03x03 - Episode 3

[bunniefuu]

So far, in our search for Britain's
best amateur sewer,

we've seen denim shirt turned
into a pink tutu, we've seen some

very small waistcoats, and we've
even met a blue-footed booby bird.

Basically, whatever it takes.

At the last Sewing Bee...

I'm trying to be impressive.

..retired air hostess
Lorna came second

for the sixth challenge in a row.

And you're second, again.

I'll get there.

Physiotherapist Paul...

We're going to have big elephant
ears.

..beat army lieutenant Neil
to Garment of the Week.

To get a first,
it's a gold medal for me.

And IT consultant Matt
just held on...

What could possibly go wrong?

..as Alex became the second sewer
to leave the Bee.

Now...

(Faster, faster, faster, faster.)

..the sewers face brand-new
machines...

Go on!

..that are actually really old.

What the...? A simple pattern...

Da, da, da, da.

..that turns out to be
rather complicated.

What the hell's the front,
and what's the back?

The finest... Oh, they look nice.

..Made To Measure Challenge yet.

Why on Earth did
I choose to do this?

And there's a mountain to climb...

# BOTH: The hills are alive... #

..in the Alteration Challenge.

This is my idea of hell.

We're celebrating the
birth of sewing for pleasure.

Welcome to a 1950s edition of
The Great British Sewing Bee.

Since the eight remaining sewers
were last together...

..the sewing room has seen
quite a few changes.

Oh, wow! OK.

1950s was all about curves.

That was when women were women.

So quite excited about this week,
for all sorts of reasons.

Oh, my goodness me!

I can't quite believe
I'm actually in week three.

I wasn't expecting it from the start
and I'm kind of slowly progressing.

If I can keep cool and

let my sewing take over
rather than my panic

and my stress,
then I should be OK.

Authentic, 60-year-old
sewing machines

and 24 vintage garments
to make in just two days.

This week, we are going back
in time to the 1950s.

You'll see you've got new machines.

Um...

Anyone horrified by this news?

Yes. Neela horrified. I am.
It's been a long time.

OK. May, what have you got?

We want you to make one of the most
popular dresses from the 1950s.

It's called 'the walkaway' dress.

You could cut it out after breakfast
and wear it by lunchtime.

And we'd like you to make us one.

It's assuming you have a bright,
early breakfast, I think.

So this dress features
a very full-skirted apron,

which wraps around a very
slim-fitted sheath dress.

OK. You have four hours.

Your time starts...now.

The classic walkaway dress
requires a fabric that has body

but will also drape well.

I think I'm just going to go for
something that I know I can work

with well instead of challenging
myself with difficult fabrics,

because the machine's new to me and
I want to try and kind of adapt

to that rather than adapt to a new
fabric which I have no idea about.

It's a medium-weight cotton fabric.
I think that will sew quite well.

I don't really know much
about 1950s dresses, so...

As soon as I saw the picture,

it made sense then
that it was one large dress

that kind of really wraps round
at the front, buttons up.

I'm looking for a cotton
with a bit of body, um,

so it'll hold outwards
in a kind of more '50s shape.

A fan of all of things vintage,

Deborah is no stranger
to '50s fashion.

Last year, she took upon it herself
to make her own wedding dress.

It's like a '50s style.
It's got a big blue underskirt.

It turned out amazing.

It was great when she was
on the dance floor.

Every time she span, the colours
underneath really shone through.

I think I'm most nervous about time
cos it's supposed to be

something you complete
in four hours.

I don't want to let those
'50s ladies down.

They've got to go out for lunch,
got to have tiny triangle sandwiches

and stuff in my completed dress.

Talk me through the walkaway dress.

The whole dress is really
just three big sections.

The front is all one piece with
a couple of darts for shaping.

There's a little apron at the back
and then this huge full skirt

which wraps all the way around
to the front.

It's a very quick construction.

We're looking at the
speed of sewing,

but they've got to be careful

because obviously these bindings
are all done on the machine.

We've got yards and yards
of edges on this

with this bias binding,

and the sewers can't distort
these edges.

It's an awful lot of incredible,
neat, accurate sewing.

It looks pretty basic so far,

and there's only three
pattern pieces.

Now, how can you go wrong with that?

With 40 years of sewing
under his belt,

Paul is used to making a statement
with his clothes.

I would say I would go for more
bright colours, something that's

very lively, very noticeable,

rather than just dull,
grey, boring colours.

Love this fabric! So bold. Yes.

Let me just ask you about
your internal feelings

about Garment of the Week?

Last week. So happy.

Well, no-one will forget
the elephant.

So what are you doing right now?

I'm marking out all the pattern
markings so when I put all

the pieces together, I'll know
what lines I need to be sewing.

The pattern requires four
pieces of fabric -

one for the front,

one for the back,

and two for the wraparound skirt.

Darts will be sewn into the front

to give shape before the skirt

is sewn together

and attached to the back.

Bias binding should be sewn to
the armholes, neckline and skirt,

and it's finished with three loops
and buttons at the front.

It goes something like this,

and then this bit is going
to be attached.

And then that will come around
and pin, I think.

So I'm just going to start
cutting the skirt out next.

Amanda has gone for the vintage look
for as long as she's been sewing.

I like elegant role models
like Princess Grace of Monaco,

Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn.

I just like the very simple
and elegant styles,

so that's what I try
to achieve for myself.

I'm loving this fabric.

Very '50s.

So '50s! Have you ever made
a dress like this before?

No. I do actually have the pattern
but I've never made it. Do you?!

Cos there was a little bit of
a blog thing where everybody

was like, "Let's try this new retro
pattern that they've republished."

I'll have to do it when I get back.
Now you've got to do it.

I'll know how to do it when I get
back. Do you like a full skirt? Yes,

I quite like that '50s style,
in at the waist.

And then out. Yeah. Um, I loathe it.

Do you? Just sharing that
with the group.

It was the shape of the walkaway
dress with its narrow waist

and full-skirted silhouette that
defined 1950s fashion.

