09x09 - Semi-Final

[bunniefuu]

The party is nearly over,

the music is fading, the hummus has
a skin on it.

There's only four people still here.

But the best things come in fours.

The Beatles, the Ninja Turtles
and Sewing Bee semifinalists.

Welcome to the Great British
Sewing Bee, the semifinal.

Last time it was fashion icons week.

Asmaa won Garment of the Week
for her red hot smoking jacket.

It looks the money, it really does.

Tony's shower curtain transformation
left him circling the plug hole.

Is it a cape? Is it a coat?
It's got... What is it?

But it was Lauren's mishap
with her smoking jacket...

Something about the arm
I am not loving.

...that turned her Sewing Bee
dreams to ashes.

Lauren.

Now...

WHISTLES BLOWS

...our remaining four
are clocking in...

Oh!

...for Utilitarian Clothing Week.

Can't see.

And there's no slacking
on the job...

I'm rushing, rushing, rushing.
Oh, my gosh, just hold your breath.

...as a place in the final
is at stake.

Why, why, why have they done this
to us?

Who will be crowned
Employee of the Month?

Very, very, very clever indeed.

And who will be
collecting their P45?

This is where it could get messy.

Oh, my gosh! Oh, good grief.
Look at how empty it is.

What am I doing here?

It's so weird, like, how am I still
here? I can't even believe it.

Not in a million years did I ever
think I would get to the semifinal.

It's Utilitarian Workwear Week.

Yeah, I think I'm looking
forward to this.

Oh, no, it's a man's mannequin.
I know. It's a male mannequin.

This week's theme is making me
quite anxious.

What have they got in store for us?

I like sewing collars
and sleeves and stuff.

That doesn't mean I'm going
to do well at it, though.

MUSIC: 9 to 5 (Morning Train)
By Sheena Easton

Good morning! Come forward, sewers.

You've made it through to the
semifinal. Massive congratulations.

There's only one thing
standing between you and the final,

and that is utilitarian clothing.

That's all things workwear - unless
you work as a life drawing model.

Then we can't help you.

Esme, what have you go for them
this week? Right.

Here we go.

Oh.

So, what we've got is trench coat.

It's double breasted,
it's got storm flap epaulettes

and a two-piece collar.

Anything else?

So this might be a trench coat,

and we want an appropriate
type of fabric,

but it doesn't need to look military.

OK.

It's time to get down to business,

and that business is
a private detective agency.

You have five hours for this
challenge, and your time starts now.

What's that pinky like?

Traditionally made
to withstand the elements...

That is a good weight.

It's a nice colour as well,
isn't it?

...the classic trench coat calls
for a sturdy, tightly woven fabric

like cotton twill
or water-resistant gabardine.

I'm in the market for something
with a bit of weight on it.

Of all things, we thought jacket,
some utility sort of waistcoat,

but a trench coat?

Never in a million years
would I have thought that.

Everyone at home will be
familiar with this item.

But is it difficult to sew?

It's a double breasted coat, which
is going to give them more work,

because we've got eight front
buttons and four button holes.

They've also got buttons
on the epaulettes.

The storm flap covers the corner of
the wrap on the front of the jacket.

So if they got it
the other way around,

the storm flap wouldn't be
covering the edge. Yeah.

Men's jackets, coats go
left over right.

So they could get that muddled up.

The other thing with the sleeve,

they will ease the sleeve head
into the arm hole.

If they don't, the sleeve won't be
pitched right.

So you swivel that sleeve
in that arm hole,

so that it is at the right angle.

Any misalignment of any of these
buttons will end up pulling

the front out of shape.

The points on the top of the collar.

There's an awful lot that needs
to be sewn accurately.

Well, let's hope they crack the case
of who's going through to the final.

OK, right. Let me have a look.

I've made jackets before, for
myself, kind of like work jackets,

so I'm treating this
mentally as a big jacket.

I've gone for this green.

I thought it was very, like,
classic trench coat.

I went for a colour that was
kind of different for me.

I never use pink, I don't like pink.

No, I thought, you know what?

Let me do something I like,
and I know and I trust,

cos even if they say the fabric's
wrong, or something like that,

at least it's pink.

The trench coat pattern
consists of 32 pieces.

First, the front and back shoulder
pieces are joined together,

then an epaulette is added to
each shoulder.

The storm flap is created,

and stitched on the front
right-hand side.

Then two back panels
are joined together.

They are sewn to
the shoulder pieces,

along with the two front panels.

The top collar is then attached
to the under collar,

which is sewn onto the collar stand

and then the collar is
added to the back neckline.

The sleeves are created, and then
stitched to the body of the coat.

Four belt loops and a belt
are added.

And finally, the trench coat
is finished with ten buttons.

Morning. Morning.

Tell us about the fabric
you've chosen.

I have to say... Nice colour. ..the
colour just really spoke to me.

I absolutely love it,
and it's something I would wear,

and I was looking for something that
has a bit of body to it as well.

So I think it feels appropriate.
I think so.

And it will hold things nicely.

Oh, my God, there's just
so much fabric to cut out.

It's a big old coat.

Mia, would you wear a trench coat?

I think maybe in, like,
five or ten years.

It's a middle-aged woman thing.

I feel like I'm not sophisticated
enough for a trench coat.

It's a middle aged...
You can say it to my face.

I visualise it with sort of a woman
who's got like a rollneck on.

With a headset on, you know?

She's got a headset on, has she?
Yeah.

What, she works in a call centre?
No!

She's got one of these
little Bluetooths.

Oh, she's got a Bluetooth. Yeah.

So she lives in 1997? Yes!

Going to make a coat, a trench coat.

Finally trudged through all of that,
and now I'm going to start...

...stitching together the front
shoulder and back shoulder pieces.

The first pieces I've sewn
together are the shoulder pieces,

and I now have to do the epaulette.

Tony, two words - epaulettes.

