Lingerie Week The Great British Sewing Bee

If last week's woollen capes were all a bit Mary Poppins,

then I'm afraid the Sewing Room is about to get just a little bit

"50 Shades," as our sewers prepare to get intimate with very

delicate lingerie.

Welcome to the Great British Sewing Bee.

At the last Sewing Bee...

BLOWS RASPBERRY

..Angeline just pipped Jamie...

I'm happy. Good stuff, well done.

..to win Garment Of The Week for a second time.

I still can't believe it.

And Josh clung on yet again...

If you're going to go out, go out with a bang, I say.

..as Ghislaine became the second person to leave the Sewing Room.

-Now...

-The cardigan's coming off.

..the eight remaining sewers face the most intimate

Pattern Challenge yet.

How can that fit on someone's boob?

'An Alteration Challenge that starts in a charity shop...

-We're giving you...

-'and ends up in the bedroom.'

-I'm going to do a babydoll thingy.

-Lovely.

-Covers your bits.

-Thank you.

'..and a luxurious Made-To-Measure...

-It's about ten mile too long.

-LAUGHS

-'..that could deliver...

-Pins everywhere!

'..the biggest upset of the competition so far.'

Why do I always cut it to the wire?

Come out!

I love it when a plan comes together.

Our eight remaining sewers are back to face three more challenges,

set by Esme and Patrick.

-Think happy thoughts.

-Think of the judges naked.

-Oh, God.

Think it's going to be an interesting one. Lingerie week.

Right, nice and organised this week.

'Lingerie week could be good for me.'

My style is very feminine.

It's very much about the, I suppose, the...

Can I say sex appeal?

It's very fiddly, and there's a lot of fine sewing.

I think lingerie's a really hard one, and we're all totally

trying to second guess what we're going to have to do.

Have you got your slippers, Charlotte?

Always got the bunnies.

I've got a horrible feeling it's going to be something like a bra.

Not a bra. No bras, please.

I mean, who wants to make a bra?

I would dread it if the Pattern Challenge was to make a bra.

I would not have the first clue.

Good morning, sewers.

So, this week, the judges would like to test you on how you deal

with really delicate fabrics.

Esme, would you like to enlighten them?

Here we are.

-GASPS AND SCREAMS

-No!

-Pass it round.

-We were praying it wouldn't be a bra.

-It's a soft cup bra, no underwire...

-Good.

..but we want a beautifully symmetrical scolloped edge,

and we want a very close fit on the mannequin.

You have two and a half hours.

There are some beautiful laces in the haberdashery, and

afterwards the good news is Patrick will be modelling all of the bras.

Your time starts now.

To make a bra, the sewers have been asked to use the trickiest

fabric of the competition so far - stretch lace.

I haven't got a bloody clue.

I'm looking for a lace with a scolloped edge,

because there is scolloped edge on the pattern,

so I'm just trying to search for one that has it.

Nice scolloped edge. Not so nice, so we'll have that.

I'm going for purple, and I'm going for this pink underneath,

so it looks naked.

At my age, I should know better.

Stretch lace.

It's not that easy to sew, because it's fine and it's stretchy.

We want each cup to be symmetrical.

It's very important, the symmetry, and also this point here.

It might look simple,

but they have to be very accurate sewing that point together.

But also, there's some very, very complex geometry,

so the seaming needs to be very accurate,

the cutting needs to be very precise, because we will see

any differences from one side to the other incredibly clearly.

I'm actually quite happy about the challenge.

It's more construction, it's not kind of quite like tailored stuff.

Jamie's love of construction

and tailored garments is a family affair.

My grandfather was a big influence on the style of clothes that

I like to make.

Very much a gentleman, he wouldn't leave the house without a hat,

and he was always very smartly dressed.

Not a lot of pieces to go wrong, is there?

There's a lot TO go wrong,

but there's not a lot of PIECES to go wrong, so should be OK.

With their stretch lace chosen...

This is really mean.

..the sewers need to begin cutting out the most intricate

pattern yet in the Sewing Bee.

There's so many bits to it, and they're so small.

Like, how can that fit on someone's boob?

The pattern is made up of nine small pieces of fabric.

Three pieces are sewn together to form the cups,

an underband is attached, two panels are joined at the back with

a hook and eye fastening, and it's finished with

two adjustable shoulder straps.

I've made a bra before, and it was sort of completely useless.

It was like putting on a vest, it was that effective.

Not all of Charlotte's stretchy,

close-fitting garments have ended in disaster.

Trying on swimsuits in the shops is a horrible experience,

but making one is amazing,

because you don't have to get undressed in public, and you

make this thing that fits you in a way that a bought swimsuit can't.

It was wonderful.

I don't know.

I'm just going to go with the picture, and hope for the best.

What could go wrong(?)

Cutting stretch lace for a close-fitting bra will be tricky.

Well, it's got to be.

The small size of the pattern pieces demand even greater

accuracy during cutting.

Just need to be careful.

The slightest deviation will not only affect

the symmetry of the bra...

Man, this is bonkers.

..but could also prevent the intricate pieces

from fitting together.

An ill-fitting bra isn't good.

I've got meaty hands, and I hate the fact that this is so fiddly.

Although he's never made lingerie before,

Josh's passion has had an impact on his relationship.

When I was first sewing, it was the odd evening here and there,

and then I moved my sewing machine into my own bedroom,

so it started taking over my bedroom life.

My girlfriend's always been open to me doing what I want,

so she's very supportive.

-Morning, Josh.

-Morning.

There's a sort of sense of resignation in your voice

this morning.

-SIGHS

-This is the thing that I was

praying wouldn't come up, and unfortunately, it has.

It isn't as difficult as it might appear,

and you've just got to sew it really accurately.

-And you've got to be accurate.

-Yeah.

What is it about it that is worrying you the most?

It's something that I've never even looked at,

in terms of how it's made, and normally they're only

there for a couple of seconds, and then it's gone.

# Hold your hand out, you naughty boy. #

Making a bra in only two and a half hours may be daunting, but there was

a time when women had to spend just as long putting their underwear on.

