03x04 - Episode 4

[bunniefuu]

We're over halfway to finding
Britain's best amateur sewer

and for the first time
in Sewing Bee history,

there are more men hoping to make
it to the semifinal than women.

Good.

'At the last Sewing Bee...'

Come on.

'..Neil struggled...'

Come on!

'..Lorna finally won a challenge...'

First place, it's Lorna!

'..and she went on
to beat Deborah...'

Faster, faster, faster, faster.

'..to Garment Of The Week.'

I might take it in after
a nice glass of wine or two.

'Amanda just held on...'

Wish I was on that boat.

'..as Neela became the third person
to leave the Sewing Room.'

Oh, I'm not going to finish this.

'Now the sewers will have to
tackle structure...'

Don't leave me hanging.

'..in the tightest
Pattern Challenge so far.'

This is beginning to look
quite racy.

'A powerful alteration...'

I like the fact that these
suits are older than me.

'..and a made-to-measure...'

Don't mind me. This is research.

'..with nowhere to hide.'

MUSIC: Clap Yo' Hands
by Doris Day

# Clap your hands

# Slap your thigh... #

Seven remaining sewers.

Just three challenges stand between
them and a place in the semifinal.

I have been practising
a lot this week.

Any technique I could think of I've
been throwing at bits of material.

I haven't been practising
as much as I should

because I don't really
like wasting material.

The boys are getting
a little bit competitive.

I don't think anyone
wants to be the first boy to go,

I think that's what it is.

We're sort of looking
at each other going,

"Hang on, a bloke could win this."

But for both the boys and the girls,

staying in the competition
is about to get even harder.

I have bad news.

Two people will be leaving tomorrow.

So you're right up against it.

Enormous luck for the next two days.

This week it is all about structure.
May.

We would like you
to make a boned corset.

NERVOUS LAUGHTER
Ahhh!

Have any of you made
a corset before?

Yes.
Well done, Ryan.

So, as you can see,
it's a panelled overbust corset.

We're asking you
to use metal spiral boning,

laced up the back using
a double row of eyelets.

However, you do have
a whopping four hours.

Enormous luck, your time starts...

this second.

I'm terrified of the corset.

SHE CHUCKLES

I mean, look how many pieces
are in it.

Look at that!

SHE CHUCKLES

It takes me four hours
to cut out as it is!

This week, the pattern
gives no clue as to which

sort of fabric should be used.

I've no idea what I'm looking for,
really,

so I'm going to go with that.

Pretend it's a chair.

I was looking for some black satin.

You know, at the end of the day,
it's a corset.

I'm looking for something
quite a bit solid,

cos it's gotta have a bit
of firmness to it.

Matt has the same as me,
but, um, I don't care,

it's going to be a lot easier
to work with,

so I'm just going to go for it.

So, why structure?

One of the fundamental tools
in any sewer's arsenal needs to be

the ability to change
somebody's body shape.

So dressmakers and tailors
use structure to create a more

desirable shape or just to create
a more unusual shape in clothes.

What fabric should they have chosen?

The purpose here is to hold
everything together.

The fabric needs to be firm
but not rigid.

We want it to be a firm garment
that really sculptures,

that takes the boning channels.
Each one of these seams forms

the channel in which our sewers
will be inserting their boning.

If that channel is not
exactly the right width,

either the boning won't go in
or it will move around.

If anybody chooses a pattern,

it's really, really difficult
on a many-panelled garment

to get the pattern matching.

However, it will be unforgiveable if
this centre front was not matching.

A lot of home sewers
are frightened about making

something like a corset.

Making a corset is not difficult,

you just have to
be really, really precise.

I've changed my material
cos now I've read the pattern,

the pattern's not lined,
that's too thin.

This is nice and thick.

I'm just checking whether
I've got to match that pattern

or the pattern is so complicated
actually it doesn't matter.

But this could look quite fantastic.

The pattern has 12 pieces
which will each be joined together

using a welt seam.

The top edge will be neatened
with bias binding

and bones inserted
into each of the seams.

Bias binding should be
added to the bottom edge,

and the corset will be laced closed
through eyelets at the back.

Oh, I'm so happy
with this challenge.

I've never made
a corset before in my life.

I've decided to number them all
with a little bit of chalk

just so that in about two hours
when you see me going like...

HE MOUTHS

..at least I'll kind of...
I'll be able to refer to that.

Each panel is shaped so that
when they are joined together,

the corset will sculpt
perfectly around the body.

Ah! No.

So keeping them in order is crucial.

A, B, C, D, E, F.

I've put the right side
inside and then

so I can write on the back of the
wrong side and this is number five.

It's a structured pattern, it's
going to be a structured procedure.

I think Neil's going to do well

cos it's going to be like
military precision.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

Deborah.
Hi!

Howdy.
Howdy.

Have you ever made a corset before?

I've made a bodice before,
but it wasn't bold, so...

OK, so you've never done the...

The...the busy...
..the boning thing? No.

I used to sell it to people.
Did you?

Yeah, in a shop.
I used to work in a haberdashery.

Did you?! Yeah.
See, you're an expert.

Oh, yeah, I'm like, "Yeah, easy."

I'm just pinning together, it says,

"Sew corresponding pieces
one and two together",

so I'm just being really careful
because you could get wrinkles

which Patrick would not like.

I don't want a wrinkly bust today
cos that would be a disaster for me.

These two pieces don't look
like they should fit together

at the moment.

One looks a little bit more
curved than the other,

so it's a matter of
when you bring these two together,

then once they're stitched,

then they create a nice kind
of shape to the, you know,

to the bust area of the corset.

It sounded like I knew
what I was on about and everything.

Sewing the panel pieces together
isn't simple.

Never trust it unless you've tried
it out on a bit of scrap fabric.

The curved edges need
to be eased into each other,

otherwise they'll pucker
and won't lie flat against the body.

