01x04 - Man's Shirt, Evening Bag and Evening Dress

[bunniefuu]

It's the final. We've gone from
A-line skirts to tailored jackets

to those beautiful
little girls' dresses.

We started with eight sewers.
We're now down to the final three.

Four weeks ago... I'm just about
to put the needle to the fabric.

..a group of talented people
came together...

Have you made an A-line skirt
before?

I've never made a skirt before,
Claudia, A-line or otherwise.

..from right across Britain...

This is the third zip
I've ever done in my life.

..in a quest to win the title
of the country's best home sewer.

The fabric's got a mind of its own,

so I'm having to speak to it
very, very firmly.

Ring-a-ding-ding!

Each week judges Patrick Grant...

Do they work? Have a go.
Oh, that's a lovely pocket.

..and May Martin...

You've got a little hole in
the bottom - a bit of ventilation!

..tested the sewers' ability
to follow a pattern...

You've got the fly
the wrong way round.

But it's opposite to me!

..radically alter
an item of clothing...

This is adventurous, Stuart!
It is, it is! God loves a trier.

..and construct a made-to-measure
garment from scratch.

Oh, no. This is a mess.

No, it's good. Who's on
the model? I'm not looking.

Now, Lauren, Sandra and Ann have
made it through to the final,

where they face
the most complex pattern yet.

There is no place to hide.

For the first time,
their hand-sewing skills are
put to the test.

I can't even see the stitching
on that.

And as a finale, they must create...
That's not a bad fit.

Oh, Geronimo!
..a spectacular evening dress.

Our three finalists now face
the toughest challenges of all

and after that, only one will walk
away with the Sewing Bee trophy.

Two days of intense sewing await
Lauren, Ann and Sandra,

as they enter the sewing room
for the final.

Their hard work
over the last four weeks
has been leading up to this moment.

Lauren's been consistently ambitious

but has also shown she can master
the most delicate tasks.

I mean, this is just
exemplary handling skills.

I'll fight for it.
I'll do whatever I can

because I really want it now.

Ann has been very disciplined, never
setting herself unachievable goals.

Ann's neckline is exquisite.

And always finishing
to a very high standard.

Of course I'd like to win.

I've been thinking about it
absolutely all the time this week.

Sandra has produced some of the most
complex garments of the competition

and has shown herself to be
a natural with the needle.

I love the topstitching round here.

When you think about walking away
with the title, it's overwhelming.

Lauren and Ann just creep into
the back of your mind every time.

They're just there like an echo.

Sewers, do you want to come up
and join us at the cutting table?

Welcome back to the Sewing Bee
for the final.

We're very happy it's you.
Don't tell the others!

But your first challenge is
to follow a pattern.

The judges would like you to make
a man's shirt.

You must be joking!
I'm terribly sorry, Ann.

We were worried about that reaction.

You've got four hours.
The time starts now.

I'm trying to look for something
that's quite lightweight

and something that's plain
would be good,

because then I don't need to worry
about stripes or this kind of thing.

I just like the colour.
I'm presuming it's linen.

I like working with...
I like working with linen.

I'm checking through the pattern,
seeing what procedure they've done,

just before I choose the fabric.

The pattern for this classic
man's shirt is made up nine pieces.

The two sections for the front will
be hemmed for the buttons
and the buttonholes.

The back section is sandwiched
with a yoke on either side

to strengthen it
across the shoulders.

A two-piece collar is attached
at the neck

and the sleeve sections are fitted
into the arm holes.

There are a number of complicated
construction challenges

within a man's shirt.

All of these rows of stitching need
to be straight, even stitches,

a real test of their accuracy
and consistency.

This is a seriously difficult
challenge

and really,
there is no place to hide.

Ann has already got all
the pattern pieces pinned on

and has started cutting out.

I've made shirts for myself,
probably one every year.

I'm much more used to doing
women's clothes

but a woman's shirt
and a man's shirt are the same,

except
they're slightly different shapes.

I'm just relieved that we haven't got
cuffs and a cuff opening to do

because that's really time consuming.

Since last week Ann has done little
else but practise for the final.

If she is nervous at all,
she's absolutely not letting on.

I think if she won,
she'd be so proud of herself,

the fact that after all these years
of sewing,

it's been recognised
that actually she's pretty good.

Do you know,
I haven't really got used to the idea
that it is "the final".

So those words are going to the back
of my head

and this is what
we're going to do next.

With half an hour gone, Ann is ready
to make the button stands,

which are the hems that run down
the centre front of the shirt.

"Press front edges under on fold."

Which is that line.

"Then turn towards inside
and stitch close to the edge." Yes.

I'm just doing the topstitching
on the front where the buttons go.

The topstitching along the edge
of the button stand

has to be neat and parallel
to give the shirt a smart finish.

It's got to be straight because it's
the first thing they'll look for.

No.

Now, where I've topstitched that down
it hasn't quite caught it underneath,

so I'm going to unpick that.