Freedom from countless uncomfortable layers was finally

delivered in 1894, by divorced single mother Lucy Sutherland,

the designer of a fashion phenomenon -

a liberating new dress known as a tea gown.

Lucille must have realised pretty quickly that a tea gown, although

lovely, probably needed some pretty underclothes to go underneath it.

The underclothes they were wearing were probably rather clumsy,

so she decided not only would they have a beautiful,

lacy tea gown, but she would design the most gorgeous

and luxurious and soft and sensual underwear to go beneath.

Rebranding herself Lucille,

she discarded the restricting whalebone corsetry, and replaced it

with deconstructed bras, camisoles, nightgowns, negligees, and pyjamas.

She liked soft, fluid fabrics.

She loved silk, chiffon, lace, and all the trimmings.

She would use flowers, she liked velvet bows.

To add to their appeal,

Lucille came up with an innovative way to market her creations.

She would call them these wonderful names.

Garden Of Love, or The Sighing Sounds Of Lips That Are Unsatisfied,

or whatever it was, you know.

She made it really very, very sexy.

In 1905, she launched her own boutique in London's Mayfair,

but the business wasn't an immediate success.

People didn't want to buy them, because they would come,

they would look, and they would feel shocked.

They would then come back again,

they would be less shocked, and on their third or fourth visit,

they would buy them, wrap them up in brown paper bags so nobody

could see what they'd bought, and then hurry them back to their homes.

To combat Edwardian modesty, Lucille created a space in her boutique,

known as the Rose Room, where women could shop in complete privacy.

Luxurious and exclusive,

it soon became THE place to shop for the women of London's high society.

She had a few very, very famous people,

that were huge in court, had huge fashion followings,

and the more they came to her, the more her business grew.

The more her business grew, the more outrageous she became,

and she just had this following of successful, rich,

beautiful women, that just wanted to wear Lucille.

In 1910, she repeated this winning

formula in New York, undeterred even by a business trip on the Titanic.

She was rescued,

but lost over a quarter of a million pounds worth of stock.

Lucille was a survivor.

She survived bankruptcy, she survived broken hearts,

and she wasn't afraid to push the boundaries.

For me, her lasting legacy is really how she changed the way women feel.

I think Lucy was determined to make women feel fabulous.

With all their pieces cut out,

the first elements to construct are the cups.

Joining two pieces of stretch lace requires careful sewing.

EXHALES SHARPLY

Both pieces are highly mobile,

and have edges with different-sized curves.

Unless they're joined evenly, the cup shape will be distorted.

I'm changing the standard foot for this foot, which is called

a walking foot, cos that'll help the fabric go through at the same rate.

So it looks like a fancy bit of kit, but it's quite simple, really.

Never made a bra before.

Underwear is the only garment Tracey doesn't make for herself,

but she regularly sews with stretch fabric.

I'm a big fan of cotton with a bit of spandex in it.

The style of a lot of the stuff I make is,

I would probably describe as "comfortable."

I think... You get to my age, I'm built for comfort, not speed.

Right, I've fastened the two under-cup pieces together,

and now I'm attaching the piece that goes on the top half of the bra.

The instruction says, "Attach the upper cup," which is

this bit with the scollop, "to the lower cup," which is

the bit that I've already sewn,

so that they make something vaguely looking like a bra cup.

The complex construction of a bra doesn't quite suit Rumana's

usual sewing style.

I'm a really haphazard sewer.

I'm a bit like, when you get an IKEA bit of furniture,

just "Put it together, it's fine, work it out," but I've realised

with sewing, you probably need to be a little bit more methodical.

Do you now think, "Do you know what? This could be my thing.

-"I'll make all my own underwear."

-I don't know.

It's all brand-new materials, brand-new everything to me, so...

Just follow the instructions, that's what my plan is.

But this is the one thing that is so much cheaper to make at home,

so, ie, if you found the bra that you like, you're off.

That's true.

-I love this colour.

-Black.

-Some people have gone mad. Yeah.

Little bit of Madonna going on here.

In an attempt to give their finished cups more shape...

See? And it stretches.

..one sewer has already turned to the iron.

I learnt last week just to make sure that I press.

But I don't know whether this actually requires pressing.

Jade has been working with lace

since she began sewing at the age of 14.

The item that I'm most proud of would definitely be my prom dress.

All the lace, that took so much effort.

I do like vintage stuff, I have quite a few vintage patterns.

Anything from a ballgown to a pair of knickers.

It looks like a bra, doesn't it? I'm stealing this.

I don't think it would fit me.

I have never made a bra before, so today we are

following the pattern, and as we do each bit, we're ticking it off.

Joyce is a retired schools administrator, and after 50 years of

sewing by her own rules, following a pattern doesn't come naturally.

I just like to do things in my way, and my style,

but I will try and fit in.

As long as I can do it my way!

"Cut your clear elastic in half..."

The next stage of the pattern...

"..underside of the scolloped edge." OK.

..should ensure that the cups cling to the body.

They don't fit on my lady's boobs.

Each cup needs a transparent elastic to be fitted inside its top edge.

Don't stretch it.

Why would that go in there? So this goes in here?

Honestly, you can tell I don't get too close to this sort of garment.

"Cut your clear elastic in half, using a three-step zigzag stitch."

What on earth is a three-step zigzag stitch?

The zigzag's got a bit of give in it, so obviously,

if you stitch it with a straight stitch, it'll pop.

The stitches will pop,

and the fabric won't be able to stretch properly.

The elastic is just five millimetres wide...

Phew! That felt like the hard part.

..and even if they manage to begin attaching it...

Oh. No. I'm finding it really hard to get it into my machine.

..they need to evenly stretch the elastic as it's sewn...

This is ridiculousness.

..or the most visible edge of their bra will be lumpy.

That's not worked.

I've not stretched the elastic enough to actually fit

all the way across.

It's got a bit of elastic on there, so it should fit.

Ring-a-ding-ding. That is kebab, and back to mine.

You're so classy, Claudia. That's what I love about you.

I am.

