06x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

One down, 11 remain in our search
for Britain's best amateur sewer.

And this week it's Holiday Week,

but with the challenges the judges
have set,

our sewers won't be having a
holiday.

Right! This is going in the accident
book and somebody will be fired.

Welcome to
The Great British Sewing Bee.

Last time...

I just want to finish it.

..the competition began with
wardrobe staples.

CHEERING

While Matt's tea dress won
Garment Of The Week,

Alex struggled.

Oh, my goodness.

But it was Angillia...

Sugar!

..who became the first to leave
the sewing room.

Now we're off on our hols!
NICOLE SIGHS

I'm going to go for a quick dip.

Packing pants,

towelling beachwear...
Too much boobage.

..and tropical shirts.

Oh, yeah. Now I'm happy.

Who will bask in the sunshine...

Ow! I'm running out of time.

..and who will have a wet weekend?

I wouldn't mind one of those.

Mind you, I'd like it better made.

# We're all going on
a summer holiday... #

Holiday week!

Let's go! Let's go somewhere sunny!

Brought bucket and spade, and I'm
all ready for Holiday Week.

I will definitely be channelling
some West African vibes

within the sewing room.

Maybe we're making a sarong.

That would be nice, wouldn't it?
A sarong.

Does it feel like I'm on holiday?

No, not really.

Hello!

Come forward.

How are we all? Week two!

Yeah, doing all right? Good.

Well, this week, all of the
challenges are clothes

that you would wear on holiday,

which seems a bit strange to me,
because

if you're still wearing clothes, are
you really on holiday?

Our first destination
is the Pattern Challenge

and, to tell us more, Esme.

Right.

Here you go.

The Pattern Challenge
is palazzo pants.

So, the palazzo pant is a long
woman's pant.

It will flare gently and gracefully
from the hip.

You can choose whatever
fabric you like,

but what we'd really like is
a bold print.

But we will be checking
your pattern match.

So you're making palazzo pants,

which incidentally was my nickname
at school.

You have three and a half hours for
this challenge,

and your time starts now.

Crikey! A stampede!

Excuse me, excuse me.

Oh, this is me!

Can I have a different pattern to
make them in a bigger size?

Palazzo pants were
created in the 1930s

by fashion visionary Coco Chanel,

and proved a hit with the jetsetting
glitterati

holidaying in the Med.

I chose this fabric.
It just screams "holiday" to me.

It's very bright. It's tropical.

All the things that I love.

This pattern could be the Italian
lakes.

I'm seeing myself on a terrace with
some kind of lovely c*ck.

Right, let me guess your favourite
holiday destinations.

Patrick - a week in Tuscany.

Esme - a weekend in Blackpool with
the lads.

Am I right?

Absolutely hit the nail on the head
there.

And why palazzo pants?

Well, we've asked them to make a
pair of trousers,

which presents some tricky elements

that they're going to have to
master.

This pocket needs to disappear
completely -

clean, smooth and flat.

This is an invisible zip.

The perfect finish is where you
can't see any

of the tape of the zip.

Are you expecting perfect pattern
matching?

Where we would like to see it
matched is at the front here.

But it's a lot more than just
thinking about

lining up the edges.

The pattern needs to look right.

It needs to look well-balanced.

So it's thinking about where those
big, bold bits of colour sit.

Yeah, the overall finished look.

# Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,
wait! #

Let's have a look.

It's not necessarily a terribly
complicated thing.

But I haven't tried to put it
together yet, so...

..we'll see.

These palazzo pants are made of ten
pieces of fabric.

First, an invisible zip is attached
to the centre-back seam.

Then concealed pockets are attached
to the side-front

and side-back leg pieces

before the seams are stitched
together.

Four reinforced pieces
form the waistband,

finishing off the pants.

Right. I found this fabric.

I just love all the colours and it
should waft quite nice

on the sea breeze.

My skirt's a bit short, isn't it?

When Ali's not busy working
as a paramedic,

she spends her holidays on the
fairway.

It's the perfect opportunity to show
off her latest creations.

I'm pretty good at golf so I think
I can get away with wearing

quite smart outfits.

Maybe a little bit sexy,
but not too much.

Was this hard to choose, this
fabric?

No. It's gorgeous!
Gorgeous, isn't it?

But I just have to be careful. Where
the seam meets in the middle,

I've chosen an area where there's
going to be no flower.

I don't want a big flower coming out
of your tummy.

I'm disappointed that there won't be
a big... Plumage.

That's really tickled me.

Good morning, Alex.
Hello, hello!

I love your holiday shirt.

Thank you very much!
Thank you.

It's a great print.

I thought, today, especially,
holiday every day

is my sort of theme anyway.

So this week is so perfectly
planned for me.

Despite a sunny disposition, Alex
rarely has time for relaxation.

Not only is he a competitive
ballroom dancer,

he's also studying artificial
intelligence

at Edinburgh University.

My uni work has
definitely fed into sewing,

coming down to the kind of, like,
scientific level of precision,

I'd say.

I love this fabric.

I think it's a nice choice.
Thank you.

And how do you feel about this
challenge?

I'm really excited about this.

I really hope that this can
translate to a men's pattern

because I'd love to wear palazzo
pants.

Sort of like a karate pant
or a judo pant.

They're very similar in shape.
Yeah, I'd love that.

I have a couple of pairs which I
wear on holiday.

Oh, there we go. See?

Alex isn't the only sewer who's
taken a shine

to the palazzo.

Actually, I quite like this
as well.

I'd probably wear this on holiday
with some loafers.

And some button-on braces.

When high-street banker Mark has
finished with the nine-to-five,

he loves to indulge his passions -

be it playing piano in the local
wine bar,

looking after his dogs with husband
Clive,

not to mention managing a really
quite serious obsession

with Doctor Who.

Doctor Who does feed into my
sewing and my style.

The challenge of trying to work out
something that's been worn

or seen on the series that I like is
good fun.

Do you think this, what you're
making here,

would work well in Doctor Who?
Well, Tegan did wear...

You'd have, like, palazzo pants on
the bottom

and then the body of a fish on top.

