03x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

Welcome to the semifinal
of the Great British Sewing Bee.

Just to make it extra difficult,

the judges have saved the trickier
fabrics up until now.

Not only that, at the end of today's
show, two people will be leaving.

Sewing just got brutal.

At the last sewing bee...

This is beginning to look
quite racy.

Wowzer!

..Paul just held on...

It's actually
looking like a kilt now.

..and we said goodbye to Amanda...

SHE GASPS

..and Ryan.

In four years' time,
I'll see Patrick on Savile Row.

And Neil became the only sewer
in the Sewing Bee's history

to win the pattern challenge...

First place, Neil.

..the alteration challenge...

It's completely reinvented.
Well done.

Thank you.

..and then garment of the week.

Really proud of that kilt.
Really proud.

'Now it's the semifinal...'

I don't think the room has ever been
this tense, ever, in any series.

'..featuring four of the world's
most difficult fabrics.

'Two of them in the same pattern.'

God, there's a whole other page.

And one in the Sewing Bee's

most shocking alteration
challenge so far.

It's terrifying.

But who will triumph...

Not again.

..and make it through to the
final...

I want to stay here
till the bitter end.

'..of the Great British Sewing Bee?'

Are you freaking out? Yeah.

You look like you're freaking out.

Ah!

Come on, Lorna.

Boom.

Five remaining sewers,

just three challenges stand between
them and a place in the final.

I can't believe I'm in the semifinal
of the Sewing Bee.

To make it all the way to week five
is completely mental.

'I think the one to beat in
the competition may be Neil.'

He seems to be the one
that's always at the top.

Last week winning the triple
crown was just fantastic,

but I'm actually feeling the nerves
now I'm in the semifinals.

This is the first time
I've actually thought,

"Ooh, yeah,
I'm not sure about this."

Each of this week's challenges

involves some of sewing's
trickiest fabrics.

'And tomorrow, two people will be
leaving the Sewing Bee.'

A huge congratulations.
You're in the semifinal.

SHE LAUGHS
That's the good news.

The bad news is, the judges
are about to make it really tricky

for you, because those places
in the final are precious.

May, what have you got?

We would like you to make a pencil
skirt with darts in the back,

an invisible zip and a lining.

But there's a catch.
You have to make it in lace.

Lace, right, OK.

So you have three-and-a-half hours

to make a gorgeous
lace pencil skirt.

Enormous luck. Your time starts now.

A pencil skirt might be
a straightforward pattern,

but this will be the first time
in the sewing room that the

sewers have had to combine a fragile
lace with a slippery satin.

Looking for something that doesn't
have too much cording on the lace,

because having worked with it
before,

it can get caught in the seams.

If you're going to go lace,
you've got to go black.

This has got big patterns on it to...
(hide the stitching.)

I've only used lace as a trim
before, I've never made

a whole garment on it, so this
is going to be something new.

This is nine inches.

So, Patrick,
why tricky fabrics in the semifinal?

Well, what we're trying to do now
is find the very best,

and that requires a level of skill,
dexterity

and material handling that sewers,
I think, sometimes struggle with.

This is a tough set of challenges.

Each fabric will be completely
different, but they all

require a specific ability to handle
and finish those fabrics well.

They all look quite alarmed
when we said lace.

How difficult is it sewing
with lace, May?

Because of the way in which lace is
made, it's mobile, it moves around -

so it's not as stable as
a solidly woven fabric.

It's frightening and it requires
a level of control

and stability that we've never seen
before in the competition. No.

Pin and cut out the front
and back pieces in both lace

and silky lining.

The skirt is constructed as two
separate layers - one in lace

and one in lining.

Each skirt will be made up of
three pattern pieces -

one for the front
and two for the back.

Darts will be sewn into the lace

and the lining before the side
seams are stitched.

The lace and lining skirts will
then be tacked together,

and an invisible zip inserted.

The centre back seam should be sewn
separately before the satin

lining is hemmed.

A facing made from the lining

will then be attached
to finish the skirt.

Match the pattern across the side
seam and centre back seam with...

Great, so a bit of pattern
matching of lace.

Everything's going to have
to be lined up.

There's a real strong pattern
running through it,

so that's going to be a challenge
for this one.

It does play around a little bit.

You've got a hard bit, then a soft
bit, then a very fine bit.

As soon as you start to lean on it,
the whole thing moves.

Have you worked with lace before?
No. Are you freaking out? Yeah.

You look like you're freaking out.

It takes a bit of concentration,

because I want it to
all balance out.

Ergh.

