40 years ago,
there was nothing unusual about us
making our own clothes.
And then, for a while,
it seemed we'd lost our passion
for this very traditional skill.
Guess what?
A quiet revolution is happening.
We're buying sewing machines again,
we're going to needlework classes,
and sewing circles are popping up
all across the country.
We are launching
the first-ever search
for Britain's best home sewer.
We've scoured fabric shops,
cafes, workplaces
and people's spare rooms to find
the most talented sewers
in Britain today to compete
in The Great British Sewing Bee.
I just need to be using my hands,
creating things.
Ideas going in my head.
I couldn't do without sewing.
No, it's just part of me.
My daughter put me forward.
My family are head over heels
that I'm doing something
like this for me.
Oh, my goodness!
Thousands applied
and eight were selected.
Over the next few weeks,
they'll be making everything
from a simple skirt
to a stunning evening dress.
Each week, all their skills
will be put to the test.
First, they'll follow the same
pattern, then they'll transform
a High Street buy, and finally
they're asked to create
a made-to-measure outfit.
I've been having a lot of dreams
recently about sewing
and it took me a while
to get to sleep last night.
They'll face two judges.
Savile Row's Patrick Grant
and sewing expert May Martin
who's been teaching people
to sew for 40 years.
I have a real passion for my subject
and I'm really looking forward
to people showing me
what they can do.
Some beautiful stitching,
some lovely fitting.
Good construction,
good finishing.
I'm fortunate to work with the best
sewers in the world
and I want to see that same
commitment to the craft of sewing
from everyone in the sewing bee.
I wouldn't normally machine the hem
but there isn't time to do it
by hand.
Understanding the materials
and understanding of shape and fit
and all those things that go
into making beautiful clothes.
Who will cut...
Panic. Sheer panic.
..stitch...
Coming out again.
Coming out, coming out.
..and iron their way to victory?
My chances of winning are good.
Never judge a book by its cover.
Agh!
The sewers are ready,
the judges are poised.
Welcome to The Great
British Sewing Bee.
The first Great British Sewing Bee
is being held in East London,
once home to Britain's
thriving rag trade.
Streets that were once
filled with the noise
of clattering sewing machines
are about to come alive again.
Over the next two days,
the sewers will make three pieces
of clothing after which two of them
will have to leave the sewing bee.
Welcome to the sewing room.
I'd like to introduce you
to your judges.
Brilliant tailor Patrick Grant
and the best sewing teacher
in the world, May Martin.
It's time to give you
your first challenge.
We'd like you all to make
the same item of clothing
and it's an A-line skirt. May is
going to hand out the patterns.
Massive, massive luck.
You have three and a half hours.
Good luck, off you go.
Patrick and May's first challenge
will test how good the sewers are
at following a basic pattern.
Most women own an A-line skirt
which is fitted at the hips
and widens towards the hem,
falling in the shape
of a capital letter A.
The faster the sewers complete
the skirt,
the more opportunity they'll have
to add personal touches.
Is the key to the first challenge
to try to impress you
to keep it simple?
There's plenty of chances
to demonstrate additional skills
but I think in this challenge
we're looking for something
straightforwardly well ex*cuted.
Basic sewing skills,
putting in darts, putting in zips.
Things that every home sewer
needs to know, don't they?
This skirt can be made
from any fabric found
in the sewing room's haberdashery.
To have all these fabrics around you,
you just don't know
where to go first.
I keep going from there
to there to there.
I think I've got what I need now
so I'm just going to crack on
and hope for the best.
47-year-old married
mum of three Sandra
is a hospital cleaner
from Wolverhampton.
I've always made my girls' clothes
since they were babies.
What kind of thing are you looking
for? Something everyday...
'My middle daughter Rebecca,
'she had a sewing machine
for her 21st birthday.'
Look at that!
Your nan made those
and I made those for you.
'I think I just want to carry on
because my mum's always doing it
and my grandma.'
I think there's...a little bit
of it's emotional there,
as well as for pleasure, for myself.
I tend to be a bit flowery
and I just like the feel of that.
Sandra's fabric is very light which
means she'll need to line her skirt.
I've made a decision to line it
because I've picked a finer fabric
so it's just got a bit of texture,
a bit of weight to it so it's not
going to...
Stewart is also planning
to line his skirt.
Are you going to have time
to line your skirt?
I don't know, so I'm going to cut it
and then if I do have time,
I'll line it and if I don't,
I won't.
Stewart, have you made
an A-line skirt before?
I've never made a skirt before,
Claudia, A-line or otherwise.
Lovely to have you here.
Lovely to be here.
Two on the right, two on the list.
41-year-old Stewart is a fitness
instructor from North Yorkshire.
I got into sewing when I was 21, 22,
and it was a case of first home
and wanting to make it my own.
So the first things that
I made were things like curtains
and cushions and I made
a quilt for the bed as well.
Do you think three
and a half hours is enough?
I think I'll have had enough
by three and a half hours.
I suspect we all will! Good luck.
Thank you. That's quite a lot of
lining for a skirt. Is it?
Look at you,
you're like Miss Marple!
He might be making it floor-length.
He might be making the longer length.
I didn't think of that, Patrick.
I'm beginning to
look at the time now.
The number of skirts like this
I've made, I would hate to count.
Dozens, I would imagine,
over the years.
Ann from Birmingham goes
to a yoga class twice a week
and she's been sewing almost
every day for 75 years.
I started my sewing
with small bits of fabric
when I made dolls' clothes and
I suppose my mother looked at them
and decided I was good enough
to be allowed to cut into
some precious fabric
and make something for myself.
When I was about 11,
I made myself a blouse.
That's a very beautiful fabric.
It's lovely, isn't it?
I love the bright colours.
Are you going to worry
about lining your skirt?
I'm going to line this, yes.
Would you always line?
I will always, always line
this sort of skirt, yes.