I've never done anything like
this before. Have you, Ryan?

I have made a couple of corsets.

I did make one in leather once.

No! But it was like
a nude tan leather.

So pressure on, Ryan, you've gotta
win, mate, you're such an expert.
I know.

I've got to make it three in a row,
haven't I? Absolutely.

Ryan is clearly
a bit of a corset expert

and has got a devious past,
that's all I can say.

So you're feeling really
comfortable about the challenge?

I'm just looking out
for those small bits

that I know you're going
to be looking for.

Yeah, while we're
on the subject of small bits,

you've chosen
a quite obvious stripe... Yes.

..and we've got an obvious
centre seam.

Have you thought about
the placement of those stripes

either side of that seam?

Fingers crossed, I think,
I think I've... You have. Yeah.

You've got your tape measure
around somewhere, have you?

Yes, yes.
Good, good, good.

It's just in my box ready to go,
so...

Have you ever made
anything like this before?

I've made a wedding dress
that was based on a corset.

Did you?

It was for my driver many years ago
when I was, er,

travelling around
the mountains of Bosnia,

we designed this wedding dress
for her. Did you? Yes.

And then we came back and...
And you made it for her?

..and constructed...
Yeah, and it was fantastic.

Ah, I love you, Neil.

# You make my heart go
tick-a-tick-a-tick... #

Sewers, you are halfway through.

SHE GASPS

Halfway through. Everyone on target?

How does one know
how long a corset takes

if one's never made one before?

I'm surprised how quickly
it's all going together.

I've got two halves now, um,

and I'm just wondering
how much more there is to do.

Once all the panels
are joined together,

the seams need to be stitched
again into topstitched welt seams.

One side of the seam is trimmed,
and the other is pressed flat

and stitched down, creating
a channel to hold the boning.

I'm ironing in the direction

that I think the casing's
got to lie.

I think.

So you've got to do three seams
towards the centre front

and two towards the back,

so I've put little arrows on
so I know when I've come over...

which way I should be making
my seams go.

Pressed two to the back,
three to the front and then...

OK. Can I look at the other side?

Right. Just...

Oh, oh.

Just one word and that's
quite cutting, isn't it?

Yeah. "Right."
"Right."

I want to get these channels
absolutely right.

So, I'm going to actually mark them.

I think you've got to go
round every curve

and make sure you're not
skimping on any seams.

Any little mistake here and
I'm not going to get a bone through.

The channel must be wide enough
so that the boning can go through

but not so wide that it might twist.

So I've done a seam and
I've just got a piece of bone here

and I'm putting it in one end

and threading it all the way through
to check I've made a channel.

Yes!

Come on!

"Join the two halves of the corset
by stitching a centre front seam."

Top stitching the side
1cm away from the seam.

Creating a boning channel either
side of the centre seam.

Right.

Yes!

I wouldn't want to pass this
as an A-level exam.

Let's put it on the old girl.

Well, the young girl.

Yeah. It's looking all right.

You're very trim.

Two halves joined together. Ta-da!
Ta-da!

Ta-da!
Ta-da!

THEY CHUCKLE

It says, "Finish top of corset
with bias binding",

so therefore I presume
it's just going to curl over.

All through the weeks, I've struggled
with getting bias binding right.

I think there's an art to it.

All of the sewers are using
a pre-made binding, except one.

I'm making some bias binding
cos I don't want anything to

spoil my beautiful top.

It's across the grain
so that it's a bit bendy,

so when it goes round the top,

it'll bend around
the actual garment.

Amanda is making her own
bias binding.

The thing with that is,
it takes time.

Has she got the time to do it?

Well, I don't understand why,

unless she thinks she's got
acres of room to spare.

Everybody else is using
a pre-made binding,

I hope she isn't making
a rod for her own back. No.

After a flappy binding last week,
I can't go for flappy binding again.

Sewers, you have one hour left.

Wowser!

SHE LAUGHS

Wowser!

Everything's been stitched,

everything's been put in place,
bias binding's on,

so it's just a case of feeding these
metal strips into the channels.

"Collect spiral boning, insert into
corresponding lateral boning."

That should be fun.

As the bodice comes round as
it goes round the shape of the body,

there's different lengths
of bones required,

and because these are a set length,

with plastic boning,
you'd put them in and chop 'em off,

with these, it's absolutely essential

that you get them into
the right slots.

We've got A,
which I presume is in the centre.

And it's key to get it
pushed right to the end.

C.

And we've got CB-1.

I laid them all out in order

so I made sure I didn't get the
wrong ones in the right holes.

Sometimes I have nightmares
cutting the boning.

It can be one of those
really tricky things.

There we go. So what's next?

More bias binding on the bottom.

Sewing the binding to the bottom
edge is harder with the bones

already inserted
as the corset is now stiffer

and less easy to manoeuvre.

I've got to wiggle all the bones
down as far as I can so that I can

go along with the sewing machine,
so I don't break any needles.

But this is beginning
to look quite racy.

It started off as Macbeth
and now it's Moulin Rouge, maybe.

I don't know.

And I'm checking, I'm sewing up
my bias binding on the wrong way,

so that's going to be
a little bit of unpicking.

I don't know how I'm doing for time,
that's the only thing,

cos I've still got some bias binding
to do at the bottom.

16 minutes! That goes really fast.
I know.

I run out of time,
I get stressed, things go wrong.

Girls, look at these competitive
boys, all using the eyelet machine.

Let's do it, gents.
Don't leave me hanging.

Matt, put your eyelet in. Come on!
All right. OK, OK.

Deborah. How are you?

What's the matter?
SHE GROANS

I'm trying to be fast.
I'm not very fast.

Well, you've gotta be fast.
OK.

You get really aggressive with this.

Yes, it's a very nice
little gadget to have,

but I don't think it's the sort of
thing you'd have in your sewing box.