You make gorgeous dresses for your
lovely wife and your baby girl.

Have you ever knocked up
a lace number?

No, never.

Applied a bit of lace to stuff
before, but not a whole garment.

Have you done all your cutting out?

Yeah, I've done my cutting out and
I've just kind of tacked through...

You've had 40 minutes.
40 minutes, yeah, OK.

Is that bad or good?

That's probably quite bad.
It means we've got 2 hours 50 left.

All right. Good boy with the maths.

Well, you know.

Ugh, brain. That way.

When sewing lace, every stitch
on every seam will be visible...

My hands still haven't
stopped shaking.

..and the pattern doesn't specify

what sort of seams
the sewers should use.

What are you thinking of doing,
then?

I'm thinking of doing just
a twin-stitched seam.

So we'll be looking for some
really neat finishing -

some double-stitched seams perhaps.

Something which keeps it really fine
and neat

and doesn't show through too much
on the outside of the lace.

If they've got a heavier lace,
it would not be a good idea to

French seam it, because obviously
French seams can be quite bulky.

You've either got a French seam
there, which is going to be too

bulky, or you've got two-stitched
seam, which is a lot softer.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.
I'd go for that.

MACHINE CLUNKS

Sounds good.

Good morning. Hello!
Morning, Deborah.

How are you?
Not bad, thank you. How are you?

Good. Chipper this morning?
Yeah, I can't believe I'm here.

I'm in the semifinal, there's
nothing to be not chipper about.

It's exciting. That's good,
we like that sort of attitude.

DEBORAH LAUGHS

It's really pretty. It's
a fabulous colour, isn't it?

Yeah. I think it works nicely
with that, doesn't it? Thank you.

So what sort of seams are you doing
on your skirt? French seams.

OK. Because it's a thinner lace,
I thought

I could get away with doing quite
a narrow French seam.

Neil has also decided to use
enclosed French seams.

If you know how a French seam works,

you do the wrong sides together,

and then you do the right sides
together. It's a good way...

For fine material like this,
it's a good way

of hiding the loose ends of the seam.

But Matt, Lorna and Paul
have decided to finish their seams

with two simple rows of
parallel stitching.

MAY: Your seams don't look
as if they're puckering.

No. And that...
It seems to, luckily, marry up.

Yeah, I'm pleased with that.

Well, what we've got is
gaps next to gaps

and florals next to florals,
which is...

Yeah, as good as it gets, yes.

..all we can really expect
to get from...

Cos it's shaped as well.
..from this, yeah.

In fact it's more difficult
for you

machining across two gaps, isn't it?
Yes, it is.

Cos that's when it starts
misbehaving, isn't it? Yes, it does.

The skirt's sheer lining...

HE EXHALES

..needs to be constructed so that it
fits perfectly inside the lace.

This is all about finesse,
precision.

So I could come unstuck!

Two hours left to make
a lace pencil skirt.

Right, so it's both...lining
is facing up.

Of course, yes.

If the layers aren't sewn
together evenly,

they could twist or end up being
different sizes,

spoiling the classic
pencil skirt line.

Ensure the side seams and darts
of the two layers line up,

tack or pin in position.

Now, this is very fiddly and it
sends my eyes a little bit crazy,

but the satin shifts around
all over the place.

So, yeah, you have to kind of
be really, really careful,

making sure that they're
always lining up.

Wonderful inventions, zips.

Invisible ones are even more
exciting.

Ooh!

Who invented the invisible zip
and why?

Ugh...

The zip needs to be secured
to both layers of fabric

with one line of stitching.

Having not put an invisible
zip into lace before,

I don't know whether that's going
to be impossible,

whether I'm going to lose my temper,
I'm not sure yet.

Delirium is setting in.

It got me in week one, which
I didn't even know what one was,

so it's only the second one
I've ever put into a garment.

Oh, my God, zip time.

It's zip time.

I'm going to put it in
and see what it looks like.

See, it's all moving
all over the place.

Right, hopefully the zip's in.

I'm just concerned about catching.

I think it's just going
to need easing away,

maybe pressing away from the edge
of the stitching.

Look, zip going in...willy-nilly.

I love the fact you're wearing lace
today, but you had no idea.

I know. I had no idea.
Telepathic. I know. It's good.

What else have you got left to do?

Er, just a few pages, you know.
Can I get you anything?

Massage, cup of tea, bath, sauna.

Any of the above.
I can...I can do the tea.

OK. Excellent.

I have got Ryan Gosling in a box
at the back if you want him.

Ooh! I will... Yeah, sure.