Are you worried about time?
I'm not sure. I'll tell you that
in a couple of hours' time.
The pattern
for this everyday garment
should be straightforward to follow.
So many things could go wrong.
I've made a few skirts.
I tend to make quite full ones
so I've never made A-line.
Once they've cut out
the three pieces,
one for the front
and two for the back,
the sewers insert darts
to give the skirt shape.
They sew an invisible zip
into the centre back seam
and then they join the front
and the back together.
When it comes to an A-line skirt
which is basically a front and back,
wouldn't you just go choose
a nice heavy wool, cut it out,
sew it together, done?
Trying to take a piece of flat fabric
and fit it to the shape of the body
is hard for the inexperienced sewer.
It's easier to start with a pattern.
All these lines, every piece
has to be cut out accurately.
Any additional space around the
outside will alter the size
and shape of the garment.
These little pieces in here,
this dart here,
gets folded in together
which creates shape in the piece.
Why do you have different options?
These are different sizes.
Depending on what size you are...
8, 10, 12, 14, right.
This is basic geometry.
It's a simple straightforward
blueprint, as May has said,
for constructing this garment.
What I'm doing is actually pinning
the pattern on top of the fabric.
I try and find car fabric
and I find it very difficult
and there it was staring at me.
"Come and get me," so I got it!
I'm chuffed to bits actually.
Jane from Kent was widowed
15 years ago
and ever since has devoted her life
to her passions.
Her grandchildren,
her car and her wardrobe.
The reason I make my own clothes is
because nobody else is wearing them.
I can go anywhere and I know I'm
the only one with that item on.
To go out in a classic car
with a classic skirt on
everyone will say, "Where did you get
that from?" I made it.
Just about to put the needle
to the fabric.
Excited and a little bit shaky.
Don't know why, it's only
an A-line skirt.
It feels like it's the first time
I've ever sewn.
31-year-old charity worker Michelle
lives in London with her husband
Eddie and seven-month-old son Noah.
My earliest memories of sewing was
sat at the feet of my grandma.
She used to make wedding dresses,
bridesmaid dresses, cushions.
Anything that the family would need.
When I sew, I definitely get
a feeling from my mum and my grandma
because I know they're
in every stitch that I make.
Yay! I've done it. This is the dart
that I'm putting into the skirt.
Darts are marked on patterns
by triangles.
This area of fabric
is folded in on itself
and then fixed with a line
of stitching.
It helps flat fabric fit around
the contours of our bodies.
I'm very happy with the two darts
in that,
then I think I should have a little
gaze over the instructions
cos I'm sure it'll tell you
which way to iron the darts.
Sewers, just so you know,
one hour has gone.
You have two and
a half hours left.
When you rush something
as much as this,
it can't be as neat
as you'd like it to be.
With darts inserted,
the sewers can now start
constructing their skirts...
It feels a little bit more real now,
all of a sudden.
..whilst Patrick and May
watch their every stitch.
We have various things
that are quite interesting
going on around the room.
Can I just check with you,
is that a nine-inch zip?
The skirt needs to be fitted
with an invisible sip.
This is the tricky bit.
If put in correctly, you shouldn't
be able to see it from the outside.
I need my line of stitching
to be really close to the zip
so if the stitching's too far away,
you'll see it.
This is the third zip
I've ever done in my life!
The costumes that I make
are 18th-century,
way before the zip was invented,
so there's no need for a zip.
Mark is 41 and works as
an HGV mechanic in Derbyshire.
He makes costumes for his family
to go to steampunk events
at the weekend.
Steampunk is like a Victorian
with a futuristic twist
so there's a lot of gadgetry and a
lot of strange things to look at.
The items that I've made -
waistcoats, breeches,
17th-century frock coats,
18th-century shirts.
I suppose, not everyday wear.
When I'm sewing at home,
I've got a picnic table
with my sewing machine on,
on my settee watching the TV.
Normally with a dog sat next to me.
This is all modern for me.
Almost all dressmakers
use one of these.
A pattern. They can either
stick to it slavishly
or just use it as a starting point.
But even the most inexperienced
sewer will know where to begin
with one of these.
In the late 19th century, home
sewers didn't know where to start.
Victorian Britain saw the role of
the middle-class homemaker flourish
but while sewing was popular,
making your own clothes wasn't
because there was
no blueprint to follow.
Patterns, as we know them,
didn't exist.
We've got these families who were
moving up in the world.
The wives are very anxious
to do things right
and impress the neighbours.
She wants to decorate the house
right and she wants to dress right
but it was quite difficult for ladies
to buy ready-to-wear clothes.
Normally, you had to go off
and negotiate with the dressmaker.
They only guide the Victorian
housewife had to the latest fashions
was expensive hand-coloured
illustrations
which they would buy
and take to the dressmaker.
Although they show you
what's fashionable,
they don't actually tell you
how it's made.
One entrepreneurial publisher,
Samuel Beaton,
the husband of the famous
Mrs Beaton,
realised that what women needed
was instructions
that they could follow at home.
In 1863, he published the first
pull-out paper dressmaking pattern
in his Englishwoman's
Domestic Magazine.
What Beaton did that was clever
was that he showed women
the step in between.
He gave them trace-it-off-yourself
patterns that you could use
to recreate the fashions
for yourself.
All the patterns
he publishes are things
where fit isn't that important,
so it's a little boys' loose jacket
or a kind of frilly wrap thing
or some underwear,
so even if the pattern doesn't quite
fit, it's going to look OK.
Women really never looked back,
and by 1900,
you've got entire commercial empires
founded on people publishing
dressmaking patterns.
When Beaton made
the groundbreaking decision
to give away paper patterns
in his magazine,
it wasn't just canny marketing.
It brought the fine art
of dressmaking within the reach
of home sewers and subsequent
generations to come.
One hour to go in the first
challenge.