I don't know. Something like that.

So, this fabric
is African wax print.

I just think it's really bold and
just represents holiday to me.

Hazel's love of an African wax print
isn't limited to holiday wear.

She's also used to making matching
wedding outfits

for all the family.

Obviously, I looked fly.
She looked fly, too,

and so did our son.

So, currently, I'm just trying to
line up the fabric

so it matches
pretty much exactly the same.

Pattern matching
is not an easy thing.

Esme has asked the sewers for
perfect pattern matching.

# Oh, my eyes are going funny. #

Not only must they line up their
pattern pieces,

they must also account for the seam
allowance.

If they don't, they'll get
mismatched motifs.

I hope I'm doing it right.

I'm trying to line that piece up
with where the tiger is.

And one sewer has made the job
even harder.

So this is crepe fabric.

Slipperiest fabric in the world.

When it falls off the table, it can
distort the pattern match.

I do like a challenge,

but I think I was kind of showing
off in my own head.

Like, "Yeah, I could do this!"

When Fiona's not busy sewing, she
can often be found indulging

her sense of adventure
with partner Henry.

I've already made a mistake.

Oh, no! What have you done?
I'm just going to own it.

I have tried to match, but it's
tricky fabric.

I think I've just spent too
much time.

Think of this as a learning process
as much as a competition,

because...
Oh, very much so.

..you want to come away with tips
and tricks.

That's it.

And maybe Patrick's number.

You know, that's the idea, isn't it?
SHE LAUGHS

OK. Cut all the pieces out.

So, next, the instructions are
telling me to stitch down the zip.

Palazzos are fastened with an
invisible zip.

Sew along very close to the teeth of
the zip.

When the zip goes up...

..it'll go like that and you can't
see the zip.

It must be, by definition,
invisible.

Nice deep breath. Nice deep breath.

I am worried about going too far
away from the teeth.

If they don't sew as close as
possible to the teeth

of the zip, it will be exposed.

It's suddenly gone all quiet.
Is everybody concentrating?

I think everyone's putting the
zip in.

I'm currently just trying to tidy up
my invisible zip.

There's always a little gap at the
bottom

that you have to kind of fudge to
make sure that you don't have

a bit of bum poking out.

Pulling the thread through like that
is what I do

when I'm doing sutures.

A surgeon would scoff at my
knot-tying.

Clare is as a consultant lung
specialist

at Portsmouth's
Queen Alexandra Hospital.

She's known on the wards for her
unique vintage style.

I do get comments at work about my
wardrobe.

There's not very many consultants,
in medicine at least,

that prance around in nice 1940s
clothes.

So that's the invisible zip.

And then the bottom of the zip is
reasonably well-concealed.

Clare might be happy with HER zip,
but not all the sewers

are quite so pleased.

There's a little bit of a pucker,
so it created a weird kink.

But never mind.
I'm worried about, obviously, time.

I'm trying to ignore the time now.

Fiona, though, has yet to even hit
her machine.

Fiona. Hi, Patrick.

What are you wrestling with?

I'm wrestling with the fabric.
Oh. Ah!

It's crepe fabric.

It's quite slippy and drapey.

So you're a little bit behind?

I'm going to try and do my best
to catch up.

Best of luck finishing this
one off...

I'll see you at judging.
..perfectly.

Sewers, you have
an hour and a half left.

At the waistline on your front
leg piece,

pin your pocket bag flat.

Wow, that's a big pocket. I never
thought a pocket would be that big.

Let's see how big my pocket is.
Yeah, you see, it's bigger...

God, I've got a massive pocket,
haven't I? Massive!

The sophisticated simplicity of the
palazzo's design

is carried through to the pockets.

It will just look seamless. You may
not even notice you've got them.

If they aren't attached precisely,
the material inside

will be exposed.

A challenge made even more difficult
for those using

a contrasting material.

I chose this for the pocket, just as
a little detail,

a little flash of something else.

You don't think it's a risk?

I mean, the pockets are supposed
to be concealed.

Of course it's a risk.

OK.

All right.

Mother-of-three Nicole
lives in London.

She grew up in Trinidad, where she
learned to sew.

At that time in Trinidad, there
wasn't really much

readymade fashion.

I began to really just experiment
and I would try and replicate things

I wanted to wear but had no chance,
really, of buying locally.

This lovely leopard print, you can
see, is a design feature.

Really, it's only designed to be
seen

if someone puts their hand in that
pocket.

So I'm going to be super-duper
careful.

Nicole's not the only sewer gambling
on a contrasting pocket bag.

I like a bit of yellow as well.

I've gone for an animal print.

Let's hope it works, because

now I actually see them clashing
against each other,

it's quite full-on.

Peter isn't one to keep to
convention -

something that was apparent from an
early age.

Peter has never been
afraid to stand out.

When he was a teenager, Peter had
blue plastic put in his hair.

I feel like you're the kind of guy
that would,

in three and a half hours,

whip up a pair of palazzo pants,
smash them on,

top off, on the beach.
"See you later."

So you did see me in Magaluf?
I did, yeah!

45 minutes, sewers!

Let's get those pants on fire.

# Ah! #

I think I'm turning into an opera
singer.

These shorter bits are the pockets,

and then the front legs haven't
been joined together yet.

I'm just sewing my crotch shut.

This is where my
pattern matching is.

As the pants are finally closed,
the sewers will find out

if their all-important pattern
matching has been a success.

I hope I've done it properly!

Let's have a look.

The flower matches up at the front.

That's not too bad, is it?

I've got a full tiger there!

He's got a bum and he's got a front
end. It's good!

I'm doing the pockets at the moment.

I'm nervous that I'm not going
to have a finished garment,

but can I just say...

..my pocket pattern matching is
superb?

It's on the inside,
you'll never see it.

I'm starting to stress. Yes.

So can you actually just sing some
whale songs

for me whilst I'm doing this?
Songs from Wales?

Like, Tom Jones songs?
Oh, yeah! Go on, do it.

Er...