Sewers, you have one hour left.

One hour on lace skirt,
tricky fabric, semifinal hoo-ha.

Pretty good. Pretty damn good,
cos it matches, look.

Boom.

I'm happy with that.

Sweet Jesus, people,
I've done an invisible zip.

I'm a bit worried about time,
when suddenly someone says,

"You've all got an hour to go",
that hour goes really quickly.

Where are you up to, Matt?
Hem.

Oh, God!
And you?

Still stitching
the back centre seam.

Right.

Choose the depth of your hem

according to the depth of
the scalloped lace.

I'm just deciding on the length
of my hem

in comparison to the length
of my scallop.

Don't want it to just hang out of
the bottom of the skirt, so...

Oh, my God, you're just doing it
with scissors!

I know. Paul, genuinely.

I'm edging it, and then I've got
to do a proper hem,

so I'm just making sure it's even.

OK. OK, good.
I thought it was more slap-dash.

No, no, no.

Sewers, you have 20 minutes.

Oh, my God,
there's a whole another page!

Right, hem done.

Sew the facing to the skirt
around the waistline.

Right, I'll just quickly do this.

This is important
cos it's a waistband

and it mustn't be puckered.

If it isn't right it'll,
it won't hang correctly.

Sewers, you've got eight minutes.

Ch-ch-ch-ch...

I have to say,

I don't think the room has ever been
this tense, ever, in any series.

Lace is all matched.
How did that go?

MACHINE CLUNKS

Yeah, it was great.

I see some areas of concern,
you know,

it's just got to be a wearable
garment first.

Well, that's not a bad philosophy
on clothes...

Yeah, exactly. ..wearable first.
Exactly.

So a couple more lines of sewing,

tidy up round the edge of the zip,

and we should be good to go.

Deborah, how you doing?

Blah! OK.

Pardon? Just making sure there's
no little tucks in the underside,

cos that would not be good.

Five minutes left, sewers.
Five minutes.

HE EXHALES

Trying to tidy up
some of these corners.

Has anyone tried their skirt
on their mannequin?

No, no.

Just stay where you are.

30 seconds now.

Right. Deborah, come on!

Good girl.

Guys, time's up. That's it.

Lace skirts on your mannequins,
we'll take them next door.

Well done, everybody. Well done.

MUSIC: Swingin' Down The Lane
by Frank Sinatra

What will Patrick and May make of
the semifinalists' first attempt

to deal with difficult fabric?

Up first comes gorgeous
russet human.

You've got some gorgeous pattern
matching. Look at this.

Oh, yeah. It's exquisite.

So you've just given us
a double-stitched...

Really neat, really neat.

..seam there.
Very neat indeed.

I must congratulate you on your zip

because you've got a straight
line down there...

ZIPPING

..and it works.

And it works.

The waistband is wobbling
up and down, sadly.

It's gone for a kind of
drunken walk, unfortunately.

But otherwise very, very good
indeed.

Thank you.

The difficulty with this challenge
is that you've got two hems

that both need to be
sitting straight.

Here, we are three inches
from the edge.

On this side, you know, we're
at least an inch different I think.

Unfortunately, the bottom of the
zip, something's gone awry,

and we've just got
a lump here which... Yes.

And we're a bit off at the top
of the zip.

You've got a little...
Extra.

..fullness underneath.

Yeah.

Your underskirt is too big around
and it's just gathering inside.

It's hard to see really whether
the underskirt is hanging flat

because it's too full and it's sort
of buckling underneath a little bit.

The pattern match is really good and
it's absolutely vertical down here,

so well done.

I think it's a really nice colour
combination as well.

That sort of jade colour with
the blue underneath really works...

Yes, it does. ..very effectively.

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

It hangs well, doesn't it?
It does hang extremely well.

The underskirt seems
to be very level

and seems to mirror
the overskirt very nicely.

And the zip is well inserted.

That zip runs very smoothly.

On the choice of fabric,
I think you're the only one

that hasn't given us a contrast,

and I think if you had
had the contrast,

it might have just lifted
it a little.

But I think the sewing
is extremely good.

Thank you.

You've got a good fitting waistline.

It's sitting level, isn't it?

Yeah. Very, very nice.

However, you've got a lot of
lining fullness here,

as if the lining is too big
for the skirt.

There's too much in there.

Just on this side here, we're just
rippling a bit

on that side seam.
Yes, yeah, we are.

Also, the pattern matching
on the back...

NEIL GROANS

MAY LAUGHS

I don't know what's happened,

because you've obviously tried to
match it here. Nearly.