How are you doing, Lauren?
I've been better but I'm all right.
We've all been better, love.
Once the sewers have
constructed the skirts,
they can add their own
personal touches.
I'm slightly worried that my skirt's
going to be a bit plain
because other people have done
lining. I've not done that.
At the moment I'm making some
bias binding to be part of my hem.
27-year-old Lauren from Birmingham
is the youngest in the contest
but she's got 22 years'
sewing experience.
I was given a kit
for my fifth birthday,
it taught you
lots of different stitches
so I remember coming home
from school
and my mum teaching me
how to do stitches
and then we'd put it
in a frame afterwards
and I've still got it now.
Lauren, how's it going?
It's going OK.
I am actually finished my skirt
but I feel like it's a bit plain.
I think it looks beautiful,
don't you?
You've made your own bias binding.
I haven't seen many other people
doing so don't be too...
What words did you just use?
Bias binding.
Because it's cut diagonally across
her fabric on the bias,
Lauren's binding will be flexible
and won't pucker
when stitched to her hem.
So that's clever. It gives it that
little stretch which you can see
if you pull it on the bias,
you've got the stretch.
On the straight, it's stiff.
Project manager Tilly is also
embellishing the pattern.
I'm improvising a little bit. I've
added some pockets to the pattern.
I wasn't planning
to do this originally.
I just got out a bit of baking paper
and drew a random curve.
Cut it out and stuck it in.
Tilly lives and works in London
and only discovered her passion
for sewing two years ago,
but already she's sewn herself
an extensive handmade wardrobe.
I started sewing on a complete whim.
I just suddenly felt like I really
wanted to do something
with my hands and make something.
I wasn't sure what to do at first and
then all of a sudden out of the blue
I thought I'll give sewing a try
and it was love at first stitch.
Sometimes I make sewing up
as I go along.
I also enjoy making my own patterns
so it's a combination of mathematical
skills and design and drawing,
so any time I can change or adapt
a pattern I probably will.
Once I turn this round the right way,
you'll have a little pocket like that
which will slightly peep out
when you put your hand into it and
I really like that sort of detail.
Sewers, you've got
half an hour left. 30 minutes.
I'm afraid I've had
to forego the lining.
I ran out of time.
I totally underestimated the length
of time that this was going to take.
I did think maybe
I would put a lining in
but I've decided against that.
I'm looking around at other people
and everyone is looking like they're
a bit close to the wire so it's fine.
I really wanted to add a lining
because I picked
one of the flimsiest materials
but it's pushed me with my time
so if I don't get to line it, it
might not look, you know...
Panic. Just sheer panic.
I have no idea how much time
we've got left.
Last ten minutes.
My hands are sweating.
Some people are handling
the pressure better than others.
Certainly some people
have got very anxious.
I've never known time go so quick.
Just made a mistake.
This is the first challenge.
They need to demonstrate
that they can do the basics well.
I thought maybe that I was supposed
to press open these seams
before sewing the pocket
but actually,
I think that's going to be OK.
Setting yourself too big a goal
in this challenge
might well be the undoing
of one or two contestants.
At the bottom of the skirt, I'm just
going to put a contrasting ribbon
to brighten up the gingham a bit.
Sewers, you have two minutes
to get your skirts on your
mannequins.
That's two minutes.
I wouldn't normally machine the hem
but there isn't time
to do it by hand.
The task was to make a skirt
and I made a skirt
and I think it's wearable.
Just bits and pieces of finishing
now, giving it its final press.
Making sure it fits her ladyship.
OK, sewers, your time is up.
Everyone's got a skirt. That's good.
Each of the A-line skirts will now
be scrutinised by May and Patrick.
Ann, please bring
your garment forward.
Beautifully inserted zip. Perfectly.
That is absolutely faultless.
No gap at all there, wonderful. The
darts are well-managed. Pressed out.
Actually on this fabric you wouldn't
quite see it as well anyway
but they have been really
well treated.
You're impressed? Yes.
Yeah, I'm very impressed.
Nicely made garments.
Well done, Ann. Well done, Ann.
Thank you so much.
You've had a little bit of trouble,
I think,
controlling the cloth going through
the machine,
so your seam isn't quite even,
which is just dragging
the fabric a little bit.
When you do things like
top stitching,
it needs to be completely
even and symmetrical.
Don't use things that you can't do
to a high standard.
The trim round the hem is very,
very even
and that's quite difficult
to achieve.
Top stitching it on takes skill
and that's gone on really nicely.
Tops of the zips are level.
Just a little bit of difficulty
concealing it.
Yes, you shouldn't be able
to see the zip at all.
When you're adding an extra
onto a garment,
it needs to be perfectly applied
and your ribbon is puckering
the hem of the skirt slightly.
I think this choice of fabric
is great
and I think the length and choice of
fabric work well together.
Attention to details -
the fullness at the end of the darts,
press them out. Yes.
The first thing really to
notice here is
because of the way you've
done these pockets,
you've turned it from an A-line
into more of a tulip shape.
If you are going to add something,
make sure it doesn't detract
from the overall
impression of the garment.
With these seams, we have a bulge
and what's happened is
this fabric has stretched slightly
so the pocket area is distorted.
It's struggling a tiny bit to hold
it's A-line shape.
Because it's a softer fabric,
it wants to go in down the sides
of the legs.
It doesn't give you quite the same
shape, but it is a difficult fabric
and you've handled it
extremely well, actually.
Shall we turn it round?
There's a lining! Yes.
There is a lining! Clever girl.
You're the only person who managed
to fully line the skirt.
It's quite a bit of additional work.
Oh, look at the zip! That's lovely!
The zip, you see, and the zip is
enclosed by the lining,
which is a nice touch.
So that everyone knows
just where they stand
after the first challenge,
May and Patrick will now
rank the A-line skirts.
So in eighth place, sadly, Stuart.