I have worked with dresses with stretch lace, and there were

scolloped edges on it, so I am aware of how the scollops should sit,

but obviously, not on a bra,

but I'm hoping that it sort of works the same way.

Complex construction with fine fabrics has been Angeline's

obsession since she mastered the basics of home sewing.

It brings me out of my comfort zone slightly.

That's where you sort of achieve something that you never

think you could ever do.

I love creating something dramatic, and also just glamorous.

Glamour is definitely the key.

-You have won Garment Of The Week twice now.

-Yeah.

-Twice in a row, and we've only done the show twice.

-Yes.

So, do you feel...

Do you go home and bash your chest, and go, "I am amazing."

"I am the queen."

-Yeah.

-Do you?

-No, I don't.

Sewers, you have 48 minutes left, in bra world.

"With the right sides together, sew on the bottom band." Bottom band.

I am pinning my underband to the bra itself.

-Charlotte, does that look right to you?

-Yes.

-100%. OK, I'm sewing.

'Once the underband is sewn to the cups...'

-Does that look like a bra?

-Yes.

Unfortunately, I don't really need one.

'..the sewers need to attach the side bands.'

The side bits seem to be too small for the amount of bra I've got.

I'm wondering whether I've stretched the lace. I'm going to have to

just slightly gather that a little bit, to make it fit onto that.

And then...

Next step, next step, next step.

..there's even more elastic.

The cardigan's coming off.

So, I now need to attach the bottom elastic to the bottom of the bra.

A second type of elastic, called picot, holds the bottom and

sides of the bra close to the body.

I don't know which one picot elastic is.

It's designed to be seen, under the armhole and lower edge, to

give a decorative effect.

This is the picot. Now, I've pinned it so you can see how it just

peeps over the top.

I've never used this type of elastic before.

Picot should be sewn on the inside, with its shiny surface

against the skin.

Three-step zigzag stitch, and it's close to the picot edge. See?

Its decorative loops need to be just visible above the bra's edge.

Very difficult. Gets on your nerves.

This is the first time, I think, that I've really panicked.

But I've attached the shiny side to the bra, which means that the wrong

side is facing the skin, which has caused me to lose a lot of time.

-Right, what do I need to do?

-Sewers, you have 30 minutes,

half an hour left.

All right.

I'm not panicked, I'm not panicked. See, look. This thing here is

supposed to fit inside this thing here, but it's a lot wider.

I'm going to have to put a little gather in it. It's not ideal.

-SIGHS

-I think I've done it.

Agh! My hand is shaking.

It's just so fiddly.

I'm a wee bit stressed.

I don't think I can afford to not finish my garment. It seems

to be a recurrence, and I really don't want that to be the case.

I'm close.

-That looks OK.

-I have a bra!

So I can sit back and have a cup of tea, then?

-Shoosh.

-It's only cos I've done it before.

Och, I'm so far behind.

It's not going to be perfect, I know, but for the time

that I had, I'm happy.

-I'm right chuffed with that.

-You're right chuffed?

-I'm right chuffed.

-Joyce?

-Finished, I'm finished, Claudia!

-Well done!

You've finished.

One minute, sewers.

Come on, babe.

-Mmm.

-Angeline, are you all right?

-Angeline, are you going to be all right?

-No, it keeps...

-Just put it on the mannequin.

-Why is mine twisted?

Oh, I'm going to cry.

How do you loosen these things? I've twisted the straps.

Baby, it's fine, it's fine. Put her on.

I got a twist in my last second.

Guys, it's over now. Over, over, over. Step away from your bras.

Bring your mannequins up.

Come on, man, yeah.

Eight stretch lace bras made from scratch in just

two and a half hours. But what will Esme and Patrick make of the sewers'

first items of lingerie?

Charlotte, you're up first. Please bring your gorgeous bra forward.

# Come on, baby, light my fire

# Come on, baby, light my fire. #

-I love the colours, the combination of the colours.

-Thank you.

All over, it's very neat. It's hugging well, there's just the

right tension in the elastic, there. There's a good tension underneath.

We have got just the very edge of this picot, which is exactly

what we were looking for, all the way around.

-This works. Not twisted.

-Back fastening is very neat.

-Actually, you know...

-You've gathered it.

-Actually, you have.

I know, I had to. To get it to fit in.

But I prefer that you've done that than made it wider...

-Yes.

-..because it would have really sung out at us.

-Yeah.

This is the only thing that stops this being absolutely perfect.

-Well done.

-Thanks.

The fit all the way round, everything's doing its job.

Tension here's not bad. The back... You've gathered it in slightly.

You've obviously cut it a bit wide and had to just ease

it in, and it's just given us little ripples.

You're showing a little bit too much of the edge of this elastic.

-We should just see the loops.

-Yes, the loops.

When I look at it, it just doesn't have the symmetry.

Also, it's gaping a little bit at the front.

-Did you press it?

-Yeah.

-So you might have stretched it when you

-pressed it, you know.

-Maybe when I pressed it, yeah.

But for me, this is the worst bit, cos it really knocks you in

-the eye, that.

-Yeah.

-That they're not lining up.

I was worried you weren't going to finish, but you have.

-Yeah.

-So well done.

It's a little bit untidy in various places.

This seam here looks just a little bit lumpy. You've actually made

it difficult for yourself, because you've got this quite textured lace,

you've twisted this strap, unfortunately, in the

panic to get things done.

-It doesn't have the finesse...

-Yeah.

-..that we would like.

-It didn't feel like it was having the

finesse when I was working with it, to be honest.

-You've done a really good job here.

-Thank you.

It's matched here, the tension's good under the bust. For me,

you've done this fantastically.

I think you're understating it. I think it's absolutely flawless.

-I mean, the picot is very, very even.

-Very nicely sewn.

-This is absolutely flawless here. I can't imagine that...

-It's great.

..there's much else you could have done that would have improved this.

Oh, that makes a nice change.

Well, I don't know where to start, but let's start with the

-really obvious bit. You're a long way from finishing.

-Yeah.

