this. - In this challenge, for me,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24I don't want to see just a kind of cut-and-shut job.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27I want to see some finesse. I'd like to see a complete
0:22:27 > 0:22:30- re-imagining of this garment. - We want them to demonstrate
0:22:30 > 0:22:34an understanding of the different fabrics, the different textures,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36how they gather, how they move, how they shape
0:22:36 > 0:22:39- on a smaller garment.- These are important to people. I mean,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42this is a big part of a lot of people's lives,
0:22:42 > 0:22:43and any alteration that they do
0:22:43 > 0:22:45needs to do credit to the original garment.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47It needs to almost pay respect to all the work
0:22:47 > 0:22:49- that went into it in the first place.- I think
0:22:49 > 0:22:51- it needs to be handled sympathetically.- Yes.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55There's something quite cathartic about
0:22:55 > 0:22:57cutting into a wedding dress, isn't there?
0:22:57 > 0:23:01I feel awful for doing this. This is someone's wedding dress.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Isn't it funny? I feel quite guilty about doing this.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Just cutting into a wedding dress feels really...
0:23:07 > 0:23:10not the sort of thing you should be doing.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14I've done a little sketch, and that's the basis of my dress.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16To make it a little bit more couture,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18I'm going to do some hand sewing.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21So I think she might be a bridesmaid, with this little frock.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25I'm just going to run up a little skirt...
0:23:25 > 0:23:28just to start with, before I make the top.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31What are you making?
0:23:31 > 0:23:34I'm making the skirt of my very classic bridesmaid's dress.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Is that the waist?
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Yes, that's the waist seam, and that's the end of the skirt.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40- So it's like a "poof"?- Yeah.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Do you feel under immense pressure to do well in this next challenge?
0:23:43 > 0:23:47- I definitely do.- You've got to come first, is what you're saying.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48Well, as you were... Bye.
0:23:50 > 0:23:5290 minutes remaining.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55I'm just getting my gathering stitches
0:23:55 > 0:23:58to go round the waist of the dress.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03Pulling through two layers of loose stitching to use as my gathering.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Just attaching some elastic to the tulle here,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08just to make the petticoat.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Chinelo plans to make three new separate skirts
0:24:11 > 0:24:13to lie on top of each other.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18But to save time, Tamara has opted to cut down the original.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22I really need to make a dress that's very radically different.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- That's divine!- It could be a party dress, I suppose,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28but I definitely want to have this on the shoulder...
0:24:28 > 0:24:30That's so pretty!
0:24:30 > 0:24:34..to match the skirt, but it's what I do in-between those two things.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Sewers, you have one hour left. One hour!
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- Come on!- I'm always wondering where time goes.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44It certainly doesn't seem to be going in my direction, anyway.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48This is my top bodice. I was going to clip around the neck hole,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51but I won't do that because it's all cut on the bias anyway,
0:24:51 > 0:24:52so it should stretch.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55So, I'm going to make the top out of two pieces.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58To make her bodice, Heather is using a technique
0:24:58 > 0:25:01known as draping on the stand.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04- Ow.- Pinning and cutting her silk directly onto the mannequin.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07I can feel where the shoulders are,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11so cutting isn't too much of a difficulty.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Tamara has decided to be a little more cautious.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18So I'm just roughly tracing around the shape of the mannequin,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23and then I've got an idea of how big my arm holes need to be.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24I'll then cut it out of fabric
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and then I'll put darts in it, so it fits.
0:25:28 > 0:25:3045 minutes to go.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34I'm just attaching my skirt to my bodice.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38So I'm just going to stitch my bodice together now.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44Oh.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I've just sewn my dart the wrong way round.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49SHE SIGHS This isn't going well.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Draping on the stand hasn't saved Heather any time.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54You know what?
0:25:54 > 0:25:58The front and back pieces of her bodice don't line up.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Everything's in the wrong place,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03so it might just be easier to start again.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07I'm now going to do something completely different. This is Plan B.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Girls, you have half an hour left...
0:26:14 > 0:26:17on your bride-to-bridesmaid challenge!
0:26:19 > 0:26:23I'm just trying to make sure the waistline of the skirt isn't tilted.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Sorry, I've just... Now I've said that...