Where's the lamp gone?

SANDRA: It's the final
and I'm scared that if I'm not fussy,

that's what they'll pick up on.

At the moment I'm still
just on the first instruction,

so really I need to make sure
that this is all straight.

Those guys are sewing already.

This is not reassuring.

For former physiotherapist Lauren,
taking part in the Sewing Bee

has been about helping her pursue
a new career in sewing.

Winning is important to me because
everything that I've studied for
before, I've trained for,

hasn't been anything to do with
creativity

and that's my real passion.

She puts her heart into it

and when she does that,
I know that she does really well.

And so the fact that she's
in the final is no surprise.

And this will just be confirmation
that she is amazing

and she needs to recognise that.

Yeah, I know my family will be
thinking about me now,

desperate to know what I've been
asked to do, my mum especially.

I was talking to her about,
"What could it be?
What could they give us?"

And I said, "I wonder if
they'll give us a man's shirt?"

And she's like, "Nah, it'll take
too long to make a man's shirt.

"They won't give you that.
Don't worry."

Here I am, whipping one up.

The yoke is a piece that goes across
the back of the shirt

and it provides support
at the shoulders.

The yoke is a complicated part
of the shirt to construct,

so Ann is taking care to line up
the three pieces before
putting it under the machine.

I'm pinning one piece on
to one side of the shirt

and then I turn the shirt over

and I pin the other piece
to the other side of the shirt.

But Sandra is going
one step further.

I'm just going to tack it in place.
If I just pin it, it's going to slip.

I'm trying to be as precise as I can

because I know as the clock ticks
towards finishing,

it gets a little bit racy
and a little bit rough.

So what are you going to have for tea
tomorrow when I'm not here?

Takeaway.

It's probably the biggest experience
she's ever had in her life.

It's the biggest thing she's done
on her own and for herself

because everything Mum's ever done,
she's done for us
or for somebody else.

To get as far as this,
she's got to have something.

'She can win. She's really good.

'She doesn't believe
she's really good but she is.'

I think it's changed me inside
from when I first started.

It makes you register what you really
want to do with your life.

I have made a shirt before.
Not a men's shirt.

I've done a boy's shirt,
which is similar,

but I've done blouses and things, so,
yeah, I'm OK with it, I think.

Everyone, you've had one hour.
One hour has gone.

Sh! I'll tell them.

"Topstitch front yokes
close to joining seams."

While Sandra and Ann have sewn
their yokes together,

Lauren is having problems.

Ah!

I think I made a mistake. I've
topstitched too many layers together.

So they've got to come out.
I need to try and focus.

If I start panicking,
things are going to get worse
than they already are.

Lauren makes a second attempt
at sandwiching her yoke together.

I'm feeling behind right now

and I'm feeling like I don't know
what I'm doing and the others do

and they're just storming off.

Right. I'm back on, back on track.

You're doing your yokes.
Have you done this before?

No. I've not done any of this before.

That unpicker has taken
a battering today, hasn't it?

I know.

Oh, I've just thought
of something else. Don't worry. What?

My stitch is too long.
I'm still on a basting size stitch.

It's not even funny any more.
I can't believe I've picked this out
so many times.

Lauren has made the mistake
of leaving the machine
on a long basting stitch,

which is used to temporarily hold
tow pieces of fabric together.

When you do the final topstitching,
it has to be on a small stitch.

In a rush, she had just forgotten
to dial the machine up

and that's that - it has
to come out, has to be sewn again.

So - tough.

Everyone, you have two hours left.
Two hours.

SANDRA: I don't know where
everybody else is.

I just want to get as much done
in the time we've got.

If I could get my sleeves in,
I'd be over the moon.

This is a sleeve.

We've got a larger area here
than we have here.

What they have to do is

ease all of that extra cloth in
evenly throughout the shoulder.

But how do you do that?
You're just taking the cloth

and very carefully
making little dimples,

which when you sew them,
get smoothed flat

and all of that is
gathered together.

So that's been perfectly done.

Laid in and topstitched round
and it's absolutely flush.

Ann, did your sleeve...?
Ann? I beg your pardon?

Did you get your sleeve to fit in OK?
Yes. Yeah, no problem.

Yeah? They have to ease a bit
but not much.

Why, are yours too big?
Uh-huh.

Far too big.

Hello. You don't look happy.
No, I'm not.

Just trying to ease it in
is difficult.

Like, this is a disaster area
over here.

Right, that's one in. OK, good girl.
Let's go, let's go.

That is lovely and steady.
Are you all right? Yeah.

Just lining it up. Yeah?

Oh! No? Pucker.
May doesn't like puckers.

She doesn't like puckers,
she doesn't like tucks.

I would really love to win but those
guys are just... They're good.

It's so complicated.

Sewers, you have one hour left.
That's one hour left.

The collar of the shirt is one thing
which can't be rushed.

I think the collar is definitely
the most important bit.

If I was May or Patrick,
that's what I'd be looking at.