And this news reel was the first
time the world had ever seen it.

A revolutionary collection launched
in Paris in 1949 that became

known as the New Look

by a French designer
that no-one had ever heard of.

Christian Dior.

His New Look gave rise
to a global fashion empire.

This was from his first collection.

Dior wanted to usher in a new
feminine age of dressing.

This skirt is incredibly full.

It has lots of layers underneath,
stiffened net and many petticoats.

This really isn't a suit to work in,
this is a suit

that you swan about in
and perhaps attend a c*ck party.

Really filtered down and became
incredibly popular.

To achieve the shape
of the New Look,

Dior's designs often required
more than ten metres of fabric,

a French extravagance that the
British government declared w*r on.

Rationing was still in place in
Britain, and the Board of Trade

asked women not to waste fabric
because they were very concerned

that it would cause
a frenzy with people

trying to replicate the New Look.

Oh, wow!

But Britain's home sewers
like Barbara, Pat and Jean

defied the government to recreate
the New Look style they craved

at home.

Oh, isn't that beautiful?

That would have done for Ascot.
That's rather nice. Yes.

I had a jacket like that.

Did you? But the New Look,
I remember,

it was the first time
I was interested in fashion,

and I thought, "God, I've got to
have this."

This is me in a New Look dress.

The main thing was that it was
nicely fitted there with a peplum.

You were really glam.

Yes. I felt quite good in that.
It was a feeling of,

"Oh, how lovely, the w*r is over
from the point of view of clothes

"and we can wear what we like."

That's right. You were young,
you were free,

and the dresses themselves
were more free.

# I'm just an old-fashioned girl
with an old-fashioned mind... #

This is usually the point
in the Pattern Challenge where

everyone begins construction
with the cut-out pattern pieces.

How does that work? Hmm.

This week requires a little
more preparation.

Is it turned on?

Their 60-year-old machines
are rather basic.

I can get the bobbin in but
I can't get it to pick up at all.

They are threaded differently...

I'm basically finding every hole
on this sewing machine

and attempting to thread my thread
through each one.

..have no electronic A*DS...

HE GROANS

..and can only perform
one basic stitch.

Oh, you...

At the moment, I'd say
that 1950s machines need to

probably stay in the 1950s.

Matt started out making curtains
but soon graduated

to dressmaking for his daughter
and his wife, Gemma.

I see something that I like in a
magazine and then show it to Matt

and I seed the idea of a dress
and then he makes it for me.

So, yeah, I'm very lucky.

Seriously, though, what the...

For the first time
in the Sewing Bee...

I have no idea what that...

..Matt needs to ask for help.

What are you meant to do with that
thread on the inside, Neil?

OK, so, one round there.

Yeah. And then you push
that down on there.

Loosen that off and that disengages
the needle. Ah, got you.

Neil began dressmaking
in earnest 20 years ago

whilst at university,
where he met his wife Kate.

Neil made me plenty of what I would
call disposable ball gowns...

I'd wear it one night and normally
just put it straight in the bin.

SHE LAUGHS
That's dreadful, isn't it?

But I did.

It's almost like sewing
in Lilliput here.

This giant man

and a tiny sewing machine.

So is there anything that
you're finding a bit daunting,

or are you just thinking,
"Right, just go for it"?

I'm actually trying
to slow down today.

I know it's about time... Yes.
..but, actually,

if I'm rushing this,
I'd really wreck it.

OK, that's the pedal.

Oh, yeah! OK.

Ryan might be working with a machine
that's three times as old as he is,

but he's not a stranger
to vintage dressmaking.

A friend of mine at college asked me
to make her a '60s dress

for her drama exam,

and I went to see the performance

and there was two girls
in front of me,

and they said, "Wow, look at
that dress, that's really cool."

And I was sat behind there going,
"Yes, I made that!"

Ryan. Hello.

I thought you were going to cry just
now cos I was just watching you.

This machine is scary.

Well, also, because
you're, what, 10.5?

You've never seen anything
like this before.

That must be like we've asked you
to work with a dinosaur.

Oh, that must click into there.

OK. OK. I love you. We've got
that in. We've got that in.

That's a good sign. Yeah?
You're happy? I think so.

Oh, yes, there's bobbin. Bobbin!
There is bobbin thread.

Well done. All right. You're away.

Phew! Whoo-hoo!

Let's put some darts in.
That was close.

I'm going to stitch the two side
bust darts and the four waist darts

now on the front of the dress,
which I've already pinned.

The darts on the front and
back of the dress are key

to the walkaway's
classic '50s shape.

Da-da-da-da.

Lorna, who learnt to sew using
traditional methods, is the only

one to use tailor tacks to make sure
her darts are perfectly positioned.

You sew between tailor tacks
along your tacking line.

The problem is pulling them out
at the end.

To ensure styles like the New look
were as fitted as possible,

patterns often demanded that all
excess fabric was trimmed away.

You can't make any changes to it
afterwards

cos the material's gone, basically.

So I'm just making...
I'm going to try

and maybe fit it to my model first,

make sure those bust darts lie
in the right place and then trim.

I've stitched my bust dart
to the wrong point

and then I've trimmed it,
so I've made a bit of a mess,

which means I've just got to fix
the mess that I've made.

There's going to be a hole there
if I'm not careful.

Neela has always preferred a less
formal approach to dress-making.

I don't really like to buy
commercial patterns.

I just feel that when I've made up
the garment,

the fit isn't quite right.

I just wing it, really.

I've forgotten how difficult
it is actually to sew

on one of these once you've
used a modern machine.

The treadle that we had at home,
um...

..I don't remember it being so slow.

I've stitched the skirt
onto the bodice,

so I'm just following, just quite

carefully what's on my pattern

cos I'm scared of making mistakes.

Making dresses is something Lorna
is very used to doing for her

regular cruise holidays.

There is a green dress that
I've worn many times on a ship

which everybody asks me
where I got it from.

And when I say I've made it,
they want the pattern,

but I never send it because
you never know, they might

turn up on the same ship as me
and I don't want them in my outfit.