I lost an inch somewhere. Don't ask.

THEY CONFER QUIETLY

Patrick and May will now rank the
skirts in order of their success.

In fifth place this challenge
was Paul.

Lots of great sewing but a bit of a
glitch around the zip at the back.

And in fourth place is Neil.

The lining and the outer -
it was having a little fight.

Third place, Deborah.

Again, your underskirt
and your overskirt

are just not well balanced in size.

And second place...

..Lorna.

Literally just the waistband,
but otherwise a smashing job.

Which means in first place, Matt.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well, a huge well done
on your beautiful skirts.

You can now all try them on
and, er...

LAUGHTER
..and have a lovely cup of tea,

and when you come back
we will give you

the next, and my favourite,
challenge.

SONG: I'm Sitting On Top Of The World

'I was absolutely blown away
by that.'

You know, you expect your name
to come up each and every time

when they're kind of calling through
the names and the numbers,

and, yeah, to come first -
I'm absolutely over the moon.

'Coming last, it's knocked my
confidence a little bit,'

but that's done now, that's in the
past, can't do anything about that.

DEBORAH: 'It was kind of weird
to come higher than Neil.

'I know that Matt got first
and stuff,'

but I got third, and that's amazing.

So, yeah, I'm really pleased.

Lace may have proved difficult
to get to grips with,

but it's a fabric that for centuries
a home sewer

could only dream of using.

Its handmade beginnings meant that
it used to be the preserve

of the incredibly rich.

But it's been made in Britain
since the 16th century.

Towns like Olney in Buckinghamshire

became famous for
their handmade lace.

Five centuries later,
the town still has a lace circle.

To make a basic lace stitch,

you have a pair of horizontal
bobbins,

you have a pair of vertical bobbins,

and you weave the horizontals
through the verticals.

For the lace workers, this was
precise and painstaking work.

This piece of lace would have taken
two days of continual work.

People's status would be shown

by the complexity of the lace
they were wearing.

Lace's enduring appeal was ensured

when Queen Victoria chose it for
her wedding gown,

catapulting lace to the height
of fashion

for the next century.

To meet demand, factories sprung up
all over the Midlands,

like Cluny, which still has
its Victorian machine.

The whole machine does recreate
a lady there with her bobbins,

but perhaps 200 ladies
sitting side by side

all making it at the same time.

Although this clever technology
finally made lace affordable,

its popularity was curtailed
by the events of the 20th century.

Lace as a fabric has slightly gone
in and out of fashion

during the 20th century.

As the First World w*r arrives,

the idea and time for frivolity,
for lace, for the factories -

there wasn't a requirement for it.

Wartime is about essentials.

When it does come back in the '60s,

everyone welcomes it with open arms,
because it almost looks new again.

But it took another Royal wedding

to bring lace to the home sewers
of the 21st century.

When Kate Middleton had her
wedding dress,

suddenly a lot of people who thought
lace might be a bit old-fashioned

saw it actually as the first choice.

Lace is really one of those fabrics
that's got an enduring appeal.

Sometimes there's a lot of it,
sometimes there's very little,

but it never entirely disappears.

Well, if you thought lace
was difficult,

wait till you see what
the judges throw at them next.

It's the semifinal,
so they've taken it up a level.

Nobody could guess
what's underneath here.

Patrick and May, what have you got?

It is, of course,
tricky fabric week.

It is a wet suit.
It is a wet suit.

Um, from which we would like you
to fashion

a form-fitting female dress.

And you may use some fabrics
from the haberdashery, some bindings.

Enormous luck. You have 90 minutes.
Your time starts now.

SONG: Hawaii Five-O Theme Song

The wet suits are all made

of a rubber-based, synthetic fabric
called neoprene.

Oh, a blue one.

Oh, fantastic.

Didn't expect this challenge at all.

I don't know what's going through
my mind

at the moment with it,
to be honest.

I've spotted this fabric
which is amazing,

so I'm going to use this
in some way.

I wore it once. I did a triathlon
and I wore the wet suit,

but that's about as close as
I've ever got to this ridiculousness.

Obviously,
don't really know what I'm doing,

but we'll work it out
as we go along.

I think one of the challenges here

is not just sewing with this
bulky neoprene fabric,

it's actually choosing something
that's complementary to it.

Just throwing in
a soft traditional cotton

with this technical modern neoprene
is going to look unusual.

Mm. It's got to be sympathetic,
hasn't it? Yeah.