To get a really sharp collar
all the bulk on the inside
must be trimmed away

before the points are turned out.

You have to be really careful.

One good poke and, you know -

I've gone through the tips of collars
that many times.

ANN: This is a blunt pair of forceps
that I use.

Those came from a great aunt of mine
who qualified in medicine

in the 19th century

and they push that corner out
really well.

OK, there we are.

I'm just trying to do my collar
at the moment.

"Trim seams." I've done that. "Turn
collar band to right side and press."

I need to try and press
this wee bit now.

I basically want this to be
on the top, that to be like there.

SHE GROWLS

This is just a nightmare.

I'm just neatening these side seams.

I'm doing it with the overlocker.

I probably would always use
an overlock on this sort of seam.

Using an overlocker is
a quick and easy way

of cutting and enclosing
the raw edges of the fabric
at the same time.

Sandra is using a more classic
but time-consuming method instead.

I just wanted to do French seams
down the sleeves.

Check you out! But I don't know if
I'm... Are you going to have time?
I don't know.

Always the optimist.
I could have overlocked it.

But I've never seen a man's shirt
that's been overlocked.

Half an hour to go
and the last additions to the shirt

are the buttons and buttonholes.

The buttonhole itself,
they are going to do on the machine.

It sews a line of stitching
on either side and they'll cut it.

What they have to do by hand is
make sure that the buttonholes are
in the right position

and also, that the buttons
and the buttonholes are
at exactly the same distance

because if they're too far apart,
it can stretch it tight

and if they're too close,
you'll see a buckle.

I had a bit of a problem with
the tension in the buttonholes

but I've got the hang of it now.

There is in fact another buttonhole
to do at the neck

and I'm not sure how it's going
to cope with this one

because it's on the very thick fabric
at the neckline.

A very, very taut buttonhole.

It got stuck. I'm just going to
unpick it and do it again.

Ah, OK.

Yes, and it's worked. Fine.

Oh! It just does not like this bit
of my shirt at all.

It got stuck again.

Right, third time lucky.

MACHINE STOPS

Success.

Have I got to do everything
three times today before it works?
Is that the story?

I don't have good news.
You only have 15 minutes left.

I think if he had a madwoman ripping
his shirt off,

she wouldn't have a lot of trouble
with how many stitches there are
on these buttons.

I think towards the end
there is a rush to finish

and I guess things get
a bit slipshod.

I'm just hemming the bottom
of my shirt.

She is focused. You're like Rocky.

Where's my...? Where's my pencil?
Where's my pencil?

Girls, you've got two minutes left
to get your shirts
on your mannequins.

Tell me when we've got a minute.

That's not good enough for a final.

I think everybody's very close
to finishing.

I think Ann might have finished.
I'm scared to look round.

Yes, see what I mean?

Three, two, one.

Lauren, iron down. No steam. Run out
of steam, that's what I've done.

# I'm dressed up
With a broken heart

# Pretending I'm with you

# Someone else in my arms

# Only brings back your charms

# It's a game
I just can't carry through... #

It's sitting nicely
on the mannequin.

And you've got two rows
of topstitching and they look
really lovely and straight.

A little bit of puckering
round the sleeve. Yeah.

I really rushed that.

The sleeve should be flush
into the armhole.

That buttonhole is miles off
where it should be.

I did that buttonhole three times.

It doesn't matter how many times
you did it,

it's still not in the right place.

And looking at it, your
collar is not quite meeting
symmetrically in the middle there.

But this collar is very lump free.
It's really nice and smooth.

Lots of good bits in it
and bits you could improve on.

That collar is actually sitting
not badly.

There are no lumps.
The points look pretty even.

The yoke is cleanly sewn.

You could probably have got
a little closer to the edge
with the topstitch.

No, you're a bit off. The spacing
on the button and the buttonhole

between the second and third, which
is just causing it to kink out.

I noticed you were doing
French seams,

an extra technique which is a really
nice finish against the skin.

I mean, first thing to say is how
terrifically clean this yoke is.

Really lovely stitching.
It's absolutely on the edge.

Your sleeves have got no puckers.

The collar's... It actually sits
very nicely around the neck.

The points are very even.

A very well ex*cuted piece of sewing
all round.

May and Patrick now rank the shirts
from three to one.

Lauren, sadly, yours is third

but well done anyway.
I know. It's rubbish.

And in second place was Sandra.

Ann, you're the winner
of this challenge. Thank you.

Not a lot to choose between you
but very close.

# What is the secret
of your success?

My shirt has become top of three,
which is brilliant.

I'm so pleased!

LAUREN: I'm gutted
about that judging.

I didn't do well at all

and if I want to win,
then I shouldn't have come last.

Men's shirts are incredibly tricky
but it is the final.

Up next, the alteration challenge

and this time, the sewing machine is
completely off limits.

The judges would like to see
hand-sewing.

So machines are
completely off limits

but you can use applique, you can
hand-sew, you can do some beading.