Here, this strap should have gone through the other side of the

slider. You're never going to have any proper tension on that.

-It'll always do that.

-Yep.

-Oops a daisy.

-Not your best challenge ever.

-Yeah.

I mean, first impressions, not bad.

Somehow, it seems a bit deeper there than most of the others.

Yeah, I don't know why.

Almost like you've cut this piece a little deep. Either that, or

it's all stretched a bit.

The picot's not bad. Again, you've just had to pleat it a little

-at the back here to get it in.

-Yeah.

-I've got a problem with this,

-where you've gathered it in to the side.

-Yeah.

Overall, I'd say it's pretty competently done.

Yeah, thank you.

-Another twisted strap.

-Yeah.

-Also...

-Oh, hold on.

-Oh, no!

-This one...

-Oh, no!

-You mean, "Oh, no, we've found it?",

-or...

-No, no, genuinely, it was...

-No, honestly, it was working.

-There is evidence, Esme, of a

stitch having been present. If it was present, it is no longer

doing its job, which is a shame.

Well, at least this one was the right way round, and not twisted.

-Oh, God.

-The picot's nicely sewn on. The back is very even and neat.

No pleating at all in there, that runs in together really nicely.

The panels are well joined. I think it's sitting nicely.

I think it's a shame. You're so close to a really good bra there.

Esme and Patrick must now decide who they think has mastered the

trickiest Pattern Challenge of the competition so far.

WHISPERED CONFERRING

Patrick, who comes in eighth?

Eighth place, Angeline. You didn't get it finished.

Seventh place, Josh. You finished everything, but it doesn't

have a finesse to it.

Jade's sixth, Rumana's fifth, Jamie's fourth, and Tracey is third.

In second place...

..Charlotte. Beautifully sewn, impeccable detailing everywhere,

beautiful combination of colours.

You know why it's not in first place?

You've got a tiny little tuck on the back strap, and that

is the only thing we could choose to separate them.

-Thank you.

-In first place is Joyce.

CLAPPING AND CHEERING

-Well done, Joyce. Everything about it is very nicely sewn.

-Oh,

thank you so much.

In two and a half hours, you've made an immaculate bra.

Huge well done to Joyce, well done to all of you. Off you go,

have a relax. When you come back, the Alteration Challenge. Well done.

-We're so proud of you.

-Oh, thank you.

-Joyce is so happy!

-- Good job.

-Oh, thank you, Charlotte.

A bloody miracle, Jamie.

# Teacher's pet, I wanna be teacher's pet. #

This morning, I made a decision that I was really going to read

the pattern, and it paid off. Yes!

-Ah.

-Definitely making more bras.

Having your piece of clothing fall apart at the judges' hands, I was

just, I was actually horrified. I wanted the ground to swallow me up.

I didn't come last. Not yet, but I didn't in that challenge.

I'm so cross that I stitched it the wrong way round.

I'm so cross that I left myself under so much time pressure.

Yeah, I'm just really cross.

The sewers' next lingerie challenge involves the element of

surprise, and a trip to a charity shop.

After the judges tested you on very, very tricky lace, for the

Alteration Challenge, they would love you to make a piece of

lingerie from a different kind of material.

Patrick.

Today, we're giving you a scarf.

We'd like you to make an item of lingerie to fit one of your

mannequins.

You can have three scarves. All are different, so you have to

think carefully how they go together.

You can use the haberdashery for trimmings, but the judges

would like you just to use the fabric from the scarves.

These two have to depart, goodbye.

You've got 90 minutes. Your time starts now.

They're all different sizes, as well.

Why wouldn't anybody want that?

Just me.

Every charity shop up and down the country has bundles of these

scarves, and actually, it's a very inexpensive way of buying a

really beautiful quality silk.

What'll be interesting is to see how they use them.

-They've already got an edge, which they won't have to redo.

-Yep.

We need to see them understanding the natural drape of this fabric.

And they could be cut on the bias, and that really

lends itself to lingerie.

So I want to do a camisole. That doesn't really go.

I don't know about that one, but I think

these two complement each other.

My idea is something like this. It's going to be a wee nightie.

Fingers crossed, cos I really need to pick up me game on this one..

I am going to make a cami top. This one just has a massive bow on

the front of it. I quite like that.

-I'm going to do a babydoll thingy.

-Lovely.

-Covers your bits.

-Thank you.

I'm going to make a little babydoll nightie, that's going to have

little triangle-y bits for the bosoms, like this, that are

going to be gathered underneath.

I'm making a camisole. I'm utilising the edge of the scarf as the

top edges of the camisole,

and then this bit will be sewn to some of the blue.

I'm making some lady boxers. I've chosen to make a pattern,

because I like to try and get things right. We've only got a short time,

and you've only got one shot at it. If it goes wrong, it goes wrong.

-Josh. What are you making?

-Like a dropped-sleeve jumpsuit, with just

the skirt rather than the shorts, that should do up at the back,

-which I understand...

-Is that underwear?

-Erm, no, I would

-class it as lingerie.

-Nice.

One hour remaining to make lingerie out of old silk scarves.

I just pinged myself in the face.

Because a lot of this is cut on the bias, so it's stretchy, I've

given meself a slight problem.

I'm just putting my booby bits on my mannequin, just to see if

they sort of work.

That's the frill, nearly, for the bottom.

My idea has changed from being a nightie to more like a wee

camisole top. This is going to go round the front.

I just hope that they will determine this to be lingerie. I'm hoping that

I can get it finished, so then maybe I can change the shape of it

to give it a bit more "feminimity."

Is that all right? Is that a word? "Feminimity?"

Sewers, you are halfway through.

I'm doing something that twists. How it twists, don't know.

Can it be backless? Is that rude?

I'm using the second scarf to make a very, very simple waistband.

I'm going to sew the elastic into the silk, and stretch it.

Think it actually looks like a camisole now. I think I'll do

the hemming next, and do the straps last.

Going to put the pins in there.

I am just sewing my straps on. So, I bound the neck first, and then

I enclosed that edge into this edge.

I'm doing a rolled hem. OK, so, one extremely narrow hem.