0:26:31 > 0:26:32I've gone off track.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39This is going to be for a bit of bias binding.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40For a couture finish,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43the raw edges of the silk should be neatly encased.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46I'm going to bias bind the neck and see where I am.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51I don't want to use a bias binding around the neck,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53so I decided to face it,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56because I think it's cleaner.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01HEATHER: You want them to be delicate, not lumpy and nasty.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03I just hate this fabric.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08Give me some denim or some furnishing fabric, then I'm fine.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Ooh, I love that. That's going on there immediately.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Sewers, you have 15 minutes left!
0:27:18 > 0:27:2115! Everyone all right?
0:27:21 > 0:27:23- No.- Not really.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27I'm just making my sleeves. I'm just freestyling this bit.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30I don't usually use a pattern for it, so why start now?
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Let's just tidy these edges up.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37This is the hand sewing that will hopefully give it a better finish,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40but I've just run out of time, so it's going to be so roughly done.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I've decided to use the overlocker for the edge of the sleeves,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46as I won't have time to actually do the rolled hem on the machine -
0:27:46 > 0:27:49- that's quite tricky.- Oh...
0:27:49 > 0:27:52My stitching has come undone.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Everyone, you have two minutes left!
0:27:55 > 0:27:59This is awful. Absolutely awful.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I can't not finish this one.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Heather, good, the skirt's on.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08(Oh, it's divine!)
0:28:11 > 0:28:13- Chinelo, are you done?- Yeah. I'm just ironing.- Just pressing?
0:28:13 > 0:28:16How are you, my hand-sewing queen? You don't have long
0:28:16 > 0:28:17- and I'm in a panic. - I just want to get
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- these shoulder straps on.- Oh, no!
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Is it not supposed to be attached?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24- I haven't been helpful, have I, saying that?- No.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27This is definitely my chance to come back in the competition,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30so I'm just hoping that the judges are impressed.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31One minute!
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Give it a tug, Clauds.
0:28:37 > 0:28:38Go on.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Time is up!
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Huge well done on these gorgeous dresses.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Let's bring them to the front, and then we'll bring the judges in.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54# Tweedlie, tweedlie, tweedlie, dee
0:28:54 > 0:28:57# I'm as happy as can be... #
0:28:57 > 0:29:02May and Patrick have no idea who has re-engineered which dress.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- Fantastic.- They are beautiful.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12We've got this beautifully fine hem.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15We've got exactly the same on the skirt.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16We've got a roll hem done
0:29:16 > 0:29:19on the overlocker there. Beautiful little set-in sleeves.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22These are about the cutest things I think I've ever seen!
0:29:22 > 0:29:25THEY BOTH LAUGH Also, a facing around the neck.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27There's no puckering or poking there.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29It's sitting very smoothly around the neck line.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31This was original, I suspect...
0:29:31 > 0:29:34I'd imagine that was part of the dress, but what a lovely touch!
0:29:34 > 0:29:35We've also got netting underneath.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39- That would have had to have been scaled down...- Yep.- ..amazingly.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42I think that's a really well-executed little dress.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52Got no edge finishes on this one.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57This has just been cut, so we haven't got any rolled hems or anything.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00These shoulder straps in the net,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03all hand stitched onto the bodice.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05This is a really nice shape round here.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Again, I think that's been extremely well handled.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11It's a nicely balanced shape altogether.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14- And then this little bow that's been tied at the front.- Really pretty.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Sweet little silk skirt.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27No fastening. Obviously ran out of time for the fastening.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30This gathering is fabulous. I mean, all the way round.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34There's an awful lot of fullness that's been put in there,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36and this waistband is sitting very neatly.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38We've got binding round the neck...
0:30:38 > 0:30:40beautifully top stitched.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42For me, this neckline is just a little square.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46It just looks like it would catch a little bit up on the throat.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49The way that this sleeve head has been left soft
0:30:49 > 0:30:51is a lovely understanding of how
0:30:51 > 0:30:55this bouncy, lovely plump silk works.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58It's very simple, but actually, it's incredibly effective.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03But whose final couture alteration has impressed May and Patrick?
0:31:03 > 0:31:06It feels more like it's come out of the world of couture.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- There's a softness to it. - Mmm. Quality of finish
0:31:09 > 0:31:11- isn't quite so good, is it?- Yeah.- No.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15It relies a little bit on the bells and whistles.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20All right. In third place is...
0:31:20 > 0:31:22the middle one.
