Ten sewers began.
I can't tell you when ever I've had
another feeling like this.
Probably when I was giving birth.
147 garments later...
Sew as fast as I can.
I'm not panicking, it's fine.
Oh, come on!
It's a nightmare.
Mic drop.
..only three remain.
I'm slightly worried.
Please, please, please,
please, please.
Just... I know, I know. ..relax.
I can't.
If you don't do this bit right,
it's not going to work.
Breathe.
Oh, my God. I know!
Just three challenges...
Are you two not nervous?
..stand between the finalists...
So empty! Where are we?
Where are we?
..and the title of Britain's
Best Amateur Sewer.
God...
Always methodical, Juliet's
technical prowess
has seen her win the most
Pattern Challenges.
It's beautifully sewn. Thank you.
But it's her natural flair
with fabric
that's really caught
the judges' eye.
She is phenomenal on womenswear.
She's not so good on tailoring,
but she has an innate sense of
colour and pattern and shape.
This is the best feeling ever,
being in the final.
I'm ready. Let's just do it.
Are we ready? No.
Yes, I mean.
She may not be the most
composed sewer...
I don't know what I'm doing!
Nobody panic, it's all fine.
..but Leah's instinctive eye
for chic styling...
I can see somebody wafting
up a red carpet in that.
..has won her the last two
Transformation Challenges.
We know she can do beautiful sewing,
just as long as she doesn't panic.
It's not been plain sailing.
I've had lots of lasts
as well as firsts.
So, yeah. Feeling the nerves today.
I can't wait to see what you're
doing. Yours is bonkers.
Mine will go bananas.
Ever the unconventional...
Riccardo is ready, everyone.
..out of all the sewers, Riccardo's
technique has improved the most,
winning him the last two
garments of the week.
It's really well thought-out,
and it's really cool.
What I love about Riccardo,
he takes risks, but in a way
that almost makes him more
enjoyable to watch.
He walked! Yay!
I'm not going to play safe.
It might be borderline bonkers,
but my approach is definitely
to try to have fun with it.
It's final time!
Hello, everyone.
Woo, sparkles!
Come forward, guys.
Well, welcome, finalists -
and congratulations.
Now, just three garments
stand between you
and winning
the Great British Sewing Bee.
This week, the judges want
you to make clothes
fit for a special occasion.
So, we're talking ball gowns,
black tie,
the sort of stuff you'll be wearing
all the time if you win.
Judges, tell us about the
Pattern Challenge.
Here we go, one for you,
one for you and one for you.
Oh, blimey.
ALL GROAN
I knew it was that.
Oh, that's shocking.
So, what we want you to make
is a fully-lined,
double-breasted waistcoat
with a shawl collar,
sham welt pockets, six buttons
and six buttonholes.
Good luck. Let the final commence.
You have four hours for this
challenge, and your time starts now.
The waistcoat requires a wool
for the front...
I'd say that was typical
wool suiting.
Thanks.
..and a complementary silk lining
for the back.
I like these, I'm not sure
they'd go together.
Erm, it's a contrast.
But in order to complete
their waistcoats,
they have to tackle the most
complex Pattern Challenge
Patrick and Esme have ever set.
There's masses to get through.
It's looking as difficult
as I thought it was going to be.
So much to do
for a tiny little garment.
Why a waistcoat?
This is the final.
So, we've given them a
difficult challenge.
And it's all about the order they
sew it in, how well they sew it,
under-pressing, finish.
Everything about this waistcoat, it
speaks of kind of enduring value.
I actually have a waistcoat like
this. It was my dad's,
and I think he must have got it
from his dad.
They're really valuable pieces
of clothing,
so it needs to be beautifully sewn.
So, all about fine finishing.
Perfect garment.
The perfect garment.
Oh, wow.
There are only 21 steps, guys.
The waistcoat is made from ten
pieces of tailoring cloth
and six pieces of lining fabric.
To make the front,
darts are stitched,
sham welt pockets are added,
collar pieces attached,
then both front panels are lined.
For the back, four lining pieces
are darted and stitched.
The front pieces
are then sandwiched inside,
stitched in place
and pulled through a side seam,
in a process called bagging out.
Buttons and buttonholes
finish the garment.
What I'm using now is
a very soft wool
and what you want from a waistcoat
to be really structured and stiff.
To get this structure,
the finalists will be
using interfacing
to reinforce their fabric.
So, it says we need to block fuse.
But with so much to accomplish,
the sewers have been instructed
to block fuse their interfacing
onto their fabric.
Block fuse is when you attach
interfacing to the whole material
before you start cutting.
Block fusing is the sensible
thing to do
cos there's a lot of pieces that
will be cut out from this fabric.
Do you think I'd look nice
in a waistcoat like that?
I feel like I'd look like
a camp snooker player.
Me, if I wear something like this,
it might be more like a head waiter.
They've been waiting five minutes
for their burrata.
Riccardo moved to East London from
the small town of Lecce
in Puglia, Southern Italy,
six years ago.
Recently, he's been working on
a multimedia project
to educate children in
environmental issues.
He's a very creative person, and he
likes to challenge his creativity.
And it's a challenge that gives you
the possibility to improve yourself.
And this is really like Riccardo is.
My mother gave him this passion for
sewing and now my brother is...
I would say, not WAY better,
but as good as my mother is.
It's for all the family.
My brother is a very special person.
If Riccardo wins,
all the family will win.
My mother,
I think that she will cry.
I'm quite sure!
Have you ever made a waistcoat
before? I bet you have. No.
You haven't? Not like this.
Have you read through all of the
instructions, or are you...?
I'm going step-by-step here.
OK. It's really important for you
to read your instructions.
I will.
Good morning, Leah. Good morning.
Wow, you're flying ahead.
Well, I don't know about that.
Well, you're cutting out already.
Have you fused it? No, you haven't.
No.
Have you read your instructions?
"Block fuse interface."
Oh, God. Have I gone wrong already?!