I think they've got a lot
to work with here,

cos we've got fastenings,
we've got a zip,

so they could actually cut the bottom
bit off here if they wanted to.

And I think it needs to look modern.

I mean, this is a modern
technical fabric,

it wants a modern approach to
this alteration. Mm, definitely.

Right, come on,
think, think, think, think.

OK, so if I do that...

It's a very stiff fabric in the body,

so I want to put something a lot
thinner on the sleeves.

What have I done with the scissors?

Initial thought,
chop sleeves off round there,

nice tight little halter neck,
tight round here,

revealing all the back down to here,

and then just a big, long
flowing skirt downwards.

It's pretty cool,
little bit stretchy.

Yeah, I'm thinking,
maybe, a little bit of this,

bit of a dress, bit of a frill
round the bottom.

You can't get enough lace, can you?

I know. After my performance
this morning, more lace needed.

I'll show 'em pattern matching.

Madonna, eat your heart out!

I'm just thinking of black satin,
sort of Madonna, ooh-ooh.

Pyramid things.

Look at Lorna's model!

SHE LAUGHS

What you laughing at, Deb?

Lorna, hold your horses.

Mm-hm. What are you making?

Well, I was thinking of doing some
sort of Madonna-y type thing,

you know, with satin. Yes.

Oh, wow!
So I was going to...

Rubber's not so good,
it's got to be satin.

Satin, zzzoo-zzoo-zzzoo,
roundy roundy.

Satin for boobs? Yes, satin...
Lorna, you're wild!

Oooohh!

Ring-a-ding-ding.
What is this?

Is this...

It's some sort of stretchiness,
I don't really know what it is.

I love it though.
Look at that.

That's really good.
That's super-hot.

I love this.
Look at that, with a slit up there.

What are you making?

Um, it's going to be a dress -
that on the front

and then three layers of ruffles on
the bottom in theory, in theory.

Adorable!

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure.
Do you love this challenge?

Um...hm...

Define love. OK.

Sewers, you've got an hour left.

Huh! Great. Good. Excellent.

I hope this squealing means
that's good news.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, no, I've got them
the wrong way round.

How have I got them all
the wrong way round?

Oh, it's a mess!

One sleeve going in,
one sleeve going out.

That's not a good look.

Anyone got an unpicker?

I've got to put a sleeve
back in the right way,

then I was thinking about
putting a skirt on,

otherwise it's just going to be
a top, it's not going to be dress.

Probably going to be
the number five again.

Half an hour remains.

Got a lovely fit there.
Happy with that.

It's got a nice flow there.

Right.

I'm using other fabrics on it and...
That's good.

..putting rubber and lace
and everything. Rubber and lace!

I think that's Patrick's favourite!
Is it?

He wears that alone
in his house most Fridays. Ah.

With his skirt still to make,

Paul can't afford to waste any more
time on his sleeves.

No, that's not...

The sleeve that I unpicked was the
one that was sewn on the right way,

so I've got to unpick the other
one as well now.

And I'm not happy.

16 minutes.

16 minutes. Aahh!

Doesn't have to be neat, does it?

Did you add that pink arrow?
Yeah.

Come on! This is so Kylie.

We're basically making outfits
for rock concerts.

I mean, it does look
kind of finished,

but I'm actually thinking now
I might lose the straps.

Sewers, you've got five minutes.

Oh, this is a risky strategy.
Do I do it? Do I do it? Do I do it?

Darts are in, I'm just going to see
if I can get

this bit of fabric
put on to the bottom.

Haven't got time for pinning
or tacking or anything,

so I'm just holding
the fabric against it

and aiming for where
I want the fix to be.

Oh, look! That is joyful.

Is it? Yes. It's got wings.

Deborah? Yeah.

You seem a bit relaxed,
that makes me nervous.

I'm not relaxed. I'm not relaxed.

I'm stressing out.

You've got one minute!

I have no idea what the judges are
going to say about this.

Ahh, mine's a mess!

Over there.

Ooh, her arms, her arms. Oh...

Madonna's on. Gaga's on.

Where's Minogue?

That's it.

Time's up.

All right, come on, guys,

let's pick your girls up,
put them in a line.

SONG: Beyond The Sea

No, no, don't worry.

Little me will do it!

No problem. Thank you.

May and Patrick will have no idea

whose wet suit transformation
belongs to whom.

Wow!

Gosh! What do you think?

They're incredible.

You look less impressed than May,
Patrick.

We're just being honest.

I think there are a couple that
to me look instantly fantastic.

And the others?
We'll talk about it in a second.