They are little arrows that go
on the top of here somewhere,

like that, and they have
a little button on.

And I think, in military circles,
you put your rank on there.

So it's from the military use,
the trench coat?

I think, yeah, I think.

The quintessential trench coat might
be a timeless fashion piece today,

but it has a long history
as a military garment.

Despite its name,

the earliest versions of
what we know as the trench coat

actually began to emerge almost a
century before the First World w*r.

A British tailor called John Emery

developed a water-resistant
wool in 1853.

He started to produce wrappers
or coats from this material

which lead him to call his company Aquascutum,

meaning water shield.

They were an upgrade from
the hot and sweaty rubberised macs

that came before them.

But they were still quite heavy.

A new fabric, created
nearly three decades later,

would pave the way for more
versatile and adaptable garments.

Gabardine was a revolutionary
invention by Emery's rival,

Thomas Burberry.

This tightly woven fabric used a new
process that waterproofed yarns

before weaving, which made it
much more breathable

and lightweight than
the older jackets.

With the start of the First World
w*r, the company Thresher Glenny

marketed one of their garments
as a trench coat in December 1914.

A series of adaptations led to what
we now think of as the trench coat,

which quickly became the officers'
jacket of choice.

The trench coat soon made its way
into mainstream fashion.

Although it was a practical choice,

the trench coat also exuded
elegance, sophistication and style.

The look was immortalised
in the '40s

by actors like Humphrey Bogart,

who famously donned a trench coat
in classics like Casablanca

and The Big Sleep.

You're halfway through!

So now I've got the storm flap.

I never knew it was called
a storm flap.

So I had no idea that apparently
it stops the rain from coming in.

That's a revelation.

The more you know.

I am now stitching
the storm flap to the front.

Looks OK.

We're getting there,
we're getting there.

I've sewn the back,

and I've sewn the shoulder pieces
to the front and the back.

That's the start of the jacket.

It definitely feels a lot better

once you kind of start
seeing it look like a coat.

Although there are still
a lot of steps to get done.

How are you getting on?

OK, I think.

This fabric, it's what
we call a pull up.

Any crease, it leaves a mark
in the waterproof coating.

It's a little bit awkward,
cos you can't really press it,

and I didn't really think
about that when I picked it.

Are you pressing it with a cloth?

Yeah, it's just careful not
to burn it, isn't it? Yeah.

I am doing the top collar
and under collar pieces.

I have made a collar like this
before, but...

...it doesn't make me
feel any better.

One of the things about
the collar is

you're trying to make it into
a neat point.

So it's actually really
difficult to achieve that.

As well as sharp points, the sewers
must ensure the over collar

and under collar are lined up precisely...

I'm trying to do it as neatly
as possible,

because it is a main feature
of the coat.

...or the underside will be exposed,
ruining the smart look of the coat.

None of this is easy.

And as the collar will be
highly visible...

Need to top stitch it now,

so that the under collar
sort of stays down.

...the sewers must also ensure their
top stitching is neat and exact.

I'm attaching the collar
to the coat.

I don't know if I'm 100%
happy with it,

but it looks OK.

We've got a little collar on.

I think it looks all right.

It's all getting quite big now.

Now, what is next?

I am now at the stage of the sleeve.

It has a top sleeve
and an under sleeve,

which will give it a nice shape.

Right, super quick sleeve.

So we've got sleeves,

now we're just trying to get
those bad boys in.

I am now going to try and ease
the sleeve into the arm hole.

So the sleeve is a little bit bigger

than the arm hole
of the trench coat,

so it's a case of putting
lots and lots of pins in

and trying to make sure
that it's not stretched,

and then making sure
that you don't have any tucks.

Because if you ease it in too much,
you'll end up with a little fold.

One of them is smaller
than the other,

so they don't, like, fit
perfectly together,

and you have to stretch one,

and kind of wiggle it around,
to make it fit properly.

It's tricky.

It's because there is so much ease.

The easing's not easy.

As well as avoiding tucks
in the sleeves,

the sewers also have to make sure
they go in at the right angle.

I hope the pitch of my sleeve is OK,

because otherwise
Esme will not be happy.

Who knows if they will work?
It's just skewed a bit.

Hoping they look good.

Sleeves are in...

...and it's creased
like no-one's business,

but the sleeves are in.

I think the world would be better
if everybody wore gilets.

You've got an hour left.

An hour? Oh, no.

Right, belts. We are getting there.

I'll just quickly get the belt done,

and then it will just be
all about buttons.

So I'm cutting my seam out on top,

because otherwise it makes it
quite difficult to turn.

I think we've seen some
quite comedy moments,

with people trying to turn
long belts.

THEY LAUGH

Look, it's going...

It's coming out.

Turning this out the right way
is just far too much.

Oh, my God.

THEY LAUGH

That's fine. Who knew sewing
could be so much fun?

Oh, look at that. I mean, seriously.

And it's a whole other use
for the ruler.

Oh, yay!

I did it.

I am about to...

...do the button holes.

It feels quite scary actually,
getting to this stage,

because this is where things
might go wrong.

Because it's the button holes
that take so long.

It's eight buttons on the front,

four real ones, four dummy ones,

then some on the epaulettes.

I'm just trying to make sure
it's a straight button hole,

and my fabric's flat.

So the button holes are on the side
with the flap?

No, the button holes are
on the left-hand side.

Not on the one with the flaps.

Mine are on the wrong side.

You all right, Vick?
There's nothing I can do about it.

Of all the times to mess up,
why in the semifinal?

Ten minutes left, everyone.

Argh!

The adrenaline. OK, button time.

Now their button holes are
in position,

the sewers need to line-up
their buttons accordingly...

If I put them going down there...

...or the trench coat will be pulled
out of shape once done up.

We have to make sure that they're
set in the correct position.

If I finish, I'll be really happy.

I am a bit terrified,

cos I've still got some buttons
to sew on.