You each get one of these

and you each have
an hour and a half.

Sandra, you look thunderous.
I'm terrified.

'This is going to be horrendous.'

Good luck. The time starts now.

As well as everything
in the haberdashery,

Lauren, Sandra and Ann have also
been offered a range
of fine embroidery threads,

sequins and beads.

In almost every challenge so far,

the challenges have been dominated
by the ability to use the machine

and I work in a workshop where
almost everything is done by hand

and it's about the relationship
between you and that needle

and the thimble and the fabric.

They kind of shimmer but I think
they're going to get lost.

Can you leave me something
on the table, please?

We haven't seen decorative
hand-sewing, which is what
we're asking them to do.

It will be really interesting to see
how they tackle this challenge.

There are lots and lots of different
stitches that they can use

and it's using those in an artistic
way that we're looking for.

I've done quite a lot
of hand-sewing before.

When I was a kid I used to do
loads of cross-stitch

but this is all a bit more free.

I'm thinking like a sort of zigzag,
kind of stripy thing.

Lauren plans to hand-sew
three zigzag lines
of embroidery stitching,

topped with a double line
of fine sequins.

I've got a lot to try
and claw back now, don't I?

That shirt was a mess.

SANDRA: I've made bags before
but I haven't really decorated them.

I'm not a big embroiderer.

Sandra is hoping to perfect
an applique design,

where pieces of contrasting fabric
are delicately hand-sewn
onto the bag.

I haven't got a clue
what I'm going to do.

Just flowers come into mind,
so I think we're just going to put
a few petals on.

I like doing this sort of thing.

I like doing hand-stitching.

Ann has already begun
sewing her design.

I'm going to do some sort of
free-form couching over it.

Couching is a quick and versatile
hand-sewing technique.

I shall get the feel of this soon.

Ann has laid a thick
decorative thread on the bag

which she'll secure in place
with a finer thread.

You just make little stitches
over this thread.

Each stitch must have
the same tension

as any variation can result
in a pinched or loose top thread,

distorting her free-flowing design.

And while I'm doing that,
I'm going to be thinking

of ways I can fill in shapes
and things.

It's really interesting,
the way that Ann and Sandra
are interpreting the challenge.

Ann's doing couching and Sandra's
doing applique and running stitch.

I'm looking forward
to seeing them finished.

Sandra's running stitches may
be simple

but consistency is crucial.

Each one must be exactly
the same distance away
from the edge of her petals

and each stitch must be
the same length

and the same distance from the last.

Can we keep these bags?

20 minutes in...

When you're hand-sewing, things have
got to be really super-duper neat.

..and Lauren has yet to make
her first stitch.

I'm trying to draw my design
of what I want

because I want it to be consistent
throughout the bag.

Right, so I should do
four divided by 25.

Can you see my zigzag?
It's coming. It's appeared.

Sewers, you have one hour left.
That's one hour left.

Ann has already finished
her couching.

What are you going to do now?

I think I'm going to experiment doing
some stitching alongside this

to sort of echo it
round the outside of that.

Quite big bold stitches. Mm-hm.

I'm just going with the flow.
I haven't got a plan.

It's like the blind
leading the blind.

Sandra's attaching
even more applique.

When my family watch this,
they're just going to
k*ll themselves laughing.

And Lauren's finally begun sewing
her top row of sequins.

Really fabulous things to use
but really fiddly to put on,
aren't they? Yeah.

They're kind of cupped, as well,

so I'm trying to make sure
that I pick them up all the same way.

That's right,
so that the cup is upwards.

I think just two rows is
going to be enough.

I maybe would have done three
but I don't want to spend
all my time doing sequins.

Having applied petals
and flower buds,

Sandra's now found some beads.

I'm not a bead person.
My friend does loads.

She'll be saying, "Haven't you
learned anything off me?"

At least somebody watching from home
will think, "Well, I can go out
and buy those things and do it."

Everyone, you have
half an hour left.

SHE SIGHS

Lauren's second line of hand-sewing
is a classic embroidery stitch
with a twist.

Instead of using one thread,
I've actually made four threads

to be as if it is one thread,

so that it's got more of an impact.

When you're hand-sewing, one thread's
not really going to stand out.

I wanted to use this thread
because it's got a shimmer to it.

The other embroidery thread was
more of a dull, flat colour.

You've got to put on
another eight beads and is that it?

I would have liked to have
connected them, somehow.

Yeah, some sort of stem.

I like the different textures.

Actually, it goes quite well
with your jacket.

You can do another one for my cuff.
Would you like one on your lapel?

Yeah, do me a little boutonniere.

Have you got any material left
from your dickie bow? Before
you finish this, just do me...

You've got to try and woo them a bit,
haven't you?

SHE SIGHS

With time running out, Lauren has
been forced to change her design.

I had originally thought
that I would hand-sew all my stripes

but it was a bit unrealistic to do,
really, in an hour and a half.

I'm trying to use Bondaweb to stick
my next stripe onto my bag.