Amanda. Yes?

You know that this is always
when you're calm... Yes.

..and it never ends well.

It's a bit like OFSTED.

I want you... There is that.
AMANDA LAUGHS

I want you to panic.

Come on, enough with
the home-made bias binding.

Oh.

Yeah, well,
the boys have all eyeleted,

they're all trying on their corsets,
talking about the Army.

As you would.

I'm going to do it up
like I do my boots up.

So crossing over.

HE CHUCKLES

Oh, what's just...? (Her boobs.)

No, her boobs are fine.
Are they OK?

Yes!
They don't look bumpy?

They don't look bumpy.
Some boobs are bumpy.

Take it from Mum.

I don't know
the way you put corsets on.

Shall we do the other side, Claudia,
while we leave them to do that bit?

Team effort here.

Paul, can I borrow you for a second,
mate?

Can you just hold that there?

Speed lacing, yeah.

SHE GROANS

I think I need a mannequin
with bigger boobs.

Why is she all unfurled?

Because I'm going to run out of time.

Faster. Faster, faster.

Oh... Come on.

Oh, no!
I've missed a rivet thing out!

Well, do...
You've just gotta do it now.

Lovely material.
Sorry?

Lovely material.
It is, isn't it?

One minute, everybody!

There's some threads here.
Could you just snip them off for me?

Ten seconds,
then it has to be on the mannequin,

you can't have a fiddle.

That's it. Finished. Fin-ished!

Matt, Amanda,
don't make me hurt you.

Four hours, corsets, well done.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Huge well done.

Please lift or roll your mannequins
into the haberdashery

for the scary people.

# Everybody loves a lover... #

Seven boned corsets
in just four hours.

But what will May and Patrick think?

Neil, you're up first.

I think the first thing to say is
the shape is beautifully balanced,

beautifully round,
it just looks right.

All of these casings
are really beautifully flat.

Very, very evenly sewn,
there are no puckers.

The pattern does match
beautifully down the front.

It's a good choice of fabric
because it's actually very firm,

so it's holding
a good shape as well.

And your top stitching
on your binding is fantastic.

It's pretty good, isn't it?

The first thing I notice
with yours is the ripple effect.

And it's your fabric
is slightly softer,

it's not holding
its structure quite as well.

Looking at the sewing,

these two through the front
are absolutely perfect,

but you've just gone slightly
off the centimetre here and you can

just see that the boning just moves
around a little bit in the channel.

Shall we turn round
and have a look at the back as well?

Yeah, you've managed to make
a corset in under four hours

but you couldn't lace it.

This took me
about the last ten minutes.

Let me check your shoelaces.

Shoelaces are looking good!

It's quite a soft fabric,

so therefore it's not
holding the shape as well.

But you've managed to keep
all of that lovely flow,

the curves are really
nicely balanced and even,

all of these eyelets are in,
they're well finished.

There's nowhere to hide on this
fabric, is there? Not at all. No.

And I think you've done
a pretty good job on that.

Rather than being one nice
continuous curve at the front,

it sort of comes down
and then straightens off

and then goes back up a little bit.

However, your top stitching
on your binding is regular.

We're not quite matched up
through the front.

I think there's a few
little stray ends and whiskers

which make it look just
a little bit untidy up close.

You're the only person
that made your own binding

and really we should be seeing it
on the edge here finishing it off.

Instead we've got...

A sort of raw facing.
Yes.

All of the seams
are really, really nicely done.

I mean, there's no movement
at all of those bones.

We're missing an eyelet.

Unfortunately, the bits
that we're missing, I think,

really outweigh the good, sadly.

It's a really good shape.

All the way round, those curves
are really well balanced.

Your binding is very
evenly stitched on.

Little bit clumsy the way
you've machined over the ends.

That one there looks like
a spider's gone to sleep in it

a little bit on the back there.

But, altogether,
it's sitting nice and flat,

most of these channels
are pretty even.

Overall, a pretty robust
and good-looking garment.

You've given yourself a tough task

because you've chosen
a very, very obvious stripe.

Unfortunately,

this seam doesn't run quite down
either the centre or the edge.

It's really, really tough
to get that right.

And when you're machining
your binding on, that row

of machine stitching should be as
near to the edge as you can get it.

Just think about your finishing off,

just spend a little bit
more time on those details.

May and Patrick will now reveal
who's made a winning corset.

Seventh place this week,

it's Amanda.

Not the neatest piece of sewing
we've seen.

Sixth place, Ryan.

Some slightly askew stripes
on the front there

and your top stitching
was in the middle of your binding.

Lorna's fifth,

Deborah's fourth

and Paul is third.

Second place...

..Matt.

Some really lovely top stitching
on your parallel boning strips.

Which means in first place, Neil.

APPLAUSE

Overall, pretty darn neat.
A very fine sew.

So well done.
Thank you.

Well done, Neil.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# Fun may be fun

# But it's not when the one
that you love has gone... #

That was probably
the nicest garment I've made.

Neil always wins, Matt's got second.

It buoys me quite nicely going
into the other challenges,

but I wouldn't say I feel safe
in any way, shape or form.

I learnt a lot.
I'll probably never make one again.

In the next challenges,
I need to make sure I get finished

cos that seems to be the problem.

Ooh! I'm a bit gutted with sixth.

The corset, tricky to make,

and at one time,
even harder to wear.

It's the only garment in history
that could k*ll.

This is a Victorian corset.

It's whaleboned
and has a great steel busk

down the front there,
and it's incredi...

It's inflexible.

I mean, imagine having that
actually wrapped round you every day

for years and years.

You couldn't run, it was difficult
to go up steps or down steps.

You would have felt trapped.

You would have been immobile
in a garment like that.

The constant wearing of corsets had
a tangible effect on women's health.