0:31:22 > 0:31:23Tamara.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26You know what? There's a lot of really excellent work in there.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29- The finish let you down. - Thank you.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Number two is this little lady over here.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37There was an awful lot of edge finishing in this one,
0:31:37 > 0:31:40lots of top stitching, binding. We congratulate you
0:31:40 > 0:31:42- on your finishing off. - Thank you.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Which means, of course, that our winner
0:31:44 > 0:31:46on the alteration challenge is Chinelo.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48- Yay! - APPLAUSE
0:31:50 > 0:31:52There was so much in this dress.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54Your set-in sleeves, your layering,
0:31:54 > 0:31:55your beautiful waistline.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59There was a lot of really lovely processes.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Well, a huge well done to the three of you
0:32:02 > 0:32:04and we'll see you back here tomorrow,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07when the winner of The Great British Sewing Bee will be announced.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Sleep well, if you can.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15'Erm, definitely nicer to go home'
0:32:15 > 0:32:19coming first in the second challenge, especially after having
0:32:19 > 0:32:21such a...nightmare in the first challenge.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25'Divine inspiration is borne out of sheer desperation.'
0:32:25 > 0:32:28There had to be something on the model and it just went clunk, click,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32do this, do that, give it little puffy turn-ins
0:32:32 > 0:32:33on the sleeves. Job done.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37'Had I not done well in the first challenge,'
0:32:37 > 0:32:39I would have felt that my chances
0:32:39 > 0:32:42were pretty slim of winning the competition.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45But, you know, I won one, came last at the next one...
0:32:45 > 0:32:47You just never know what's going to happen tomorrow.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Oh, I'm glad that is over!
0:32:56 > 0:32:59At the end of today, you're going to have your winner.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- I mean, it feels very level.- Yeah. For me, I think Heather and Tamara
0:33:02 > 0:33:07- are very, very evenly matched. - We need to see Chinelo delivering
0:33:07 > 0:33:11beautiful hand-finishing techniques. We know she can create
0:33:11 > 0:33:15- a beautiful dress. - There is ample opportunity
0:33:15 > 0:33:18for anybody to steal this competition.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22For their last ever challenge...
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Are our models going to be in here?
0:33:24 > 0:33:26..there is one final surprise.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30They have no idea who their models are,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33who happily are their best friends in the whole world!
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Welcome, girls.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38Let me introduce you. Rose, Chinelo's best friend.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40- Natalie, Tamara's sister-in-law and best friend.- Yes.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43- You introduced her to her husband. - That's right.- Very clever girl.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45And, Kate, you're Heather's best friend.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47You ride together. You've known her forever.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Thank you so much for coming in.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52OK. So, girls, you stay where you are.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55- Hello!- Good morning.- Hello.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59- How are we all?- Good.- Nervous.
0:33:59 > 0:34:04All right. For your final challenge, the judges would love you to make
0:34:04 > 0:34:09a beautiful gown, showcasing stunning couture skills.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12All we need is your models. Shall we get them in?
0:34:12 > 0:34:14- Yes, please.- OK.
0:34:14 > 0:34:15Models, in you come!
0:34:15 > 0:34:17# Oops
0:34:17 > 0:34:19# My heart went oops... #
0:34:19 > 0:34:22- Rose! - LAUGHTER
0:34:22 > 0:34:23Oh, my God!
0:34:27 > 0:34:30You are such... Oh, my God!
0:34:30 > 0:34:33LAUGHTER
0:34:33 > 0:34:39THEY CHATTER
0:34:41 > 0:34:44So you've got your very, very best friends here.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47This is it, for the very final time...
0:34:47 > 0:34:50in this year's Great British Sewing Bee,
0:34:50 > 0:34:54you have seven hours, and your time starts now.
0:34:57 > 0:34:58Fabulous, fabulous surprise.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01I've never made clothes for Kate, never.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03She's borrowed the odd bits and pieces
0:35:03 > 0:35:05because we used to be the same size,
0:35:05 > 0:35:10but she's beaten me on the stakes of slimming these days, so...
0:35:10 > 0:35:13It makes you even more apprehensive and anxious
0:35:13 > 0:35:15because you want to make something nice for them.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Do you know what's funny? I actually used her measurements whilst
0:35:18 > 0:35:21I was trying to cut out the dress. It was so similar and I thought,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23"I'll just go with Rose's measurements."
0:35:23 > 0:35:24And it didn't even cross my mind
0:35:24 > 0:35:27because she would never do anything like this.