"Thank you for making me, Daddy."

That's just too weird, I'm sorry.

"You brought me to life."

I'm literally not paying any
attention to you whatsoever, am I?

I know, I'm so desperate
to get your attention.

This thing needs
a really good press,

otherwise it won't look right,
will it?

I'm also going to give it
another quick iron.

How long do we have?
One minute left.

My God!

The fabric's really hard to press.

I can't see.

Deep breaths.

Pulling a bit there.

Steam, don't fail me now.

WHISTLE BLOWS

Sewers, your five hours are over,
and there is no overtime.

Oh, my lord. That was a lot.

Which way does the belt go?

Mia. Just belting.

You're just belting.

Oh, dear.

Four trench coats,
made in just five hours.

I like the fabric you've chosen.

I like the colour,
I like the buttons.

Right, let's look at the collar.

Well, we can't see the under
collar, which is really good.

The top stitching's very neat,

the epaulettes look
very nicely sewn.

Every bit of sewing on this garment
is absolutely on point.

But your buttons are a bit wonky.

Because you've given us this really
interesting contrast button,

we can see that those two
buttons are not quite horizontal.

Other than that, I wouldn't say
there's a fault anywhere in it.

Thank you.

Well, Tony,
I'm enormously impressed.

Overall, I think it works
really nicely.

Right. You've got a little bit of
the under collar showing

around the edge, but you have done
the top stitching very neatly,

and your points on your collar
are pretty good.

I think your buttons are not
quite in a straight line. OK.

But all of those buttons are
really nicely sewn.

Very neatly attached.

You've got a slight tuck
where you've inserted the sleeve

on the left-hand side.

I think it looks very neat,
very well pressed,

which is important for me.

Overall, with a couple of slight
inaccuracies, it's extremely good.

Oh, thank you. Well done. Thank you.

Mia, I think this looks
extremely good.

I like the choice of fabric.

It could have done
with a better press.

The sleeves particularly
are very wrinkly,

and because it's a pale fabric,

you see all those wrinkles
really clearly.

Right, I'm going to start
at the top.

We're not seeing any of
the under collar showing.

Let's have a look at the points
on your collars.

Good even points.

The buttons are really
well lined up,

and in fact, when you see it from
a distance

they don't look at all skew-whiff.

I think the sleeve isn't
pitched quite right,

and the seam should be away
from the body.

But I think you've done
a really good job.

Thank you.

Right, Vicki.

I think you probably...

Oh!

It's right over left,
instead of left over right.

Yeah, I didn't really get it,

but obviously now I've seen
everyone else's, I get it.

Well, unfortunately it doesn't look
great from the front.

It's down to two things.

It's down to the fact that you've
had to rush to put the buttons on,

and they're all over the place.

It seems a simple thing,

but if you don't get the buttons
and the button holes

in exactly the right place,
it can stretch it,

or it can push it and compress it,

and it ends up making the whole
front looking lumpy and bumpy.

And you've got the wrap of your coat
completely the wrong way around.

I think you've had difficulty
with this fabric

because it is difficult to press.

It's a pull up,

which is just a little more
difficult than everybody else's

fabric to sew.

Patrick and Esme will now rate
the trench coats from worst to best.

In fourth place, it's Vicki.

Unfortunately, you made a big
boo-boo with the wrap on the front,

and your buttons are
very misaligned.

In third place is Mia.

I mean, you did a really good job,
but it's not very well pressed,

and the sleeves aren't
pitched properly.

Second place...

...Tony. Thank you.

Down to very fine margins now,

and it was just the under collar
rolling out just a shade there,

that's all there was in it.
Very well done.

In first place is Asmaa.

APPLAUSE

You did a really good job.

Thank you.

Well done for completing the first
challenge of Utilitarian Week.

You are all my Employee
of the Month.

I feel exhausted, but elated
at the same time,

after that pattern challenge.

It was not easy, but, hey, I'm not
going to complain too much now.

It's amazing to come third,
but also there's only four of us.

So it's like there's not much
between being first and being last.

But, you know, I'm still happy
with it.

I still think it looked
really good, so...

How did it go? Terrible.

It's a shame, isn't it?

But transformation challenge next,
and we'll see what happens with it.

It's time now
for the transformation.

This is the one that
turns the old into the new.

It's a clothing re-training
programme

that results in a new job title
and qualification,

So well worth the tears -
I mean tears.

Patrick, what are we transforming
this week?

Sewers, fear not, all will be
revealed in a jiffy.

We would like you to transform
an array of cleaning products

into a stylish garment.

And you can use the tabard.

You may have noticed
the haberdashery has turned

into a cleaning cupboard.

So what we want you to do
is experiment with what you find

to make an ingenious garment.

Now, this one is judged blind,

so these guys are off down the docks
to ask for their old jobs back.

See you later, sailors.

You have 90 minutes for this
challenge, and your time starts now.

Oh, I'm going to get a tabard first.

Yeah, go for it.

Along with tabards,

the semifinalists have been given
mops, scourers,

rubber gloves and more, to try
and sweep the judges off their feet.

How many feather dusters are there,
just the three?

Does anyone mind
if I take all the gloves?

Look at that.
I don't even know what that is.

Ow!

No-one cleans in our house.

A clean house does not mean
a happy house.

Honestly, I hate cleaning.

I'm more of a tidier than a cleaner.

Why, why, why have they
done this to us?

Well, this is a fun challenge.

I'm very excited about this,
to see what they do.

Cos most of these things, it's not
what you expect a garment

to be made out of.

There are loads of great colours,
there are loads of good textures.

I mean, some structural, some soft.

The J-Cloth fabric
is quite sculptural.

You've got woven textile,
you've got rubber,

you've got non-wovens,
which are quite stiff.

I hope they mix them all up.

Look, these are fabulous.

I mean, it's almost the necklace
you're wearing today, isn't it?