# Sex b*mb

# Sex b*mb

# You're a sex b*mb... #
Oh, don't you know it, Joe.

# You can make palazzo pants

# And you won't get it wrong

# Sex b*mb

# Sex b*mb... #
I'm really pleased with that.

15 minutes to go, sewers!

I...

Excuse me, that was nearly a sweary
word.

You think you're going to finish?
Yes, we can!

Woo! That's the spirit!

"Hand-sew waistband facing
in place."

So I will obey.

It's like a strengthening layer.

Waistband facing might be
vital for support,

but it must also be aesthetically
pleasing.

It won't be visible from outside.
It'll look quite neat.

Nicole, though, is gambling on a
contrasting fabric yet again.

Waistband is leopard print.
Fabulous taste, haven't we?

It's going to be a leopard-off.
A leopard-off, yes.

Well, mine's going to be fairly
subtle. Should not...

..be visible on the outside
of the garment.

Sewers, you have five minutes
remaining.

I feel like I'm not the only one
who's cutting it fine.

Oh!

Breathe!

Panic stations galore.

Have you done your hems?

I haven't even done my hair, Joe.

Let's do this.

Let's hope she hasn't put weight on
since last time she tried 'em on.

Come on, Nicole!

My mannequin's bum isn't hanging
out, which I count as a win.

One minute, sewers!
Oh, God!

Sorry to shout.
It's all right.

Crunch time now.

I'm just rushing at the last minute.

Needles up, sewers!
That is your time!

Bring your mannequins forward.

Let's see who's made palazzo pants

and who's made
something completely pants.

# Dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee. #

Lovely!

No, don't look too close.

# When I get tired and feeling blue

# I think of all the things
I can do

# In summer... #

11 pairs of palazzo pants in just
three and a half hours.

PALAZZO lot of nice pants!

I should be judging this with
a pina colada and a parasol.

# Has that certain look in their eye

# In summer
Summer

# In summer
Summer. #

PATRICK: I think they're terrific.

I really do.

You have managed to match that
little building there,

and that little volcano.

It's all perfection.

The zip is really nicely sewn.

The pocket is neat.

Great job. Well done.

They look crisp and neat.

It's a really lovely, vibrant
print.

Your invisible zip is NEARLY
invisible.

Well done.

You have matched it really,
really well.

You've even got the head of the
hippo, the elephant.

Well done.

I love the choice of fabric.

The pattern flows nicely, so I think
it's a tick for me.

Not bad at all.

You've got a busy-all-over print,
so you haven't had to match it.

Your pockets are nice and neat
and flat.

It's not a bad go.
Thank you.

Your zip is not completely
invisible here.

Let's look...

Oh, a hole in the bottom.

The stitch has popped,
unfortunately.

I think they're fabulous.

You've thought carefully about where
you've placed

the really dominant elements
of the print,

and that's very smart.

Let's look at the pockets.

You've top-stitched them here.

You've under-stitched
them on the front.

Pretty good, I'd say.

Well done.

You've given us a
contrast pocket bag,

and you've got to make sure
that pocket

is absolutely perfectly lined up.

That wasn't a great idea.

Right, Hazel.

It hasn't quite worked,
the pattern matching.

Yep.
And we can see the yellow.

I don't know what
you were all doing out there,

thinking that you should put
contrasting pocket bags.

You've all lost your minds.

You've not only given us
contrasting pockets,

you've given us
a contrasting facing.

It's really visible.

Look at the front,
it shouts out at you.

Mm.

Fiona, this hasn't gone very well,
has it?

No.

Your waistband isn't on properly
at all.

I think you spent some time trying
to match the pattern.

You can do much better than this.
It's not perfect.

Can you see this pocket doesn't line
up with the side seam?

Is that to do with the facing?

I think it's to do with your sewing.

Ooh!
THEY LAUGH

Esme and Patrick will now rank the
palazzo pants from worst to best.

In eleventh place - and I don't
think you'll be surprised -

it's Fiona.

There are a few
pretty glaring errors.

Tenth place is Nicole.

The facing is showing.

It's a big shame.

Ninth place is Hazel.

Just a little bit untidy
around the pockets.

We've got a great yellow streak.

Peter is eighth.

Alex, seventh.

Liz is sixth.

Matt's fifth.

Mark's fourth.

And Therese is third.

In second place...

..is Clare.

We absolutely loved your fabric,

and your pattern matching at the
front was exquisite.

Which means, in first place,

congratulations, Ali!

A lovely choice of fabric,
pristine sewing.

You happy?
I'm chuffed to bits.

Great.

# Roll out those

# Lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

# Those days of soda and
pretzels... #

I was really, really pleased.

It's like with anything, isn't it?

You don't know what's going to
happen.

So you've just got to keep smiling
and keep sewing

and you might win.

Although I understand it didn't
fully fit the brief,

I still like the fact that I had
yellow pockets.

So disappointing!

I know I can do better.

So let's bring it on.

Let's see where we go from here.

Holiday Week is already
heating up,

and for the
Transformation Challenge

our sewers are beach-bound.

OK, it's time for
the Transformation Challenge.

A holiday is a great opportunity
for a transformation.

I like to come back with a stunning
tan and at least two new lovers.

The judges would like you to turn
something old

into something new.

And, to tell us more, Patrick!

We'd like you to DRY your hardest...

..and turn...

..some towels into a
beach outfit for a woman.

You can go wild in the haberdashery,

so you can have zips,
buttons, Velcro,

but you can't have any other fabric.

I'm going to send
the judges away now.

One, so they don't know
whose is whose.

And, two, so Esme doesn't work
out we nicked these

from her guest bathroom.

Good luck.
Thank you.

You have, for this challenge,
90 minutes.

You can take two towels.

Good luck. Your time starts now.

# In the summertime
when the weather is hot... #

Let's go, let's go!

# You can stretch right up and
touch the sky... #

They're towels?

The sewers can choose from a mix of
towelling

and thinner cotton hammam towels

to transform into stunning
women's beach garments.

I am so excited by this.

So I'm looking forward to getting
the show on the road.

I've got a bit of making up after
the last challenge,

so I'm just going for it.