I've used a silk-satiny binding. Just makes it a little bit

more luxurious.

Even more important than a luxurious finish...

This is going to be a strap.

..the judges want to see lingerie that fits the mannequin.

Slightly unnerving.

It's important that it sort of hook the boobs, and then it's in tight,

so mines is actually a tie-back, so it'll be able to

grasp underneath the bosoms.

Just better check it fits her, cos this is where it goes all

horribly wrong.

Sewers, you've got half an hour left. Half an hour.

Methinks too tight.

-Plan two.

-Josh.

Got enough time? Looks complex, what you've created.

I'll certainly finish it. It's disgusting, but...

No, don't say it's disgusting!

Oh, blimey, does this go on? Oh.

Straps, quick press, then I'm done.

That was close. I need to put the strap on, and then I'm just

going to press it, and that's it.

I just need to do a wee bit of hand-sewing here,

just for the draping.

There we go.

I'm finished.

Panicking somewhat, beca... How long have we got, Claudia?

-Sewers, you have 11 minutes.

-Great.

Is there any shirring elastic anywhere? Is it in our box?

-Shirring elastic?

-Yeah.

-No, it's all over there in a big jar.

-Where?

-That one, over there.

-Where was it, Trace?

-Definitely it was in a jar.

If it's not that one, try that one at the back, by the window.

Is my neck too high?

-What happens to the sides if your neck's lower?

-Lovely.

I'm just looking at that right boob, and thinking,

-"That's so falling out."

-Yeah.

Shir around the top, pull it in that way.

Right.

It is quite revealing. Show a little bit of side boob.

Did you say "side boob?"

You've got four minutes.

Four minutes.

Can't get mine to fit properly.

I'm just going to roll them, and quickly hem them.

-I can't remember how I twisted it round.

-What do you mean?

It's all twisting. It's supposed to be like that, maybe.

I'm done, and whatever this creation is, it is finished.

I'm just going to hand-sew this little bit in.

Seem to have missed it.

Guys, 30 seconds.

Let's just tuck it in.

OK, that's it.

These WILL fit.

Get your mannequins. Let's bring them to the front.

Let's jiggle them around.

# Everybody loves a lover. #

Patrick and Esme will have no idea whose charity shop silk scarf

underwear is whose.

I think they've done pretty well.

I'm reasonably impressed.

This person's put elastic round here, and they've turned one

scarf into this little skirt. It's quite cute, how they've done

the back there, with the crossing.

They've thought about the geometrics on here.

And here, it hasn't stretched, and that's a danger.

-It's been actually very competently put together in the time.

-Yeah.

We've got a vest here, and I like the fact that this person has

put this bow on this corner.

That has been really clearly thought through.

This looks a little stretched.

I'm not quite sure I love the combination of these two fabrics.

Neither am I.

A lot of twisting, front and back.

The front is more successful than the back.

I agree. I'm not quite sure why we need this.

It's almost like they made it, and then it was too big.

Right.

I think this is a strange selection of scarves. Is it lingerie?

-Is it night attire?

-I'm not really sure.

I think, given that this is a very lightweight silk, the whole

-impression is just a bit, sort of, leaden.

-Heavy.

This one, by contrast, I think, has made really good

use of the silk. It's full of bounce.

They've really thought about this. We've got this inserted

godets here, that go all the way round, which is a different scarf.

And they've used the edge of the scarf in these V-shapes.

And we've got four pieces cut and seamed, and I think,

actually, very successfully seamed.

I think it's really well thought out.

So, this person has been quite bold in making a knicker.

I don't know what kind of elastic they've put in here.

Feels like shirring elastic.

-The hem is awful.

-It really jumps out.

Well, maybe they didn't think about the hem on the scarf.

Yes, that would have been the place to use it.

-Right.

-I like it.

The combination of the two fabrics is actually really good.

And they've used the edge of the scarf on the hem.

For me, it's a little bit too mumsy, to tell you the truth. But it

has been well thought out.

These seams are all very neatly handled. That is extremely even.

This frill on the bottom is a very even gather, it's a very even depth.

I'm pretty impressed. Except that it's mumsy.

Oh. There seems to be a theme going on here.

That, for me, works better than the other one.

-It does, because of all of this.

-Yes.

-You've got a little

-handmade rosette there.

-They've used the hem again for the bottom.

-We've got a sort of double cut there.

-That's interesting.

-Again retaining the original...

-Edge.

-..edge.

Choice of this blue with this works really well.

It fits the mannequin, actually, very well. It's good.

Esme and Patrick will now rank the silk scarf alterations.

In eighth place is this one, the Paisley one.

Josh. We weren't actually sure what the hell it was.

Seventh place, it's the halterneck twisted with the florals.

We just didn't really like the back. It just felt a little bit clumsy.

Jamie's sixth, Jade's fifth,

and Charlotte is fourth.

In third place, our babydoll dress with the lace straps.

Well done. Really well balanced.

You've carefully thought it through, and you've executed it really well.

In second place...

It's the nightie.

It works very, very well, with the frill at the bottom. Really

nicely made, and well thought out.

Thank you.

Which means, our winner is Tracey's negligee.

-What a great piece of work.

-Thank you.

It's so well thought through, it's well-executed, beautifully

-colour balanced. It's fantastic, so really well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Yeah, well done.

-Are you happy?

-Yes, very!

So, a huge well done to all of you. Today was really tricky, I know.

Go home, you can all wear your nightwear.

Jamie, I'd like to see a photo of you in those orange shorts.

And then come back in tomorrow, for your big challenge. Night-night.

-Congrats, congrats, Tracey!

-Well, of course, it was brilliant.

-- Thank you.

-Well done.

I never thought for a minute I'd ever get first. I didn't

think it was something I was good at, and clearly I was.

So I'm completely overwhe... Completely overwhelmed.

-Well done.

-Amazing, thank you.

-You deserve it.

I feel a lot better about coming third.

A slightly nicer position than what I was this morning.

That was harsh. I did expect to come higher in the challenge,

because I didn't do the same as everybody else.