As soon as the iron touches it,
it will stick.

Sewers, we've got ten minutes left.

Right, I'm going to try
and iron this on.

Can I borrow your scissors a minute,
Ann?

This'll be it, then, will it?
Just pop these last sequins on?

Yes, I'm just putting
little bunches of sequins.

No, I'm not going to finish on time,
I don't think.

I probably have been overambitious.

I'm going to finish this stalk
just to join the flowers together.

Sewers, you have one minute left.
Is that right? Yes.

I'm in a knot.

OK, everyone, that is time.

Please put your bags
on your mannequins.

Your running stitches are
an even length

and you've got good thread tension,
there.

They're all sitting
about the same amount of tension
on the top of the fabric.

There's continuity there,
the design flows

and it's stitched well.

You've done three
quite simple techniques

but you've done them very well.

And I think because you did it
in a step-by-step way,

you didn't look like
you were under pressure.

You were just, "OK, I've done this,
now I'm going to do this."

So, you know, it works as a whole.

We asked you to personalise a bag

and that says Sandra
like nothing else could.

It's a raring success.

I love the texture on this.

I love the fact
that you've put these berries
in the middle of the flower.

You've sewn them from behind.

We can't see any of the stitching
holding those berries on there.

The chenille trim here,
you've caught...

I can't even see the stitching
on that.

Your stitching is invisible.

You've got some running stitch
round your leaves.

There's good rhythm
in your stitching, nice and even.

Overall, very effective.

You drew the whole thing out
at the very beginning

and you kind of gave yourself
this massive challenge

and if you'd just started
with one zigzag of sequins
in the middle

then you could have said,
"I've got another half hour,
I'll do another row."

Might it have been easier for you
to have used a thicker thread
to start off with, do you think?

Yeah, I should have used it to try
and get the impact that I wanted.

What you've done is
really, really nice

and I think that times four
on the whole bag would be fantastic.

A huge well done
on your second challenge.

You have one challenge left before
somebody is announced the winner.

It's the big one
that could change everything.

We'd like you to start tonight.

Go to the cafe, have a break
and then come back

and we start on
your final challenge
of the competition.

Ever.

I love Sandra's bag. From
a distance, it had great impact.

I think the other two
were neck and neck, for me.

Lauren, don't.

No, you're OK. That's lovely.
Come on.

Yeah! You're great.

Absolutely great. Yeah!

'I think Lauren was pretty upset.'

She came in this week
in a great position

but we've got a massive eight hours
of sewing to go.

We've done two quick challenges.
The shirt was tough.

She performed pretty well
and it was not like hers was
a disaster by any stretch.

And I think,
having seen what she plans to do

in the evening dress challenge,

if she fits it well
and she executes it well,

she has every chance of winning.

So I don't think she should be
despondent by any stretch.

I have some very exciting news.

Normally, at this point,
we introduce our sewers
to their models

who they've worked with
for the last three weeks.

But because it's the final,
it's special,

so we thought they should have
some very special models.

So if you don't mind
I'm going to introduce you

to Ann's daughter, Sally.

Hello. Hello.

Sandra's daughter, Rebecca,

and this is Lauren's sister,
Jenny Kate.

Guys, thank you so much
for doing this.

Now, you put your mum up for this,
didn't you, Rebecca?

I told her about it
but she wouldn't enter herself
so I did it for her.

Did you talk to Lauren last night?
Yes, I spoke to her on the phone.

She doesn't have a clue.
I told her good luck.

My favourite thing is, we've given
your mum the measurements

and what did she keep on saying
about her new model?

"My new model's a very odd size."

All right. Get into position.
Off you go girls.

I'm going to bring them in and
I'm going to bring in the judges.

It's like Oprah.

For this last challenge
the sewers have chosen
their pattern and fabric

and they've been given
their model's measurements

but they have no idea
who their models might be.

The final task is a difficult one.

You have eight hours to create
a very, very gorgeous evening dress.

Because it's the final, we thought
we'd give you different models.

OK. Let's meet your models.

LAUGHTER

Did you know about this? You...!

Well, sewers, we're very, very happy
you're happy.

Some of you are crying.
You're crying.

We love the fact that, Ann, you've
got your model that is oddly shaped.

So huge luck with this task.

Remember, one of you will be
the winner and your time starts now.

I need to get over the shock.

Sit down there. OK, and tell me
when you need me.

There's a chair just there.

Don't talk to me.

To stand a chance of winning
the Sewing Bee title,

Lauren, Ann and Sandra need
to create
a made-to-measure evening gown

which fits perfectly.

Bec, just come here a minute, Bec.

They have an hour tonight
to measure up
and cut out their fabric.

Do you want me to hold it?

They've had a chance to practise
making the dress at home

and Sandra used daughter Rebecca
as her model.

I just wish now I'd taken the time
to fit it properly on her.

I shan't forgive her.

She worse than having a real model
because she'll criticise it so bad

but I can shout at her
and I can stick the pins in her.