Can I get a pina colada, please?

# We go fishin' or go swimmin'
in the sea... #

PATRICK: So, we've asked them to
make something to wear

post-swim.

So it needs to be something,
I think, that's easy to put on.

It needs to be, I think, a bit
loose-fitting.

It doesn't want to feel too formal.

It definitely has to feel sort of
beachy and relaxed.

Yes, but also something they could
go in the bar

and have a drink with.

They've got a variety of patterns
and a variety of textures

and a variety of colours,

and I think it gives them plenty
of scope

for doing something really exciting
and creative.

Well, I hope so.

I'd love to see what you'd make and
what you'd wear out with a towel.

We could make a nice little skirt
for you.

What have we got?
What have we got?

I have an idea.
But I'm just trying to work out

how I'm going to go about and do it.

I love towelling for beachwear.

I'm a real beach bunny so this, for
me, is right up my street.

While, for most, the towels are
evoking fond memories

of sandy shores...

What's going through my head
at the moment?

A poolside in Morocco.

..for one sewer they mean something
entirely different.

I was quite a crusty mama.

So kind of like a bit of
an Earth mama.

I made a couple of, like,
washable nappies.

That is my only experience
of towelling.

Now the makeshift nappies are a
thing of the past,

Liz loves taking her daughters -
Hannah and Sophie -

to the local beach.

Let's see.

Yay! Well done.

This looks like it's going to become
some kind of a dress.

I could see someone else wearing it.

If they're on a cruise and they're
going out

to a nice c*ck party

or they're having, like, a nice meal
on an evening.

This is actually just a square...

..cut from the corner into the
centre.

Just a sort of poolside cover.

I've chosen a cotton towel.

I lived in the Middle East.

It's towelling that we used in
Abu Dhabi.

Because they're lighter weight
but very absorbent,

they're nice to use.

Grandmother Therese
lives in East Sussex.

Life now is a far cry from the sun
and sea of her expat days

in Abu Dhabi.

We moved to Abu Dhabi
in the late eighties.

In a hot climate, I used to make
a lot of flowing floral dresses.

I'm knotting and turning fabric,

so the theme of the dress will be
sarong-type thing.

Hello. Hi.

What are you making, Clare?

At the moment, I'm making a rather
tedious rectangle

with a zip in the front.

A tedious rectangle with a zip in
the front? Yes.

They're going to fly off the
shelves! They are, I'm sure.

The plan is to make a little jacket,
hopefully with a hood.

Oh, isn't that cute?

Clare might be going for cutesy,

but others have opted for saucy.

I'm just snipping this to make
my slit a little wider.

Modern girls want a dress that is
jazzy,

that's funky, a little bit risque.

The sort of girls that go to Ibiza,
concerts, raves.

This guy is going to go like zis!

It's a wrap skirt that's going to
come around here.

Ooh!

Like that.
That's short, isn't it?

I know!

Matt might be in his element making
eye-popping drag outfits

for his partner Greg -
aka Miss Martini -

but he can always turn his hand to
something more refined

when it comes to Mum and Dad.

He's made his dad a lovely
dressing gown.

Yeah, I was really delighted.
It was a surprise.

I've always wanted a dressing gown
that Hercule Poirot would wear.

I'm really proud of it.

Just putting some trimming on the
bottom.

White and blue, like the sea.

You're halfway through, sewers!

God Almighty.

Right, if I was a size eight...

Yeah!

..bikini underneath.

It's a jacket.

There's a hood there. Lovely.

And a pocket.
You've even done a pocket!

It has got a pocket. You can put
anything you like in it.

Put your room key in it.

Shells from the beach.
Shells from the beach.

Or maybe a crab.

A crab?!

A single crab?
Just a crab.

Mark might be making practical
additions,

but others are letting rip.

I quite like to make things just
look a little bit different

to how you'd expect.

So I'm trying to fray all the ends
of the seams.

I'm just looking at putting a
hood on.

Sort of really long, triangular,
kind of Lord of the Rings-y,

kind of thing.

I hope this bling is going to save
it from being too ordinary.

OK, trim.

Just to hang down.

This pompom trim has been so
popular.

It's like Christmas tree lights.

They're always tangled up when you
get them out, aren't they?

I'm going to make a playsuit.

I had just enough fabric to do kind
of a strapless

boob tube type thing up here.

I am making a rah-rah skirt.

I mean, I think if I went to
somewhere like Mexico

and wore a big sombrero hat,
I might wear something like this,

if I had a good tan.

This looks extraordinary.

Thank you.

It reminds me of, um...a
desert-dwelling creature

in Star Wars.

JOE SPEAKS GIBBERISH
Like that.

Sort of, yeah.
I don't know what they do.

It's been a while since I've
watched it.

It's really wild, though.

It's got to be better.
It's got to be better.

While Peter's looking to elaborate
on his creation,

Alex has decided to simplify.

I'm almost finished.

I was basically trying to make
a little skirt,

but I think it looks quite nice
without it.

I think there's kind of such a nice
effervescence to it,

there's no need for it.

Alex might have lost his skirt
entirely,

but Matt's not far behind.

It doesn't quite fit.

I've got a big gap on the side, so
it's going to look terrible,

but I'm going to put a little
patch in here

and then buttons here.

Oh, well.

Five minutes to go, sewers! Five
minutes. Oh, my God!

I need to make some bars of elastic
to go round the back.

Ali and I are using the same
pompoms, I've noticed.

I've not had a look yet to see what
she's up to.

The dangly bits could be overkill,

but then that's kind of my
trademark.

Wowser!

I love these exposed edges.

This is peak Liz, I would say.
Do you like it?

My outfit is INCREDIBLY dull.

Too much boobage.

Making towels sexy again.

Oops!

That didn't sound good, did it?

Let's do this!
Two minutes to go!

You need to get your outfits on
mannequins now, guys.

I hate the pressure.

Oh, my God. There's a top as well!

I am cutting it a bit fine.

It's like taking a dressing gown on
holiday, really, isn't it?

Wow!

Pompoms to make it a little bit
more pizzazzy.