You're now going to have to fuse
each individual piece
and then cut it all out again.
Maybe I need to just start again.
I'm going to go and choose
a different fabric and block fuse.
Well, I now feel bad.
I mean, you could carry on
with this fabric...
No, but if it's going to be
difficult, I don't want to.
OK. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Right, we're going to leave you
to it.
I'm going to see what else
I can find.
I'm going wrong already.
Leah hasn't always found sewing
to be so stressful.
Before entering the Sewing Bee,
it was a way to unwind
from the pressures of managing
an architect's firm.
She's had some amazing jobs,
but the stress levels have been
off the roof.
But everything she does,
she gives it her all.
The same with her sewing -
getting to the final has been the
biggest thing in her life,
without a shadow of doubt.
Although she stresses about it
and panics about it,
Leah is pretty good at pulling
rabbits out of the hat.
I think she'll get the job done.
I am so proud of her.
So very, very proud of her.
I'm going with it.
So behind.
Are you block fusing now, Leah?
Yeah, I am now.
So, basically, I've got
to start again.
Oh, this is just an absolute
freaking mess.
Just... I know, I know. ..relax.
I can't.
And stop moving so fast! Sorry.
Hold it on. I just don't know
how I'm going to get through it.
Count five beats and move it.
Well, you know what, if you don't
do this bit right,
it's not going to work.
While Leah tries to catch up...
So far, so good.
I've cut all the pieces.
..Juliet and Riccardo are ready to
start constructing their waistcoats,
starting with the darts.
I'm through tacking the darts,
making sure I don't pull the thread.
Is it silk? Yes.
That's made by a worm.
Isn't that bonkers?
I know, it's crazy. Love it, though.
Careful, careful with that!
Oh, sorry, I thought that was...
It's a tack, there's no thread.
I can't take my time.
Can't take my time.
I'm sewing the front darts,
then I'll press it open.
Got to make sure
it's nice and flat.
Hello! How are you finding being
in the final?
Bittersweet,
but I don't feel too nervous.
How's your daughter feeling about
you being in the final?
She doesn't really get it.
She just wants to know
when I'm going to be home.
"When are you coming back, Mummy?"
After years of sewing for just her
daughter, Olivia, and close family,
Juliet's confidence to make
and wear her own garments
finally came after losing over 3st.
It has changed Juliet in
a lot of ways,
she's more confident,
she's blossoming.
So, I am very, very happy for her.
If Juliet were to win
the Sewing Bee,
it would be worth all the time she's
been away from the family.
It would mean everything to her -
like somebody that won the lottery.
Last leg now. Cheers.
Well done. Thank you.
Great job.
Kevin likes this sort of thing,
my husband.
After watching this, he'll probably
put some orders in,
but I will not be making this
ever again.
Sewers, you have three hours
remaining!
Put some darts in...
You're making the darts? Yeah.
Amazing, well done. You see?
You speed up.
I'm trying to figure out
how to insert the welt pocket.
I'm a bit confused.
We've created the illusion
of a front pocket,
by just creating a welt
on the front.
Now, they are cut with
a mitred corner,
so that the welt pocket
is on a slant,
but the edges run up and down
the garment.
So they could get in a muddle
there.
Oh, which way are you putting
your welt on?
They go like this, Leah.
Otherwise, they'll go up.
Yeah, but they do go up.
No, they don't go up. They go down.
They don't, they go up.
I'm welting, hopefully
in the right direction.
There's a lot of dispute
with these pockets.
I think these are round
the wrong way. I don't know.
That looks like the right way.
I've only done three pages, there's
like eight more pages left.
What's next, what's next?
I've got to sew the top collar
to the under-collar.
Once stitched together and pressed,
attaching the collar to the front
will take the utmost care.
I think the most important bits of
this waistcoat are the collar.
Hopefully, there won't be
any mistake.
One misplaced notch...
Why isn't it lining up?
..or wayward stitch....
Ugh! It's too bulky.
..will become an eyesore.
I'm just going to unpick that bit.
Hang on, hang on.
What does it say
in your instructions?
"Attach collar to the front piece
along the neckline."
But this is the lining.
Do it step by step.
Keep calm and carry on.
The pressure is completely
getting to me today.
What a ridiculous thing to do.
Finalists, you have half
your time remaining -
two hours to go. Breathe.
I'm just hoping that I can just
complete this thing.
But before they can complete
their waistcoats...
"Sew the front lining piece
to the front-facing piece."
..the sewers will have to make use
of their other fabric -
the lining.
I like this because it's a big
contrast and it's fun.
Otherwise, it would just be another
plain, blue waistcoat.
Once the lining and front facing
have been attached...
Pull it, pull it.
..the waistcoat panels can be
pulled through to the right side.
There. Looks good.
It's best to press at this point,
because when you've created
the entire garment, it's harder to
get into those corners.
I haven't pressed it yet. OK.
I know.
Sewers, one hour remaining.
Oh, my gosh. We're so behind.
The back pieces are still
sitting there.
Once the two layers of back lining
have been sewed together...
My lining keeps slipping.
This is like sewing water.
..it's ready to be attached
to the front of the waistcoat.
"Sandwich the front piece of
waistcoat
"in between the two layers."
"Sandwich in between the two..."
What?!
"In between the two back layers."
What?
Did you understand how to...?
No. Do you get it? No.
Why does it have to be so hard?
Oh, dear.
The way they're going to construct
this is to sew it inside out.
And then, what we call, bag it out.
Once they've joined up the
shoulders, the back, one side,
what they're going to have to do is
turn the whole thing inside out.
So, you can see it's hand-sewn
between here and here,
and that's where all this waistcoat
comes through.
Once they've pulled it through,
and it's incorrect,
to put it right is
a major, major task.
So, all is hinging on that moment,
in a lot of ways.
Have you done your sandwiching
in between?
That's what I'm trying
to figure out now,
to make sure they're facing
the right way.