Yes. That's true.

I think what we don't want to see

is something that just looks like
a couple of tabards.

The garment is 3D,

so I don't want to just see
something on the front

and something on the back.

I want it to look like
a complete garment.

I wonder what they'll do with this?

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, look that's already done
something, hasn't it?

Right, I'll be off!

I've got some ideas, but I've got
a bit of a top there already.

I want to use this as
some skirt stuff.

I think I'm probably going to use
the bibs the most

because that's a big bit of fabric.

I'll just try and drape something on
the mannequin and see what happens.

It's going to be a top.

I've not got enough fabric to make
a dress, I don't think.

But for Asmaa and Mia, there's no
tabard in sight.

I don't know.

All I could think about was glove -
glove skirt, glove top.

I don't know why. It was all
that my brain went to.

But the fingers give good pleats,

so that is what we're going for.

I am using these microfibre
dust sheets.

I'm going to use
different colours, I think,

I'm sort of going to colour block.

It will either stay as a top
or a dress.

The plan today is going to be make
something until I run out of gloves.

Which is great because I've got
a lot of puns I can do.

Do you want me to give you a hand?
Oh, my gosh.

Big hand for Mia's idea, everyone.

See, I can just do them now.

No! Get back on. Butter fingers.

Oh, my...

So do you guys always work together?

You're halfway through.

I can't believe we're already
halfway through.

I feel like I've literally
not done anything.

I just felt the need to make
another backless top.

So I'm going to use this for,
I think, the ties.

It's going to be a top.

I don't know what else to do,
so I'll just do the pleats.

The very top of the top,
I've kind of got it finished,

and now I'm going to use the pink
gloves to do like a second tier.

I don't think any of the materials
are machine friendly at all.

No.

HE LAUGHS

I don't think you're meant
to sew mops.

You know sometimes, like,
you get an Uber home,

and you think,
oh, it's sort of late,

and people have been eating
kebabs in the back here,

and maybe spilling some wine.

You get in with that skirt and go,
"It's fine, everyone, just get in."

Never worry again about sitting
down on something dirty

with the clean-up skirt.

So originally the ties was a mop.

Why am I doing this?
This is taking way too much time.

I'm still convinced that
that is a skirt,

but I don't think
I've got enough of it.

I've got to think of a Plan B,
but it's a shame,

because I really wanted
this to work.

You've got half an hour left.

I feel like I don't have time to do
an actual full skirt situation

and I haven't got enough
gloves either.

What else you going to do, then?

I'm going to try and use these
glittery scouring things.

Glam, aren't they? Yeah.

Sometimes I think they just get
anything from the cupboard,

and I think that's what's happened.

There'll be a janitor in
tomorrow morning,

their heart will be broken, they'll
go, "There's been a robbery."

There's something happening there.

I don't know what it is,
but it's good using these.

It's still currently a top,
because we've got this on show.

I'm just making a bit around the
top, made out of scouring pads.

I'm going to make the sleeve,
and then see where it takes me.

I'm quite pleased with it,
actually. Yes.

I mean...

...I've got a lot to do.

I've got a spare bit
that I cut off,

and I can't remember
where the hell I want to put it.

At the moment, it's just
gone a bit stale.

Lost its way. How long have we got?

15 minutes left.

You know what, that is just
going to have to do.

Yeah, I just need to
hand sew this bit on,

and I need to do something
to tie this...

...into the rest of it.

I mean, this is obviously
what I thought of to start with.

I mean, that could go underneath,

but it's not long enough,
unless I...

I don't know what's happened
over here.

Oh, you've made a nice glovey dress.

I love it. Cos of the colours,
it's really sort of cheerful,

so it's like the happiest gimp.

There will be people, sort of
fetishists watching this, going...

Oh, my God, stop!

..."I cannot wait to do this
with my rubber gloves."

This is not what I intended.

In positive news, at least
it fits like a glove.

Wow.

I am going to sew these scourers
around where the sleeve is

with the shoulder.

This is horrific, but hey-h*.

I've gone down this route,
it's just going to have to do.

There's going to be an underskirt.

So it's probably going
to look like a trim,

but it's just going
to fill the gap.

So I've got these gaps at the front
and at the back.

I think I might need to get
some Velcro, if I have time.

Five minutes left.

Oh, dear lord.

I do genuinely find that funny,

having a bit of furry stuff sticking
out the bottom of your skirt.

I'd wear it.

The modesty is covered,
if you ask me.

I mean, you literally could put
this on and go around the house

and just clean the house.

I've got my foofy going on,
covered my furry foof.

Cos it's got to be fantastic
and all that sort of stuff.

Why not put a foof on the front?

One minute, sewers.

Are you serious?

Well it's clownish,
carnival-ish, bonkers.

The thread keeps breaking,
so we definitely don't want that.

I'm going for a hairy chest.

I'm going to carry on sewing
these ba*ls right till the end.

This is a thing of nightmares,
it really is.

Needles up, sewers.

Get those mannequins on my desk pronto.

Oh, wow, Vicki, that looks
absolutely amazing.

An array of
household cleaning products,

transformed into four garments
in just 90 minutes.

Judges, you can clean yourselves up
and come back in.

First impressions?

Well, haven't they scrubbed up well?

I love how they decorated
the garment with scourers,

and these are cloths, would you say,

that they're sewn together.

I think it's a shame that
the scourers haven't gone

all the way around.

I love it.

I think it's fantastic.

You've got orange flowers
on yellow cloth here,

and they've quartered the orange
and the yellow cloths.

I mean, they're a really good match.

But then at the back
it's completely different.

I do agree with you.

Maybe you could have just hung
a couple of scourers off

the end of some of these
mop heads.

I mean, we asked them for ingenious,

I think using scourers as pompoms
is ingenious.

I think it's ingenious to make
ties out of what I suspect

were probably mop heads.

Well, these are all made
out of rubber gloves.