Ah!
Come on. Come on, baby.

Oh, my goodness me!

Needles up! That is your time!

MATT SIGHS
Bring your mannequins forward.

Remember to mix them up.

Doesn't matter who goes with who,
we're on holiday!

Oh, I can't move mine!

I don't want to be last again.

# I can think of nothing better

# Than dancing on the beach.

# See a girl,
you can go and get her

# Your troubles will be out of
reach... #

11 towel transformations
in just 90 minutes.

Hello!

Patrick and Esme have
no idea whose is whose.

I feel like it's sunset on the
Copacabana.

# Everybody hear me come on out on
the beach.

# Come on everybody,
stomp your feet

# On the beach... #

ESME: Oh, I say!

That's quite special.

I think the colour combination and
the textural combination

of the two towels works really well,
actually.

I mean, this definitely fulfils
the brief.

You're in your cossie, sun's
coming down,

it's getting a bit chilly.

You want to dry off, keep warm,
throw it on.

And you want to go to the bar.
Yeah.

Kneel on, get a coconut with a
straw.

Bob's your uncle.

There are three layers to this
skirt.

Each layer has a set of elastic,

a set of towelling and a set
of pompom braid.

I mean, it's radically different to
a spotty towel.

This person's really
thought about this.

I like that the shorts are
overlapping at the side.

You know, you're on the beach,
show a bit of leg.

Yeah. You might pick someone up.

So, a throw-on tunic.

They've given us raw edges.

Very deliberately, they've put all
the seams on the outside.

I think it's smart, yeah.

It's not the neatest and tidiest
beach cover-up jacket.

But I like the pockets.

I wouldn't mind one of those.

Mind you, I'd like it better made.

All the colours of the sea and sky

in here, which sort of feels right.

And, look, they've put the
beads here.

I just think it needs to be maybe,
just fractionally, further round

if it's going to be a cover-up.

I really like it.

I like the use of the stripes
in different directions.

They've bound the hood.

I really like the fact that they've
taken the bottom of the towel

with these knotted ends and used
THAT as the belt.

Yeah. I'd be tempted to throw
that on. Oh!

OK, so, a more traditional beach
cover-up.

Yep.

The zip's solidly in there.

I mean, it's a long way
from a towel.

A wrapover.
A saucy wrapover.

I agree.

I'd have liked if this had been a
little bit longer.

It's not the most ambitious project.

I mean, I'm not quite sure why
this waistband doesn't go

all the way around.

Do you think they made it too small

and then they had to whack
a piece in?

Potentially.

It looks pretty simple.

You know, it's office at the front,
party at the back.

This is not attached.

Hang on... That's a pin.
Oh, it's pinned.

That's why, when you look at this,
you think,

"What? It's just two bits of cloth."

The judges must now rank the
garments from worst to best.

In 11th place...

..it's the short skirt.

It's Matt!

It lacked a little ambition.

So, in tenth place...

..is the stripy wrap top.

That's Alex.
It didn't work, did it?

It wasn't sewn up properly.
OK. Thank you.

Fiona is ninth.

Clare's eighth.

Mark, seventh.

Liz, sixth.

Ali is fifth.

Therese, fourth.

And Hazel is third.

In second place...

..is...

..the short suit
with the pink pompoms.

Nicole!

Great combination, and I could see
somebody wearing that,

pulling it up on the beach.
You, perhaps?

Very good. Thank you.
Welll done.

Which leaves only one.

It's Peter's beautiful wrap.

It's absolutely fabulous.
It's super chic.

It really fulfils its brief -
it's casual and elegant

and really well thought through.

You're very good at this, Peter.
Yes. Well done. Thank you.

Yes!

Loving it.

Yeah, feeling very, very good about
getting another first

in the Transformation Challenge.

He's going to
watch his back from now on.

A bit gutted,
but it was just too simple.

I need to think more flamboyantly.

I mean, I do drag outfits and I made
a little, tiny skirt.

Disappointing.

There's only one more challenge to
prove myself, really.

# Somewhere beyond the sea... #

There's one challenge left in
Holiday Week.

In just a few hours, someone will
win Garment Of The Week,

and somebody else will leave the
sewing room.

# And watches the ships... #

So, Mummy and Daddy, are you
enjoying Holiday Week?

It's been lovely.
It's been a breath of fresh air.

I don't think I've ever seen so
much colour in the sewing bee.

So, who's not doing well?

Unfortunately, it's Fiona.

She had an absolute nightmare with
her palazzo pants.

Everything that could have gone
wrong with that challenge

went wrong for Fiona.

Alex had a tricky week last week,
and it's not much better this week.

Alex's palazzo pants -

the zip isn't the most invisible
I've ever seen.

His transformation, it doesn't work.

It absolutely doesn't work.

If you wore that, you'd just be
throwing two things

over your shoulder.

But it's one of those where it is
still fairly close.

And I think, actually, there's a
group of sewers in the middle,

if any of them have a terrible
howler,

it could be somebody else going
home.

All things could change.
Definitely.

Well, like all good holidays, we
need to break someone's heart,

don't we? Mine's normally
a Spanish waiter.

Hi, Esteban.

For the final challenge, the
mannequins have been sent

on vacation and the sewers must
make for a model.

# The boys are back in town... #

Hello! I'm Hazel.

How you doing, Hazel? I'm Elijah.
Hi. Nice to meet you.

Where are you from? Italy.

Oh, wow! You can teach me some
Italian.

I'll teach you Yorkshire.

I've literally never made clothes
for a bloke before. OK, cool.

I can't tell if this is going to
be disgusting or amazing.

We're going to find out. Yeah.

Welcome back, sewers!

It's time for the Made-to-measure,
where the judges want you

to make a garment that fits
your model perfectly.

And, today, the models are all men!

The judges would like you to make
a summer holiday shirt.

My favourite is a Hawaiian -

that's a shirt topped
with ham and pineapple.

You have five hours
for this challenge.

Good luck. Your time starts now.

Arms right up.
I'll just measure your chest.