Sandra is making Rebecca
a teal satin gown

with a draped chiffon train

which runs from the neckline
and along the plunging back.

Hello! Can we see your pattern?

That's satin. Yeah.
This will drape beautifully.

It's got a little bit of weight
in it. Yeah.

This bit's going to drape
round the shoulders.

(MOUTHS)
I've just got to hope so because
I've got my worst critic here.

# Ooh, what a little moonlight
can do to you. #

Five, six...

The dress has got lots of panels
at the front

which give the dress its shape.

And then it's got
a big long skirt that will go
all the way to the floor.

Lauren's floor-length gown has
a sequinned skirt

and an asymmetric bodice
made up of 19 separate panels
in duchess satin.

My sister is eight years old than me.
Seven and a half!

Sorry! She's seven and a half years
older than me.

And she lives in Scotland,
so I don't really see her that often.

I think it has given me a boost.

It's been a good distraction, anyway,
from earlier on.

With measurements taken
and patterns pinned,

the finalists start cutting out
their fabric.

Good evening. Good evening.
Which are you making?

So I'm making this one.
Yeah.

With the sleeves of that one.
With the three-quarter sleeves.

What are you putting your lace onto?
That bright blue?

A little black dress, I had in mind.

Ann's little black c*ck dress is
made from lace

layered over blue taffeta.

Like Sandra and Lauren,
she's chosen a delicate fabric

which is difficult to handle.

It really wants to slip and slide
all over the place

but I shall talk to it very firmly
and it will behave itself.

I'm going to cut the lining out.

I want to do the sequins
in the morning when I'm not so tired.

I just want to get it finished, Bec.

OK, everybody, tools down.
You've had an hour.

You will have another seven
tomorrow.

Go home, rest and we'll see you
tomorrow morning.

SANDRA: Oh! What about a tonic?

Lauren, Ann and Sandra enter
the sewing room for the last time.

At the end of today, one of them
will be named the winner.

I'm ready to go.
Having cut out their fabric,

they've got seven hours left
to make an evening dress.

Last night I cut out the nine panels
that'll make up the front

and then the back.

As well as the complicated bodice
of her dress,

Lauren has chosen a stretchy
sequinned fabric for her skirt,

which is notoriously tricky
to control under the machine.

I saw the sequinned fabric
and I thought it would be perfect

because it's hopefully going to give
the dress a big wow factor.

At the moment,
I'm attaching the lining

onto the skirt fabric,

so that it then makes the sequins
easier to handle.

Who are you most worried about?

Who in five hours' time are
we going to be trying to help?

I'm really worried about Lauren
because it's an ambitious style

and she's also got a stretchy
sequinned fabric for the skirt.

If she stretches it out of shape
and it doesn't go on well,

it could look a mess.

She's got a lot to do in the time.

Let's talk about Ann.

If she can handle this layer of lace
over the top,

I think she's got every chance
of pulling something quite stunning
out the bag.

She's lining up the pattern
on her lace

because it's got a pattern
that's got to run round the body.

Are you happy with Sandra's?

She's got the complication
of this sort of chiffon scarf,

which may not be easy to handle.

I mean, it's a tough fabric.

Sandra's hoping her lining will help
her achieve a good fit.

She's going to use it as a toile,
a practise garment

which is then used as a template
for the actual dress.

If I can get that right it might
help with the finished dress.

I'm not going to press the seams
of this lining yet

because if I've got to alter it,
it will just make it harder.

With two hours gone
on the challenge,

Ann is still preparing her fabric
by hand

and has yet to touch her machine.

I put tailor tacks in to mark all
the important parts on the pattern

before I start any sewing.

Parts of all jobs are pretty tedious.

You know, like washing up
after a good dinner.

You can't cook a dinner
without making dirty pots

and if you skip this stage,

you really run into trouble
later on.

She spends absolutely ages
tacking everything together.

You know, I've got an image of her
as a child doing more of that
than sitting at a sewing machine.

Having lined her sequinned skirt,

Lauren moves on
to constructing her bodice.

There are lots of parts
but once they all go together,

it's a little bit more
straightforward from there.

What are you doing this minute? I've
got these two to go onto here. Yeah.

Which is like...

Oh, amazing. ..that.

It's going to look beautiful.

You seem quite confident.
I'm delighted.

Well, I don't feel confident
about getting it to fit

because generally, everything
I've made for the real life models
doesn't fit them.

Well, when the judges say it's about
fit, I don't think they mean it.

No, I think they do!
Do they?

Is that the front? Yeah.

Sandra's finished her lining.

If it fits Rebecca, she'll cut
the dress to exactly the same size.

How does it feel round your bum?
It feels all right to me.

It's not a bad fit.
I think we're OK, Bec.

It just needs... It just needs
to be on something, yeah.

Satisfied her dress is
perfectly tacked together,

Ann is finally ready to start sewing
on the machine.

This looks so beautiful. Yes, I'm
really pleased with the way it looks.