That's that piece, so we'll shove it
between the two back layers.
It's very complicated because
you have to think inside out
and on the other way around.
Oh, gosh. Get it right.
But now, the final Pattern Challenge
gets even more complicated.
Close your eyes and hope
for the best.
You take the plunge.
The sewers have to work blind.
In my head, I'm like, "Please be
straight, please be straight."
With their front pieces
inside the back,
they won't know if they're actually
catching every layer
along the seams.
There are a gazillion layers.
I could be more accurate,
but I don't have a lot of time.
Each missed layer will become
a glaring hole,
once they've turned the waistcoat
the right way around.
This is make or break, right?
Oh, this is scary.
I'm nervous for you now.
It's like it's all going to come
out the wrong hole.
Eh... Oh! No, no. Go back.
Try again.
It's like a creature coming out
of a chrysalis. Honestly.
And a waistcoat is born!
Look at that! Ay, ay, ay!
You made a waistcoat!
One side open.
Riccardo, he's failed to catch
the front in the back
as he's sewn it up,
so he's actually got two halves
that are just dangling.
No, no, undo that.
Is that something that can be
rectified
in this short amount of time?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, it could be.
So I need to put it back
as it was,
and catch one side
of the waistcoat.
30 minutes of your final
Pattern Challenge.
Are you going to finish?
No. All right.
Well, don't bother, then, Leah.
I can't do it!
Now you pull...
Now everything else.
There!
Whoo!
So I catch this side...
How do I sew that bit up?
Let's see if we can get
some buttons on
and then worry about that
afterwards.
I'm going to hand-stitch
that bit.
OK, let's see...
Please, please, please, please,
please.
Yeah! And now...
Oops.
I've got two holes.
Riccardo still hasn't managed
to catch all of his layers.
I'm just stitching all the bits,
quick-fixing it.
Ten minutes, sewers, buttons
and buttonholes
should be going on.
Have we got instructions
about buttonholes? Yes, we do.
I'm using my eyes to make
good buttonholes.
This, all of that.
I prefer those. Yeah. Thank you!
Happy to help.
I'm making the buttons now.
They're not aligned.
But, oh, well, I need to finish it.
Come on, come on.
Five minutes, sewers,
time to be pressing.
Just will not get rid
of these marks.
I'm not doing anything else,
I'm just going to put it on.
I can see the stitches
coming through,
these things won't last very long.
One minute.
Get your waistcoats
on the mannequins.
Hello, mister, you look smart
for the party.
Come on, Leah! Yeah.
Yeah.
Buttons, I hope you don't pop off.
Needles, up, that's your time!
That is the final
Pattern Challenge of the Sewing Bee.
Yay! Whoo!
Well done.
Bring your mannequins forward.
Done, over and out.
# Let's get married
# Get married soon
# You be the bride
and I'll be your groom
# A-ha, ooh-ooh-ooh
Oh, yeah... #
Right, Leah.
You kept making mistakes,
but you corrected them
and you got it done.
I think you did really well.
The collar could be a little bit
better pressed. Yeah.
But you've got both
the inside and the outside curve
perfectly symmetrical.
That's really hard to achieve.
Your buttonholes -
a little bit off.
More importantly,
you've got your welt pockets
on the wrong side.
They should be mitred so that
each edge is straight.
OK. I'm going to have a look
inside now.
You didn't get round to...
That last little bit in the centre.
..doing the little hand-sewing.
Shoulder seam is very neatly sewn,
the back looks very clean.
It is such a shame
we don't have well-pressed collars.
Otherwise, pretty good.
Say something!
It's absolutely stunning.
It is absolutely stunning!
Well done!
Thank you.
These curves, absolutely beautiful,
every single one.
But you've pressed it
really, really well,
so it looks really flat
and well-fitting.
Buttons are a great choice.
Thanks, Joe.
Hey. No worries. Happy to help.
It's neat and tidy throughout.
It's completely finished.
Would you wear that, Patrick?
I'd wear this in a heartbeat.
This is a beautifully sewn
waistcoat.
You should be very proud of it.
Thank you.
Riccardo, up you come.
THEY LAUGH
Silly me. They're almost the same!
I very much like
your choice of fabric.
I really like the lining.
Well, you've under-stitched
the collar,
but can you see
how this is curling round?
I can feel underneath,
there's too much fabric there,
which is pushing that round.
The shape itself is actually
really nice,
you've got this lovely
smooth curve,
but if the buttons
had been closer to the edge,
you'd have made sure that
that notch in the V there
was right in the centre.
Oh, very nice and neat
hand-stitching.
So you haven't machine-stitched
the back?
I machine-stitched the inside,
not the outside.
Yes.
Well, that is a real shame.
I know it is.
You know, I think it's well done.
It just lacked that kind of finesse
in the final finish.
Thank you.
Now the judges must decide
which waistcoat was sewn
with most accuracy.
In third place is...
..Riccardo.
You did really well.
It's just your mistake at the side.
In second place...
..Leah.
Fantastically sewn,
just a whisker away
from being a perfectly-finished
waistcoat.
And...
..in first place is Juliet.
It's fantastic, Juliet.
Thank you.
It's so beautifully sewn
and so beautifully finished.
Thank you. Well done.
Through the final Pattern Challenge,
are you relieved?
Yeah. Yes, very.
OK, well, go off,
put your waistcoats on.
Pretend you're at a wedding,
have ten pints of lager,
come back for
the Transformation Challenge
and ready for a fight, please.
Well done, Juliet.
Little tea-cheers.
Cheers! Yay.
This is the best feeling.
And I'm just going to remember
when things go wrong,
when I'm sewing at home,
Patrick Grant said that
he would wear my waistcoat.
I kind of clawed it back, I think.
But a couple of brain farts on
the way.
That was a disaster.
But usually I've done well
in the Transformation Challenges,
so let's see how this will turn out.
# Now, I go cleaning windows
# To earn an honest bob... #
For the final
Transformation Challenge...