0:35:27 > 0:35:28She shies away from a phone camera.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30I can't believe she's doing this!
0:35:30 > 0:35:32The finalists have been asked to design their own dresses
0:35:32 > 0:35:35and cut out their fabric pieces at home.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Ultimately, we're testing them here
0:35:37 > 0:35:40on everything that we've seen throughout this competition.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43We're also looking for flair in the design,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46and we want them to show us how well they can finish a garment.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50It's about the expression of the person through the clothes.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52I mean, that's really what couture is.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54We're going to see their personality come out in these pieces
0:35:54 > 0:35:57and we're going to see every ounce of their skill.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04This is going to be like a corset. Well, this is actually corset fabric.
0:36:04 > 0:36:09It's going to have a sunray pleated top. Very elegant, very ladylike!
0:36:09 > 0:36:10SHE LAUGHS
0:36:10 > 0:36:12Heather's bodice will be fastened
0:36:12 > 0:36:14with a horse tack chain
0:36:14 > 0:36:15and will be attached with
0:36:15 > 0:36:18a full-length glazed chiffon skirt,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20with a detachable taffeta bustle.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24Here's my taffeta that I screwed up last night and stuck it in a tube.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28- Brilliant. So it's already got that shape built into it.- Yeah.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30- And that's starting from...- That is going to start from the centre...
0:36:30 > 0:36:34- Right in the centre.- ..and then it's going to come out. Now, the back...
0:36:35 > 0:36:38- ..is going to be chained.- So there's a hint of the punk.- Yeah.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41And then I've got ten metres of chiffon
0:36:41 > 0:36:44to make two totally circular skirts to go over the top.
0:36:44 > 0:36:51And then on the back will be six metres of red taffeta and...
0:36:51 > 0:36:52Did we approve this budget?
0:36:52 > 0:36:56This sounds like about £8,000-worth of material!
0:36:56 > 0:36:58We'll all be eating gruel for lunch.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05If I don't talk to you, I'm not being rude, I'm just concentrating.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07Don't talk to me, just win. Win!
0:37:07 > 0:37:11I'm just not a real traditional couture kind of girl,
0:37:11 > 0:37:13so I'm not making one of these massive ball gowns.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17I'm going to make something modern, funky. Definitely a gamble,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20but then again, that's what I do.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Tamara's layered bodice
0:37:22 > 0:37:23will be slashed
0:37:23 > 0:37:25and decorated with silk flowers.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26Her skirt will feature
0:37:26 > 0:37:28a central inverted pleat,
0:37:28 > 0:37:29topped with a crystal
0:37:29 > 0:37:31organza overskirt.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34I'm loving this already. It's like candyfloss...
0:37:34 > 0:37:38and The Kids from "Fame", and a Wham! video.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41It's like my childhood, all on one table! It's brilliant.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43- Good.- So you're using crystal organza.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46It has a life of its own. It's really bouncy, isn't it?
0:37:46 > 0:37:49I know, but that's why I've chosen it,
0:37:49 > 0:37:50because I want to master it.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- Yes. You're not going to let it beat you.- No!
0:37:53 > 0:37:54You're going to tame it.
0:37:54 > 0:37:55- You're fearless.- Yes.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01I'm just doing a pleated bodice.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03A lot of hand stitching here.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07As I'm going round here, I'm trying to make sure that my sunray pleats
0:38:07 > 0:38:10are fairly evenly distributed across the bodice.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13I mean, I've given myself a lot of work to do,
0:38:13 > 0:38:16but it's the final. What else to do?
0:38:21 > 0:38:24Chinelo is making her bodice from illusion net...
0:38:24 > 0:38:26I really don't want to rush that.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30..an extremely fine stretch fabric that can appear invisible
0:38:30 > 0:38:32when worn against the skin.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Those are my seam lines for my shoulders.
0:38:34 > 0:38:35I'm just going to stitch over that,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38create a couple of folds, then zigzag over the top of that,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40and then clip off the excess.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44So it just looks like a flat...sort of seam.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47And it gives the sheer fabric a good strong seam.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Chinelo will complete
0:38:49 > 0:38:51her floor-length satin dress
0:38:51 > 0:38:53by hand sewing flowers to her bodice,
0:38:53 > 0:38:55and her close-fitting skirt
0:38:55 > 0:38:58will feature a nine-layer tulle fishtail.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00You're going to look amazing in this.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02I'm already so jealous of your fringe.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04I'm now going to be even more jealous.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Chinelo, I imagine on that dress...