OK.
LAUGHTER

Oh, interesting.

I think the combination
of fabrics there is good.

I think the colours are sympathetic.

I think it works really well. Mm.

The digital printed neoprene
is very, very current

in womenswear at the moment.

I'm not convinced by this little
box pleat in the back at all.

No. But, everything else about it
I actually really like.

Yeah, yeah.
I think it works extremely well.

It does. It's fun, isn't it?
I think the proportions work well.

Well, that's an interesting shape
at the back, isn't it?

Got this sort of halter neck,

where the back of the suit's
been cut out,

and then we've just got this little
bit of pink applied onto the top

to link it in with the skirt.
Yeah.

I think the shape of that applique
there

could have been a bit more
sympathetic,

it just looks a bit angular.

This has got something of a period
feature about it, hasn't it?

I'm just not entirely convinced...

by the shape of that front panel.

It doesn't have balance, does it?

I think that's the thing, really.
Mm.

Cos the back looks like the neoprene
suit cut off with a frill put on it.

I'm not sure at all about
the shoulders or the sleeves.

No, neither am I. No.

But I like the skirt on this.

This is a good cut here.

If we could just do that... Yeah.

I think it's... Yes.
..it's great. Yeah.

A good execution of the skirt area,

but we're not sure about the
shoulders and the sleeves, are we?

It's a shame. It's a shame, yes.

I think this is sort of a funky
futuristic design.

These have been applied,

and they're quite interesting shapes.

I mean, we're talking about
using neoprene fabrics

and that's what they give you,
they give you sculpture.

I think I ought to be
horrified by this.

Really?
I think so, but I kind of am not.

It feels like something that's
a bit kind of Lady Gaga.

If it was made from meat,
I think it would be perfect.

LAUGHTER

Patrick and May will now rank
the altered wet suits.

In fifth position is our little
number here with the pink sleeves.

Sadly, the sleeves, we just thought,
"Oh", and they didn't quite work.

The skirt looks fabulous though.

Yeah, I was happy with that bit.

Thank you, Paul.

In fourth place is the strapless
pink and black floral.

It just was the least, sort of,
adventurous and transformative

of all of them.

And three is our
pink and black number.

The lace and the neoprene,
we didn't feel worked as well

as some of the other fabrics
that people combined together.

Yeah, cool.

Thank you.

In second place...

..it's Jacques Cousteau
meets Lady Gaga on the end.

Ahh...

It's pretty bonkers, but it works.

It's got great shape and there was
a lot of great skill in it,

so really well done.

Well done, Lorna.

And number one is Deborah.

CHEERING

We loved the style, the fabric
combinations -

really, really good.
It really works, doesn't it? Yep.

Are you happy? Your little face!

I am so happy!

Ah!

Very well done.
Let's hear it for Deborah.

A huge well done to all of you

on a difficult
but rather brilliant day.

Go home, relax, you'll come back
tomorrow for the big challenge.

Off you go.

'I feel ecstatic.'

Apparently difficult fabrics
is my thing.

I'm feeling a little bit more
confident about tomorrow

now that I've had a good day,

but obviously two people are going,

so I'm going to have to do something
really amazing to keep my place.

First place - this morning
I was really, really pumped

and buoyed by that.

Fourth this afternoon has maybe taken
the wind out of my sails

just a little bit.

That was a nightmare. Disaster.

It's made me more determined
to fight tomorrow

to get into that final.

It's the second day of
tricky fabrics week.

Only three sewers can make it
through to the final,

meaning after this challenge
two will be leaving the Sewing Bee.

Let me ask you about Neil,

cos he came top in all
the challenges last week,

but yesterday
he had a difficult day.

He had a really bad day yesterday.
He hated lace.

And his combination of fabrics in
the alteration was bizarre.

I think the girls showed that
they had some experience

with dealing
with some of these fabrics.

Deborah's alteration was great.

She did exactly
what we wanted them to do.

I need to ask you about Paul,

because he came bottom in both
the challenges yesterday.

Does that mean that whatever
happens,

he will be leaving?

No, I don't think so.

I mean, there were good things
about his alteration

and actually his lace pencil skirt,

you know, there was really very
little to choose

between a lot of those, so I-I...

No, I don't think
it's all over for Paul.

How are you?

I'm well, thank you. Yourself?

In this final challenge,
the mannequins are gone

and the models have returned.

Are you ready for the final
challenge of the semifinal?

Absolutely.
Yeah!

It sounds really hard.

I've tried to explain that you
might need five days,

but they say six-and-a-half hours
is enough

to make a leather jacket

that fits your model
absolutely perfectly.