Oh, my goodness! Oh, wow! Hello. Hi!
..the sewers face a creative
curtain-call.
Well, well.
As you can see, we're surrounded
with net curtains.
We'd like you to take up to three
curtains
and transform them into a stunning
piece of evening wear,
it can be a blouse or skirt,
jumpsuit.
But it has to be something
for a very special occasion.
You can take fabrics
from the haberdashery,
but, remember, it's the net curtain
that's the star of the show.
So we want you to turn something
ordinary
into something extraordinary.
The judges are going away now
so they don't know whose is whose.
Also, they're going to look
through some strangers' windows.
Off you go.
This is your final
Transformation Challenge.
So do something amazing,
but also remember to have fun.
It's fun.
You have 90 minutes
for this challenge.
Good luck.
Your time starts now.
# Ready, go!
Everybody razzle-dazzle... #
Do you want a hand?
Three, two, one...
# Everybody razzle-dazzle
# If it's all night long... #
Who's there?
When introduced in the 1700s...
Oh, it's Riccardo.
..net curtains were made
with silk, wool or cotton.
I never made anything using
curtains,
at least those kinds of curtains.
The sewers must elevate
the intricate designs
of their modern polyester
curtains...
All of the transformations
are just bonkers.
..from the domestic to the dramatic.
I don't know what I'm doing yet.
I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere.
The usual, crazy woman.
The last one.
I can't think of a net curtain
I've noticed in the street
for years.
It's all peeping out behind
shutters now.
So what can they do with it?
I mean, some of them have got
very big and bold obvious motifs.
And then you've got
this little border here.
The great thing with net is
you can see through it.
So do they use it with something
behind?
Could be interesting to see
what colours or patterns
they put.
It's not straightforward to sew,
what you're doing is,
you're sewing an awful lot of holes.
They're very imaginative.
So I'm expecting to see
something rather fabulous.
Well, I mean, this is the final
so we want to see something
that feels like a garment
that you'd wear to a special
occasion.
The sewers CAN use fabrics
from the haberdashery...
I'm looking for lining.
..but the net curtains must take
centre stage.
Don't know what I'm doing!
I never know what to do.
I like this because I like
the intricate design.
So I'm thinking to make these kinds
of really long shirts/dresses
and I want to have a really strong
colour underneath
so you can see all the patterns
of the curtain.
Hello. Hello!
Oh, there you are.
Oh, there YOU are.
Right. How long should we make this,
do you think?
But that long?
Do we think that's a good decision?
Excellent. Thanks.
One of those things about 90-minute
challenges, Joe.
It'll be like a quick decision.
So that's going to be the bottom
of the...?
So it's going to be the bottom of
the fishtail.
We're going to go for a bit
of drama, I think.
I'm going to make a dress.
That bit, I know.
I'm just trying to drape it on here
and then I'll decide on
where the darts are going to go.
Cos I still don't really know
what I'm going to do with the
net part of it.
I'm sort of winging it.
Sewers, you have one hour.
Brrrrrm.
Oh, my God.
We are doing - "we" being me and a
big old bunch of net curtains -
are doing a fishtail.
Ooh!
And I tell you what, who knew that
they were so difficult to sew?
They keep getting stuck
in the machine, like that.
Shall we see what it looks like?
Ooh, this looks nice. Yeah.
So that's the curtain bit
and then some green fabric
around...? Yes.
To make the bottom of the dress.
Maybe a bit too long?
Quite sort of conservative, maybe.
Do you think?
Shall I make it shorter?
I think we need to make
more out of this stuff.
What have we got here?
Hello. Hey, Joe.
How are you? Not good.
Not good? What's happened?
I don't know what I'm doing.
You're on Great British Sewing Bee.
What you're expected to do is make
an outfit out of net curtains.
Oh, my God.
Just curious as to know
what you're going to actually do
with the curtain.
Do you want some suggestions?
Maybe a hat?
Maybe. Some shoes?
Some sort of sexy socks?
Could do that.
Or maybe attach it to this
in some way?
Sewers, you're halfway through.
I'm just stitching some dots
to create some shaping.
Well, not happy with it, because I
haven't added the lace,
and the lace is the key thing
that needs to go on.
I don't want it to look like
it's a net curtain,
but it looks like it's a net
curtain.
OK, now I want to make the top.
And I'm trying
to have the same pattern.
Oh, I see. One here.
I've just got all these thoughts
in my head, things that I could do.
I'm just second-guessing myself.
How long have we got?
30 minutes remaining, sewers.
Let's just grab this.
At the moment,
I am trying to fold this to make
a bow.
Esme, she likes a statement bow.
So I'm going to do some kind
of ridiculous bow.
I think I could put a button stud
in green
and put maybe a green colour.
How are we getting on now?
I haven't even used the lace yet.
That's how bad it is.
You know you need to.
I need to.
I'm... I am aware.
20 minutes, sewers!
Is that a giant bow?
Yeah. I know somebody who's going to
love that!
I hope Esme likes it, but this is
not good.
She can't say it's not
big enough.
Is it worth putting some boning
or something to keep it up?
Can you find some?
This stuff makes me think of Janet.
Yeah.
Janet got you all into boning,
didn't she?
She did. Let's be careful
how we say that.
It looks quite cool.
So I folded all of them.
Sewers, you have ten minutes
remaining.
Ten minutes.
Nice!
Juliet, I don't want to panic you,
but less than ten minutes left
and you haven't used
the curtain yet.
I don't know what to say.
Can't have an evening dress
without drama.
Five minutes, sewers!
Five minutes. Oh, God!
All right.
Well, I won't put the button,
so I pin...
I don't know what it's going to look
like when I finish.
I'm just going to get this net
on it.
Juliet, you need to be dressing
your mannequin now. Really?
Let's hope it looks wearable.
The pressure, it's too much.
Just deep breaths.
Needles up, sewers,
that's your time!