0:39:07 > 0:39:09- fit is key!- It is.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13- Definitely.- Even if it's slightly baggy, it will be bad!
0:39:21 > 0:39:23It seems really, really, really quiet in here.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25I think it's sheer concentration.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29Everyone is just really, really, really getting their heads down.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Huh! Just making a little facing
0:39:32 > 0:39:35to run down the side.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39What I want to make sure is that they're the same size.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41It's the sort of thing that Patrick's always after - symmetry.
0:39:41 > 0:39:46And if it ain't symmetrical, he doesn't like it!
0:39:50 > 0:39:55I'm just checking that my side seams are going to be equal.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58I'm acting as a couture house. It's Tamara's Couture House.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00I'm making sure that all my measurements are correct.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02I'm measuring, re-measuring.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06So I could probably do with coming in a little bit more there.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13I'm just trying to get some shape into the top
0:40:13 > 0:40:16and get rid of any wrinkles.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18I want it to sit perfectly flat,
0:40:18 > 0:40:19so there's no shadows of this tulle.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22I want it to look totally invisible, like there's nothing there.
0:40:28 > 0:40:29So...
0:40:30 > 0:40:31Yeah?
0:40:31 > 0:40:33Pretty happy with that.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39With bodices completed...
0:40:39 > 0:40:41OK, turn around.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47..the finalists need to move onto their skirts.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50I'm just measuring out my pleats at the moment.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Got a box pleat in the centre,
0:40:52 > 0:40:55and then either side, we have knife pleats.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58Trying not to get too panicky about it,
0:40:58 > 0:41:01because when I get panicky, I make mistakes.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09Heather's skirt requires six metres of fine chiffon.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11I've got quite a lot to overlock here.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14By carefully stretching it as it goes through the overlocker,
0:41:14 > 0:41:18the skirt hem will have a fluted finish, known as a lettuce edge.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20I'm going to make two overskirts.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23It's just layers of the very soft fabrics.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27It gives a beautiful slow movement when you walk.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32This is the first level of the fishtail of my dress.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Chinelo is planning to attach nine layers of fine tulle
0:41:35 > 0:41:37to the bottom of her skirt.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39Initially, I was just going to go with this tulle,
0:41:39 > 0:41:42but it's just too soft. I've tried everything
0:41:42 > 0:41:44to make it bounce out a bit more - I pulled it, stretched it,
0:41:44 > 0:41:46creased it, crunched it, everything.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48It's just far too soft.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52So what I'm going to do is sandwich this harder tulle in-between it,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55machine right along the edge here,
0:41:55 > 0:41:56and then I'm going to gather them.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01I'm going to attach the skirt now.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03There's acres of the stuff!
0:42:04 > 0:42:07I'm just hoping that I've measured correctly,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09so it's all going to come together.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12It's such a stressful time.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Sewers, you have one hour left, one hour!
0:42:16 > 0:42:19It has to be perfect for an haute-couture dress.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26I don't have a lot left, but it's fiddly.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32So, erm, let's hope we've got a dress at the end of it.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35This has been gathered, so it's now literally just to...
0:42:37 > 0:42:38..sew it on.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47It's looking good.
0:42:47 > 0:42:48But then I've said that before
0:42:48 > 0:42:50and then I've hit a complete disaster.
0:42:50 > 0:42:55I just want to get this done, so I can start putting my flowers on.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57I really don't want to rush that.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04I'm just trying to get my chain sorted
0:43:04 > 0:43:06so I can get it into the links.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08This would go on a dressage double bridle,
0:43:08 > 0:43:10just under the chin of the horse.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13I need a screwdriver, or a bit of leverage with something.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19She's quite strong!
0:43:21 > 0:43:2545 minutes remaining.
0:43:25 > 0:43:26This is a tulle fight!
0:43:31 > 0:43:33I'm going hell for leather.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42Fitting's good, but now I need to hurry
0:43:42 > 0:43:45because I need to make the next skirt.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48I've really got a race against time. I won't be able to do
0:43:48 > 0:43:50the blanket stitch around the edges like I planned to.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53There's a lot to do in that room.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57Chinelo is actually still pinning all those flowers on the bodice.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Heather, I'm really not sure where she is.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07She's got that bustle, all those layers and that ruchey bit,
0:44:07 > 0:44:11- which there's no evidence of.- Yeah. And that's what makes the dress.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14The problem with Tamara's dress is...