Enormous luck. Your time starts now.

Let's get organised.

This is the one challenge
in the semifinal

that the sewers have been allowed
to practise for.

They've already chosen their pattern
and pre-cut their leather.

There's going to be
a bit of bend in it.

Facing, facing, facing.

Patrick, what are you looking for
in the jacket?

I know it's fit, but what else?

Well, I think we're looking
for a very good construction.

There's no point using this
beautiful natural material

and sewing it in a slip-shod way.

It is completely different
to handling fabric.

And you don't get a second chance.

When you stitch it,
you make holes in it.

So if you want to replace that
row of stitching,

you've got to go inside that row
of stitching,

otherwise you've marked it forever.
That's really complicated.

Well, that's it.

I mean, leather is an incredibly
tricky material to sew with.

I'm using bulldog clips cos I don't
want to mark the leather at all.

Obviously with pins, you know,

you're going to get holes
straight through it.

You don't want to be doing that.

Matt is making a fitted
biker jacket

with an open collar
and diagonal zip.

You've adapted this
from a non-leather pattern?

Yeah, from a jersey pattern cos
I quite like the fit of it

and the look at it.

Is it something you've made
in jersey before? No.

Right, OK. Or anything else at all.

Yeah. I mean, you couldn't really
pick two more different materials,

jersey and leather. No.

I mean, what adjustments have
you had to make?

I've put a bit more on
the seam allowance

and then I'm stitching, you know,
very closely to the edge as well.

Yeah.

I'm feeling good today.

I gave myself a good talking to,
gave myself a good warm up,

and we're ready
to rock and roll today.

That was, er...

It was all that criticism yesterday,
I can't take criticism.

HE CHUCKLES

Neil is making a fully lined jacket
with an asymmetrical zip

and large draped collar.

I'm pinning within the seam line,
so you're not going to see it.

You know, I read about... "Oh, you're
supposed to use bulldog clips"

and all that sort of thing.
Pfft. Pins work.

Why change?

Most of the sewers are beginning
with the body of the jacket.

After pinning in place, it's time
to commit thread to leather.

Sewing with leather, it's just a bit
tougher to work through.

Got to think about how you feed it
through a machine -

make sure it's all lined up
and flattened,

cos if you get kinks in leather,

it's going to show right through
to the front.

Paul is making a fitted
multi-panelled jacket

with a narrow mandarin collar,
fastened at the front with a zip.

Wow!

You like? Racy!

Yes! Have you ever worked with
leather before?

No. But it seems like you
are a happy camper.

I seem happy with this.
Going together all right.

This is going to be cool.

You want to wear that
on a Friday night

if you're 18, and you've got
a side ponytail.

I've always done a lot better
in the made-to-measure challenges,

but it's not like I can relax.

There's only five of us
and two of us are leaving.

Deborah is making a collarless
jacket with curved hip panels.

It has princess seams on the front
and back

and a zipped front fastening.

Are you funded
by the colour turquoise?

LAUGHING: Yes.

Are they sponsoring you?
I have taken a bit of a gamble

and gone with the same colour
I've used for everything else.

I can't believe this!

Also, I haven't seen this
colour since '85.

DEBORAH LAUGHS

And every time I come
to your station it's like,

"Yeah, Wham's back in town."

Most of the sewers are cracking on
with their leather.

But Lorna's begun work
on a different material.

I see you're working on your lining.

I am.

I thought I'd try the lining
on first

to make sure that I've got all the
measurements right,

and then I'll start
doing the leather.

I think that's a really good idea,

because you do all your fitting
on this, get this right -

it's like making a toile in a way,
isn't it? Yes.

And also it's just getting me into
the sewing mode for the leather,

which I'm terrified about. Are you?

I've never, never, ever
sewn with leather.

Lorna is making a lined cropped
jacket with princess seams

and zips at the cuff.

We're all trying hard because
we know that this is probably

what will decide whether we stay
in or we go home,

and I don't want to go home, I want
to stay here till the bitter end.

There's a couple of seams where I'm
going to have to machine through

four layers of leather and the zip.

Um, so that could be
a little bit tricky.

Leather shouldn't be steamed
or pressed,

so the sewers will need to find
alternative methods

to flatten their seam allowances.

Unlike fabric seams, you've got
to handle things differently,

so therefore to flatten them,
often we use things like hammers,

bang the seam down.

And also we've got quite
a heavy roller,

and you roll along the seams
to flatten them.

Ah, so that's your version
of pressing...