Well done, everyone.
Bring your mannequins forward.
Let's see what you've done.
It's a bit...
It's total sham work.
This is a bow!
# However I've got my eyes on you
# So best beware
# Where you roam... #
Hello, there!
Hello!
# I've got my eyes on you
# So don't stray... #
What's that? Talk about a big bow.
Somebody's been listening to Esme.
# Incidentally
I've set my spies on you
# I'm checking on all you do... #
I tell you one thing
I really like about this
is the net curtain they've chosen,
with these big floral shapes
on it.
I also like the green
and the white together
with a collar, a placket
at the front.
Wow.
Obviously, it isn't the most
beautiful sewing.
This is such a big and bold
part of this design.
It needed enough time for a really
good press.
So the net has been used
as a simple draped skirt.
I love this bow.
It's pleated to create this shape
over the bust.
I'm quite intrigued by these little
darts here.
The fit on this bust
is not perfect,
but I like that they've been
just incredibly bold.
It's very new. It's very dramatic.
It's as far from a drab pair
of net curtains
as you could possibly imagine.
I love this.
# Oh, darling, just be wise
# Keep your eyes on me... #
This is a very different use
of the net
to provide this huge
gathered bottom,
and the contrast on this giant bow
on the front.
You know, this has got a bone in,
to give it rigidness.
To give it its form.
I think it works really well.
Course, now I'm going to say
something.
I would like these to be
a little bit longer...
I mean, surely that's even
big enough for you.
Yes, this is big enough.
This is occasion wear
par excellence. Certainly is.
Esme and Patrick must now decide
whose evening wear transformation
is fit for this grand occasion.
Three fantastic transformations
very worthy of our final,
but in third place...
..it's the green one in the centre.
Riccardo. Fantastic idea.
Just slightly falling short
on the final execution.
Thank you.
In second place...
..is the white one.
Juliet.
I love that you just did white
and I love your bow. Thank you.
I told you it was going to be all
right, didn't I? Were you worried?
I've never seen a more worried
person in my life.
Which means, in first place,
it's Leah.
APPLAUSE
So many fantastic, creative ideas in
one garment, and so well ex*cuted.
A worthy winner. Well done.
So exciting! Thanks.
Well done. Well done.
So, as that's the end of the day,
the night is yours.
Do something classy, start with
canapes, end in the gutter.
And come back tomorrow and we'll
have the final Final Challenge.
Oh...! But well done. Sleep well.
Thank you.
Coming first has been
a massive confidence boost.
I'd love to think that I COULD win.
I just need to make sure
that I don't panic.
But today is a good day.
I had so many ideas,
I didn't know which one to go with.
I'm going to try my best, make sure
that I'm in control tomorrow
and I don't have a meltdown
like I did this afternoon. Ah...!
Oh, God...!
No, no, no, I don't think
it's over.
I didn't win
the Transformation Challenge
for the last two weeks either
and I won Garment Of The Week
both times.
So, let's see.
There's one challenge left
in the Great British Sewing Bee,
after which, we'll crown
this year's champion.
How have they done, the sewers -
have they met your expectations?
Leah quite often struggles with
the Pattern Challenge,
but I think she did very well.
Juliet's was absolutely spot-on.
Riccardo is a little behind
the other two,
but, over the last two weeks, has
won Garment Of The Week
with his made-to-measure.
So whilst he is a little behind,
he has every chance.
Anything could happen.
For this last challenge,
the finalists have chosen
their own models.
Juliet will be sewing for her
cousin, Maxine...
Oh, my God, this is happening!
..Riccardo for his best friend,
Federica...
Ready? Are you?
..and Leah for her sister, Naomi.
Ready? No. Me neither.
Welcome back, sewers.
And welcome to our new models,
who are your friends and family,
which is a lovely thing
cos they can give you
extra support.
Unless they're like my friends and
family, in which case, good luck!
The judges would like you to make
a strapless evening gown,
something you'd wear to the Oscars,
a ball,
or just taking the recycling out
if you're feeling fancy.
Remember this is your last chance
to impress the judges, after which,
one of you will be crowned
Britain's best amateur sewer.
You have six hours,
and your time starts now.
SHE EXHALES
OK...
This is it!
For such a complex garment,
the finalists have been allowed
to cut their pattern pieces
in advance...
Let's see which bits I've got.
..but constructing and finishing a
stunning evening gown in six hours
will still require speed, precision
and total concentration.
LAUGHTER
Everything under control, Feder.
Making an evening gown -
that's the ultimate challenge
for a home sewer, is it?
It's a strapless evening gown,
and that really is a task
because they have to make a corset,
otherwise it will fall down.
I mean, these are great, big,
long dresses,
there's a lot of weight
in these dresses.
So, actually, there's quite a lot of
work for that corset to do,
so that needs to be
perfectly fitted.
And today they have different models
to those they've been working
with throughout the Sewing Bee -
different shapes,
different proportions -
and this a tricky fit,
even on a figure you know well.
You can do bonkers things
with an evening gown, can't do?
It could be tight-fitting,
it could be huge.
It could have a bustle at the back.
Would a big bow help?
Well, you know I love a bow!
Probably the scariest bit of
the dress is that
it has a kind of bow at the front,
and we know that Esme has very
strong views about bows.
Leah's bow will draw in the waist
of an elegantly simple
floor-length dress, supported
by a hidden bodice, where cascading
layers of gathered crepe de Chine
should appear magically suspended
on her sister Naomi
from a simple ruffle.
The intention is that it appears
to just be held up
by one line of stitching. Oh...
I think I'm on really ropey ground.
It's very understated.
The whole point is I'm spending
the final of
the Great British Sewing Bee
making it look like
I haven't sewn anything.
Does she do this?
I've noticed Leah says, like,
"Oh, I'm not really...
"I'm not doing very well.."
"Oh, I'm not doing very well.."
..and then she's smashing it. Yeah.
Is that annoying?