Am I wrong in thinking
that you measured the lace out
so that the whole pattern followed?

Was that incredibly hard?
That's the visual centre
of the lace.

And you have find that
because otherwise it looks off
when you're wearing it.

I haven't even seen anybody else's.

Ann is sitting right behind me

and every time I've looked,
hoping to see it, I haven't.

And I've missed Lauren's.

All I've seen is
some beautiful goldy glitter,

which frightens me.

Looks like competition, doesn't it?

Everyone, you have four hours left.
Four hours left on this task.

Hop to it.

Strip!

We're halfway through
and it's time for Ann and Lauren
to test the fit of their dresses.

I'm just pinning the bodice
to the skirt

ready for the first fitting.

You can't fit a bodice unless
it's attached to the skirt

because you need the weight
of the skirt to pull it down.

# Da-der!

I think I maybe have to take it in
slightly at the sides

Let me see you at the back.

This is a bit... flat.

Right, turn round to the front
and let's have a look.

Oh, Geronimo! Are you pleased?
Yes, very. You look relieved.

Yes, I was!

I'm happy with that.
Right, back in, back in.

I'm just doing a gathering stitch

which just gathers into the middle
of the dress at the front.

Having finished her lining
and prepared the satin fabric
for the dress,

Sandra moves onto
her biggest challenge,

the fine chiffon train,
which must be perfectly hemmed.

Is this the chiffon
round the neck?

So this will go like that.

Have you ever worked
with this fabric before?

It's very thin, isn't it?
Once before and I remember then
it was a nightmare.

Because that fabric will bruise,
won't it?

That's a good word, Claudia.
I've been hanging out with May.

The raw edges of the train need
to be turned in with a rolled hem,

which Sandra's securing with
a machined row of fine stitching.

But one slip on this delicate fabric
could destroy the look of the train.

I've just missed a tiny little bit.

It's such a little hem,
it hasn't quite caught it.

It wouldn't look very nice if there
was a little bit of raw hem showing.

Everyone, you have two hours left.

Right, I'm going to sew my dress up
now.

OK.

Like that.

Now I can start
the actual construction.

The basic tricky bits are now
dealt with in the preparation

and that's what makes
this fairly meticulous preparation
really worthwhile.

Is that buckling? Do you want me
to hold it up so you can see?

I'm thinking I might not press it.
Why?

Because if I press it it could mark.

I'm just tacking the sleeves in.

You have to make sure that the top of
the sleeve is at the shoulder seam.

These sleeves have been darted
at the top,

so they fit exactly
into the arm hole.

One hour to go.
The dresses are taking shape

but there are still crucial elements
to complete.

Right, I'll get this zip in.

What kind of zip are you putting in?
I'm putting in a regular zip

and I'm going to hand-prick it in.

I don't want machine stitching
to show on this lace.

Sandra and Lauren are using
their machines to put in their zips.

With such delicate fabric,
any errors will show

and Sandra has the unpicker out.

I don't why, this side, it's just
puckered, just at the end.

I can't leave it as it is.

Do you think the satin has slipped?
Yeah. One side's gone beautiful.

I think I've tried to get too close.
I was rushing.

My last bit of machine stitching is
this seam here.

You have 30 minutes left.

I've trod on this. I've had it
under the wheels and everywhere.

It'll be black by the time
I've finished.

ANN: The trouble with putting all
these tacks in, of course,

is that they do, eventually,
have to come out.

I'm not pinning my lining
because of time.

If that's a corner I've got to cut,
it's a corner I've got to cut.

LAUREN: It shouldn't be touching
the floor, should it?

It's about that too long.

Everyone, you have 15 minutes
to please put your dresses
on your models.

I don't know if it will be finished

because I don't know
if I can sew the hem.

I might just sew it
while it's on her.

Where are you going?!

I'm looking for a hook and loop
and I can't find any.

The fight isn't over yet.

I've got to put a hook of some sort
on there.

Oh!

Oh, here, Mum, what's this?

Have you finished it? No, there's
about five inches of the hem left.

Hopefully, I shall have a dress
that's finished.

I cross my fingers and pray.

Turn around.

OK, that's the end. Time's up.

Sandra, let go of the iron.

Please stand at the edge
with your models.

First up, Sandra and Rebecca.
Please come forward.

It drapes beautifully on Rebecca.

It really is sitting beautifully
on her body.

I know you had terrible trouble
with the hem on this.

You've really tackled it very well.
You've got a nice even edge on here.

You had zip issues and, sadly,
they are really unforgiving,

especially zips in satin. I know.

The fact that there is
a little bit of unevenness

down the side of this zip
is irrelevant to me.

It is absolutely invisible.

You wouldn't know there was a zip
in there.

The shape of the back,
it's immaculate

and it's perfectly balanced.

I think the overall impression is
really, really stunning.

I think this is the best
piece of work you've done
in the competition.

I mean, initial impressions -

I think it's
a phenomenal piece of sewing.