They crushed the ribs, they had
problems with breathing, asphyxia,

miscarriages, it became more
and more difficult to actually move.

Their clothes and their corsets
became a prison.

Doctors began to advocate
a more active lifestyle for women,

and after the invention
of the mechanical bicycle in 1839,

the popularity of cycling
amongst women

made adapting their clothes
essential.

Cycling was incredibly popular
for women

and many of them took to the bicycle
wearing their conventional clothing,

their long dresses,
their tightly-laced corsets.

And corsets caused
all sorts of injuries,

because women were riding
very fast, very hard

and over long distances and
struggling up hills in these really

restricted things that were
really limiting their breathing.

In 1881, a group of
forward-thinking women from London

formed the Rational Dress Society,
campaigning against clothing that

impeded the movements of the body
or in any way injured the health.

Top of their agenda was
the reinvention of the corset.

This is, for example,

one of the corsets that the Rational
Dress movement were advocating.

One of the key differences in this
bodice to a conventional corset

is the fact that you can
literally do this.

You know, it doesn't have
those really fierce elements

of boning within it.

They still held women in,
but they were much less harsh,

which means that you could breathe.

So, for women,
it meant getting out of the home,

out of domestic drudgery
and out into society.

But rational dress was frowned
upon by traditionalists

who disapproved of women's
increasing freedom to be mobile.

One of the society's
founder members,

Lady Harberton, found this out
in 1899

when she was refused lunch
at the Hautboy Hotel

due to her wearing rational dress.

There was still a way to go,
but women were on the road to

forging a fairer future, or
at least more comfortable day wear.

If the corset pattern
was all about putting structure

into a garment, the judges
are turning that on its head

as they want the sewers to totally
rework a piece of fashion history.

It's all about alteration.

Patrick, what would
you like them to transform?

This week, we've given you
one of these little numbers.

What we'd like you to do

is transform
an essentially '80s garment,

remove the structure,
just re-engineer it

so that
it's a wearable modern garment.

You have 90 minutes.
The time starts...now.

Ooh, hello. Are you having that one?

Are you going red, Debs, or not?

You are. OK. Sorry.
No, that's all right.

Very little kind of inspiration
coming at the moment.

The first five minutes
to think of something

and then you've just gotta kind
of commit and go for it, I think.

You have to make a move in this
challenge to get it done in time.

I'm a fan of the boldness
of '80s fashion.

So dramatic.

So powerful.

I mean, obviously,
has its downfalls,

like shoulder pads and stuff.

I like the fact that
these suits are older than me.

That's what I'm thinking
is hilarious.

# Ghostbusters!

# Whatcha going to make?!
Ghostbusters! #

Yeah, I'm hoping that it's going
to be, um, like draped here

at the front and then some little
shorts if I get on to the shorts.

If not,
it might just be a draped top.

I'm taking off this bottom band
to release the pleats in the back,

so I'm thinking of making
like a little cape swing jacket.

I'm making a c*ck dress.
Very basic.

I've turned the jacket
the wrong way round,

I'll have a front coming down here,
shoulder straps,

take the sleeves off,
and then connect it to the skirt.

I'm making the skirt into a top.

Do something with this neckline,

bring it in maybe
like a boat neckline. Yes!

Might just look like a skirt,

so I can get that fixed in some way,
maybe square it off a bit.

Yeah.

So, I'm going to make a kind of
dress off of this skirt piece here.

I've got to add a couple of
little panels into the side just to

kind of space it out a little bit

and then I'm going to draw that in
and dart that in a little bit.

Little bit of bow on the front
for a little bit of flourish.

Cushty! I think it'll be fine,
it'll be fine.

For me, the first kind of modern
approach is just to make it shorter.

I'm thinking maybe some kind
of dress, like all-in-one dress.

But apart from that,
I'm going to make it up as I go.

I'm making a maternity top.
Are you?!

Yes, because ladies
need maternity tops.

They certainly do,
often when they're not pregnant!

LORNA LAUGHS
I'm talking about myself.

'30 minutes gone,
one hour remaining.'

I think they're too...

Too high?
Yeah. That looks...

No, I don't know. Modern.

Up there?

Hold on, let me
just put something in my pocket.

No, they're not pockets.
What are they?

Epaulettes? Epaulettes.

Well, then put them right up
there. Mugabe style.

We're going with dictators.
SHE GIGGLES

Could make, like, a Kim Jong-il
skirt. Do you know what I mean?

Yeah. We're off!

Currently, a lot of garments
are putting zips on the outside

and then top stitching over the top.

I just thought that would bring it
a bit more up-to-date

than leaving the zip
hidden on the inside.

I've turned it inside out, so I can
now mark where I need the darts.

Right, I need some pink.

Start making this...

Sewers, you are halfway
through. Halfway.

You have 45 minutes left on
your crazy '80s challenge.

Bleurgh... Not enough time.

It's a lot of pressure.

So I'm now adding a skirt, which
has to take in an elasticated waist

because the lady is expecting,
so, erm...

she's going to have a little skirt
underneath it

so that she can walk
around the beach

and feel covered, if she wants to.

Although nowadays, they don't
seem to worry too much.

The zip has gone in...

perfectly.

What are you doing about that?

No girl wants to wear something
that feels too tight.

Just get rid of it and do a V.
I know, I know.

Yeah, let's chop that off for
a start. Go on, chop it.

OK. Great idea.
I can't even chop a button off.

Just leave me alone.
I don't understand why you're here.

Did you want to go on the baking
one? That's something else.

That's what I applied for.

Bit of a press.

Bit of a press
and that will look all right.

That's the top of the dress.

Right, I need to now connect it
to the bottom and...

Right, how am I going to do this?

Ryan. Hello. How are you? Um...

I haven't seen this little creature,
Ryan, for a while, shaking.

It's cos there's pressure,
isn't there? I know.