0:44:14 > 0:44:18she's being really ambitious, if she doesn't get all the extra stuff,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20the overlayer on and the flowers,
0:44:20 > 0:44:23it just ends up as an ordinary day dress.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25- I mean, that's really disappointing, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28I think the impact of that dress is all of those
0:44:28 > 0:44:29different elements together.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35This is a glue gun. It's a brilliant invention. This is my 3-D flowers
0:44:35 > 0:44:38that almost look like they're sprouting from the dress.
0:44:40 > 0:44:41(Ow, that's hot.)
0:44:43 > 0:44:4615 minutes left, sewers, 15!
0:44:46 > 0:44:48We should have more hours for a couture dress!
0:44:48 > 0:44:50- OK, I'm going to make the skirt now. - OK.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53This is going to be a sort of bustle.
0:44:53 > 0:44:54I'm going to catch all of these
0:44:54 > 0:44:56and make sure they're all caught in there and secure.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59I've never used this crystal organza before.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01We'll see what happens!
0:45:05 > 0:45:07Literally not thinking, just doing!
0:45:10 > 0:45:12It's not very easy piercing through.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19This makes you look too wide.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21- How many minutes? - Sewers, you have five minutes left.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25Only by God's grace...
0:45:25 > 0:45:27I just need to find out where to put this.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30I may actually ditch the whole net skirt.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32I think it's just making it too fussy.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35- Still very scared. - I'm just putting tiny
0:45:35 > 0:45:36catch stitches into the silk,
0:45:36 > 0:45:38just to give it a bit of body and shape.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42Like anything in couture, you have to adjust the original design
0:45:42 > 0:45:44to fit your client.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46Oh, gosh! That was your skin.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49- Sorry! - I think I definitely... Ooh.
0:45:49 > 0:45:50..made the right decision.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52In three seconds, it's over!
0:45:52 > 0:45:55One... Doing it slowly.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57..two...
0:45:57 > 0:45:59Just getting her shoes on. Hang on a second,
0:45:59 > 0:46:02- you're in the dress. - ..three, that's it!
0:46:02 > 0:46:06That is it. Well done, all of you!
0:46:10 > 0:46:13Exhausted, I'm feeling totally exhausted.
0:46:13 > 0:46:17Oh, dear, I could have done, really, with another hour on that.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19Gosh, look at Heather's. It's amazing!
0:46:19 > 0:46:23And...Tamara. Only Tamara, seriously.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26You know, my heart sinks a little bit, cos I think,
0:46:26 > 0:46:29"Wow, mine is completely out there, compared to theirs."
0:46:29 > 0:46:33# If you can't make your mind up
0:46:33 > 0:46:35# We'll never
0:46:35 > 0:46:36# Get started
0:46:39 > 0:46:42# And I don't wanna wind up
0:46:42 > 0:46:44# Being parted
0:46:44 > 0:46:46# Broken-hearted... #
0:46:49 > 0:46:53Seven hours, and three made-to-measure dresses.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55And being couture, it's all about the detail.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03# ..Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps... #
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Perhaps you can just hand Heather the whip,
0:47:09 > 0:47:12- just partly for my own safety. - Be nice.
0:47:12 > 0:47:17Starting at the most obvious point - the bodice, that sunray fan.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21Every little point of that is secured, I can't see a stitch...
0:47:21 > 0:47:24Oh, no, I can see one or two little stitches in there.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27We've got lots and lots of roll hemming on the overlocker,
0:47:27 > 0:47:29which has given you this lovely
0:47:29 > 0:47:31- fluted effect. - I love that.
0:47:31 > 0:47:32You stretched it as you sewed it.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35This is the hook and bar that releases that,
0:47:35 > 0:47:37so as the evening goes on and the dancing begins...
0:47:37 > 0:47:40- Exactly. - ..the bustle can come off.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43I mean, this bustle creates such a terrific effect.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48What I love about it is the kind of plumpness of it.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50It's using every bit of the bounce in this silk,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53and it looks so organic.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54It's got a life of its own.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57I think when we're looking at couture work,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00it's that liveliness that you want to keep in the material.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03There's a lot of hand sewing and a lot of gathering going on
0:48:03 > 0:48:06to give it that beautiful shape.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Initially, we were quite concerned about how this chain might look.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11There was the potential that it might have overpowered
0:48:11 > 0:48:13but, actually, what I think it does is...