And that's, weirdly, the back.

Yes.

This is attached to that next
and then it comes... Oh!

That doesn't reach.

Well, no, cos it's not
made for this size.

Fine. We need to put her on a diet.

90 minutes remaining.

Find the vertical edge
of the back of the dress.

This is the bit that
everyone will notice.

If it's not looking neat and tidy,
it's going to show.

Just giving myself a little pep talk.

To get through the huge amount of
edging needed for the walkaway,

the home sewers of the '50s
had a secret weapon...

a binding foot.

Right, now, I'm just telling the
room, Neil's using his binding foot.

I'm having a go.
ALL: Ooh!

I think we're all very proud
of you as a group. Good boy.

Also, there's so much bias binding,
if you can get the foot to work,

you'll be finished two hours
before everybody else.

As it passes through the tube
at the front of the foot,

the binding is folded around
the edge of the fabric...

And it holds it straight.

..ensuring that the stitching
that secures it is even

and in exactly the right place.

I'm putting on the binding
as I would normally.

I'm not going to try out
any little gadgets.

I think gadgets are
for men to try out.

Hold it in there. Yeah.

And that's what you end up with.
Yeah.

I've decided not to use the foot
thing cos I don't have the time

to worry about trying to
work out how it works.

Find the vertical back
of the dress.

Binding the edges of the back of
the dress isn't straightforward...

Vertical edge of the back
of the dress.

..as the back will
eventually wrap around...

What the hell is the front
and what's the back?

..to become the front.

Huh?

The vertical edge at
the back of the dress.

That's the back, that's the front.

I'm just getting a bit confused.

Ah, that's the back.
That makes sense. Right.

Just got the buttons to do.

Just at the moment, thinking how
I'm going get these buttonhole

loops to work.

Shaking.

I don't want you to shake.

I know, I don't want
to shake either.

You have got...
Sewers, you have ten minutes left.

I already know that
Ryan has finished.

Hey, Ryan, how are you doing?
Just popping some buttons on.

Just popping some buttons on!
Good, excellent.

That's not stressful at all.

Lorna's loops look like they're big
enough to fit your head through,

so I'm not quite sure what size
of buttons we're going to get.

They just look a bit clumsy.

Well, the dress is quite petite.

They need to be quite neat,
don't they? Yeah.

It doesn't look right.

I don't understand
where the buttons go.

Two at the back, or...?
No, just one at the back.

Have I done this wrong?

Oh, no! Neela!

Oh, I give up. Look,
I'm just going to show...

So, that three should
go at the front.

Doesn't matter.

Stupid me!
NEELA SIGHS

I'm going to have to
unpick these blinking

loops in the time that I don't have.

SHE SIGHS

Oh, no!

Go on, Neil, tell me.

I've literally, um...

I was doing really well, I cut that
off and I've just cut through

a big bit of material that
we will see right in front.

sh**t!

There we go, that will have to do.

SHE GROANS
I hate this machine so much.

It won't go through anything.

Because I chose this
satin bias binding,

it's too thick for the machine.

It just won't do it,
won't go through it.

So I've wasted a lot of time.

Unbelievable.

Hmm. Might get away with it.
Might get away with it.

Honestly, Matt, you've got scissors.
Use scissors.

Got a lot of threads going on here.

OK. Stop shaking, stop shaking.

I wouldn't normally sew
the buttons on like this

but I really don't have much time.

Just pressing everything cos I know
that's what May is going look for.

They love a press.

I have to rush it and then
it's not very neat.

And that, really, I don't
like being not neat.

Bit loose there.
Just don't touch it.

One minute left, sewers,

and that means your dresses
have to be on the mannequin.

My mannequin needs bigger boobs.

I'm hoping that this
is going to stay.

You've got ten seconds now,
so you just have seal it.

If it's not with a button,
then it's with a pin.

Not the best dress in the world.

Not the best dress...
Losing the will, but da-da-da-da.

I've pretty much done it.
Oh, my God!

Can't believe... Botch-up queen.

All right, that's it. That's enough.

Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.

Deborah. Yeah. Stopping.

OK, sewers, pick up your mannequins.
We'll take them through.

# I'm walking the floor over you... #

Eight dresses created
in just four hours,

but will the judges consider them
ready to walk away?

Now, the thing that strikes me

is the positioning of your button

loops - they're sort of
not evenly spaced so...

They're not properly attached, May.

Oh, they're not.
BOTH LAUGH

Look at that binding down there.
Oh, dear.

There's two, actually. Are there?
Oh, there's another surprise

somewhere else, is there?

I think this binding round the neck
is really nice.

Your top stitching - beautiful.

The loops are a good size.
They are really very even.

This is a very obvious part
of the garment,

and the darts really need to be
better pressed than that, I think.

Looks good. Slightly misaligned
your buttonholes,

just ever so fractionally,

which is a shame cos, actually,
the buttonholes themselves

are pretty, pretty even.

We've got a raw edge, I've just
noticed, on the edge of the back.

You decided the frayed look
would be good? Yeah, yeah.

It's a shame that that's not done

because I think everything else
is really, really good.

Well, it's not finished.
We've got two loops.

Quite big and they're not very tidy.

Let's turn her round.

Ooh! Don't look!

Yeah. Lots of whiskers, OK.

It's a very neat garment.

The binding is really superbly neat.

Got a little bit of stretching
round the back of the neck,

it's not laying as flat
as it might do.

Just stretched this front edge
out of shape.

So, the darts... Well done.

I mean, they're not crossing over
and they're reasonably well pressed.

Buttons well on,
loops well anchored.

I think there's a lot of
really good, tidy sewing,

it's just a shame that you've lost
the shape on that front edge. Yeah.

Something funny happening
just on the front.

I finished with some spare time

so I decided to stick a hole in the
front. Oh, is that what you've done?

Thank you for treating us to
that additional extra. Um...

How did you do that?

I was trimming the back of the...
Oh, and you caught the fabric.

I caught the fabric. Oh, dear.
This front edge,

it's really hugging the figure
there, which is great to see.