Just a general lack of finesse into
some of the sewing you've got there.
Seventh place, Mark.
The treatment of that zip
just wasn't quite clean enough
and I think a big part of the
challenge was getting the zip right.
Tilly's baggy pockets leave her
in sixth place. Michelle is fifth.
Jane is fourth
and Ann secures third.
Second place is Lauren.
Beautifully made skirt,
some nice processes in there.
But sadly not first today, because
our first place goes to Sandra
because Sandra actually
put a lining in.
The work was finished off
very well on the inside,
so today you are our winner.
Well done.
And don't be disheartened -
I'm mainly talking to the boys here,
no offence - because you've
got two more challenges to do.
# Talk about a moon
# Floating in the sky... #
Before the next
challenge of the day,
the sewers retire to the local cafe.
My daughters will be
like bottles of pop.
I think they'll be really,
really pleased.
I didn't expect to ever be
a challenge winner,
to be there on the first week.
I've just got to try and keep it up.
Absolutely fair
comments from the judges.
I thought, "Oh!"
Yeah, it didn't look great.
I don't think I'll ever do enough
to impress them judges!
One pattern,
eight completely different skirts.
And now it's time
for the next challenge.
They don't have to make
something from scratch this time.
We went out
and bought eight simple tops.
All our sewers have to do
is transform them.
But here's the problem - they've
only got 60 minutes to do it in.
You've all got one of these tops
and we'd like you to alter
and cut into the neckline, please.
You can make a V-neck, sweetheart,
scallop edge.
Whatever it is, you will have
one hour for this task.
So, go, alter, cut. Good luck.
There are no instructions
with this challenge,
just a neckline that needs altering.
When you're given a challenge
with something so wide open
you could do anything to it,
then it's difficult to try and narrow
it down and know what's best to do.
May and Patrick will be
looking for good ideas,
creativity and a neat finish.
The top should be easy to work with
as it's made from a
wrinkled seersucker cotton.
If you're interested,
seersucker gets its name
from a Persian word
meaning "milk and sugar."
Totally out of my comfort zone again!
I've got an idea for what
I want to do
and I just want to make sure
that my execution is better.
It's all going on up here. Yeah.
I think I'm going to give it
an edging of that broderie anglaise,
threaded through with
that little narrow ribbon.
Broderie anglaise literally
means "English embroidery"
and is a lace-patterned fabric
that has been used to finish
sleeves and collars since the 1820s.
I think it is going to be
quite fiddly,
but I'm sort of working it
out in my head as I go along.
Jane's going for something
a little less delicate.
I've cut in
an inch and a half lower.
Then, I'm going to attach this wild
and wacky stuff round like that.
Hopefully!
40 minutes remaining to
alter a neckline.
Nothing like a little
bit of pressure! Good for the heart.
Michelle is going for
a square neckline
with a lace panel insertion.
I just have to detach
the seam from here
and see if I can bring it down
to get box edges here.
But we shall see. We shall see.
Mark's playing it safe
with a simple V-neck.
The neckline will be very similar
but it'll just drop down slightly,
because in the time we've got,
it's not a lot of time.
Sandra's using a classic technique -
facing.
I'm making the neckline
up as I go along.
It's a neckline
I think I've seen in magazines.
Sandra is adding
a floral fabric border.
She cuts her neckline
into a scallop shape,
she sews the border and neckline
together along the raw edge and
then she turns the border out and
stitches it to the front of the top.
This should both decorate
and reinforce the alteration.
My eldest daughter,
she's a nightmare.
She's always bringing me
loads of alterations.
I think she thinks
that's my first job!
I'm a little bit disheartened
after the last challenge,
so I'm just going to try
and pick it up now and show them
what I can do, so I'm going to,
rather than just sticking things on,
I'm going to very quickly
draft a collar and see what happens.
Totally different ideas.
Isn't that interesting?
Incredible creativity coming out.
Really surprising.
I'm going to say out loud now that
I would like to buy Ann's shirt.
Beautiful. I think it's a great idea
and sufficiently intricate,
I think it can be done in the time.
I also think if Tilly
executes her collar,
that could look extremely,
extremely effective.
I think it will make a substantial
difference to the garment.
What about our floral
pattern lover over there, Sandra?
I think that's going to be good,
providing she doesn't stretch
the scallops out of shape.
Is a scallop, is that...?
I'm not a lover of the scallop.
Even if it's done well,
I'm not a big fan.
Sewers, you are halfway through.
30 minutes left.
Time is ticking, oh, my God!
Most of the sewers have chosen to
encase the raw edges
of their altered neckline
with a ribbon of material
known as binding.
This is folded around the new shape
and is usually secured with a neat
line of top stitching.
I've not got anything to fix it
if it's wrong.
The ribbon that I'm using is
a little bit slippy,
so it keeps moving under the foot.
I'm trying to keep stitching
as straight as I possibly can.
I don't know how even I've got it
till I turn it the right way.
Oh, God! Goodness, I've sewn it on
the wrong why! Yes, you have. Yes.
Oh, my word!
Sandra has sewn her facing on
back to front,
so when she turns it out,
the wrong side of her floral
fabric will be on display.
Sandra's made what we call in the
tailoring world "a bit of pork."
Which is, she's made a pretty
fundamental mistake.
So now she's busy cutting it away,
and she's got to restitch it.
Once she's cut it away you've
lengthened all that seam.
So we could end up with a raw edge,
with an edge that is
completely un-neat.
You are not going to like that, May?
No, not going to like it at all.
A raw edge and you... No. Finished.
I might have come
top of the last challenge
but I think I'll be
bottom of this one.
Everybody, you have 20 minutes left.
It's a bit of a disaster
and I've lost one of my collar
pieces as well. Is it gone?
I'm adding a little gathered rose
to the front of the neck.
But my hands are very sweaty,
so it's a little difficult
to pull the needle through.