There's loads of pressure.

I didn't do
so well in the last task.

Oh, this is not going well, Claudia.

Are you doing binding?
Well, trying to.

OK. I'm getting out of your way.

Sewers, you have ten minutes left.
Only ten minutes.

No, I wanted to put, like, a little
pair of shorts to go underneath,

but I'm just not going to
have enough time,

and if I do that, I just know
it'll ruin it altogether.

So I'm just going with some
little garnish on the top.

I don't know what I mean by garnish.
I'm just going to see what happens.

HE STRAINS

She needs to lose weight or I need
to find some space somewhere.

In simple terms. Right,
so dress is looking good.

Just need to now put
a zip in the back.

I've never worked with a power suit.

I don't think I ever want
to work with one again.

If this is the last one I see,
I'll be very happy.

Going to put a safety pin in,
as the fastening on the front.

Don't have time for
a buttonhole, so...

I'm fraying the edge of this fabric
cos that's quite a modern look.

I'm reasonably happy with the fit.
Bit loose round the armholes.

I'm not having you being upset.
Not having it!

What's the problem?
I don't know.

It's just not tidy.

You know what? They're just
looking for transformation.

That is a transformation.

You're amazing, Ryan. Come on!
You can do it.

Ryan, close your ears.
You remember, you've got two weeks.

The rest of you have two minutes.

OK, that's it. End of.

Huge well done to all of you.

You have to stop sewing.

Let's bring these up to the front
and jumble them around.

May and Patrick will have no idea

whose '80s power suit
transformation is whose.

Gosh!

This is pretty, er... Dramatic.

So I think this was
originally a skirt,

and it's been shaped in with darts.

That looks like new binding
to match the old binding...

I think so, yes, yes. ..which I think
is really very clever.

It fits the model well.
I think it's really good.

I'm not quite sure...

No. ..what that does. This feels...

Like a jacket
with its sleeves taken out.

I'm not sure it's been modernised.

Just been changed. Yeah. Yes.

This, by contrast, does feel modern.

It definitely feels
completely transformed.

We've got lots of
structure going on.

Bust darts, some elastic to hold
the bodice in shape

going underneath the back. So again,
another structural feature.

That works very well.
It does. Yeah.

I think that works really well.

We've got resewn shoulder seams
to make them narrow.

It's effective.
Put a little zip in that,

we've got a really nice little
red biker jacket.

I think it's a really modern
updated, erm, jacket.

It's got its own bump.
THEY LAUGH

I think it's a nice idea.

We've got a zip going in the back.

We've got a couple of darts taken
out to shape it over the shoulder

and it's actually very
well put together in the time.

It doesn't fit terribly well, sadly.
I think it just...

Needs to be taken in a little
under the arms.

It just needs a bit
of extra shaping there.

I think without this
trim it would all feel...

A bit neater, I think.
..a bit neater. Yes, yes.

So this is definitely transformed.

Look at that fit through the front.
That's absolutely spot on.

And a good use of the fabric
and a really good shape.

The shoulder straps sit absolutely
perfectly flat as well. I mean...

In the time allowed, that is a
very, very good level of fit.

But whose power suits saw the
most impressive deconstruction

and transformation?

Number seven is this
little green number here,

the little jacket conversion.

This is Amanda's.

Sadly, it lacked the impact
of some of the others.

In sixth place it's the
buttercup-yellow fitted dress.

Paul's.

I think, sadly, the fit
of it let you down

and just some of those finishes
just needed to be a bit neater.

Deborah is fifth.

Lorna comes fourth.

And Matt is third.

In second place,

it is our peep-front,
re-engineered floral dress.

Well done, Ryan. A really,
really excellent piece of work.

Complete transformation. It looks
very modern and very impressive.

Thank you. Well done.

In first place is our
lovely cerise dress.

Yay!
APPLAUSE

It's Neil.

We love the shape.
It looks nothing like a suit.

It's completely reinvented.
Well done. Thank you. Well done.

This is getting boring now!

Thank you so much for today,
we know it was incredibly tough.

It is now time to go home and relax.

We will see you tomorrow
for the big challenge.

Thank you very much.
Well done, all of you.

Well done, Neil. Yeah, brilliant.
See, you can do it, can't you?

It's such a relief,

especially after the stress that
I went through in that challenge.

I'm very disappointed with myself
to be last in both challenges today.

So I really need to pull out all
the stops tomorrow

and make sure that all my, erm,
sewing is very neat

and finished!

Second from bottom, to be expected
for what I put out there today.

I've got a lot of work
to do tomorrow.

'One challenge remains

'before two sewers
will have to leave the sewing room.'

Let's talk about Amanda.
She came bottom in both challenges.

Can she redeem herself?

She would have to do something
exceptional today

and I think a couple of other people
would have to do particularly badly.

I think we've got
three or four other sewers

who could quite easily
throw themselves into that mix.

Lorna's not having her best week.

But she's very good at being precise.

Paul has potential.
but he's not consistent, is he?

I think that's his difficulty.

If Ryan can harness his nerves,
he's a real contender,

but the nerves get the better of him.

'For this made-to-measure challenge,

'the sewers will be making a garment
for a male or female model.'

Morning!
ALL: Morning.

Hello.

We are continuing
with a theme of structure.

And the judges would love you to
make a beautiful, structured kilt.

You have six-and-a-half hours.

They've got to fit your models
perfectly.

Enormous luck.
Your time starts now.

Right, so, do you want to go
behind the screen maybe,

or are you all right, you happy?

OK. Amazing.

I've got a kilt of my own,
so I've been just studying that.

I know what I'm aiming for.

Have you seen Paul's?
He's got blue glitter denim!

SHE GIGGLES

It's going to look fab.

This challenge is always about fit.
Why a kilt?

A kilt's a really, really
interesting challenge.