The sewers have all had a chance to
practise at home,

but must now adjust their pattern
pieces for a perfect fit.

I have made a couple of shirts
for my husband,

but he is no Patrick Grant, so he's
just grateful for whatever.

So, a holiday shirt - surely a
holiday's a good time

to not wear a shirt.

Get the old g*ns out.
Lock and load.

"Which way to the haberdashery?"

"Oh, that way, I'd say."

Call the vet, these swans are sick.

Really nice. A bit of lad banter
with Patrick Grant there.

Why have you asked them to make a
holiday shirt?

It might seem like a simple
challenge,

but there's an awful lot of really
careful detail

that they need to get right.
Absolutely.

I mean, the pattern does need
to be matched

because we will be looking.

For me, a lot of this is about
symmetry.

It needs to be fit on the neck.

We want the length of those sleeves
to look perfectly symmetrical.

And additional design flourishes -

pockets, pleats will just show us
more about their capability.

And their personalities.

Oh, I've got to go.
I'm late for the tour bus.

Hello, Clare. Hello.

You're making a llama shirt.
I'm making a llama shirt.

What is it you like about llamas?
The spitting?

I prefer alpacas, I'll be honest.
Yeah.

I was in Peru for a month...
Oh, lovely.

..last year. Couldn't find any
alpaca fabric.

So, llamas,
next best for a holiday shirt.

Clare's Peruvian holiday shirt
will be enhanced by pink buttons

and perfectly matched llamas.

Oh, that's good pattern matching,
isn't it?

Look at that!

Fingers crossed. I've got some
headless llamas on the back.

Yeah, the back yoke is not quite so
well matched.

There's going to be some, like,
two-headed llamas.

I love that!

It's really sinister.
No, I think it's really funny.

Clare's not the only sewer heading
for the Americas.

Oh, I love this fabric!
Lovely, isn't it?

This is Frida Kahlo in the jungle.

On the back, again, Frida, Frida.

And, on the sleeves, you've
got Fridas.

A little family of Fridas.
Yeah.

Matt's Ode to Frida Kahlo will
feature

a pattern-matched breast pocket and
centre-back pleat.

I've made this shirt loads
of times,

so I'm hoping I don't make any
mistakes.

Well, all is calmness
in your Frida jungle.

I'll let you get on with it.
Thank you.

While Matt's taking inspiration
from an art icon,

one sewer is giving her shirt a
personal touch.

This fabric I sourced in Trinidad.

It's kind of an homage to my dad,
who passed away

way too young.

But he used to wear this style of
shirt.

We call them in Trinidad
shirt jacs.

He had a wardrobe full of them.

So I'm just sort of modernising it,
bringing a bit of a tropical

Hawaiian update to it.

But, yeah,
I'm just really excited about it.

The decorative star of Nicole's
holiday shirt

will be intricate lines of gathered
top-stitching called pin tucks.

It's a twin needle with this
pin-tucking.

So, when you put it in, it will do
a double stitch.

For me, it was just a little bit of
detail, a little bit of texture.

This is my main fabric.

My son, he tried this on.

He'd probably be embarrassed,
me saying this,

in case his friends see it.

He actually said, "Oh, I could wear
this for a festival!"

Ali's tropical Festival shirt will
see raglan sleeves

and baby blue buttons adorning
a lightweight cotton.

Is it see-through?

Yeah, you'll be able to see his
nice, tanned skin.

If it was wet, then, yeah.

That's a different show, isn't it?

Wet shirt party!

Ali's model won't be the only one
flashing a bit of flesh.

I'm going to have my shirt open.

Then I'd like to see a bit of the
fabric appearing as well.

A little bit of chest appeal,

as we say in the Latin world, I'm
sure. We are on holiday.

Chest appeal? Is that an actual
thing in the world of Latin dancing?

I would love to say it is. That's
now the new term I'm going

to call it.

Alex's holiday shirt will feature
a pattern-matched front seam.

And he's upping the difficulty
by sewing with stretch.

I really love draper viscose.

I'm aiming for something a little
bit looser.

That's got a lot of stretch in all
directions.

Yes. Have you sewn much with Jersey
before?

Yes, I've sewn a lot of Lycra and
Jersey.

OK. All right.

So I know how this works.
Oh, for the dancing?

Yes, so I know exactly how it works.

So, what you're saying is,
it's a total waste of time

opening an ISA?

Hang on one second.
Sewers, you've had one hour!

OK, cutting out. Done!

Now I'm going to
attach my front pieces.

Here we go.

Oh, come on!

The sewers' shirts are made from
upwards of ten panels.

It's a little bit of a delicate
operation.

Take a breath.

And, if that wasn't enough to
contend with,

they must also build in
decorative features.

I personally like a pleat to go
right the way down

the back of a shirt.

I will use just the tip of my iron
to put it where I want it.

Therese's box pleat will be the
focal point for the back.

The front will feature perfectly
perched parrots.

I love this fabric.

Jolly, isn't it?
It's very jolly.

Now, all your parrots are going
to be the right way up?

We're not going to have any dead
parrots.

No, we don't want any dead parrots.

Therese's parrots
might be flying high,

but Liz is going underwater.

It's a fish theme.

It's quite Japanese.

I like my Japanese tattoos.

I've got my little sushis
on my top as well.

True to form, Liz is giving her
koi carp-inspired holiday shirt

the '90s treatment
with oversized arms and body.

We do want it big, but we want it
big in the right places.

We don't want it big
in the wrong places.

We don't want that chest -
hairy chest -

hanging out, or anything like that.

There's nothing wrong with
a hairy chest...

I don't mind a hairy chest, Mark!

Would it be better if it was waxed,
Liz?

No, not necessarily. I'm not
averse to a hairy chest.

I think I just misspoke.

Love a bit of chest hair.
Good to hear it.

I mean, I've got that.
Oh, no. I'd put it away again.

I'll put it away. Sorry, I've
upset everyone. Can I have a look?

That's not so bad.
"Not SO bad."

Every woman I've ever met.

Hello, Hazel!
Hello.

Is this a pocket?
This is a pocket.

And is that going on the front?