I can't keep doing this.
I'm almost there, actually.
I'm just going to play around
with the bow
that I'm going to put on the front.
It's there! Got it!
I really should have
learned from the last task,
where I tried to impress
the judges by adding pockets,
and then what happened was it
completely distorted the shape.
I've probably just made the same
mistake twice.
Having cut out her first attempt,
Sandra has to make the best of what
she's got left of the neckline.
So, she's going to decorate it with
strips of the floral print.
If I can just get it top stitched
on, it'll be a bonus.
I don't think it looks right.
I think it looks a bit ridiculous
but it'll give everybody something
to smile about, won't it?
Sewers, you have ten minutes
left on this alteration challenge.
As soon as that time pressure
came on
we saw a couple of massive clangers.
I think that Tilly was
a little over ambitious.
She gave herself a pattern drafting
challenge as well as making
the collar before it went onto her
top. A lot to achieve in an hour.
Conversely, I think Mark undertook
something really quite
straightforward in an attempt,
I think, to bring himself back
from a slightly shaky start.
Sandra really dropped
the ball in a quite substantial way.
I don't know
whether it's going to lie right,
whether it's going to look right.
It'll take something quite
special to come back from that
without it looking
really a bit weird.
(You haven't got a gin
and tonic in your bag, have you?)
(I do not have a gin
and tonic in my bag. Good luck.)
The finish on Ann's garment is
exquisite, it's beautiful.
She set herself a task that was
manageable within the time
and she has done it superbly.
OK, can everybody stop sewing,
please?
Put your tops on your mannequins
and put them
at the end of your sewing desks.
Every stitch of every neckline will
now be inspected by May and Patrick.
You've balanced the weight of fabric
with the fabric that you're
altering of the blouse,
so it doesn't overpower.
It's very dainty.
I think you needed to make this
notch just a little bit smaller,
cos it's just a little bit too
big for the loop,
and you don't want to make
the loop big.
The loop's the right size, but just
having that a little bit smaller,
cos what it's done is it's
dragging it across the bust there.
But I am being super picky.
Otherwise, you've actually done
a terrifically neat job.
Because this is square, I think
if you'd just squared off the top
of that and maybe just pleated
that in, just cos you've got a
bit of a round attached to a square.
Just be careful that you
don't pull things out of shape
when you're changing necklines.
You've just got a little
bit of puckering.
I like the rose - you've clearly
done that before. Yes.
It's sitting very nicely.
I'm not even sure
whether it's a V or a round.
It's looking a little ragged.
If you stand over there,
it looks pretty cool.
It's good from afar... Yes.
..but far from good.
Ann's neckline is exquisite.
Probably one of the simplest
techniques in the room.
It was a straight lace
and you've shaped it beautifully to
sit on the neckline,
threading this ribbon through
and putting on a bow.
You clearly were
up against it time-wise.
We could see the fear in your eyes
as you were getting towards
the final stages there. I might have
made them just a fraction deeper.
They do look a little bit mean.
You've actually got to stand back
and think,
"What can I do in the time?
What can I do well?"
You have stretched
the neckline out of shape.
You've lost your continuity,
so that you've got a wider bit
up there,
you've got a narrow bit down there,
so it doesn't flow nicely round
the neckline.
It looks very messy, doesn't it? Mm.
I mean, it really hasn't gone
very well, has it?
But you're not mad for scallop edge?
I mean, I wasn't
mad for it in the first place,
I'm less mad for it now!
What a brilliant first day of
sewing. Go home, get some rest,
we'll see you very early tomorrow.
The day, as a whole,
I've come from top to bottom.
So, it's a bit of half and half.
Today was harder than I expected.
I knew that time would be an issue
but it really did fluster me,
so I think that's something that
I just need to try and get used to.
I was happy to have pulled it back
a little
and hopefully I'll be able
to continue that tomorrow.
# Everybody
# Loves a lover
# I'm a lover... #
One more garment to make,
after which, two people will be
leaving the sewing bee.
So who's in trouble, May?
Mark's in trouble.
His skirt was adequate,
his neckline was appalling.
I think Stuart's in a bit
of difficulty.
We're looking
here for exceptional sewers.
I want to quiz you about Tilly.
She keeps pushing the bar too far,
adding in things that she hasn't got
time to do. She's over ambitious?
She's over ambitious
and she really, really needs to
complete this challenge well.
Are you ready to have
everything turn around?
It could turn on
this challenge today.
I want Mark to blow your mind
and win and be crowned
and we carry him through the
streets of Dalston in a sedan chair.
He'd have to do a really amazing job.
Maybe he could make his own
sedan chair? Love it.
For their final challenge,
the mannequins are gone.
Wow!
This time, they're making
clothes for real people
and each sewer has their own model.
Susan. I'm Ann. Hello!
Welcome back to the sewing room.
Today, it's the big one.
The judges want you all
to create a casual dress.
The judges are looking for excellent
fit and excellent finish.
You have seven hours.
Your time starts now.
It's time to find out
if our sewers can make
a made-to-measure dress
fit a real person perfectly.
Almost empire line,
so it nips in here.
They've chosen their pattern
and their fabric
and have practiced at home,
but this is the first time they've
seen who they must fit the dress to.
Those patterns are designed
to fit a standard form
and with the best will in the world,
not any one of these models
are a standard form.
Some have sloping shoulders,
some have very square shoulders,
some have rounded backs.
All of these postural changes
are not on those patterns,
so they have to take those patterns
and know how to manipulate it.
I'm going to go bust first. OK, fine.
It's a starting point, the bust line
on a woman. What is the bust line?
Is it midway?
Round across the n*pples. Right.
And that's the fullest
part of the bust.
You haven't seen mine, love! All
right, look, Sandra's doing waist?
Waist, seat. Bust, waist and hips.
But Ann is taking measurements
from almost 20 more points...