Firstly, traditionally,
a man's kilt needs to

sit on the natural waist.

And also, the rule of thumb is that,
if you're kneeling down,

the bottom of your kilt should just
skim the bottom of the floor.

So, we're looking for it to fit

just around about the bottom
of the kneecap.

If you could go down on one knee
for me?

I want you to propose(!) Is that all
right? Like that? Yeah, please.

What a lot of people won't realise
is, inside the kilt,

there is a large,
structured piece of canvas

which really holds
the whole thing together.

Because, once this is pleated,
it's really heavy,

so you need something
to hold it in shape.

The pleats have got
to hang beautifully.

The checks have got to match.

We need the check to actually
follow the line round the body,

so there's a lot to think about.

Right, where's your waist?
Belly button.

'Neil is making a traditional
kilt in a Culloden tartan,

'fastened with leather straps.'

Feel like I've stepped into
undergraduate pure mathematics here.

What have we...? I've got six pages
of mathematics here,

of working out. So...
Tell you what,

I really love this tartan.
What tartan is it?

Culloden milled tartan.

It's an eight-inch set, because I
can cope with whole numbers. Right.

And you've got some
real distinct lines.

You're really enjoying this.
This is fantastic.

This is pure engineering.

I wanted to go completely away
from traditional tartan and plaid.

Something with a bit more style,
a bit more shine.

'Paul's modern twist
on the traditional kilt

'will be made from glittered denim,
with metallic topstitching

'and metal snap fasteners.'

So, we're looking about two inches
to take it into the pleat,

another inch further out.

So then that bit comes across
to meet up exactly there.

I'm trying to be terribly precise.

And, um, I'm going
to go at my own pace

and just hope that
I can speed up on other things.

'Lorna is using Gunn Ancient tartan

'to create regimental stripes
across her kilt,

'and plans to add structure
with a duck canvas lining.'

I haven't done pleating
for a long time.

So, um, it's going to be
very interesting.

'Most of the sewers are starting

'with the most time-consuming
element, the pleats.'

If I just quickly pin
the top pleats,

so all that fabric's pulled in,

then I can quickly try it
on my model

so I know that I've done the pleats
right, and I know it's going to fit.

'Ryan is the only sewer to use
a commercial pattern for his kilt,

'and is hoping to create
a contemporary feel

'with narrow pleats
and front apron.'

I think there's just a few traditions
that I've kind of looked at

and you kind of have to include.

The length just to sit
at the top of the knee.

And the buckles,
and matching the pleats.

Yeah, go for that. Cool.

'Matt and Amanda have chosen
to make women's kilts

'which means they'll need to do
more shaping over the hips.'

I'm going to have to get it
fitted across your hips.

So you have to put darts
in your pleats.

I'm looking to pattern repeat
on the black stripes.

It's really important
that I make these accurate.

It's going to be instantly obvious
if these aren't level.

'Matt is using
a lightweight cotton tartan

'to create a short, contemporary
kilt for his female model,

'finished with leather straps.'

Have you practised this at home?

Yeah, I made one for my wife
the other day. Did you?

Your lucky wife. Did she love it?
Yeah, she really does.

She said, "I'll actually wear that."
Shock to us all(!)

'The pleats need to be pinned
in place,

'ensuring the pattern of the fabric
matches across the pleats

'and they're a uniform width.'

Got to match this really accurately
so that every square lines up.

There should be like a square,
and then a pretend square,

and a square, pretend square,
and they should all be the same size.

'Deborah's kilt will be made from
a lightweight wool tartan,

'and finished with
a traditional kilt pin.'

Can I just lift this very gently?
Yeah, of course. Rrrrrrrr!

Is that the official name(!)
That's the official name of it.

Have you practised this at home?
I've done a little mini one. Ooh!

Um, just to do all the practising,
and then I cut it all back out again

and used it for the pattern pieces
for this.

You're sticking to
the traditional form, pleated? Yeah.

Traditional form, pleated at the
back, under-apron, over-apron.

Got myself some hair canvas.

I'm going to leave you because
I'm going to find Neil's model.

He's got three hours off!
DEBORAH LAUGHS

Be afraid.
Be careful. Yeah.

# Hold me close
And hold me tight. #

'Amanda is the only sewer
not to start with pleating.'

That has to go underneath.

'She's hoping to perfect
her kilt structure first.'

So that's on. Is that on your side?
Yep.

Actually, that's about right,
isn't it, those?

'Amanda is using soft Linton
tweed for the main body of her kilt

'which she'll embellish with
fabric ties, diamante buckles

'and kilt pin.'

There's no point pleating it
until this is the right fit,

otherwise it's going to be
a disaster.

'One hour in,
and all the sewers, except Amanda,

'are still perfecting their pleats.'

If the pleats are out, they're
just going to look completely wrong.

I think having a pattern match
gives you some lines down the kilt

to actually line up,
so that can be an advantage.

I've not got that.

Paul's pleats don't look
terrifically even.

They don't look even in depth.

If Paul had a check, that would
automatically give him a guideline.

He's made the task in some ways
more difficult for himself. Yeah.

'Neil is the only sewer

'who has chosen to handsew
all his pleats.'

My theory is that,

by the time you've lined up
your pleats, pressed them,

pinned them,
put them in the machine,

it's quicker doing it by hand.

It's going to take me
ten minutes a pleat.

It was all right, first pleat
took me six-and-a-half minutes,

so we're good.

Are you doing it
to the military stripe?

Course I'm doing it to the
military stripe, Lorna! So am I.

'Once the sewers have finished
pinning their pleats,

'they need to be secured
and pressed into place.'

I don't want those lines to move
when I'm pressing them.

I want them to all be resting
exactly on the edge.

A lot of my family wore kilts to my
wedding. Most of them did, actually.

So I've got some reputation
to uphold, I think.