The buttons and the loops, I think,
are just too big for this dress

and it's drawing a lot of attention
to this area here

where you're misaligned
at the front.

Obviously, this is a little bit
untidy here. Er... Oops!

Oh, dear! Oh!

You did that on purpose, Patrick.

I'm really upset now.

Um, unfortunately,
you've got a hole.

I think that's probably about
the least appropriate place

for a hole you could imagine.

Patrick and May will now reveal
whose vintage sewing skills

have impressed them the most.

In eighth place is Amanda.

Sadly, your binding's falling off
and, also, the front skirt is

a completely different length
to the back skirt.

Seventh place - Deborah. Yeah.

Not finished and a few wispy bits
and pieces here and there.

Neela's sixth,

Lorna's fifth,

Paul is fourth

and Neil is third.

Second place - Matt.

If you'd have finished your hems,
you would have been first.

Our first place this week,
which is Ryan!

ALL: Yeah!
APPLAUSE

Are you happy?

I promise I won't stretch
the fabric again.

Well, a huge well done
to all of you.

You now have a break.
When you come back in,

we're going to give you
the next alteration,

which is my favourite ever.

JUDGES APPLAUD

So, here's to the boys.
Ha-ha-ha-ha.

I'm so proud of myself.
I can't believe it.

I can't actually believe it.

First place for the second week
on the trot.

I...I don't know where
it's coming from.

I thought I'd covered that hole up,

but Patrick, he has eyes
like a hawk.

I'm out of that middle
ground territory.

I don't know if it's
sustainable or not,

but, yeah, second place
on that challenge,

I'm really pretty chuffed, actually.

I think the judges' feedback
was spot on, actually.

SHE LAUGHS

So, we've seen our sewers
make their walkaway dresses,

and now Patrick and May want to see

what they can create
from another vintage gem.

All I'm saying is -
the hills are alive.

It's the Alteration Challenge,
so you're given something,

you have to transform it.

These two lovely humans
won't know who's done what.

So what have we got for them?

This week...

As you can see, we've given you
a pair of vintage 1950s curtains

and we'd like you to make
a new garment.

Think Sound Of Music,
the Von Trapp family.

These ones have come from Claudia's
home, so don't use these.

CHUCKLING

It's the sort of thing people
would have done back in the '50s.

We want you to use any item
from the haberdashery,

no other fabric though.

You have an hour and a half.

Your time starts...now!

Good luck.

AMANDA LAUGHS

No!

Ooh, yeah.

Magic, magic, magic.

I've chosen these curtains
because I love the pattern.

There's loads of material here
that I can work with.

I'd quite happily have them
hung up in my house

rather than chopping them up.

FABRIC RIPS

Didn't expect this one,
so I'm just getting some flat pieces

of fabric so I can then
think about what to do.

It's everyone's imagination now.
That's the challenge on this one.

I'm going to make a
1950s prom skirt,

but I'm trying to be super speedy,

so I just picked up the
first curtain that I found

instead of like um-ing and ah-ing
about which one to use.

Right. Ladies evening dress with,
um, a pleated round the middle,

pleated bits over the boobs,
like that, and long flowing gown.

Lorna, what are you making?

I'm making a skirt with a great
big bow at the front. Aw!

Making a girl's dress,
two top pieces

and then one bottom piece.

The top piece will be a bit
of a kind of yoke on it

and then some ribbon
kind of ties on the top.

In here it's good, but we know
that can always fall apart.

What are you making?
It's going to be a skirt.

I was trying to be a
bit more adventurous

but, you know, I think it's
just going to be a skirt.

I'm going to do a little top.

I think I'm going to
make a man's shirt.

It may be good to take a risk
and go a little bit bonkers.

I'm making a many-panelled
wrap skirt.

I have made one before,
it looked like a circus tent.

It had white rectangles,
green, and red, and blue triangles.

And then my mum washed it once
and all the colours ran,

and that was the last time
I wore it.

That's what mums do. Yeah.

30 minutes gone.

One hour remaining.

I'm using the bottom of the, erm,
curtain as the actual hem.

And cos it's lined,
I'll also use the...the lining.

I'm just going to trim down now.

This isn't the way you trim,
anyone watching at home.

This isn't how you get all
pattern pieces to match.

I'm going to just stitch in
some darts to start with.

My machine doesn't like me today.
That's it.

Neela, let me have
a look at that top.

This is going round you.

Isn't that lovely?
Doesn't quite fit.

Bit tight. Well, I've had
quite a lot of pies.

I can imagine there was a bit
of a struggle in the 1950s

to find anything to work with
material-wise.

Must have been hard, er,
trying to come up with ideas,

a bit like we're having to do today.

Look!

# BOTH: The hills are alive

# With the sound of music. #
It's gorgeous. Do you love it?

It's going to be improved.

I'm going for a massive bow
round the middle.

Fantastic. Great big bow.
It's a brilliant idea.

That looks gorgeous.

Sewers... Hold my hand for this.
..we're halfway!

45 minutes left.

Come on. Come on, come on,
come on, come on.

Given myself a lot to do
but looks good so far.

I'm just trying to see if
I can make it fit nicely.

I might shorten it a little bit.

Matt, how are you?

It's kind of... It's coming together.
Let me have a look!

So, that's one of the top bits.

OK. Adorable.

So you have front one of those,
back one of those,

skirt around the bottom,
gathered in a bit.

Gathered in a bit. This will be the
cutest thing in the whole world.

This will be the cutest thing
in the whole world.

I think it's a kid's outfit,
can't go like that.

By the way, it's super chic. Divine.
That, in the South of France -

"Mummy, shall we go on the
carousel?" "Oui, c'est bon."

If I had a zigzagger,
I'd do a buttonhole.

I haven't got time to do a hand one,

so I'm just going to do
something that works.

I'm going to do ties
round the front.

I just want to tidy up the opening
before I put the ties on.

Cos I'm going to have it slotting
through an opening in the waistband.

I'm just making a collar
at the moment.