So, like, a bright blue pocket on
the fabric?

Yeah. Which is another gorgeous
African print.

Yes, it is!

Hazel will mirror the vivid blue of
the African wax print

in her collar and pocket,

which she'll topstitch in a
contrasting colour.

Isn't that neat?

I hope they notice these things.
Yeah.

Well, they will. Because is that
topstitch?

I'm trying to do these things so
they might not notice

if the shirt's not finished.

Just blinded by the
topstitching on the pocket. Yeah.

Hazel might be keen to draw
attention to her pockets,

but one sewer's doing all he can to
make them disappear.

Mr G will like some pattern-matching
somewhere.

So I thought I'd pattern-match
the pockets.

I'm putting one on each side. That's
making it a bit of a challenge

for myself to get them matched and
level at the same time.

Mark is the only sewer attempting to
match two pockets.

If he pulls it off, they should
seamlessly blend in.

I don't usually put them on shirts.
My own doesn't have any pockets on.

But I need to set myself
a bit of a challenge.

To pocket or not to pocket?
That is the question

at the heart of shirt design.

And Fiona had to call
in the cavalry.

I spoke to husband,
nephew, brother, son,

and they didn't like the two
pockets.

So I decided not to go for
the lab coat effect.

I love that. When I looked online,
yeah, I saw a few.

Certain designers are using
the two, but not everybody.

We do it.

If you would like to
see the two pockets,

I am quite happy to cut out two
pockets and put them on.

You just need to say the words.

Look, it's entirely up to you.
Yes. All right? Okey doke,

good luck. Fingers crossed.
Thank you very much.

Fiona was going to be keeping her
1950s-inspired summer shirt

simple with contrasting
colour and cuffs.

But now she's had a last-minute
change of heart.

Patrick and Esme like a pocket,
and I'm thinking,

"If this improves my chances, you're
getting what you asked for."

So, what do you bench?

Hang on one second. Two hours,
sewers! Two hours remaining.

I've got a lot to do. I'm doing the
pockets at the moment,

which is probably time-consuming.

While Fiona races
to make her pockets,

the rest of the sewers are
completing their first fit...

I think it's a bit too big.
Big is good. Big is good.

I was going to say, I'd rather
it be big than small.

A little bit tight.
Breathe in.

There we go. It's fine.
Stay like that.

Yeah, stay like that.
Can we take a rib?

..and are ready to add the collar.

I want my collar
to be really perfect.

Because it's one of the things that
I know Patrick

will look at particularly.

This tool helps points on
collars and make them

as sharp as possible.

What's that?!

Nasal forceps. Wow!

This made a nice colour
point-turner. I like that.

And you've got quite pointy old
collars there.

But a sharp, pointy collar
isn't for everyone.

I have changed
the shape of the collar

because the pattern felt a bit
pointy. It felt a bit...

Not quite Saturday Night Fever,
but it was very pointy

and I just felt it wasn't a very
modern shape.

So I've actually squared
that a little bit.

Peter's not only putting his own
spin on the collar,

he's also twisting up the sleeves,

which will be rolled and
super-sized.

Sleeve? All good.

Then we just need to slip it off.

This is being done at massive speed.

Need a bit of momentum.

Starting to stress slightly now.

I'm having issues with the
pin-tucking.

SHE SIGHS

It's knotting up there.

I'm going to have a
serious breakdown over this.

It's going to be all right.

Nicole, there's so much
work gone into that.

The style of it was quite
a personal choice.

My dad used to wear
a lot of these shirts.

There's pictures of him there.

Oh, wow! Look at that one!

This is exactly the sort of style
of thing. Yeah.

And I think that's really just why
I was getting upset, really.

It's not things going wrong.
Yeah.

It'll be all right.
I think it'll be great.

Fancy rugby on Saturday?

It'll just be me and the lads.

Hang on one second.
45 minutes remaining!

I'll take it as a no.

Er...

I'm just going to check my print.

The final fit will reveal if the
sewers' pattern-matching

is up to Patrick and Esme's
exacting standards.

Ah! Nice deep breath.

And Alex is more
concerned than most.

Dealing with stretchy stuff,

it's a little bit more mobile
than typical fabrics.

Of course, I'm a little bit
worried. Damn it.

It's about six centimetres
off from matching.

Alex has gone badly astray.

I think he managed to misalign
his front.

I really feel that he's not
very good at picking

the appropriate fabric.

Jersey was just a difficult choice.

Yeah, no picker. Ah!

Don't worry, I can use scissors.
The off-road way.

I'm nervous.
You sure you don't want that?

My hands are actually shaking.
Please don't lose a finger.

Alex isn't the only sewer cutting
it fine.

I'm running out of time.

I just regret putting on the
pockets.

Lovely idea, wrong decision.

Fiona.

I don't think she's tried it on her
model.

I'm not sure how far she's got.

Well, it doesn't look altogether
yet.

No, she looks a bit behind to me.

30 minutes to go, sewers!

Wow! I have zero time.

ALEX SIGHS
OK.

Hello, Hazel. Hi.

That sounded like
a slightly frantic "Hi!"

Right. Buttons, then you've got
a hem, then that's it?

But, when you say it like that,
it makes it sound like

I can finish on time. You don't
think you can? I'm not sure.

Sewing machine is jammed.

Come on, move. Move.

Please. This is not how
it's meant to go.

SHE SIGHS AND MUTTERS

I burst the needle.

Oh! The show's over.

There's now some buttons on it.

Putting buttons on, using the
machine...

Five minutes, sewers!
Get those shirts on, please!

Frantic!

It's coming. it's coming. It's just
whether I'll get it finished.

You can't do this to me.

Obviously, I want to not have pins
when the model is wearing it.

I'm breathing down his neck.

You're hand-stitching the collar in?

I am. Could you put your head
forward, please?

Oh, my God. Epic.

I'm quite out of time.

I am having a nightmare.

I'm doing my very best not to stab
you.

Go, go, go!
Nerve-racking.

My hands are shaking so bad.

You've got this. You so have this.

Panicked!
ALI SIGHS

Needles up! That is your time.