These knife-edge pleats, they're
just the most visible bit of it

and it's the bit I know they're
going to be inspecting the most.

This is the trickiest bit for me,
making sure this really sits well,

nice and crisply,
and hangs down on the model.

Sewers! You're halfway.

You have three hours 15 minutes
left.

Ooh, dear,
Patrick's going to tell me off,

I'm sure I'm doing it all wrong.

Right, here we go.

Oh, this is really weighty.
There's pins falling out.

This is the first pleat, yes.

Scary, scary biz.

Slow and steady.

MACHINES WHIRR

'Whilst everyone else begins
securing their pleats,

'Amanda's hit a problem.

Oh, General of the Ceremonial Kilt!

Could you just tell me if it matters
which way round your pleat goes?

Is there a right or wrong?

Traditionally,
they always go round that way.

So, from your left to your right.
To your right.

Happy with that? But it is your own
interpretation. It is, it is.

This is going to be tricky for me

because my fabric is
really soft and wobbly.

So, when I did my practice, every
time I put them together, like this,

it moved as I was stitching them.

By all my calculations,
I needed 20 pleats.

So, one, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight, nine, ten,

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20!

So, we're on schedule.

Sewers! You have two hours left.

'To hold the weight of
all the pleated fabric,

'a firmly structured internal yoke
should be sewn into the kilt.'

The inside lining of the kilt,

that's going to be the back bit
that all the pleats will go on to.

And then you've got the two
aprons at the front cross over.

The kilt will hang from that,
basically.

If you're a proper Scot, and you're
not wearing anything under here,

that hair canvas is
going to be a bit sore!

So this is the structured element
I think the judges are looking for.

What's going inside?

Er, so I'm thinking about a lining
but I haven't cut away on there

because this has quite a bit
of structure around the seat

and there's quite a bit of strength.
Don't forget this is Structure Week.

Yeah.

And, so far,
there isn't a lot of structure.

Neil.
Yes?

What are you doing?
Feverish fringing!

I'm creating the fringe.

It seemed easier,
it's actually quite hard work.

It's so good!
And look, Patrick.

Get ready. Feel that structure.
I've got to stitch that in.

Once I've pressed it,
I'm then going to stitch that in.

'Once the pleats
are attached to the yoke,

'it will be too late for the sewers
to make any size adjustments.'

My Scottish side of me is telling me
I haven't got enough pleats here.

I'm going to put some more in,
because I'm going to go from there,

maybe get another couple of pleats
in.

This part here is
now going to attach

to this little bit of
waistband lining.

I'm hoping
it's definitely going to fit.

Sewers! You have one hour left.

One hour on kilt world.

Oh.

Do you want to try it on?
Shall we do this thing?

Let's do this thing.

Don't mind me. This is research!

I've done lots on the fitting,

so I'm really hoping
that it's going to pay off now.

(It's going to go horribly wrong.)

Do you think I should have just
fitted it without the waistband?

There. That comes round here.

I'm running very behind,

and I'm just rushing to finish now
so that I get it on the model.

I haven't put any of
the duck on the inside.

But I've made an outside kilt.

I feel like we've done this before.

We have been here before,
just a couple of times!

Just ripping my kilt up.

Because I did that to fit
exactly on to her waist

and then on the instructions
it said, do a waistband.

But obviously the waistband
is making it wrongly shaped.

So I'm just going to sew it
directly on to my kilt

because then it's going to be
a perfect fit.

Happy with the height
of the waist.

It should sit
just under the lower rib cage.

And it did, didn't it?
Yes.

Yes! That's the answer. I didn't pay
him to say that, I promise!

Yeah, that's got the fit
that I like now.

So it's just a case of
adorning it now.

What's important is the height.
Have to get the right height.

So, it should go exactly
down the middle of the waistband.

So, waistband two inches
from the top. The waist, sorry,

two inches from the top.
And that's where that's going to go.

Fingers crossed, the machine
has dealt well with it so far.

But, you never know
with these things.

I'm just making my kilt
a little bit more feminine

by adding some dazzly brooches
and some little ties to fasten it,

instead of a leather buckle, just
to give it a more feminine touch.

Sewers! You have five minutes.

Five minutes left...!

I think it's like I've done
a really good job on it

but I'm not convinced about the fit.

It's going to swing.

If nothing else, it will swing like
nothing's ever swung in its life.

It's actually looking
like a kilt now.

So, we're getting somewhere. Hey!

I'm going to cry in a minute.

Come on!

30 seconds!
Matt, you have to put it on her.

Oh, she's got to wear it? Come on!

Fine figure of a man.

Oh... You can see the waistband
at the back!

Ten seconds!

All right, that is time.

Time is up.

Bam!

JAZZY INTRO

# The bagpipes of Scotland
are hushed in the glen

# For Sandy McTavish
will ne'er come home again

# For Sandy in kilt
is a braw bonny sight

# And the bluebells of Broadway
are ringing tonight! #

First thing to say is,
it moves beautifully.

It's a really lovely, firm shape.

That understructure
really works well, doesn't it?

It sort of holds
the whole thing together.

And your top-stitching
down the side here is spot on.

That waistband is very, very even.

The checks are matching perfectly
all the way round.

It's a very, very neat
bit of pleating, isn't it?

It's really fabulous.
Frankly, I'd wear that myself, so...

It's too long.
It looks too elongated.

I mean, I think it's sitting
too low at the bottom

and I think it's sitting too high.

And something has gone wrong
with this front apron.

If we pull these pleats round

so that all the pleats are sitting
round the back,

this front apron needs to finish...

I wanted it more centred. I didn't
want it right to the hip. OK.

You do need more underwrap.

It does need to come under a bit
more, so that it's secure to wear.

It just looks slightly
out of proportion.

Another fantastic kilt.
Absolutely bang on.

And you've got the understructure
in there

which gives this
a lovely firm line to the back.