OK. Isn't a collar very difficult?

It is a little bit.

I've made two collars and now I'm
wedging that in the middle...

Yeah. ..so that when I then sew
and then turn it over, I can sew,

edge stitch the collar
and then you won't see

the ugly inside, you'll just see
a nice collar. Fingers crossed.

Genuinely, in the
nicest possible way,

you could have been speaking
Spanish.

Sewers, you have 15 minutes left.

This is the skirt to the...

that I'm going to need to
connect to the waistband.

And I'm just doing it inside out

so I can mark the darts and stick
them straight on the sewing machine

just to give it a nice tight fit
around the hips.

They had very wide waistbands
in those days.

Very flattering cos
they had small waists.

I've decided not to put a zip on.

I think it's just going to be easier

to put a couple of buttons in
on there.

Patrick might be quite pleased
cos I'm engineering a lovely bow.

That's it, come on.

I've decided to just embellish
the bottom hem of the skirt,

just really putting
an edging round it

so it looks a little bit more flashy
than just plain fabric.

Sewers, you have
just under five minutes.

Ooh.

Why did I choose something
with a giant hem?

(Faster, faster, faster, faster.)

We're getting there.
We're getting there.

Guys, you've got a minute left.

I know it's not neat
but hopefully the idea

and kind of what I've done in the
time will convince the judges.

Amanda, you goddess,
you've finished!

Yes! Everyone, go up and lick her.

I'm kidding. Stick with
your mannequin.

Oh, no!

Yeah, my bobbin's just run out.

Come on, come on, come on.

You've got ten seconds.

Come on!

Come on!

All right, that's it.

Time. It is the end.

Good boy, Neil.

I'm happy with that.

Please, bring your mannequins
to the front.

And jumble them up, please.

May and Patrick will have no idea
whose curtain transformation

is whose.

Hi.

Fantastic. Gosh! Yeah. Good, right?

Genuinely just an hour and a half,
or have we been in a time warp?

No. An hour and a half.

And they did all of that,
and everything's so different.

Amazing. Amazing.

The pattern is brilliant.

I mean, it's a great use
of that huge print.

And you've got a zip that works.

Such a gorgeous shape
though, isn't it? It is.

It's very... Fits the mannequin
beautifully as well.

It's definitely not a pair
of curtains any more, is it?

It isn't. I mean, this is a
short-sleeve shirt from scratch.

It's got no fastenings,

but maybe it's just a little
summer bolero shirt.

We've got a hole in here. Have we?

But, yes, I mean, it's a complete
reconstruction, isn't it?

Well, it's got some
lovely insertions.

There's a lot of shaping
in the skirt.

Very simple, with this
ribbon fastening,

just a couple of pieces of trim.

Very effective.
Nothing like a curtain.

Slightly like a curtain.

SHE LAUGHS

I think it's a pretty shape.

And we've got some darting
down the front.

It doesn't fit over the seat

unless it's supposed to be
gaping open at the back.

Yes, it could perhaps be a
little bit more sculptured.

This is pretty. And we've got
a little pleated skirt here,

and the pleats are quite even.

They look...they look good.

Yeah, it's well balanced.

Doesn't fit very well, though.
No, it doesn't really fit.

That's why I was pulling the side in
because the minute we do that,

it's a really effective little dress.

A piece of elastic has been
threaded through the top

and the top's been turned under.

And we've got a little tie
with some razzmatazz going on

on the edge. Is that the
technical term for that?

Absolutely. Very technical term -
razzmatazz.

It's an interesting shape. Yes.

It's quite dramatic.

So, what have we got? We've got a...
It's not finished.

It's just pinned together
at the back.

They'd just ran out of time.
Yeah. It fits nicely.

This pleated section sits
right under the bust.

It's a really nice fit, isn't it?
It is, it's very good.

Just a shame about
the back ventilation.

Annie Get Your g*n.

I've just noticed that!

What's going on under the tie?

An elasticated band.
So this is a belt.

Yeah, this is a belt, yes.

And we've got a little bow
on the front. Yeah.

Again, the bow is very nicely done.

That's really effective.

May and Patrick will now reveal
who's dazzled them

with an old pair of curtains.

In eighth position
is the strapless top.

Up you come, Neela!

It was a very, very good sew but,
in terms of leaps of imagination,

there were others that leapt higher.

Number seven is the pretty floral
skirt with the razzmatazz

going round the hem.

Oh, I love the razzmatazz skirt.
Paul.

Oh. Up against just some
very stiff competition.

Deborah is sixth,

Matt is fifth,

Ryan is fourth

and Amanda is third.

In second place is the...

..fitted halter-neck dress.

Well done, Neil.

A fantastic piece of work.
You can be very pleased with that.

Thank you. So that means
in first place is Lorna.

Lorna.
APPLAUSE

A fantastic use of a patterned
fabric, it really works very well.

The shape is exquisite.

I tried to keep it 1950s
with that sort of apron thing.

Well, it's really good. Well done.
Thank you very much. Thank you.

Very well done to Lorna.

A huge well done to you all.

Today was incredibly hard.

Go home, lie down, eat cake,

we'll see you tomorrow
for the big challenge.

Well done, you.

You should have been first.

Well done.

'I just automatically thought,
"Oh, I'm second again,"'

but, um, it was rather nice
to be selected as first.

With my little outfit that was
Calamity Jane, I've made it

to third, so I'm very happy.

I didn't come last in the Alteration
Challenge, but I didn't do great.

One last '50s garment to make.

In just a few hours, May and Patrick
will award someone

Garment of the Week
and send someone else home.

It seemed to me that the boys
had a brilliant day yesterday.

For the first time ever,
we had all of the boys finishing

above all of the girls,

which, I mean, I'm slightly
biasedly proud of.

Ryan is one of our growers.

I think every time we see him sew,
he gets better.

If Neil hadn't been fiddling around
at the end of that walkaway dress,

he wouldn't have punched
a big hole in it.

If Matt had actually finished
his dress completely,

he could have been in top spot.

Going in today, and we know
everything can change -

it's happened before.