Can you just do that with your arms?
Yes.
..to ensure the perfect
fit for her model.
I make my own clothes for me and it's
years since I made for anybody else.
Ann has chosen to make a round neck
shift dress
with a contrasting front
panel from a crepe wool -
a material that was first
fashionable in the 1930s.
Mother sewed her ordinary clothes.
She had a dressmaker
who made her best clothes.
I can remember her being very
disparaging about people who
bought clothes off-the-peg. It was
not the done thing in those days.
So, I mean, I was brought up in a
family where clothes made-to-measure
were an absolute standard.
Head up. Yet again,
Tilly has drafted her own pattern.
I've drawn the pattern on Swedish
tracing paper.
It's woven,
so you can stitch it if you want to
and you can use it to check
the fit on the model.
Tilly's making a vintage style
scalloped neck dress
in red raw silk.
There are lots of different
approaches to doing this
and this is a good one.
So, fairly happy with that,
but I need to do a little more
smooshing and... Sorry, Natalie!
There might be an extra dart needed
somewhere in there.
You can see where the fullness is
and it's sitting away.
I'm just going to try my best
with this, so, we'll see.
Yeah, good. All right. Thank you.
He says there's another dart
needed and I've got no idea where!
Where was he looking?
What measurements did you take? The
bust, the waist and the hips. OK.
And have you made any adjustments to
the pattern? No, not yet, no.
Do you feel confident that this
pattern will fit her? Yes.
What I'm going to do is do
the basic pattern,
stitch the shoulders,
and then fit it down the side.
And if it all goes wrong,
I can only blame myself.
You certainly can, you certainly can!
Mark is making a round neck shift
dress from a cotton,
with blue and white polka dot
side panels and waistband.
Dresses aren't my thing.
If I make something,
I normally make it for myself,
so I know it's going to fit.
I chose this sort of fabric.
It's got a slight stretch to it,
gives you a little bit more
room for error, and also my wife
helped me choose somewhat!
My wife's got her own sewing
machine, I've got a sewing machine.
We sit in the living room,
watch the TV, and sew.
I suppose it saves arguing.
# Hold me close... #
Once the sewers are confident
they've managed to adapt
their patterns to fit their models,
they can begin cutting their fabric.
Many moons ago,
I made a wedding dress.
And I vowed I'd never make
another one.
That Christmas, we didn't have
Christmas dinner on the table
because of this wedding dress.
They're divorced now.
I absolutely adore this fabric.
It's very modern and very striking
but it's an elegant fabric,
so I'm enjoying working with it.
Stuart is making an empire line
dress with a pleated skirt.
I'm hoping that the thing
that will impress the judges
is the improved finish
that I give to the garment.
It's lovely, this is,
for a real person.
The downside, of course, is that she
might say she doesn't like it!
I think it's really interesting to
see the change in the atmosphere
in the room now that they've got
models standing next to them.
Stuart seems much happier with
the... He's chatting.
..emotional support.
I'm really interested to see how
that pattern works out.
It's hard because it's a big repeat.
It's a big repeat and it's going to
be all over the place, isn't it?
He's made a rod for his own back
there, if he's not careful.
That's your back piece.
Michelle has set herself
the hardest task out of everyone.
Oh, my gosh.
The stress is weighing.
She is attempting to make
a dress that is reversible.
Take your time, Michelle,
take your time. It's fine.
That's what Grandma would have said.
The floral side of Michelle's wrap
dress will be made out of pure silk.
The reverse, a navy blue polyester.
It's not going to
be as demanding a fit,
I think, as some of the other
garments, which is to her advantage.
But it has got a very long,
straight front edge which, again,
is always a bit of a giveaway.
If she doesn't get
the balance quite right,
that front edge will be
a real standout.
Just looking from a distance, she has
got very slippery, slidy fabric.
I think the blue is a bit crisper
and a bit more stable
so she has got the challenge of
dealing with those two back-to-back.
There are just four hours left to
deliver a made-to-measure dress.
Each week on
The Great British Sewing Bee,
we give you a step-by-step guide
on how to make something lovely
and simple and
gorgeous for the home.
This week it is
the turn of the laundry bag.
Start by cutting out
four pieces of fabric -
two for the front and back
and two for the side panels.
Sew along the side seam
so you have a rectangular tube.
Hem the opening and create
a channel for the drawstring.
Cut an additional piece
to fit the base
and stitch onto
the bottom of your tube.
Cut out two strips of fabric
for your drawstrings
and snip off the ends
at a 45 degree angle.
Feed the cut strips through
a bias binding maker.
Then stitch all along the edge.
Repeat for the other drawstring.
Use a large safety pin to thread
one end of the drawstring
through the channel.
Repeat with the other drawstring
and knot the ends
and your laundry bag
is ready to be used.
The sewers are halfway through
their final challenge but suddenly
Jane has been taken ill and has
had to leave the sewing room.
As I was stood just doing
some ironing I turned round
and noticed that, you know,
Jane just didn't look herself.
Let's talk about Jane.
She felt unwell. She's left.
At the end of today, you were going
to ask to people to go home.
We will be sending one person home
today and Jane will be coming
back into the competition if
she is well enough next week.
OK, you have two hours left.
That's two hours.
I can see that one of my competitors
has an actual dress on an actual
model and I haven't even constructed
any pieces properly yet.
With a loosely construct
dress on their model...
And breathe in.
..the sewers can see which
seams need to be adjusted...
Can you turn round?
..to create the perfect fit
May and Patrick are looking for.
Mark, we were really worried
about him fitting his model
because he didn't fit her
at the beginning.
How does that feel?
He did lots and lots
of the dressmaking processes,
joined the shoulders together
and slipped it over his model
and it doesn't look a bad fit.
When you actually see your work,
and somebody else,
it gives you a sense of
satisfaction.
The moment of truth.