All of the pattern matching
is absolutely precise -

all of the pleats are the right
width. I think that's

a lovely looking piece of clothing.
Thank you very much. Yeah.

So you've had to deal with
the complexity of a lady's form

rather than a male form. Yeah.

So you've given us
two darts at the front.

They're not very well
pressed out in the end.

You could have done
with some understructure here.

It's all a bit soft at the front.

And in wear,
that would sort of screw up

because it's got no support
underneath.

But check matching, exemplary.

The edge of every pleat
bang on the same positions.

It's a fun take on a kilt.
It just needs refining.

I think for length it's...
it's about right for me.

I can feel that you've
put in a layer of interfacing

underneath here to support.

Sadly, your under-apron drops below -

it spoils the line
at the front here,

and the pleats are...

Some of them
are fractionally narrower.

That one looks a bit wider
than that.

I think there's probably
quarter of an inch variation

and because you didn't have
a regular pattern to follow,

you've had to measure every one
and they are slightly, slightly out.

The straps, I think,
work really, really well.

They're well-anchored.
Yeah, and the top stitching...

It's not the easiest thing to sew -
leather -

but you've handled that well.

Your check matching across the back
is absolutely bang on.

I mean, these pleats are lovely.

But I think the problem is
round the front.

We've got no understructure,
have we? No.

Because you haven't got
the lining in, it's collapsing here.

If you'd got that in, I think you'd
have an extremely impressive kilt.

Yeah. It would be so much better.

The length looks good and we're not
seeing any of the under-apron.

But, unfortunately,
something has gone awry on...

in the fitting process

round the front, and we're just
getting twisted out of shape here.

I think it's just a bit small
over the hips.

It's a shame your facing
is trying to creep out.

You know, I think it's the fit
across the front that sadly

just lets it down a bit.

Two people are leaving
the Sewing Bee today.

I really don't want it to be me.

I'm hoping that the judges kind of
see past the kind of design elements

of what I was trying to do

and just kind of look at my making
skills, really.

I was really proud
of that kilt, really proud.

For Patrick to turn round and go,
"Oh, yeah, I'd wear it,"

then that's... From someone
from his sort of pedigree,

that's a pretty good compliment.

His swishing was excellent.

Of course I want to stay,
I'm enjoying this,

and today I think
I could have done better.

It's a lot of pressure,
it's a lot of hard work, um,

but I'm enjoying
what I'm learning from it.

'Life is short and pleats are big.'

And my pleating was perfect
but I'd spent too much time on it.

'I don't want to go.'

I want to continue
to the bitter end.

You're sending two people home.

Sadly, I think we've got
one person we're pretty sure about.

I think the second person is
incredibly tough. Yes.

Who's in danger?

Sadly, I think it's two
of our boys - Paul and Ryan.

Ryan made the distinct, stylistic
choice on his part.

It was very long.

It worried me, the fact that this
didn't overlap very much at all.

It's rolling over a little
bit at the waistband.

It just lacks a little finesse,

whereas I think the waistband
on Paul's...

That's much more robust, isn't it?

It's firm, it's stiff, it's...
it feels like a kilt should feel.

Shall we have a look
at Paul's corset?

Paul's binding, we thought,
was pretty good

and overall...
It's very, very neat, isn't it? Yeah.

The front of Ryan's, if he's going to
put a stripe together,

he's got to think about how
it matches,

although he did a really fun
alteration. The idea was good.

The idea is certainly very good
and Paul's alteration

was a less impressive idea, I think.

We've gotta make a decision
somehow. Mm.

I think we need a few minutes
to think about this.

Well done, on a very, very hard
week - you all did so brilliantly.

First up, Garment Of The Week.
What did you two choose?

Unanimously, we chose...

Well done.

It was a brilliant combination
of precision and robustness.

It's hard to think of many
better things

we've seen in this competition.

Now the less nice bit.

You know that two people
are leaving this week.

The first person to leave
the Sewing Room is...

It's Amanda.

I'm sorry.

And the second person to leave
the Sewing Room is...

..is Ryan.

I'm sorry, Ryan.

'We sent Ryan home and I think it
was probably the hardest decision

'we've had to make, because'

he's actually improved tremendously,
I think,

throughout the week,
so, unfortunately, this week

the quality of his work in that
final challenge

just wasn't up to the standard
we're looking for in our semifinal.

Group hug? Go on, in you go.
Go for it!

We will miss Amanda.
She was so bubbly,

giggly, fun to have around,
really enjoyed her sewing

and tried to approach it
from a different angle.

So, yes, Amanda will be missed.

I was expecting to hear
my name today

because I've not done the best
sewing for the challenges.

I'll definitely carry on sewing,

but it definitely,
definitely will not be timed.

Sorry.

I think sewing is
so what I want to do now.

I've made so many garments

in such a short period of time
that I can do stuff now that

I could not at the start
of this competition.

Really, you've done so well,
well done.

In four years' time, I'll see Patrick
on Savile Row.

'On the next Sewing Bee...'

Wow! Racy!

'..it's the semifinal...'

Where's my tape measure?
I want to stay till the bitter end.

'..and three fabrics become
super-challenging...'

Don't really know what I'm doing but
we'll figure it out as we go along.

'..lace requiring delicacy
and finesse...'

Oh, my God,
you're just doing it with scissors!

'..and something rubbery...'

Little bit of this, bit of a dress,
bit of a frill, round the bottom.

'..and unforgiving leather...'

Ooh, this is a fight.

Oh, flip!

'..push the sewers
to their stitching limits.'

What was that?

'But who will make it
to the final...'

It looks fantastic.

Look at this. It's exquisite.

'..and who will be asked to leave
the Sewing Bee?'

Rubber and lace, I think
that's Patrick's favourite.

He wears that alone in his house
most Fridays. Oh.