Who's in trouble?

I think Neela's in trouble.

She did make a bit of a blunder
on the walkaway dress.

I'm really worried about Deborah
because she came very low down.

I think Neela, Deborah

and potentially Paul are those that
really need to do well today.

Hello, nice to meet you.

For their final '50s challenge...

Good to see you again.

..the sewers need to make a
vintage garment for a real person.

Today, the judges would like you
to make a 1950s-inspired blouse.

And they'd like it to be sheer,
please.

You have six hours.

Your time starts...now.

Just lift your arms up.

Everyone has been able to practise
making this garment at home,

and they've needed to.

Recreating a '50s blouse in sheer
is their hardest challenge yet.

In the 1950s,
after a period of austerity,

suddenly we have these lovely sheer
fabrics that move beautifully.

It's very, very light,
it's very, very delicate.

It was the first time people
had the opportunity to sew

with beautiful fabrics.

Sheers, you can see every bit
of detail through them.

So, anything they do to the fabric,

you'll be able to see what they do
on the inside on the outside.

Everything will show
through the back.

Seams need to be very fine
and very even.

If you sew on it and you have
to take that stitching out,

you can mark the fabric.

It's quite delicate.

It's about getting things
right first time,

it's about not making mistakes.

It's quite a terrifying challenge.

Yeah. I mean, it's really all
about complete precision.

I've been inspired by
Princess Grace of Monaco.

Tried to go down that era
of very simple but elegant.

Amanda's making a chiffon

p*ssy bow blouse

with a button-fronted centre opening

and buttoned cuffs.

This is not very sheer.

That's double. Show it to me.

Yes, that's sheer.

Look at that, you can
see the squares.

You can see the...
That's very sheer.

Practically see-through!

This challenge, I'm a little bit
nervous about

just because it's working with a
fabric that likes to move a lot.

Because fragile sheers
are so mobile,

pattern pieces are incredibly
difficult to cut accurately.

I put tissue paper down and
then pinned the fabric nice

and evenly out,

and then I'm going to kind of
sandwich the fabric in

with the top layer over
the pattern as well.

So, hopefully, when I've cut it,
it'll be a bit more stable.

It's very flimsy.

I'm used to working with
a lot heavier fabrics.

Paul's making a semi-fitted blouse

with gathered cuff sleeves

and a soft neck tie.

You can just see here where
the fabric moves as you're

cutting it, you know, it's like
you have to have the sharpest

sheers and the steadiest hand and...

Bit stressed today. Are you? Yeah.

Well, luckily, you're not working
with anything tough this morning.

That's for giving...

I haven't worked with
a lot of sheer fabric.

This is my idea of hell.

It doesn't suit my style
of sewing at all.

This is about delicacy
and finesse and...

HE LAUGHS

Yeah, I'm struggling already.

I'm making a blouse
based on a man's shirt.

In the 1950s, women used to borrow
their dads' and brothers' shirts

and then tie them at the waist.

Neela's collared blouse has

gathered head sleeves

and pin tucks on either side

of the buttoned front.

Oh, this is divine.
It's lovely, isn't it?

Is this white or off-white?

Off-white, crinkle
and silk georgette.

I've decided to put pin tucks
down the front.

Yeah, gorgeous. Cos that...
You're brilliant at the pin tuck.

Well, I've only just learnt.

That's enough.

I might just bring it up a
little bit on the shoulder.

Lorna's working with a pattern
that isn't for a blouse.

I'll just do it longer in the
shoulder and then we can jiggle it.

Yeah.

She's adapted a negligee

designed with kimono sleeves,

sweetheart neckline

and a flared peplum skirt.

Have you practised this?

I did practise it
but I practised it

on a completely different material.

Have you worked with sheer before?

No, not as sheer as this,
so it's all a learning curve today.

Do you think six hours is enough?

Er, I'd like two days, really,
but... I understand.

But some of... The rest of us
have to go home and lie down.

# Listen well
while I tell you a story... #

Fit's a little bit different
with this material

because you can't go right up close
to the body cos it's quite fragile

and if it was tight,
then it would rip.

So you do have to make
a slightly looser fit.

Deborah is making a semi-fitted,

sleeveless shell top

with a bow tie collar

and buttoned-down back.

You've got a really
clever idea here.

You're pinning to a foam board?

I am. Pinning to the foam board
and then using it to mark my pieces

so that they don't move around.

Is there anything
you're particularly

worried about on this garment?

Um...make it finished
really nice

cos I really want something
to be finished beautifully. Yes.

I can do all this bit beautifully
and then just at the end,

it's all hairy, so...

Sorry if I stick any pins in you.

I'm used to that.

Paul's blouse is already
loosely constructed.

I'm looking to see whether the darts
are going to bring it in enough

at the waistline,
which is the effect I want.

Got to make sure they're spot on.

Cos Patrick always looks for those.

My hands are...
They're shaking at the moment.

But I've got to get this bit right.

The judges will go straight
for the dart.

Working with a fine chiffon,

Neil has to get the darts right

first time on his self-drafted

fitted blouse with a draped front.

You've already put in...
Is that a dart?

That's a dart, which looks
rubbish at the moment

but when that's ironed,
that'll be all right.

Have you practised this?

Yes, sort of, but in a sort of
a cheap version of this

material which is slightly easier,
and it took me about 15 hours.

Oh, my goodness!

Matt's dry run at home went
almost as well as Neil's.

I practised the collar.

I put it on back to front...

So, I practised the collar
and then I practised unpicking

and I realised you can't unpick
this.

Um, that was a special moment.

Matt's using a heavier

georgette fabric

for his sleeveless fitted blouse.

It has cutaway shoulders

and a flat Peter Pan collar

that he plans to add structure to

to help hold its shape.

So, I've got four pieces of collar

and then I've got a fusible
interfacing as well.

I did try this out that white sits
OK behind here, and it does.

Right. It just makes it,
um, more kind of opaque.

Interfacing is an extra layer
of material that, once added,

can strengthen lighter fabric.