But, I think I can pull it back tomorrow.

I knew I would struggle with lingerie. I'm definitely in

the deep end, as it were, and I'm in the firing line.

There's just one more item of lingerie to make, before one

sewer is awarded Garment Of The Week, and another has to

leave the Sewing Room.

Who's been doing really well, are Joyce and Tracey.

-Joyce's bra was pretty much perfect...

-Yep.

..And her alteration was really first-rate. And I think...

And we loved Tracey's. It was clever.

It's clear Josh is sitting at the bottom.

His Alteration Challenge, well, we had no idea what the hell it was.

Let's talk about Rumana.

Her bra was nicely made, actually. It was just that, when we

-started fiddling with it, it came apart.

-Yeah.

Would you say everybody else is safe?

I wouldn't have said so.

I'm disappointed with Jamie and his cami-knickers.

They were really quite poorly sewn,

and I think Angeline's bra was a challenge to forget.

'For this final challenge, the mannequins are gone.'

-Morning, hon, you all right?

-Yeah.

'The sewers will be fitting their last item of

'lingerie to a real person.'

Welcome, sewers, and a massive welcome to our brilliant models.

For your Made-To-Measure Challenge, the judges would love you to make

a luxurious and very beautiful robe. Think silk, piping, not towelling.

So, you have five hours. Enormous luck. Your time starts now.

Right, I'll measure you first.

'This is the one challenge the sewers have been able

'to practise at home.

That's all right there, isn't it?

'But now, they have to fit it to their model...

-It's about ten mile too long.

-LAUGHS

'..and make it with their chosen luxurious fabric.'

I would say, anyone can wear any old robe. I have done, in the past.

How will you... What will you be looking at?

-Length of sleeve is really important.

-Yes.

-We don't want

the end of the sleeve down here.

We don't want shoulders that sit here, and likewise, we don't

want shoulders that are too narrow. You know, if you've got a

shawl collar, needs to be hugging the neck, and it needs to be

sitting in line, flat across the chest.

What's the best kind of fabric for a robe?

The way it hangs is obviously vital.

Something like a crepe de chine, or a silk, has great movement,

and hangs over the body really gorgeously.

Even a really beautiful cotton would look great.

For a really high-quality cotton lawn, it's got a really nice

sort of floatiness to it.

Charlotte is making a kimono-style

robe, with contrasting trim

on the neckband and cuffs.

I'm going to be finishing everything by hand, so that's the other thing

that's luxurious about this, is the finish. So, I've got very,

very fine needles to do that with.

I just like the idea of something a little bit ethnic, but also

quite fun, so that's why I'm going for a kimono robe.

Rumana's version of a kimono robe

will have traditional drape

sleeves, and she's mounting fine

lace on top of a crepe back satin.

I'd really love to do well today, especially after yesterday.

The thing is, even though we've been able to practise these, I don't feel

like I've done my Made-To-Meausre to my best of my ability yet.

Took me 40 minutes to cut it out at home, so, argh.

This is so much fabric. I have taken a basic robe pattern,

and altered it quite a bit. I seen these puffed sleeves on a robe,

and I thought, "That's a good idea," so...

I like taking inspiration from past fashions.

Working with crepe back satin,

Angeline's vintage-style robe

has a full-length flared skirt.

What's happening here, on the yoke?

-So, I am attaching the lace yoke...

-Oh!

-..for the front and the back.

-So that's inserted, or laid on?

That's going to be inserted.

-There's going to be a weight to this...

-There is, yes.

-..so it might pull this lace, you know.

-It could, but then I

thought, "If I add the twill tape, then it'll give that wee bit more."

So you're going to have a tape across the shoulder seam as

well? You're not just joining two pieces of lace together?

-No, there's going to be this tape.

-OK.

-OK.

Well, I think this is going to be, well, I'm hoping, really

-dramatic and sexy.

-Good.

-Thank you.

Oh, happy day. I'm making a full-length robe, so it's

this one, with a crossover front. It's very simple, very classic.

Tracey's making a collarless robe

with gathered sleeves. She's

trimming the neckline and cuffs

with delicate decorative lace.

I chose this, because it's something I would wear. It's my kind of

colours, and yesterday in the Alteration Challenge, the

scarves I chose were this colour.

And it got me first, so maybe, blue's a lucky colour for me.

Some sewers are taking this final challenge in

a very different direction.

-I am doing a very nice man's robe.

-Are you?

-He only wears it when he's with somebody he wants to impress.

-Ooh!

- I think ladies' is harder than men's.

Why do you think ladies' is harder? I'd have thought a men's one

-was harder.

-Well, because you've got darts and...

Yeah, but darts aren't difficult. I think piping's more difficult

than darts.

Do you?

If we're playing Sewing Top Trumps, your piping trumps my darts.

Trumps.

Jade is making her own pink piping

to trim the pockets, cuffs

and collar of her

full-length man's robe.

-What are you doing there?

-I am marking where my pocket goes,

-cos I'm going to pattern match my pocket...

-You're going to

-match the pocket?

-..to go onto it.

-Ooh! Very good.

-So they should match perfectly.

-I really like this

print. I think it's a really good choice for this type of garment.

I'm going for a very traditional gentleman's housecoat.

Grandad had a robe very similar, so yeah, it's sort of part of my

childhood, part of my history, I guess.

Jamie is the only sewer attempting a

quilted collar, cuffs, and

pocket tops for his

silk-lined housecoat.

I have gone for a lightweight silk. I'm actually going to mount

the silk onto some black lining, which has got silk in it.

So, why start with a very light diaphanous soft fabric, and

then stick it onto something heavy?

Sounds like it needs an awful lot of precision.

And you think you'll get this finished?

-This is going to be finished.

-OK.

But there is more than one housecoat that will need to be finished.

There's a lot of pieces to this pattern. Luckily, Jamie has the

same pattern, so if I lose something I can go and take it from him.

Josh is making his robe in stretch satin, with a contrasting

crepe back satin for his collar,

cuffs, and pocket trimming.