Yes, they are.

I think it's fabulous.

Mind you, quite rude.

But it could be a top, couldn't it?

You could have trousers underneath.

I love the way the fingers are
knitted together at the front

like they're standing very demurely.

I really like the way they've
mixed up the colours.

I mean, it looks a bit like
something out of a sweet shop.

It does, you're right.

Yeah, part sweet shop,
part fetish shop.

It is holding the body really well
all the way around.

I mean, it's fantastically playful.

I think it's really fun.
I think it's great.

We've got two tabards
that have been interwoven.

They've taken a tabard and
twisted it and sewn it together,

and they've inserted the sort of
flat mop head bits in between.

I am not convinced the moppy
bits are in quite the most

aesthetically pleasing locations.

ESME LAUGHS

I like the idea of it, but I think
it would have been more fun

if the mops were all over.

I do think it has impact, and I like
that we've got a mixture of colours.

Overall, I'm not convinced
it's tremendously flattering,

and I'm not sure this feels
ingenious to me.

Wow. Yes.

Well, this is very, very, very
clever indeed.

This person has created
a chequerboard textile

out of two tabards and a bit of
metalized scourer

that has been woven together

to create this amazing
chequerboard fabric

that goes all the way around
the body,

and then is gathered up into this
amazing frill at the side.

This other tabard has been pleated,
pleated, pleated

into this amazing kind of fan.
Like a fan.

It's brilliant.

I love the colour.

I think it's really, really clever,

and when this person turns round

and you see the side,
it's really got impact.

The judges will now rank
the outfits from worst to first.

In fourth place is
the two tabard dress.

That's Tony.

It's great you used a mop,

but somehow, for me, it wasn't as
imaginative as some of the others.

In third place is
our scourer pompom top.

That's Asmaa.

It was incredibly creative,
we loved it.

It just needed the back to feel
more connected to the front.

In second place is...

...the rubber glove dress.

That's Mia.

You only used rubber gloves,
I think that's brilliant.

Thank you.

Which means in first place
is our twin tabard woven fandango.

That's Vicki.

APPLAUSE

Vicki, it's genius.

I mean, coming up with
that woven textile,

the amazing pleating,
we absolutely loved it. Yep.

It went so well,
I'm really surprised.

I really enjoyed it.

It was nice to enjoy it,
have a good idea,

and then the judges also like it.
It was like win, win, win.

Honestly, what is going on?

I managed to make a fetish dress.

You don't even have time to think.

My ba*ls weren't all
the way around the garment,

and it did look like two garments,
I completely agree with Esme.

Mine was a bit of a comedy affair,
I think it is fair to say.

So it means I've just got to do
a good made-to-measure tomorrow.

One challenge remains.

In just a few hours, three sewers
will be through to the final,

but one must miss out.

So, who's getting rota'd out
and who's getting promoted?

A couple of sewers,
so Mia and Asmaa,

did extremely well in
both challenges,

and then Tony and Vicki did
fantastically well in one,

and really very badly in another.

Vicki's coat, she did it
right over left,

instead of left over right,

which was completely wrong.

So Vicki came last in
the pattern challenge,

but she came first in
the transformation.

First in the transformation, yeah.

Vicki's transformation
was impactful.

It fitted well, it was ingenious,

it was exactly what we wanted.

And then next to it,
we've got Tony's,

which really still looks like
a couple of tabards

sort of smashed together,
and this mop fiasco.

So we have four brilliant sewers and
we have three places in the final.

Despite the ups and downs, it still
feels like really anybody

could make the final at this point.

No-one's safe.

No, definitely not.
No, I don't think so.

A lot rests on this made-to-measure.
Oh, absolutely.

Hello, mate.

How are you?

Ah!

Stay calm.

Good morning, sewers,
and welcome back to our models.

For this week's semifinal
made-to-measure,

the judges would like you to make
a boiler suit.

Handy for painting, decorating
and driving a train,

but a bit tricky
for going to the loo.

You have five hours
and your time starts now.

Let's get on with it, then.

If I can get the fit right, I'm
going to be really proud of myself.

Perfect. I think I'm just going
to add a bit to the inner leg.

Yeah, no, we're still good.
We're still good.

I have made jumpsuits, but I've not
ever made boiler suits.

So they are a little bit different, apparently,

from the point of view of the fit.
They have to be comfortable.

Originally created as workwear for
men tending to coal fired boilers,

the aptly named boiler suit

made its biggest impact
during the Second World w*r,

when it was adopted by
female munitions workers,

and even prime ministers.

The public were also encouraged
to wear these wartime onesies

during air raids,
and to appeal more to women

they soon began to be
marketed as a fashion item.

These days, endorsed by
celebrity fans,

this once purely utilitarian garment

can be seen from the high street
to the catwalk.

So the boiler suit - basically
it's a babygro for a mechanic.

What are you hoping to see?

They could choose to do something
very utilitarian, very practical,

but they could also choose to
jazz it up if they want to.

We've given them five hours
for this,

and a basic boiler suit wouldn't
take five hours to make.

So we do want to see them
be ambitious.

I want to see an interesting design,
I want to see lots of pockets,

places to carry your stuff.

For an all-in-one, one thing
that's really important

is the length in the body.

Because if they make it too short,

the person won't be able
to sit down. Yeah.

What kind of fabrics
are you expecting to see?

Traditionally, it would be
in cotton drill,

but they may go to town.

Oh, your own boiler suit is a kind
of lightweight cotton print.

I wondered when we were going
to mention it.

I feel like compared to things
we've done in other challenges,

it's a bit tricky.

The fit you have to try
and get right,

all the way from the top
to the bottom.

There's just a lot of elements
to think about.

It's a bit nerve-racking.

The main challenge for today is
the number of things like pockets.

Are you OK with your alterations?

Yeah, I'm just going to add an inch
and a half to the hips

and hope for the best.