Really, on a sheer you shouldn't
be using fusible interfacing,

should you, really?
It's a different set of rules.

On sheer fabrics you should use
sheer interfacing

so that you don't change
the character of the fabric.

At the moment, I'm just putting
in my neck facing.

Ryan's having to strengthen

the scalloped neckline

on his sleeveless peplum blouse.

Originally a pattern made with lace,

it'll be tricky to make

the neckline work in chiffon.

You've really got to kind of match
up all the points so that when

you can press it out and give it a
clip, that I'll sit really nicely.

Two hours down, four to go.

It seems as though I'm probably
behind everybody,

but a lot of work's been done on
the front shaping of the blouse.

Neela's front is also taking
longer than she'd planned.

Can't see any more.

I need to focus in the distance.

She's using a special foot and twin
needle to create delicate pin tucks.

Sheer fabric is a massive challenge,

so why not add the complexity
of pin tucking(?)

Pleased with how my scallops
are looking.

Got the shape in there, so I'm happy.

The atmosphere today
is really, really tense.

Everybody's so quiet.

Even though the blouses
are taking shape,

the challenge of working with sheer
fabric isn't getting any easier.

Right, I'm going to stop shaking.

Oh, flippy gibbets.

I realised that my dart is
on the inside on one side

and the outside on the other side,

so I need to undo my seam,
which is going to be hard

cos it's chiffon and
it's going to fall apart.

In fact, I've done it so close to
the edge I'm just going to trim it

off because it's going to shred it
if I try and unpick it.

I used to think that my day job
was quite stressful,

but this is about ten times worse.

Boy who's never really worked
with sheer fabric before

and you've managed to find this.

Hello. Hello.

Yeah, it's really sheer.

Well, look, you've attached stuff!

I'm just doing one
of the sleeves now.

OK.

I'm just doing the gathering

on the sleeves at the minute.

To create an authentic
'50s soft sleeve shape,

Amanda is gathering the tops of her
sleeves with two rows of stitching.

You just hold the two bottom threads
and then, when you pull,

it should just create some gathers

and then you can sort of
spread them along.

Can I just say,

has a small bit of fabric
been k*lled?

There is debris. I feel like
I'm coming to a crime scene.

What's happened?
What are you doing now?

Oh, well, this is my nightmare bit,
setting in the sleeve.

It's all about it being even,
isn't it?

Yes, and there's a lot of material

to go into quite a little area,
so...

Argh.

I'm a little surprised at how many
people aren't doing sleeves.

I think, well, hmm, maybe
I should have gone for that option.

It's up to other people
whether they want to do cuffs

and sleeves in theirs,
I chose not to in mine.

I thought it was quite a nice,
summery, 1950s blouse.

If I get marked down, you know,
for not doing sleeves,

then so be it.

Sewers, you have two hours left
on the Sheer Blouse Challenge.

Oh, they look nice.

Do you mind coming down
to about there?

I don't mind if you don't mind.
No, I don't mind at all.

I have got better at fitting,
having my lovely model here,

because, um, that was one of the
weak areas that I had as a sewer.

Having constructed his blouse,

Matt's already moved
onto the fastening.

Every time I've told someone
that I'm putting a zip in here,

they're like,
"You're putting a zip in?!"

Like, "Yeah."

I've got some buttons down the back.

Those are the things that are going
to take me the most amount of time.

I've faced it with organza, so it
shouldn't move around too much.

This is just insane.

Why on Earth did I choose to do
this?

I'm going to probably have
to put a zip in, actually,

because I won't have time
to do the buttons.

Once the buttons are in,
it'll be fine.

And I've given it a good press.

Damn, this collar didn't go on
as well as I wanted it to.

There's a tiny little hole there.

Oh, dear.

An hour to go is a bit of a panic
cos I've got to get buttonholes

done on this fabric yet.

Not looking forward to doing that.

What's the matter?

(Oh, it won't fit through.)
Just nip it a bit.

Has it gone in?
(It's gone in. It's gone in.)

It's gorgeous. Well done, Ryan.

HE MOCKS CLAUDIA: "Ooh, well done,
Ryan!"

I wish I was on that boat.

Sewing on buttons, really tiring.

My eyes have gone.
I've got a headache.

This is probably the hardest thing
I've ever made.

Would it alarm you if I told you
you've got 11 minutes?

It really would, yes.
Close your ears.

Ah, go on. Sewers,
you've got 11 minutes!

Couldn't hear that.

INDISTINCT SPEECH

Oh, I'm not going finish this.

Best-case scenario,
just get one sleeve on.

Do I leave it like that

or do I put some tacks in there?

Going home...

Five minutes! Turn, turn, turn,
turn. That's better.

Sew like the wind, Deborah.

And the zip.

He's not going to like that.

Why do you always run out of thread
at the last minute?

Three minutes, everybody,
to get your shirt on your model.

Oh, no, is that...
Is it cos it's too tight?

No, it's all right, it'll be fine.
That's fine.

I'm happy.

That's your back.

Lovely.

All right, that's it. Time's up.

Ah. You did great. Thank you.

Well done.

Whoo!

# Don't let the stars
get in your eyes

# Don't let the moon break your heart

# Love blooms at night

# In daylight it dies

# Don't let the stars
get in your eyes

# Don't keep your heart from me

# For some day I'll return

# And you know you're the only one
I'll ever love. #

The first thing we notice, isn't it,
is the button fastening at an angle.

Yeah. The whole...
That's a real shame.

The darts are almost symmetrical,

it's just that front edge.

It's walking to one side,
isn't it? Yep.

The back neck here, it's twisted.

Yeah. I mean, it still manages to
look very delicate, and that is part

of what we were looking for,
is a sort of delicacy, the drape.

Those sleeves have got
a lovely, lovely shape.

You haven't sort of squashed
the life out of this fabric,

it still looks bouncy and alive.

From the front,
it looks absolutely spot on.

It's lovely and soft,
it's not pulling anywhere.

Sadly, if we turn you around,

the back is just going
for a bit of a walk.