There's lots of other things
that are annoying.
Oh, let's hear about ALL of them!
No, she's perfect!
THEY LAUGH
To construct a firm foundation
for their evening gown...
..the sewers will need to
make a corset
from perfectly sewn
panels of fabric.
The more panels you have,
the better it will fit on the body
of the model.
One, two, three, four, five.
5, 10, 15 pieces.
6, 8, 7, 7, 14.
The whole thing is going to have...
..um, nine panels.
But Juliet's corset is less
straightforward than it sounds.
Good morning. How are you?
Oh, gosh, I don't know how I am.
Maxine's presence isn't calming you?
Oh, no, she's got a great presence
around me - she's helping.
Tell us what you're making today.
OK, so it's going to be a red dress.
The pattern is something that
I've made myself.
With this sort of sweetheart
neckline? Yeah.
And have you ever made a corset
before?
Um, I haven't made a corset, ever.
OK.
Juliet's intricate
asymmetric sweetheart corset
will have to support a full skirt in
a heavy rose-print jacquard fabric
held out with net lining and
featuring pockets in the side seams.
Have you ever made anything for
Maxine before?
Never made anything for her,
which is bad.
You made me a crop top, like,
way back.
Actually, yeah, a crop top...
That's true. Yeah.
She never wore it. Yeah.
How do you know?
LAUGHTER
Cos if she'd worn out,
I'd have remembered.
Both Juliet and Leah have chosen
a glamorous path
through this Final Challenge.
This could be worn
on some billionaire's yacht.
If you know of any billionaires,
let me know.
But Riccardo...
TRANSLATION:
..has chosen to immerse himself
in an environmental campaign.
I started from the plastic
in the ocean
and all the fibre from polyester
and disposable fashion
is created to the environment.
So the main idea was
all the dead whales
because they get the stomach full
of plastic bags.
They eat them thinking
that they're jellyfish,
and the idea is to get
a model trapped in a jellyfish.
Federica will be caught
in a completely recyclable ball gown
with a polyester crepe bodice
above an oversized skirt covered
in an iridescent polyester organza
with exposed seams to mimic
a jellyfish's tentacles.
So, when Riccardo asked you,
did you know that he was
doing the Sewing Bee? Yes.
But when he said,
"I'm actually in the final,"
I thought, "Wow, OK.
So what do you have in mind?"
"A jellyfish." "Great!"
Like, "Excellent!"
THEY LAUGH
This dress is going to require
patience that goes against
every single DNA in my body.
Even though you have
a lot of panels,
you still need to do all the fitting
back and forth, back and forth.
Leah, this is what I was talking
about.
That needs to go in. OK, cool.
Thank you.
But Leah's corset...
Quite a lot, actually, Riccardo.
..is a long way from
a first fitting.
I'm doing layers
and layers of a bodice.
I have four types of silk,
so the actual foundation is made
of this really thick silk.
Then I have two lots of
medium-weight crepe de Chine,
the other one's a lightweight
crepe de Chine
that also forms the full gown. OK.
I love the luxury element to them,
but sewing them is just
really difficult.
So you've tried it on Naomi before?
Right, yeah.
She's been up late at night having
some pretty terrible fittings.
Exposure that's probably not
suitable for BBC. OK...
Juliet won't be able to accurately
fit her corset until she's completed
her sweetheart neckline.
Evening wear, it should
have, like, something extra
that will just make it
not an everyday piece of clothing.
It would be boring
if you give them "blah".
Shall we do a first fitting?
If it doesn't feel like
it's in the right place
or anything else,
you need to tell me.
Please fit, please fit.
I need to take this in
here and here.
Yes! Yeah, happy? Mm-hmm!
I've got to seriously get wriggling.
This is just the foundation.
How terrifying is that?
Sewers, you're halfway through.
HE SIGHS
Mum's birthday's sorted.
Leah? Yeah? Can I call you just
a second? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
See, I think that fits, like,
a million times better.
Does it feel, like...?
Yeah, it's good.
Yeah? Excellent.
HE SIGHS
OK, I need to start my skirt.
Juliet, it looks amazing already.
Thank you.
Oh, God, I've got to do this bit.
TRANSLATION:
It will take a bit of my
time creating
this structure from the underskirt.
It needs to be PROPERLY snug.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah? Yeah.
I'm just thinking
about how I'm going to do this.
After her ornate sweetheart bodice,
Juliet's skirt is even
more complicated.
I'm trying to match up the pleats
on the skirt
in line with the seams of
the bodice.
Are they kissing pleats
or box pleats?
I don't know what they're called,
but they're a thing.
They are a thing.
And that's not all. It's nice
to have pockets in dresses.
Look, that's the pocket bag.
That's not something
you usually would see.
Riccardo is planning to insert
something even more unusual
into his skirt.
Morning. Hello. Good morning.
Are you pitching a tent? Yes!
My idea is to create this skirt
resembling a jellyfish.
It's quite like a crinoline,
isn't it? Yeah.
At the very beginning, I wanted to
use will use polyester boning,
but I didn't know
that was so fragile.
So I went for
polyester plumbing piping.
You popped down your local
hardware store? Yeah.
Not the normal first port of call
for couturiers,
but it's very effective.
Yeah, very effective.
You can hula hoop. Yes.
It's a hula hoop!
Yes, that what I was going to say.
Well, you can try.
No, I'm not going to try.
Right, take your thing off.
Having finally completed
a 15-panel bodice
in four different types of silk...
Nice and tight? Yeah.
..Leah's skirt will see her working
with an even larger quantity
of hard-to-sew crepe de Chine.
Two-and-a-half metres!
I'm freaking out already.
This now needs three
lots of running stitches
so that, when it's all gathered,
you get a set of even gathers.
SHE GASPS
Too much to do, too much to do.
Come on, concentrate.
Leah, predictably, is in something
of a panic.
She's found it very difficult
managing the fabric.
She's got a lot of fabric to handle.