Hello, hello. Hi. Morning. You OK?

Right, tell us your inspiration.

My brother and sister-in-law
work on wind turbines.

So they wear a kind of boiler suit?

Yeah, they wear, like, this
fluorescent orange, so -

I know it's not fluorescent,

but I thought it was like
a toned down...

Yeah, a more wearable version. Yeah.

Vicki's taking a no-frills approach
to her boiler suit,

which will feature a pen pocket,
zip fly

and brass poppers to fasten it
down the front.

She's hoping the alterations
she's made to the original pattern

will provide the perfect fit.

I did a full seat change,
lengthened the crotch curve.

Did a full seat, added darts.

I done a full bust adjustment
and a sway back adjustment

and lengthened it.

OK. Yeah, that's a lot, isn't it?

Well, she's really curvy,
and I wanted it to fit her nicely.

Oh, and I've had to grade up
a few sizes as well.

So, yeah, so I've made a lot
of changes.

Yeah. Just a few.
I'm impressed.

We'll see. No pressure.

Well, some pressure.
Place in the final at stake.

Um, yeah.

Vicki's not the only sewer
influenced by a family member.

It's inspired by my mum, basically.

She's a teacher, and she wears
loads of fun boiler suits.

Does she? Oh, does she? Yeah, yeah.

So she has lots of different
patterns and fun ones,

and so I've gone for this pattern
because she liked it,

and these colours are the colours
we have in our house a lot,

like teals and pinks. Oh, right. Nice.

So that's where you've got your
obsession. My love of pink.

We don't have to call it an
obsession, we can call it a love.

It's a healthy... a healthy love.
A healthy admiration for.

To complement the pink
in the fabric,

Mia will insert a pink zip
down the front.

Her boiler suit will also feature
a waist tie and patch pockets,

extending into a belt loop.

It's got front top pockets,
and then we've got...

Are you matching those or not? No.

I feel like there's no time in life
for pattern matching.

And pockets on the back?
I'm leaving those off till the end

cos I want to make sure
it's finished

before I add a thousand pockets.

So at least four pockets,
possibly six pockets. Yeah.

I'm going to add six pockets.

The pockets on the bodice are going
to be the first thing

the judges will see,

so it's really important to make
sure that they're neat and correct.

This is a pen pocket to go on top
of my normal pocket.

I don't have time for loads of
pockets. I'd rather have a couple,

and then try and do a good fit
and finish.

What I'm doing at the moment is
I'm just trying to part-build

all of the pockets, because it's
what we're selling it on.

It's going to be all about
the pockets.

And what's your inspiration
for the boiler suit?

Stems back to week two's bag that
I made. That was camo and orange.

That's kind of what sprung into
mind straight away.

You know some people are being
inspired by family members,

and you're being inspired by a bag
you made in week two.

Yeah. Well, yeah, sorry, kids.

THEY LAUGH

Tony's going all out with eight
pockets on his camo boiler suit,

including three outer pockets
made from stretchy mesh fabric.

His ambitious design also features
an orange collar,

an orange yoke at the back
and a long zip.

Fit wise? It's a man's boiler suit
that I'm putting on my female model.

I've slimmed down the top,
hips are staying the same.

I'm going for a '90s hip-hop,
baggy feel about it. OK.

Bit of puffiness on the top.
So there's plenty of room.

There is yeah, there's a lot of
room. And you've got the rise right?

Yeah, rise there as well.

So obviously with a boiler suit,
it's baggier...

OK. ..and slightly lower crotch.

While Tony's opted
for the utilitarian look,

Asmaa's going full rock chic.

You've gone for a sort of sparkly,
sort of dressing up fabric.

Yes. Yeah. This is meant to be
for my daughter.

Is she 19, your daughter?
She is 19, yeah, yeah.

OK, and what kind of place
might she wear this to?

So, she absolutely loves
her rock bands.

The idea was when she goes
to concerts. Oh, OK.

So lots of pockets where she can put
all her bits and pieces in safely.

Whistle, glow sticks.

Yeah, absolutely. She's into
her black, she's into her rock.

Can't go wrong with
a bit of glitter.

Asmaa's sparkly boiler suit will
feature turned up legs and sleeves,

and an adjustable belt.

She's hoping to nail that rock chick
look by embellishing it

with a bit of silverware.

Where are those going? So what I've
done is I've added real pockets,

and then they're going to have
little tabs. Speed clips.

Speed clips, and the sleeves will
have a turn-up and a tab as well.

I've had a massive dilemma,
cos I decided to go for a zip

and I could not find a black zip
with silver teeth.

Which is what you wanted.
Which is what I really wanted.

This is wrong. It's just if you see
the blue,

it's just not going to work.
I might just do black, I don't know.

I think my mum would love this.

My mum's actually the reason
I ever learnt to sew,

because in lockdown she got
a sewing machine as a present,

and then we started making
this dress, like, together,

but she gave up literally
about a second in.

So I finished it off, and then
I just carried on for ever and ever.

Really got to get a start on that
zip, cos that's going to be a faff.

With every sewer opting for a zip
fastening at the front

it's vital they're inserted perfectly.

The type of zip I'm doing is
called a lapped zip.

You can't see it, cos it's got,
like, two little pieces

covering it up, basically.

There's going to be a zip fly here.

I'm just going to go for
a simple lapped zip.

I can do zips if
I really concentrate

and the instructions are good.

I'm now pinning my zip in.

This to me is the most
difficult bit,

cos I only learnt how to put
flies in

when we did that cargo pant
challenge a couple of weeks ago.

The zip looks good.

Got my zip in.

Doesn't look bad, does it?

Looks OK to me.

It works.

Right, yeah, very happy with that.

When I'm thinking about bravery,

I'm thinking about, do I do
an orange top stitch...

...down there cos it's
the semifinals?

I think I have to. I've never done
a top stitch that long before.

You're halfway through.