And you've got some fine turned hems
on the edges of the sleeves,

and your stitching
on the outside is even.

Every seam's neatly enclosed.

There's a lot of good, fine
sewing in this. Yes.

A lot of you used iron-on
interfacing

and you really should use
sheers on sheer fabric.

Because, at the moment, this white
collar is jumping out at me.

You've had a fight here
with something.

It really does look a bit, sadly,
like the dog's been at it.

You decided on a zip at the end.

I mean, it's actually
fairly neatly...

It does the job, doesn't it?
Yeah. It does the job.

And you've just done a roll hem
round the armholes.

They're sitting really beautifully
on the shoulder line.

We have some buttonholes.

Sadly, because your band
is so narrow,

they've sort of gone over
to one side slightly.

Just actually looking at this
shoulder here,

I think this shoulder's
a little bit short.

I think this shoulder end needed
to be maybe fractionally over.

From afar, it looks good.

It looks like a pretty good fit.

It's just in the detail,
it just lets you down a little bit.

The front, you've got quite a gap
there where it's fighting

to stay closed.

But also, you've got too much fabric
in the back length as well.

You've lost some of the detail
in your scallops

because you've got so much
turning inside there.

But the fit around the neckline
is very good, actually.

It's sitting very nicely. I think
there's a lot of good sewing,

I think it's just the fit
that's let it down a bit.

Well, first of all, I have to say
that your pin tucks worked,

didn't they? I think
they look effective.

But it's a shame that you haven't
managed to get it all finished

in the time.

You've overlocked round
the armhole seam

but have got all the seam in there,

and it's a shame because we can see
this lump showing through here.

I didn't get to finish the hem,
unfortunately.

Oh, that's a shame.

Your seams are very fine.

Look, Patrick.

And also, they're very even.
There are just a few whiskers.

And I know you changed your mind
with the fastening.

There's nothing wrong with that zip,
that's been... No, that's fine.

I mean, it could have ruched up,
it could have been awful,

but you've actually done a really
neat job of inserting that zip.

The other thing I wanted
to comment on was

how beautiful this faced neckline.

The back neck is absolutely perfect.

Sitting superbly.

You've got seams on the sleeves,
nice and narrow and neat.

Because you can see
right through this,

it could look absolutely awful
and I don't think it does.

I just don't think it really works.

You drafted this yourself,
didn't you? Yeah.

Trying to make this one piece
halter in this fabric, I think,

was just too much and
I think it just shows.

It's sort of lumpy bumpy and it
just doesn't have the refinement.

A huge well done.

It's now time for you
to have a break,

and when you come back in,
the judges will announce

the Garment of the Week and the
person they are sending home.

RELAXED CHATTER

I will learn from that

and make sure I never ever
sew anything in chiffon again.

The problem I have is that
I keep trying to do too much

instead of just doing
something really simple.

So then I run out of time and
it all goes horribly wrong.

I know I should have done
my French seams narrower.

I know I didn't have much time
to finish the collar.

I did the sleeves
in about 20 minutes.

But, actually, overall, it wasn't
a bad sew and I quite enjoyed it.

Who's going to win Garment
of the Week, do you think?

Lorna's blouse was extremely
well done. Fitted nicely.

Very delicately managed.
Tough fabric.

I also think Deborah's blouse
was definitely in the mix.

Is there an obvious person that you
both think should leave the Bee?

I don't know if you agree. I think
Deborah's redeemed herself

with this blouse.

Neela's blouse and Amanda's blouse.

And they both have issues.

Neither are completely finished.

No. And we've got issues
with ties on this one.

We've got issues with hems
not finished on this one.

We've got seams slightly
coming apart here.

We've got various things going on
with this one as well.

It's just a bit untidy
round the edges. Yep.

Bit more to think about.
Bit more to think about

before we can make a decision
on this one.

First, the good news.

The Garment of the Week.

Patrick, please reveal.

This week, our favourite
garment was...

ALL: Ooh!

APPLAUSE
..this one.

So, not a bad week for you, Lorna.

Well done. Well done.

Now, unfortunately, as we know...
I think it's unfair,

but we can blame May and Patrick.

..every week somebody has
to leave the sewing room.

The person who is leaving
the sewing room is...

..is Neela.

ALL: Aw!

Sorry.

That's all right. I'm sorry.

I've had an absolute ball.

It's been the most amazing thing
I've done in my life.

I think Neela's a terrific
needlewoman.

But her first challenge,
she made a big mistake

and she didn't quite
recover from it.

Her blouse was not finished.

And there was an awful lot
wrong with her blouse.

And so, sadly, this week
I think she was

our weakest sewer.

To get Garment of the Week
has been absolutely unbelievable.

I still haven't taken it in.

I might take it in about
midnight tonight

after a nice glass of wine or two.

I was a bit gutted
Neela's going home.

We got on so well.

Uh, I'm really going to miss her.

I had no idea I would make it this
far in the competition at all.

I feel a little bit delirious,
like it's not really happening.

So, maybe a bit of time just to relax

and maybe think about it
a little bit.

I'm going to go home,
and I've got loads of things

that I want to make for myself

and I'm going to take weeks over
each thing and make it beautiful

and perfect, just the way I like it.

And sew really slow!

That's what I'm going to do.

'On the next Sewing Bee...'

SHE LAUGHS
Wowzer.

'..the sewers are putting
structure into clothes.'

Come on.

I've got six pages of
mathematics here.

'The Pattern Challenge
is a bit of a squeeze...'

Argh.

No, her boobs are fine. Are they OK?

You're very trim.

'..the sewers have a date
with the 80's...'

Oh, hello.

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

'..and a chance to see
what's underneath a kilt.'

Don't mind me, this is research.

It's going to swing,
if nothing else.

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

'But who will win the
Garment of the Week?'

Frankly, I'd wear that myself.

'And who will have to leave
the Sewing Bee?'

Oh, dear,
Patrick's going to tell me off.

This is not going well.

If you're a proper Scot,

that hair canvas is
going to be a bit sore.