I do like the idea of it all
suspended from the corset
and flowing.
The pleats are in now.
Juliet has, in the past, given us
so many giant sculptural objects,
huge statement sleeves,
and this is not the most ambitious
thing I think she's ever given us.
This is quite traditional. Mm.
You made that?! Yeah.
You've been busy, haven't you?
Riccardo's jellyfish
is extraordinary.
It is a real leap of imagination.
Oh, my word...
It is a risk. Oh, it is.
I'm slightly worried.
And then, from the front, and then
you win the Sewing Bee, that's it.
Do you like it on me? I think
we should swap, actually. OK.
I feel like you're lying to me.
There's just one hour remaining
in the Final Challenge
of the Great British Sewing Bee.
It's gone very tense.
I need to insert a zip.
So the skirt is seven panels.
What I'm trying to achieve
is even gathers.
These four threads -
drop one, or if one breaks,
I have to start again,
and I need to do this along
almost three metres of silk.
After sewing the invisible zipper,
then I'll start sorting out
the netting.
I can feel my heart beating.
TRANSLATION:
Move on to the inside.
Speed sewing - activated.
I chose the netting because it would
help the skirt part of the dress
to pouffe out a lot.
That's where the drama is.
Oh, my fingers!
RICCARDO: OK, excellent.
So this bit now needs to get
attached to this bit.
Jeez, man!
Sewers, this is
your final half-hour.
It's too heavy!
The organza extravaganza.
Oh, God, this does my head in,
this does.
This ruffle is the secret seam
that makes it look like
the whole thing is attached
by one seam.
All right, Naomi,
quick, quick, quick.
Turn around. Right, careful
not to stand on it from now on.
Get in...
Wow, it's got a long hem.
TRANSLATION:
Keep still.
I'm running out of time.
This is the easiest way
of doing it.
Turn and face me. Face me.
Can you help me? Push it in?
Push it inside, yeah.
Got to get it off her now.
Final ten minutes, guys!
Lipstick.
I just need to put now
the iridescent jellyfish
on top of the skirt.
Move.
So it's got a very slight waterfall
from the front to the back.
Suck it in, Max.
I feel HORRIBLY underdressed.
Wow!
HE GASPS
Two minutes, sewers!
Can I do a hook and eye
in two minutes?
Sewing this last bit.
Oh, God, that's terrible
at the back.
Naoms, come over here super-quick.
Right, I don't know if this is going
to work.
This is a waist piece
to give her more volume.
Right, literally bend down.
Go on, bend... Go on.
Bend more, bend more.
..enough.
I can't do hand-sewing rushed.
OK, here we go... You've got, like,
less than 30 seconds, Leah. Yeah...
TRANSLATION:
I can't do this in two minutes -
I'm going to have to leave it.
Needles up! That is your time,
sewers.
It's like a dress, if nothing else.
You have finished the Sewing Bee.
Well done.
They all look absolutely amazing.
Don't forget to show off
the pocket...
Right, listen, you need to be
really careful
and you mustn't step back.
TRANSLATION:
MUSIC: Aquarium
by Medwyn Goodall
Right, Juliet, it's got a lot of
drama and it fits really well.
I love this fabric -
it looks luxurious -
and it really suits your model.
And I love that
you've put pockets in!
And I like these little pleats
that line up with these seams.
One thing that my eye
is being drawn to -
this point isn't here.
Can you see
how it looks asymmetrical?
Was that intentional? That's sort of
the idea I was going for.
Well, I think
it should have been more, then.
Maybe if you'd made this higher...
Mm-hm.
..so you'd made that
even more asymmetric.
I am being nit-picky.
It is a beautiful dress.
LAUGHING: Yeah, I think
you've been incredibly harsh!
Have you started drinking, Esme?
LAUGHTER
Yes, I've had a whole bottle of Cava
before I even got here.
Oh, that explains it.
Yeah, I'm not going to nit-pick.
I'm just going to tell you
it's a fabulous piece of sewing.
I do agree
it could have been more obvious,
but that doesn't in any way detract
from the absolute beauty of it.
I mean, it's quite subtle for you.
We're used to you
being much more dramatic,
and I think it works really well.
It's ever so elegant,
it's ever so refined.
And it is very nicely made
and very nicely finished.
Ah! This whole idea
of the plastic bags and the sea
and the jellyfish is incredible.
Those hoops rise and fall
in exactly the way
that the jellyfish moves
through the sea.
It's incredibly effective.
This synthetic organza just looks
like water, it looks a liquid.
It's absolutely mesmerising
to watch.
I love that you've put the seams
on the outside,
but I think it would have been great
if you'd made them bigger... Mm.
..going to smaller
and then they really would
have looked like tentacles.
The corset, I think
the fit is really good.
You've moved up and down
with this quite dramatic
and probably slightly heavy skirt on
and this corset hasn't moved at all.
The bottom isn't level and things.
Yeah.
Did you see his hemming technique?
LAUGHING: Yes, I did!
Yes, she had to steadily go around.
I saw you doing that.
Not something
we can recommend to people. Yes.
But honestly, Riccardo, I'm really
thrilled that you had this vision
and absolutely went for it.
It's a joy to behold.
Aww. Thank you.
Leah, I think this is ever so chic.
The shape of it, the colour
is absolutely perfect.
And I love how it moves in the air.
The whole idea of this dress was to
look light and delicate and bouncy,
and you've achieved that
fantastically.
That corset underneath allows
all of these soft drapes
to look like they're just held
in mid-air by nothing at all,
and that is really difficult.
We've seen you walk up and down.
You haven't touched the dress, which
tells me that it fits perfectly.
It hasn't moved an inch.
And I'm going to comment
on the bow. Yeah!
But I like the bow. OK.
I think the bow is appropriate
for the dress.
Turn round.
Ah, right.
The zip. The top isn't finished.
Yeah, I had a bit of a nightmare
with the zip.
There's another thing I want to say.