I've got to ask you about Tilly.
How is she doing?
The model she's got
has a very full chest.
She has got a very
fitted bodice
so she has had to do
a lot of extra work.
She has had to put additional
darts into the pattern that
weren't in there originally,
just to get that shape in.
Let's talk about Stewart.
He has got a pattern issue.
If you use a big
design on your fabric,
you have got to make sure
it flows through the garment.
Even if he didn't match it
through the waistband,
and obviously you can't match
it through the pleats,
it needed to start in the middle
right at the top.
You will look at it
and the first thing that comes
to your eyes is half a lantern
wedged halfway up a V.
If you can just hold your hair up
and then I can see how
the shoulder sits on you.
Michelle looks like
she is in real danger
of not finishing this
challenge at all.
It looks a bit on
the big side but we'll see.
She has got to deal with the problem
of joining two very different
fabrics. She is yet to
put the thing together.
She is going to have a real job.
All I need to do now
is attach it to the silk.
I don't have to fit it.
I've done all the adjustments.
This morning was spent with
loads and loads of prep.
I don't need to do the prep now
because I've got the garment. Yes.
One hour to go.
Just enough time to embellish
the dresses to make them stand out.
No dress is complete without
a bit of prettiness, is it?
Well, as long as you have got
the plain bit to
flatter your figure.
You're being true to
yourself and you like it
and that's exactly the important
thing there. I'd wear it.
I'd have to lose a few
pounds for a size 12.
Sandra is making a denim
tailored shirt dress.
Her floral fabric will form
the cuffs and the collar.
I'm just trimming round the edge
of the collar where I've sewn.
I'm trimming a lot
closer to the point
cos I want to chop as much
bulk off as I can.
When I push it through,
you want it as sharp as you can.
You see that's a little
bit rounded there.
I'm going to trim that
a bit more down there.
So I've trimmed
all the inside there
and I'm just turning it through.
I'm happy with that.
I keep having a quick look round
at everyone else and thinking,
"I'm not safe here.
I'm not safe."
Mark is planning to finish
his dress with cap sleeves.
It's not going on very well.
To put a sleeve on, yeah,
it is quite tricky
cos as you're sewing it,
you've got a slight angle to
go around so therefore you've got
a chance of puckering
the fabric as you're going.
And if you pucker the fabric,
when you turn it the right way
round, you're going to end up
with little darts and puckers
all the way down the seams.
That is where the fabric's
just not caught properly
so what I'm going to do is
just pull the sleeve back
and just take the seam there
so it actually catches it inside.
Finishing Michelle's
reversible dress might not
be as straightforward
as she had hoped.
I have encountered a few issues.
Mainly, you just can't overwork
the silk. It is so fragile.
Her silk has stretched and
is no longer the same size or
shape as the blue dress
it needs to match.
If it is overstretched
then it's going to spoil the
whole effect of the reversible
dress thing so I'm just going to
shrink it down with
a bit of steam to the desired...
The desired length.
I really have no idea whether it
is going to be good enough to
keep me in because I haven't dared
look at what everyone else has made.
Tilly is still adjusting her bodice.
I spent a long time doing fitting
but that is what they are
looking for - a good fit.
I am really behind but
I knew this would happen
so I gave myself a sort of
contingency 40 minutes.
OK, everyone,
you have half an hour left.
Sod it, then, just do my own thing.
I would have liked to have spent
a little bit more time on the hem.
I think it will do.
I can live with that.
I am just pinning the trim that
is going to make the dress,
that's going to accent the dress.
I am pinning that to
both layers of fabric.
I am trying to remain calm
because I am hand stitching.
The last thing you want to do
when you're hand stitching is panic.
How long have we got left? About
20 minutes? I might just manage it.
Just this little edge
to sew down and that's it.
My hands are going a little bit shaky
but I am just trying to remain calm.
I have a herbal tea in front of me.
I'm trying to pretend I've
got the music on
and I'm just sitting at home
on a Sunday afternoon.
You have got 15 minutes.
Are you going to be fine?
I don't know, Claudia.
I am just doing
a final, final press.
I have got it the wrong way.
I'm coming out again. Coming out,
coming out, coming out.
Just forget the complete basics
under so much pressure.
Like which way to stitch.
And a last-minute
inspection to see that
I have got no bits of
tacking thread anywhere.
My needle's stuck in my dress.
What's on the inside isn't bad.
I'm just trimming off
all the straggly ends.
We're there.
OK, that is the end
of the challenge.
You have to stop what you're doing.
Oh, is it? Please, this minute.
And please put the dress
on your model. That is the end.
Overall, I am really
proud of myself that
I finished a dress in seven hours.
I've never done that before
and it doesn't look too bad.
I think I should just call myself
the polyester girl cos I'm never
going to work with silk ever again
because it's been a nightmare.
I've never made a dress before
so I've not done bad.
I know that I did
a better job than yesterday
and that's all I want them to say.
Ann, please come forward
with your dress.
It's simple but it's very bold.
The combination of colours
is really good.
I mean, it's just an elegant
piece of clothing. Thank you.
Gorgeous zip insertion and
a lovely kick pleat at the back.
Did you fit the sleeve
to that length? Yes.
I mean, if it was me, I honestly
would have just finished it
fractionally above the
crease in the elbow.
Either finish it below or above
but it's just in that kind of
no man's land in between.
The balance is a little bit off.
If you look at the
dress from the side,
it looks like it's
running up to the front.
It looks like it's
just tilting backwards.
That's what we mean by balance.
I think if we lift it here,
you should see that bottom hem
straighten. What it is doing...
Not only doing it
to that bottom hem,
it's doing it to
this waistband here.
It's making that
run up at the front.
The pattern should run from the
bodice, through the band. Absolutely.
The centre back seam. Can you see how
we've split the pattern again?
That centre back seam
should be whole shapes.