That fabric looks really bouncy. - Yeah. It's got a bit of

stretch in it. - So why didn't you just choose something simple,

like a nice, fine cotton?

- When I thought of luxury, I thought of nice silk, sort of

smoking jacket.

I like the fact that you've used the floral for a man.

Yeah, I think it matches itself up quite nicely with the suited man.

- Yeah.

- Patrick's going to get his done soon.

- Housecoat over the top. Why not?

# Love me in the daytime

# Love me in the night-time. #

Most of the sewers are using a second fabric, to create a

contrasting detail, but one of them is making this final

challenge even harder.

I thought, "Everything I make is pretty plain," but I've tried

to add something to it, to make it a little bit special.

And I think, to line this, would just give it an edge.

Joyce's gown will be made from two

contrasting viscose fabrics.

It will have a shawl collar,

belt, and two patch pockets.

This has a very different feel to it. It's much stiffer.

-Yeah, I'm hoping that this will...

-Firm that up.

-Yes.

-OK.

-I would have done the whole thing in that.

-In that?

-I'm hoping it will work.

-OK.

-OK.

-Well, fingers crossed.

Once the main body of their gown has been constructed...

Let me see your arms, that's all I need to see.

..the sewers will need to begin working on their collar.

Right, now, this off. Great, thank you.

This is the wadding that I'm going to use to create my quilted

collar, and the cuffs and pocket tops.

Right, that's it.

Time to get jiggy.

The collar is a shawl collar, so it will act as a lining, but

it's folded over from here, so then the collar is actually

presented, up and around the back here.

A shawl collar doesn't have any points, just a nice,

gentle curve. Now, I'm understitching, cos then the collar

lies nice and flat, and it doesn't roll over.

I've sewn my edging al the way around the neckline and the

front of the robe, and I'm just pressing it so the seams are towards

the edge. Then I'm going to fold that over, and hand-stitch it down.

This was the key thing for me - being able to get this to sit

nice and flush on him. At least it's coming together.

I'm about ten minutes behind my practice time,

but I'm not even going to think about that.

As well as a flat and even collar...

If I can get the piping onto this bit, and then this bit onto

the front of the robe, I'll be really happy.

Because of the time, I've decided not to fully quilt my collar,

I'm just going to pad it.

..the judges will expect perfectly fitting sleeves.

I haven't done any proper fittings with my model. This is like

sewing with butterfly wings.

It'll be OK.

I've got set-in sleeves on mine, which means you have to set

the sleeve into the armhole. So, by putting a line of gathering

stitches in, it means you can gently fit it into the hole.

This is a laid-on sleeve, rather than a set-in sleeve.

The shoulder sort of comes down to there, and then the sleeve

starts about there-ish.

There's no easing at the sleeve cap. It's just a question of

making sure the holes are the same size.

My armhole was too big, so I've had to open up my sleeve a bit.

There's, like, an extra L-shape to the sleeves, so my sleeves hang.

These are the kind of times when you think,

"Should I have just gone for a really simple, basic robe?"

-Having abandoned his quilting...

-Oh, man, this isn't good.

..now Jamie's double-layered sleeves aren't lining up with the armholes.

Going to have to gather my bloody sleeve cut.

-Josh, you got your sleeves in yet?

-Yeah.

-I hate you.

-TRACEY LAUGHS

-Brilliant.

Sewers, you have one hour left. That is only one hour.

-Got a pucker, but I ain't worried about it.

-I've done one.

I've just got these cuffs to put on. I wasn't planning on doing a

cuff, but my model's got quite long arms.

This is really fiddly. That circumference has to fit the

armhole's circumference.

Threads everywhere.

I'm doing tiny little stitches. The finish is sort of the luxury

element to me. That's what I want to show off

This isn't done as well as I'd like. It's such a slippy fabric, though.

So that was a bit of a mistake, wasn't it?

When I cut the pocket out, I was really careful to try and

pattern match it with the rest of the fabric.

I'm allowing myself 15 minutes to do pockets.

I think every robe should have a cheeky pocket. It gives you

something extra, you can hide your biscuits in there from

your mum, when she says you're not allowed any more.

Sewers, you have ten minutes! Ten minutes.

-Release the model.

-Try not to panic.

No point stressing about it at this point.

Right, let's make a belt. There won't be any pockets on it, but...

Hem's done, my binding's done, I'm just going to press it.

Jamie, isn't it a bit late for cutting out?

If I need to... Yeah, it is.

I'm trying to just turn it back in the right way.

Why do I always cut it to the wire?

Agh! Pins everywhere.

So they just need ironing now, and they're done.

Come on. Come on, turn it up a bit.

This is beautiful!

I love it when a plan comes together.

I haven't actually tried my robe on my model.

Right, let's put this on you, quickly.

-Well done.

-That's it. That is not bad.

It's so beautiful1.

Come out!

I think this is going to look nice on you.

-You've got 30 seconds.

-Done!

Just putting the pin in, just be careful.

OK, that's it, finished. Time.

Flipping heck. I'm absolutely knackered. Need a pint.

# Breakfast in bed

# And a kiss or three

# You don't have to say you love me

# Breakfast in bed

# And nothing need be said. #

There is a delicacy and a lightness to it that is exactly what I

was looking for in this challenge.

Your hand-sewing is absolutely exquisite, and really,

-really, really even.

-Thank you.

-It has a crispness to it.

-It's a really, really good choice of

fabric. You know, luxury can just mean a beautiful cotton,

treated perfectly.

It looks like a very good fit. The sleeves fall nicely.

The depths of these bands, and attachment of the band around

-the neck, it all just works.

-Well done.

# Oh, my Johnny

# With the gentle hands, I'm waiting.#

-Well, I love this.

-Thank you.

-I love your choice of fabrics, the colours.

-I think it's

absolutely knockout. The length looks absolutely spot-on, for me.

-Your sleeve is nicely set in.

-You've used black thread.

-I think you should have used pink thread.

-Yep.

-Cos all this... It would have just disappeared, completely.

-Yeah.

The pattern matching on those pockets is absolutely spot-on.

-It looks cool.