That it's really you -
I could see you wearing this.
And, for me, that's very important,
that the sewers bring themselves
to the garments they make.
And I think you
definitely, definitely have.
I love that comment, Esme.
Thank you.
It is wonderful.
Thank you so much.
Genuinely, three...
I'm certain the best things
we've ever seen on Sewing Bee.
They are absolutely stunning.
So, all of you, well done.
Well done, everyone.
Go off, have a little break.
We've run out of tea, unfortunately,
so have some champagne,
and we will come back and find out
who is the winner
of the Great British Sewing Bee.
I think what I've done,
more than a beautiful dress,
it was the message. I really, really
wanted to get this message through
because we use so much plastic.
You've made it. Thank goodness!
I've learnt so much.
I'll recreate that dress in white
for Maxine, for her wedding.
I haven't said this to her,
actually.
It hasn't been plain sailing.
I have had to learn,
I have had to get better.
I have had to take inspiration
from my fellow sewers.
Phew! Whoo! Wow.
And I'm really proud.
It's... It's a strange feeling,
because you don't...
It's not very often.
Whilst Leah, Riccardo and Juliet
await the final decision,
the sewing room
has opened its doors...
Oh, that's amazing, isn't it?
..to their family, friends
and a few familiar faces.
With one family member more
surprised to be here than others.
I brought my mother down here,
on a completely unexplained visit.
I just said to her, "It's
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Walked towards this warehouse
and I thought,
"Oh, warehouse - Sewing Bee!"
And I thought he was a friend
of a contestant.
And then I suddenly went....
.."You weren't in it, were you?!"
And he was, so...
I thought it might bring back
nightmares, but it doesn't.
It's just lovely to be here
and see everything everyone's made.
Seeing all of Juliet's things,
I think probably Juliet has got
a very good chance of winning.
Riccardo's dress...
I mean, he has gone to town.
Riccardo's concept is brilliant.
I think Leah's is so Leah.
I don't know who's ahead of who.
I have a strong feeling
about who I think is going to win,
but I'm not going to tell you
because I might be wrong!
You guys said these
are three of the best
you've ever seen on Sewing Bee.
Yeah. Three garments they can be
extraordinarily proud of.
Let's talk about Riccardo.
So you really liked
this jellyfish dress.
I loved his premise.
It did look like a jellyfish
when she was walking along.
It looked amorphous and liquid
and it moved beautifully.
It was brilliant conception.
How's Juliet done?
Great choice of fabric.
It's got a lining.
In six hours, it's a lot of work.
It had drama.
It's absolutely red carpet ready,
and it's a stunning piece of sewing.
Leah and Juliet were
neck-and-neck this morning.
Is that still the case?
This was another absolutely
stunning piece of sewing.
It looked light as air.
You've just got this
diaphanous, light, bouncy silk
and it just looked
absolutely stunning.
It says Leah. Leah is chic.
She loves understated things,
and this is exactly what this is.
I tell you what,
I don't envy you two.
This is a tough decision, isn't it?
CHEERING
Oh, my darling girl!
I'm so proud of you.
Oh, all right, then. You star!
Welcome back, sewers.
And also hello to all the friends
and family. Thanks for coming.
Can our three finalists step
forward, please?
THEY LAUGH
I am thrilled to announce
that the winner of
the Great British Sewing Bee is...
It's Juliet.
Yes!
CHEERING
Yeah! Whoo!
Can I give you a trophy?
Well done.
SHE WHIMPERS
LAUGHING: Aww!
You all right?
Congratulations. Congratulations.
So well deserved. So well deserved.
I'm crying too! Aww.
Well done.
Well done. Oh, dear.
Thank you. Can I get a tissue?
Can I get a tissue?
LEAH: Worthy winner!
Aww!
You know your mummy's a winner?
CHEERING
It's really surreal right now.
So, so unbelievable.
I never win anything!
SHE LAUGHS
I've never won anything, ever.
I've had to fight
for a lot of things
and, like,
really, really work hard and...
I can't believe it.
The right person won.
The right person won.
Honestly, we were as excited
as Juliet was.
Isn't Mummy clever?
And it was so much fun
to see that cool, calm exterior
just kind of unravel
for that moment.
It was brilliant.
Wahey! Well done, well done.
Juliet, she has amazing ideas
and the execution is impeccable.
And also the feat
is so feminine and so beautiful,
and everything she made,
it looks fantastic,
and she totally deserved it.
I'm... I'm blown away
by the achievement.
She's so determined, worked for it.
Every night for weeks,
she's been practising.
My mummy's a winner.
So well deserved.
I'm the youngest winner?
Really?
That's good.
SHE LAUGHS
Well, it shows...
It shows that anyone can sew.
It doesn't matter how old you are,
it doesn't matter if you've been
learning how to sew...
If you learned how to sew from when
you were little, it doesn't matter -
once you get...
Just get out there and have a go.
THEY LAUGH
We've broken Esme as well! We've
broken Esme, we've broken Esme.
# A bell
# A bell is ringing
# Ringing for you
Ringing for you
# It rings each time you go
# Till you return again
# Till you return again
# A bell
# A bell is ringing
# Calling to you
# It's calling you, I know
# Don't let it call in vain
# Don't let it call in vain
# The bell is tolling to the people
# My sadness when we're apart
# The bell is not in any steeple
# It's here, here in my heart
# A bell
# A bell is ringing
# Ringing so true
Ringing so true
# To say I'll miss you so
# Till you return again
# Ringing and ringing and ringing
and ringing and ringing
# The bell is not in any steeple
# It's here, here in my heart
# A bell
# A bell is ringing
# Ringing so true
Ringing so true
# To say I'll miss you so
# A bell is ringing
# It's ringing, a-ringing
# It rings my love for you. #
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05x08 - Episode 8
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Amateur sewers take on challenges as they compete to be named Britain's best home sewer.
Amateur sewers take on challenges as they compete to be named Britain's best home sewer.