Slightly terrified
that we're halfway

and I've still got so much to do.

But there's no time to worry.

So it's just now putting it
all together.

So I just need to attach
the back to the back bodice.

Now I'll try and get some of
the construction together.

It should hopefully start
to look like a garment,

rather than just some flat bits
of fabric,

cos there is a lot of fabric
to start moving around the machine.

This is where it could get messy.

I'm going to get the trousers, like,
sewn together,

and then try it on my model,
and pray my alterations work.

Getting the right fit on the body

depends on the height from
the crotch to the waist,

known as the rise.

Too long, and the crotch
will hang low.

It's designed to be a baggy fit
around her measurements.

You know, it's not I've just got off
the shelf a big bloke's boiler suit.

Too short, and the fabric may
bunch up between the legs

and pull at the crotch.

The rise is really important
when it comes to a boiler suit.

As the judges have said in the past,

a hungry bum in a boiler suit
is not a good idea.

There's been lots of chat
about the rise.

The rise is... This area.

Yeah. If it's too tight,
it's quite sort of unflattering

and uncomfortable.

I know, that's what
I'm a bit worried about.

We'll just have to hope
it fits. Yes, OK.

Well, I did do a practice,
and it fit me. Great. So...

So if worst comes to worst,
you could wear it?

Exactly. I'll say, "Don't worry
I don't need a model."

Keeps growing.

You get your head in there.

I've got a few wrinkles in the bum,
but, yes, I think that's gone OK.

I don't know, because you need room
to bend.

It does feel quite baggy
at the moment, doesn't it?

And this will sit like that.

We're OK. That's good, that'll come
and meet that.

There's the waist, there's that,
and, yep, that's good.

Thank you. Jolly good. I'm happy.

So the fit is good now.

I've put in loads of
extra inches for the hips

that I definitely did not need,
so I've taken them all back out now.

That fitting looks good, thankfully.

I'm committing to this size.

Luckily, if anything, it can get
smaller rather than bigger,

so that's good.

Happy with the fit?

I think so. OK.

I mean, you're not filling me with
an overwhelming sense of confidence.

I was really worried about
my crotch curve,

because I had to alter it a lot. Yeah.

But I just tried it on her,
and I think it looks nice,

but I don't know if you'll think
it looks good!

How long have we got, anybody?

One hour left.

Oh, my goodness me!

Just getting the sleeves in now.

So I think it's going OK.

Vicki seems to be getting on OK.

She's very happy with the fit,
but it's very simple.

Yes. I don't feel like
she's pushed herself.

No. I agree.

I've top stitched the zip in.

It's very, very subtle,

but it's all about this level
of detail, isn't it, really?

Tony's gone the completely
opposite direction.

He's got three different materials,
he's got multiple pockets.

I mean, it does mean
he's got a lot to do,

and decided to do
orange stitching throughout.

Contrast stitch. OK.

It doesn't really look heavy enough.

I need to put the sleeves in
really fast.

Mia's got quite a lot
going on there.

I mean, she's got quite
a busy print.

But you're not going to be able
to see the details.

How is Asmaa getting along?

She's putting in her sleeves.

So adding the buckles to the sleeve
as well, as a feature.

I saw the pockets with clips.

She's looks like she's put it
together really nicely.

Instead of buttons,
they're going to be clasps.

So it's going to go in there like
that, and the other end goes in.

But these are the little details
that are taking time.

I'm doing the clasp now before I get
panicked about my time.

Right.

That goes onto there.

Oh, my gosh, just hold your breath.

No stress.

I'm worried that I'm going
to do them wrong.

You've got half an hour left.

Oh, God.

I don't like half an hour to go,
it's horrible.

No time to panic.

Right. So if I do this leg,

and then I'm going to tackle
this stupid belt.

Quickly doing the belt, and then
I've just got the hems to do.

Oh, I don't know whether
to do elastic.

Oh, I'll do elastic. Yeah?

Turn around a sec.

Yeah, elastic. Off you go.

Right, pop it off then, mate.

Now I've got to press it.

Ten minutes left, everyone.

Time is running out,
so I'm going to do short cuts.

I've decided to put elastic
in the back,

because I think it will be
better for the shaping,

so I just need to get it in.

Honestly, there's no time to even
think about the length of the hem.

There's just enough time to sew it.

So it's going to be whatever happens
in this very moment in my life.

Would be nice to finish,
wouldn't it?

You will finish.
I'll create a diversion.

Watch this.

THEY LAUGH

I fainted, everybody!

As always, I'm rushing,
rushing, rushing.

Just going to give it a good
old-fashioned press now.

Get your models dressed now.

Thank the lord, I finished it.

Yeah, we're good.

Needles up, sewers. That is
the end of your made-to-measure.

Now it's time for the most
fashion-forward plumbers ever

to hit the catwalk.

Excellent.

You look stunning!

♪ When work is over

♪ He likes to hit the bars

♪ Go down the boozer

♪ And have another jar... ♪

Four boiler suits created
in just five hours.

♪ ..of his boring occupation

♪ Dull conversation

♪ Living by the book

♪ And the rules and regulations... ♪

Well, Mia, I think the fabric choice
has worked extremely well.

I agree with Patrick.
I love this fabric,

and quite frankly,
certain things for me

don't need to be pattern matched,
and this is one of them.

Yay.

I think the quality of your lapped
zip is really very good indeed.

You've got these great big patch
pockets on the front at the bottom.

Those have been very well sewn.

If I can turn you to the side...

I think it's a little big
over the hips.

It looks to me like
you've got too much fabric

on the back... Yeah.
...of the trousers.

Did you take some away
from that seam?

I took about two inches
out of each side.

Overall, I think it looks terrific.

Thank you.

♪ Cos he gets up in the morning

♪ And he goes to work at nine

♪ Cos his world is built
'round punctuality

♪ It never fails... ♪

Right, Tony, I do like
that you've combined

the camo with the orange.
You're making a statement.