You've chose a terrifically
difficult material to work in here.

I mean, you can see
every little piece through it.

It's very well balanced. I think
it's got a beautiful silhouette.

You've got this rose running
all the way down the bodice.

You've also got the same bit
of pattern on each sleeve, as well.

Putting in the sleeves with a sheer,
you can see all the seaming.

You've just got a beautiful
seam line round there.

It's a very sophisticated-looking
dress.

It's a roaring success, in my book.

Thank you.

Now, the main thing I was worried
about with this dress was the fit.

But the fit is beautiful.

It's really hugging the back, there.

And the front is
really sitting beautifully.

Also, you've got a very difficult
fabric here, it's very stretchy,

and it's hanging straight down
to the ground.

A little bit on the bottom hem,
a little bit of unevenness.

Also, just got a slight gather
in the long seam here

but, you know, it doesn't take away
at all

from the impact of this dress,
which is really, really stunning.

You could find tiny faults

but I think it's a really fantastic
piece of dress-making,

so extremely well done.

A huge well done to all of you.

The judges are now going to
have to deliberate,

so have a cup of tea and come back

and somebody will be announced
as Britain's best amateur sewer.

I feel like I've really, really
surprised myself

because I had this vision in my head
of how the dress might look

and I didn't know if I was going
to be able to do it or not

but I'm really pleased
with what I did.

I like to think that I've done
my very, very best sewing.

What position that puts me in,
I don't know.

SANDRA: I really do think
it's very, very close.

I'm just glad I'm not a judge.

Whilst Patrick and May make
their decision

all the finalists' garments are
put on display

for their family and fellow
Sewing Bee members to admire.

To do all that is amazing. Yeah.

It's hard to pick one person

because they've all got
completely different strengths.

I think everybody deserves to win

because the quality of the clothes
they've produced is amazing.

I don't know how the judges are
going to call it

and I think that the final dress
could have swung it any way.

Right, Patrick and May, you now are
about to choose who's going to win

the Great British Sewing Bee.

Before you totally come
to your decision,

tell us a bit about Sandra
and her work throughout the series.

Sandra has done amazingly well.

And week one, first challenge, best
skirt, fully lined, was Sandra's.

And I think she's consistently
shown us she can sew

but it's been a bit frustrating
because we haven't seen her
finish anything

and then all of a sudden, final day,
final challenge, there it is,

the finished garment.

She's a very good needle-woman.

She just needs to believe in
herself.

Tell us a bit about Ann.

We've seen some really lovely work
from Ann.

She never underperforms.

Just her natural ability

with the material and with
the needle and the sewing machine

is at a really elevated level.

She's showing a lifetime
of sewing skills. Yeah.

Let's talk about Lauren.

She pushes herself.

Occasionally she goes a bit awry
but this dress was a big challenge.

She's done some exceptional work,
really beautiful work

and every time
we've given her a challenge,

she's stretched herself a bit more
and she's built on her skills.

So you're happy with your finalists.

I've only really got one question
for you, then.

Do you know who you want to win?

I think we both know. Yes.

Oh, no!

So glad you guys can come!

You got it finished!

Ooh! Good luck.

Thanks.

Finalists, please come forward.

My goodness.

Ann, Sandra and Lauren -
I like the fact that you're doing
deep breathing - brilliant.

Three finalists who made the most
beautiful, beautiful dresses

and wonderful things
throughout the series.

It's now time to announce
the winner.

The winner of
the Great British Sewing Bee...

is...

It's Ann.
CHEERING

Can I give you that? Well done!

Oh, thank you!

How lovely. Congratulations.

Well done!

Are you over the moon?
Oh, that's brilliant.

Thank you! Thank you, everybody.
Thank you.

Ann just consistently produced
the most exquisite work

and her dress,
with challenging fabric,

she matched the pattern,
the whole dress was exquisite.

Ann has demonstrated
the most beautiful, classical

dress-making and tailoring skills.

If I could employ her now, I would.

Do you know, that it's a real boost

that for all these years
I've been doing something right.

For heavens' sake, Patrick, I'm 81!
I know you are! I know you are!

This is absolutely brilliant.

I mean, look, look! Everything.
It's just absolutely magical.

You've made me cry.
Look what I've got!

I like to think that not just me but
everyone who's been on this programme

has inspired people to pick up
their needles,

get out their sewing machines
and just get on with it and sew.

LAUREN: It would've been great to win

and obviously you're going to feel
disappointed

but she is awesome
and she deserves to win.

SANDRA: I've really always lacked
a lot of confidence in my sewing,

even up to this week -

"Should I really be here?
Am I really good enough?"

And today, I thought to myself,
"Yes, you should be here."

ANN: I never, ever dreamt
that I would be standing here

with that, which, I have to find
somewhere to stand that, won't I?

And... Oh, yes, it's just lovely.

If you or someone you know would
like to apply for the next series,

where you'll also find sewing tips,
techniques and ideas.