-I'd wear it.

-Thank you.

# In the misty moonlight

# By the flickering firelight. #

I love this colour. Were the sleeves meant to be gathered?

-Just a little, at the top.

-OK.

If you're going to put gathers in, think about where they're going

-to go, cos otherwise it looks like a mistake.

-I understand that, yeah.

But, I think the overall impression is really clear and powerful.

Thank you.

# In the misty moonlight

# By the flickering firelight. #

I was slightly worried about your choice of fabrics, but

actually, I think this has worked really well.

-The colours do work really well.

-You lined this, didn't you?

Yes, it's fully lined. That was the luxury bit.

I was worried about the hem. It does look like

that's dropped a bit, to me.

# Any place is all right, long as you're there. #

It is very glamorous, and it is very different to anything anyone

else has done. I love the lace. Love the idea that you made the

reverse of the fabric here.

The lace seems very well-handled, and the tape has worked

really well. It's a really, really powerful, well thought-through

-piece of clothing. Very...

-Glamorous.

-..glamorous.

# Birds do it

# Bees do it

# Even educated fleas do it. #

I think the overall impression is good. Just sitting off at the neck.

That's what kimonos do, actually. Geishas quite often have

their kimonos sitting back off their necks, cos this is an

erogenous zone in Japan.

Interesting.

Er, now we know.

-I think the combination of fabrics is really nice.

-Yep.

You've handled it well as well. If we look at all of the seams,

you've managed it very well.

It hangs nicely, it looks elegant. I think it's pretty good.

# I'm old-fashioned, I love the moonlight

# I love the old-fashioned... #

-Something has happened here.

-The under-collar is collapsing and

-falling out.

-It's almost like that layer is too big.

And I honestly don't feel like the top-stitching works well on

this satin.

You've barely caught it here.

There's a big piece coming out there.

-You haven't got the pockets on.

-No.

If we turn you round, there is still a pin in the centre back here.

Let's have a look at the cuffs. This one's deeper at the front

-than it is at the back.

-We've got gathers here.

Gathers in the sleeve, and we've got gathering in the shoulder seam.

-It's that difficult fabric.

-Oh, yeah, it was horrendous.

You've got three layers. You had it backed and lined, and you

-just haven't done it very well.

-No.

# Send me the pillow that you dream on. #

I like your choice of fabrics. I really like the idea of

floral for a man.

It's important that the collar sits nicely, and this collar is

sitting nicely on the neck. Both sides are exactly the same size.

You've got a little bit of puckering in the shoulder here, but

because of the busyness of this pattern, you actually don't

really see it, and it's nice and smooth.

I think those cuffs are nice and even. They're nicely pressed.

-Aren't men's top pockets normally on that side?

-Yeah, they are.

And I worked it out, finally, around two minutes ago.

Overall, I think you've not done badly, though.

-You know, it's a tricky fabric.

-And the fabric was difficult,

-wasn't it?

-Yep.

-Well done.

While the sewers take a well-earned break, Esme and Patrick have

a crucial decision to make.

-Angeline and Rumana have done more than enough...

-Yes.

-..to keep

..to keep themselves in the competition.

This morning, you were very worried about Josh, and you were a

-bit worried about Jamie.

-Josh gave us this in the alteration,

-which neither of us liked at all.

-Yes. Absolute dog's dinner.

Jamie gave us a pair of cami-knickers.

-Better...

-Yes.

-..but still by no means great.

-And we've got two gowns, actually the same pattern.

-No pockets.

Josh got his pockets on. But a man's pocket normally is on this side.

-Jamie tried to give us every bell and whistle in the book...

-Yes.

-..and actually, because of it, he's come unstuck.

-Yeah.

I'm really surprised, actually, because he can sew.

I think it's a really tough one.

First up, the lovely bit - the Garment Of The Week.

-Patrick.

-Our Garment Of The Week this week is...

Well done, well done, dear.

- You owe me a kiss!

The delicacy of all of that hand-sewing, just the

beautiful softness of all of it. It was a clear winner.

And now, the less nice bit. I'm really sorry that anybody has to go.

The judges found it difficult, but

the person who is leaving the Sewing Bee is...

We're really sorry.

It's Jamie.

GASPS

-I told you.

-Sorry.

-I said.

-Yeah, but even so.

Don't look so worried.

I'm immensely proud of myself. I've got onto the Sewing Bee, and

I've been in this room with some amazing people, and

I've had the opportunity. It's been brilliant.

-Let me give you a hug.

-Yeah, go on.

Sending Jamie home was a shock. I thought he'd go all the way through.

-Good luck.

-You've been a bright star, Jamie.

- I think Jamie can be very proud of what he's done on Sewing Bee.

He took on a big project, in a really tough fabric, and it

just didn't come together.

SCREAMS

I might have just got Garment Of The Week.

I'm a little bit happy.

I'm so happy to still be in the competition. My aim was week

four, and I made it to week four!

It's devastating to see Jamie go,

because he is one of the most competent,

experienced sewers I've ever, ever met, and such a genuine bloke.

EXHALES

I've learnt to try new things.

Some of the stuff that I've made, I would never make at home,

so it's been a real eye-opener, and I look forward to having a go,

and doing some different things in the future.

PHONE RINGING

-WOMAN ON PHONE:

-Hello.

-How are you?

Good, thanks. How are you?

Uh, I made it through again!

WOMAN SCREAMS

-You're kidding!

-I, honestly, I don't know how I done it.

I do not know how I done it.

# Come fly with me... #

'Next time...

I feel like a superhero.

'..The Sewing Bee goes international.'

Origami, here. Losing my marbles.

'..with a pattern Challenge from China...

-Look at the bottom of it now.

-SHE LAUGHS

'..Indian Alterations...

I'd love to wear something very similar to this.

'..and stunning Made-to-Measure West African dresses.'

Hello, gathered bottom.

But who will make the next Garment Of The Week?

-Whoop! Whoop!

-Oh, come on.

'And who will be leaving the Sewing Room?'

Josh.

How are you?

I'm all right, yeah. How are you?