0:48:13 > 0:48:15it just adds a little edge to quite a soft finish,
0:48:15 > 0:48:17and I think it works really well.
0:48:17 > 0:48:18Thank you.
0:48:20 > 0:48:21That dress is amazing.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36A very beautiful dress.
0:48:36 > 0:48:37It fits your model beautifully.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39I mean, round the back...
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Can I swivel you round?
0:48:41 > 0:48:44It's really sculptured well over the body.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46We've just got a little bit of
0:48:46 > 0:48:47- a ripple there.- Yeah.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50I think it's a really successful execution.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52If I'm going to be really nitpicky,
0:48:52 > 0:48:53I think that fishtail
0:48:53 > 0:48:55is a little overpowering.
0:48:55 > 0:48:56I think all of this is
0:48:56 > 0:48:58so delicate and lovely,
0:48:58 > 0:48:59and that's just a little bit
0:48:59 > 0:49:02big for me, but I'm being really nitpicky.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06These seams on the shoulder are a little bit too robust.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09It does detract from these beautiful flowers
0:49:09 > 0:49:10and this wonderful bodice.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12But it is a really beautiful looking dress,
0:49:12 > 0:49:15and you should be really proud of yourself.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18It's a lot of work, in a very short space of time.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20Thank you.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Can I congratulate you on your zip?
0:49:37 > 0:49:40I think it's probably one of the best zips you've put in.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42If we look at it across the back...
0:49:42 > 0:49:44I mean, that fits terrifically.
0:49:44 > 0:49:48Actually, that racing back needs to sit inside the shoulder blades.
0:49:48 > 0:49:49It's absolutely doing that.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51It's hugging the back really nicely.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53The overall fit is really very well done.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56I was really sad that I didn't see the crystal organza
0:49:56 > 0:50:00- incorporated into it.- Well, I did make it and I put it on,
0:50:00 > 0:50:03and I just thought it didn't need it. It was just too, too much.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06- PATRICK:- I think what was, for me, the great thing about this
0:50:06 > 0:50:09was the sheer mass exuberance of it.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12I think without it, it lost a little.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14I was a little bit disappointed that
0:50:14 > 0:50:16I didn't see any flowers sewn on.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18I'm not sure about using the glue gun on a dress.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20If every one had been absolutely hand sewn on,
0:50:20 > 0:50:24and every slash had been controlled and the edges were perfectly done,
0:50:24 > 0:50:26it could have been quite magical.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30It was just too much to do by hand in the time that you had.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43Huge congratulations for three extraordinary dresses.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47Go to the cafe, have an enormous cake or...cocktail.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50I don't know if they do them there, probably not.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54When you come back in, the judges will announce the winner
0:50:54 > 0:50:56of The Great British Sewing Bee.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Whilst the finalists wait for the judges' decision,
0:51:06 > 0:51:09the sewing room opens its doors to their families
0:51:09 > 0:51:12and a few familiar faces.
0:51:12 > 0:51:13I was quite nervous coming in,
0:51:13 > 0:51:15back into the sewing room.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17It's quite nice being back in the sewing room
0:51:17 > 0:51:18and not having to sew.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20I will say that!
0:51:20 > 0:51:23I can't tell you how nice it is to see everyone,
0:51:23 > 0:51:25catching up on everything everyone's doing,
0:51:25 > 0:51:26it's really, really lovely!
0:51:26 > 0:51:28I've had a little look at the clothes
0:51:28 > 0:51:30that everybody's made,
0:51:30 > 0:51:32it's astounding.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34I don't think there's a standout winner at all.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36It's going to be really tricky for the judges.
0:51:36 > 0:51:37I really wouldn't want to be one of them!
0:51:37 > 0:51:39I would say Chinelo.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42She can just whip up a pattern by measuring you out
0:51:42 > 0:51:44and getting a bit of chalk and...
0:51:44 > 0:51:46sketching it onto a piece of fabric.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48She just fascinates me.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50I can't possibly pick one.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55Tamara has an amazing sense of style and colour.
0:51:56 > 0:52:01Heather has got a spark that might just swing the balance for her.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03Oh... Am I going to take my words back,
0:52:03 > 0:52:06is it going to be Heather? I don't know. I don't know!
0:52:06 > 0:52:08Have I got to pick someone?
0:52:08 > 0:52:10Come on, Tamara!