And what I do really like is

the expandable pocket
over the pocket.

Every pocket becomes two pockets,

so you've actually got
eight pockets on here.

I mean, that's a load of work
you've given yourself.

Oh, you've done it with orange...
Orange top stitch throughout, yeah.

That was a risk. I know.

It feels to me like the contrast
needed to be

a much chunkier thread...
Yeah, it did.

...because when I step away
three steps, it sort of disappears.

I think this zip here is really low.

It doesn't need to be that low.

It's because it's a male pattern,
so the zip I kept as

the man's length cos you need to
zip it all the way to the bottom.

Well, I just think
it's a bit too long. Yeah, OK.

The fit isn't too bad.

It looks a little bit short
in the body at the back.

Can you see, we've got
all this drape? OK.

♪ A casual look

♪ A little wink

♪ Can reveal... ♪

I do like the colour.

I like the idea that this is
a kind of toned down version of

that kind of neon orange suit that
your brother and sister-in-law wear.

But the first thing I see
is this area here.

You know, we've got zip tape
and the teeth and the zip pull

all showing and your poppers
are in the wrong place.

You've misaligned this bit,

so it's creating this big fold
in the front, right in the centre,

where unfortunately
it's really, really visible.

Yeah, I think I should have put
that inside popper higher.

I very much like
your little pen pocket.

Your triangles are pretty neat.

The pocket actually is
very well sewn generally

and the side pockets are neat too.

It looks a little bit short
in the body.

Can you see, we've got
this drape here?

So, what I feel is it's not
long enough in the body.

I think you've maybe put the elastic
in a little bit too tight.

It does look a bit tight
across the top

where the shoulders are.

♪ Maybe I'll find on the way
down the line

♪ That I'm free

♪ Free to be me... ♪

Asmaa, I think it looks
incredibly chic.

I mean, I'm sort of getting hints of
late Lagerfeld-era Chanel out of it.

I'm very pleased
you've got a black zip

because I think if we'd had silver
here and here, it would have

really actually detracted
from the overall design.

It's so neatly sewn in, the zip.

The pockets are really smartly sewn
and I love the tabs.

They go very well with the fabric.

Let's have a little look at the fit.

I think it looks bang-on
on the front.

I suspect it's maybe
a fraction short in the body.

Just a fraction.

I think it's beautifully designed,

I think it's beautifully ex*cuted

and it fits really
fantastically well. Thank you.

I don't think the judges
liked it that much.

They obviously thought quite a few
things weren't completely right.

I mean, I think I could
probably go home, yeah.

The feeling that I've got
at the moment is there's obviously

trepidation there. Didn't think
I'd ever be here in the semis.

If this is the end of the day for
me, it's my swan song, I'm really

happy with what I've done today.

Do you know what? It's only taken me
nine weeks to learn to finish

things on the deadline

and I'm proud that I've got to that
stage, so I've learnt something!

I can't believe what we just did
was the final made-to-measure

before the final.
At the end of the day,

I think we're all here
for one purpose

and it's to get to that end goal
and to get to the final.

Utilitarian Week,
and what a week it's been.

All four of our semifinalists have
delivered something fantastic

this week, which I think is
terrific. Mia's, I loved the fabric

she used and, you know, she didn't
match anything, but for me,

that worked really well.

And I think Asmaa, she adapted
what was a standard pattern

and she added some flourishes
of her own

and those flourishes, I think,
worked extremely well.

So does this mean that both Asmaa
and Mia have made it into the final?

Absolutely definitely for me. Yeah.

But I think Tony's and Vicki's
boiler suits both had issues.

I don't think either of them
fitted brilliantly.

Tony was maybe too ambitious.

I think perhaps Vicki
was under-ambitious.

She took no risks.

She didn't make it exciting
in any way.

Vicki's pattern was pretty poor.

She made a very big blunder
in the way the front overlapped.

But her transformation was great.

Tony did a fantastic job
on his trench coat,

but his transformation, I think
it's probably the least successful

transformation he's done of all. Yeah.

I mean, what a time to pull
your reverse rabbit out of the hat.

I think I know who deserves
their place in the final,

but I think it's pretty close.

Sadly, we are coming to the end of
Utilitarian Week and the semifinal.

We just have two jobs left
for our work day.

First, over to Patrick.

Our Garment of the Week
this week is...

APPLAUSE

Fantastic.

...Asmaa.

We loved it. When we saw it walking
down that catwalk, it shimmered,

the detail was perfection.
It was really everything

we looked for in an elevated boiler
suit. Well done. Thank you so much.

Thank you. It is a horrible time
to go home,

because whoever does reach the
semifinal is absolutely brilliant.

It's always heart-breaking
at this point.

But the person we are saying
goodbye to is...

It's Vicki.

I feel really good because I never
thought I'd get this far

and I've learned a lot about myself

and I've also met some
really fantastic people

and do you know what?
I just feel really proud.

Don't cry.

Why are you crying? It's Tony.

That's knocked me off my feet completely.

So sad to see Vicki go.
She was great.

Not only a good friend, great sewer.

Vicki's had a sort of
incredible ride.

Right at the bottom after
the pattern challenge,

right at the top
in the transformation,

but for a place in the final,
you've really got to push,

and I think she didn't push
far enough.

We did it, we did it. Big ones.

Yay! That's all you're getting
from me. I don't dance.

I can't believe it. Amazing.

I think that the three finalists
we're left with

are all really, really good,

so I'm very intrigued to see
who becomes the winner.

Hello? Are you and Dad
ready to come to Leeds?

SHRIEKING

I'm in the final!

Next time...

So, this is it.
The showdown.

The conclusion.

ASMAA GASPS

That's the stage I'm at. Mild panic.

And the winner of
The Great British Sewing Bee is...

WHISPERS: Oh, oh, oh. My God.