You shouldn't be able to see
where the two pattern pieces join.
This piping this really
beautifully neat
and actually you've done
a terrific job on that.
That's difficult to do and you've
ex*cuted it really extremely well.
There's a few issues on the fit.
You're squashing her bust a bit.
She does look squashed in,
doesn't she?
And your bust darts are
a little bit too high.
The fit is really, really good.
These lines come down
beautifully over the bust
and also the back
is fitting really well.
This contrast collar
stands out beautifully
and this is very well ex*cuted.
The shaping on the bodice
is too baggy here.
We've got too much fabric here.
If you'd have taken out
a bit more in the darts,
you could have actually
fitted all of that out.
Can you see the surplus here? It's
complicated geometry in there.
It's taking flat pieces
and working them
into a very complicated
three-dimensional shape.
I think, you've got
slightly the same issue as Stewart.
Just a little bit of balance
but not to quite the same extent.
I think if we didn't have
the slip underneath I think
we would be looking at a dress
that is almost a bit indecent.
This, to me, looks as if it has
either stretched or perhaps needs
to be fitted slightly better.
No, it still doesn't...
Can you see how it is not sitting
closely to the model?
I also think this neck
is sitting a little high.
If that was me, that is too close.
But will Michelle's dress work
better on the reverse side?
I wondered whether it would
be less obvious this side
because this wasn't the side
you had stretched out.
It could have looked better this
side than the other but it doesn't.
It's a shame because it
is really pretty idea, actually.
I think you've pulled off
a bit of a coup here.
We were talking earlier
on about the process you
followed for fitting this dress.
It wasn't as methodical as one or
two of your fellow sewers here
but, actually, I think this is
visually very arresting,
it's two materials but they
complement each other beautifully.
It is pretty perfectly in balance.
That bottom hem runs
very horizontally.
There is no drag across the bust,
the waist is sitting nicely.
Lovely little sleeves. I like
that touch. My only criticism,
we've got a little bit of buckling
down the back of the zip.
But your fourth zip? Yeah.
Across this band, you have got
the spots right on the edge.
That spot of those three is
sitting right in the centre there.
That's the sort of execution on
pattern that we are talking about.
Mark, thank you very much. Well
done. That was a huge challenge.
Please go, relax.
The judges are now going to decide
who stays and who goes home.
I was really surprised to hear such
nice comments from the judges.
I think I impressed them slightly.
Perhaps it could have been
looked at in a more favourable light
but they are judges
and it is their job to judge.
I am having a really,
really great time here
so it would be really nice
to come back.
Very likely that this will be
it for me. But I'm fine with that.
Absolutely fine.
The challenge today, the competition
has just turned itself on its head.
The dresses have really changed
our view of our competitors.
Having been sitting here for
an extra day, the nerves have
calmed and things have changed
and, you know, maybe if you have a
bad day, you think, "Well, no,
I have got nothing to lose here,"
and you relax and you actually start
to sew to your true potential.
I am having a real job deciding
who should leave. Go on. Between?
Michelle and her dress.
It's hard to understand how the
person that did this has done this.
It is basically unwearable.
Tilly's issue comes
from the shape of the model.
I hated the extra fullness
round the bust here.
I went in this morning thinking,
"Stewart's in a bit
of trouble here."
You know, we said a lot
about the pattern matching.
We know that is not right.
I think he knows that now
and I don't think he will ever
do it again in his life.
So, you have got your decision?
Yeah. Let's bring them in.
So, first thing to say is thank you
so much for the last two days.
You have all worked incredibly hard.
Every week, the judges are
going to choose a best piece.
Just a beautiful thing that
made them want to do roly-polies
and star jumps.
There were three pieces that
really stood out for us this week.
Two of them were by Ann.
Your day dress
and your altered top yesterday
and the third one was Mark's.
Your day dress today was
really something special.
We chose this one because it looked
fantastic on the model.
It was a knockout.
Well done, Mark. Well done.
Well done. OK, now comes
the horrible bit.
Somebody has got to leave.
And I promise you it was
a really closely run thing.
The person who is leaving
the sewing room is...
..it's Michelle.
I'm all right. I've got loads
of good things to go home to
so it's all right.
I'm going home to my baby.
I'm a bit sad, obviously,
but I know I did my best.
She had the pattern,
she bought the material,
she practised the dress in advance
but, sadly, it went wrong.
It was a really tough decision.
It's disappointing because
I think she's a great sewer.
She's really got technical ability
there. She just overstretched.
Unfortunately for her,
it has let her down.
Good and happy sewing for you
and your baby. Yes? Yeah.
It should have been me.
No. Don't say that.
I am absolutely
shocked by the results.
I was so ready for them
to call out my name
and I had completely come
to terms with it.
Double gin tonight.
You're not kidding.
I suspect I am on
a sort of final warning.
I hope it inspires the people
watching this to get
Grandma's old sewing machine
out of the cupboard and try
and make something and then go out
and walk around in it.
At the next sewing bee...
What can you see, Sandra?
We have got a seam at the back.
..the home sewers make a pair
of trousers in just four hours...
Just an excuse to look at his bum.
..customise a high street
skirt in 60 minutes.
That is a lovely pocket.
..and tailor... Geronimo.
..a perfectly fitting blouse.
Oh, no.
But who will create the garment
of the week?
The pressure's on and some of
these blouses are not together yet.
And which two sewers...
It's all gone a bit Pete Tong.
..will have to leave the contest?
This could be it for me.
This could be it.
I think you could have
been more ambitious
and I think we'll leave it
at that. Thank you.
Feeling ready to sharpen
up your sewing skills?
to find tips and ideas
featured in the series.
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01x01 - A-Line Skirt, Neckline and Casual Dress
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Amateur sewers take on challenges as they compete to be named Britain's best home sewer.
Amateur sewers take on challenges as they compete to be named Britain's best home sewer.