0:52:12 > 0:52:15At this point, do you think you know who the winner is?
0:52:15 > 0:52:17We started off with the tie. Tamara and Heather
0:52:17 > 0:52:20did a pretty good job of following that pattern.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22And then we went to the alteration.
0:52:22 > 0:52:23We had three really good dresses,
0:52:23 > 0:52:25but Chinelo just pipped them to the post.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28And then on our final challenge, if we start with Tamara,
0:52:28 > 0:52:31I think all of the idea was there,
0:52:31 > 0:52:33it had the makings of something really fantastic.
0:52:33 > 0:52:34But actually, in its execution,
0:52:34 > 0:52:36it was very disappointing.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38Things like gluing the flowers on was a shame.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40We didn't see any fantastic hand-sewing skills.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Chinelo's... Full of beautiful flair
0:52:43 > 0:52:45and all of that natural elegance
0:52:45 > 0:52:47that we see every week from Chinelo.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Brilliant fit, beautiful execution.
0:52:49 > 0:52:50And it looked stunning on her model.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53Then finally, after weeks of
0:52:53 > 0:52:54not really showing us
0:52:54 > 0:52:56exactly what she's made of,
0:52:56 > 0:52:58Heather has gone for it in a big way
0:52:58 > 0:53:01and has delivered something that is really pretty spectacular.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06- Jenni! - CHEERING
0:53:13 > 0:53:16Hello!
0:53:29 > 0:53:30Hello.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34Hello, lovely friends and family.
0:53:34 > 0:53:39Brilliant to see all our sewers back in the room.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42Please could the three finalists come and join us right up here?
0:53:55 > 0:53:57So the good news is, you've got the people who you love the most
0:53:57 > 0:53:59right behind you for this moment,
0:53:59 > 0:54:01because look what I've got in my hand.
0:54:06 > 0:54:11The winner of The Great British Sewing Bee is...
0:54:22 > 0:54:26- ..Heather. - CHEERING
0:54:47 > 0:54:52- I don't believe it! - Congratulations.- Thank you.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00- Very well done.- Thank you so much!
0:55:02 > 0:55:05Can we have a round of applause? Put this over your head!
0:55:05 > 0:55:07CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:55:15 > 0:55:18'I was so, so certain'
0:55:18 > 0:55:22in my mind that it wasn't me, for sure.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24So I was quite calm, standing there.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27I thought, "This is OK. It's not me, it's fine. It's absolutely fine."
0:55:27 > 0:55:30I'm...
0:55:30 > 0:55:33I think throughout the weeks, Heather's just been
0:55:33 > 0:55:37quietly biding her time. She's always shown competence,
0:55:37 > 0:55:42but finally, this week, she's absolutely pushed the boat out.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45We wanted something worthy of the name couture
0:55:45 > 0:55:48and, of everything we've seen,
0:55:48 > 0:55:52really, that final dress was absolutely the epitome of that.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54Well done, lady!
0:55:55 > 0:55:58She showed us how well she could handle fabric,
0:55:58 > 0:56:00how well she could fit to the body,
0:56:00 > 0:56:02and some beautiful hand-sewing skills.
0:56:05 > 0:56:06'No regrets.'
0:56:06 > 0:56:08Obviously, I'm a little disappointed,
0:56:08 > 0:56:10but then looking at the garments that I've made
0:56:10 > 0:56:13over the last eight weeks, I'm actually quite pleased,
0:56:13 > 0:56:17cos I think I did a really good job. I'm actually quite proud of myself.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21'Well, losing out to Heather is not a bad thing.'
0:56:21 > 0:56:25She is phenomenal! I'm going to treasure this sewing room forever,
0:56:25 > 0:56:27all the memories it holds for me,
0:56:27 > 0:56:31all the pressure, the tears, the happiness, the smiles.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34Patrick's comments, May's comments. I'm going to treasure
0:56:34 > 0:56:37every single moment of it. I can't believe I've made
0:56:37 > 0:56:4024 garments in eight weeks. That's amazing.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44Your dress looked amazing. Absolutely amazing.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49It's been an incredible experience. I have learnt so much,
0:56:49 > 0:56:53not least from my other competitors.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57And I thank them to the bottom of my heart for that.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04MUSIC: "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" by Johnny Ray
0:58:38 > 0:58:41If you'd like to take up sewing projects inspired by the series,
0:58:41 > 0:58:43please go to...