Ow! Ugh!

It's now time for the judging, where
we'll see who's a beach boy

and who's a beached whale.

Well done, everyone!

I think it looks pretty good.

I've pattern-matched the pockets.

Yeah, I don't know. I think it'll
be OK. It'll be OK, won't it?

Oh, yeah, now I'm happy.

# I used to think maybe you loved
me now baby I'm sure... #

11 vibrant summer holiday shirts,
all made to measure

in just five hours.

# I'm walking on sunshine

# Wow

# I'm walking on sunshine

# Wow

# And don't it feel good

# Hey, all right now

# And don't it feel good... #

I almost feel like I'm looking
in the mirror here, Ali.

Honestly. I'm going to start
by buttoning it up.

Actually, now that it's buttoned,
that collar and lapel

is sitting really nicely.

Your points, absolutely fab.

That's very neat.

I love the fabric.

I love that you put the blue on.

It looks really cool, I think.

Like you've just got off a
surfboard.

Thank you.

I love this fabric.

So you're obviously a fan of
Frida Kahlo. Yes, yes.

If I turn you around,

you've got a nice, neat, crisp,
inverted pleat in the back.

Good effort.

Thank you.

Your pattern-matching across the
front of this shirt

is miraculously good.

We haven't got, you know, magicians'
llamas sawn in half.

They're all whole llamas,
and that's really important.

Well done.

I love the colours - the red and the
green and the blue looks fab.

Thank you.

Got a nice box pleat in the
centre-back.

It's really smartly sewn.

If I've one criticism, you've got a
parrot sitting upright here

and a tail diving off there.

I got it around the wrong way. Oh!

I really like that you've put a blue
pocket on and a blue collar.

And this is really
neat topstitching here.

Great choice of combinations of
different fabrics.

It's really, really well sewn.

Thank you!

I think it looks fantastic.

It makes me want to grow my
moustache like Tom Selleck.

It's really the very epitome
of that kind of tropical shirt.

You've given us these pin tucks.

It's beautifully neat.

However long it took you,
it was worth it.

I like that you've put them on the
pockets as well.

That's a very interesting detail.

Now, this shirt had a personal
significance to you, didn't it?

Yeah, it did, yeah.

Well, it's beautiful and you should
be very, very proud of it.

Thank you.

Do you know what?

From a distance, I didn't even
notice these pockets,

because they're so well matched.

Congratulations.

It's perfectly lined up.

I mean, that flower
is absolutely bang-on.

The collar is turned out
on the point.

It's super neat.

I love it. It's perfectly holiday,

and I think you've done
an amazing job. Well done.

You'll probably disagree with me
on this,

but I think those sleeves
look too big.

Also, that collar just
got a little bit bumpy.

I don't know if it's
how you've cut it out,

but it's pulling and curling.

That's a shame.

I love this fabric.

And, look, you've got sushi.

So, you're into Japanese stuff,
and I like that. That's personal.

I love this choice of button.

Are they all on? No.

Just the two of them?

WHISPERING: More swagger,
more swagger!

Perfect level of swagger.

Thank you.

Well, it's not finished, is it?

No.

So we've got buttonholes but no
buttons.

And you put the pockets on,
which you weren't going to.

The only thing is, you haven't
sewn them on. No, time.

But I think there's some good sewing
in there.

It is hanging really nice
and straight.

Your cars are all lined up.

The collar, it's very even.

Your points are really nicely
turned out.

Pockets add something to the shirt,
for sure,

but not at the expense
of finishing it off.

Fair enough. Thank you.

Right. You've tried to match it,
haven't you?

Yeah, I have.
But it isn't matching.

Yeah, there's a slight step.

Yeah. A slight step? Yeah.

It's really moved over.

You haven't got round
to finishing the hem

and you have only got two buttons.

Three.

Oh, sorry. You've got
three buttons on.

But I think it needed at least
two more.

So you haven't quite finished.

That collar doesn't line up
at the front.

Stretch fabric,
it's just proven too hard for you.

Well done, man.

I think the judges are definitely
giving me a lot

of tough love recently.

And so I really want
to take that on board

and I want to progress with that,

whether that is inside
The Great British Sewing Bee

or outside, in my own home.

It's a deep breath moment for me.

I'm not actually ready to go home.

There's still a fight left
in me yet.

OK, we made it through another week.

Well done, everyone.

You should all be very proud
of yourselves.

One person has won
Garment Of The Week

and, to tell us who, Patrick.

It was a close-run thing,

but our Garment Of The Week
this week is...

Oh, yeah!
APPLAUSE

It was the very shirty
embodiment of Holiday Week.

It's absolutely phenomenal
in every way.

Mark, congratulations.

And I was so impressed
with your pockets.

Thank you.

OK, now the bit we all
know we have to do.

Somebody has to go home.

It was a very difficult decision,
but I can now reveal

that the person going home is...

..Alex.

Aawww!

Well done. You've been great.
Thank you very much.

Thanks so much for being part of it.

I honestly thought that it was going
to be me going home.

Everyone else in this room is so
deserving of this opportunity.

Well done, you guys.

They present such fantastic work,
and maybe my skills

aren't just at that level just yet.

Thank you, Esme.

It was really difficult
to send Alex home,

but I really believe he's going to
learn from this.

Fiona, come here.

No, no, no. You deserve it.

Don't be sorry.

I've just been saved.

So I'm incredibly grateful
to the judges.

I wish Alex all the best.

But I'm here to stay next week,
so I'm here to prove a point.

Congratulations.

I seem to have won
Garment Of The Week.

That's really knocked me, that has.

Really surprised.
Really surprised.

Next time...

..it's Children's Week!

Are we allowed to take the arms off
the child?

The sewers face a tiny but tricky
Pattern Challenge...

To tell you the truth, it's making
me a little bit broody.

..tackle a tasty Transformation...

Nom-nom-nom!

..and a dungaree Made-to-measure.

Oh, that is fun! Isn't that fun?

Who will be top of the class?

May the best fruit win.

And who will be expelled
from the sewing room?

Breathe!