Yes, yes. ..when it comes to leather.

At some point I'm going to steal
your seam roller from you

and hit you on the head
with my hammer.

I hope that's all right with you?
Has everyone got a seam roller then?

No, you've got the one.
HE CACKLES

Ooh, yours is quite firm,
your leather, isn't it?

It's quite a solid one, yes.

So how are you Fl*ttening
your seams down?

I'm using basically
the edge of my scissors

and giving it a lot of pressure.
What, on to there?

On to there, yeah.

What you're doing is,
as you're doing that,

you're rubbing this
lovely coating off,

just taking a little bit off
the surface there.

I was thinking of it
as like a distressed look anyway,

so it's the style I was going for!

So why don't you find something
a bit softer...?

Like a hammer. Yeah.

Right.

This is just the lining.

I've taken less on the shoulder.

Yeah, that's fine. Superb.

(That's great, thank you very much.)

And now I know that that's OK
on her shoulders

and I can go ahead with the leather,
because I'm...

I can't make alterations on that,

where I can on this,
so I'm quite happy now.

Where's my tape measure?

That goes like that.

The sewers should be fitting their
jackets continually

to their models to ensure
a perfect fit

with the less malleable leather.

My concern is
the fit around the arm.

Going to have to put a panel
down the side, I think.

To make it bigger?

I'm just cutting a couple of extra
slithers of leather.

A lot of us have found out that
leather isn't quite as stretchy

as other fabrics.

Gosh, looks like one of your outfits
from yesterday, Lorna.

Oh, wow! Pretty good.

What have I been frightened of
all these years?

I could have been dashing
off leather outfits

for the whole family.

I'm sure they would have
been thrilled.

Three and a half hours down.

Oh, yes.

So that's pretty good.

Once the sewers are happy
with the fit...

It's coming along, yeah.

..they can move on to setting in
the sleeves of their jacket.

I've got some pleats at the top
of my sleeves,

so they're looking fairly even.

Might just set them in.

My arms will be a lot bigger
than your arm.

Paul's extra firm leather
has begun to slow him down.

It's not turning in on itself easily.

Oh...

There we go. That went well.

I might be at the point of putting
the sleeves into the jacket now,

so if you all want to go away
quite nicely

and leave me alone, it'd be lovely.

Neil has adopted his own
tried and tested approach

for putting in the sleeves
of his jacket.

Whenever I've made rugby shirts
or something that's a bit meaty,

what I've done is,
I've opened the side seams

and then machined the sleeve
in flat,

and then join the sides and
the sleeves together, like so.

Ooh, this is a fight.

This is such a soft leather,
they went in quite easily actually,

she says. Pretty good.

Nice.

Now I've hit the big time
with the sleeves, it's fine.

Just do everyone's.

That actually should be
further down.

HE EXHALES

Come on, Lorna.

Come on, come on, come on.

I love leather.

I was brought up in a country
where they make calf leather -

in South America,
where everything is leather.

You can have things made-to-measure.
In a couple of hours,

they can make you a jacket.

Yes, it's amazing.

My design is all about the zip.
You know, it's a big feature, so...

This is the bit that's
worth getting right.

All of the sewers are attaching zips
to their jackets.

Perfect.

Do you have pliers for re-doing
the end of the zip?

Matt and Paul's zips are
too long for their jackets,

so they must first
alter the lengths.

I had a practice getting
a tooth out there.

You hold it open like that
and you've just got to wiggle

that clamp off the back of it.

Make sure this is right down.

Don't keep that near the top
because if you take it

off the top of the zip,
you're a goner.

Have you chosen that grey zip tape?

I can show you the other options.
Grey feels a bit, you know, muted.

There's this. That's miles better.
I was going to do that one.

Look, it's almost the same colour
as your stitching anyway.

I'm quite happy with that. I'm glad
we've had this conversation.

Right, where am I going
with this, then?

Deborah is also cutting her
new zip to length.

Oh, flip!

55 minutes!

It's a bit wobbly-wibbly... No,
you're awesome. You're awesome. Oh!

Off the top. Good work.

What was that? That was
my zip coming off.

I hope it goes back on.

That would be bad if it didn't.

I forgot I hadn't catched
the top of my zip yet.

Zipped it up and the zip...fell
right off the top of the zip.

Uh!

I don't think that's going to work.

There is nothing I can do.

VOICE TREMORS: Sorry, I can't talk
right now.

Sewers, you have 30 minutes left -
half an hour.

One lined sleeve.

Lining the inside of the jacket will
allow it to slip on easily

over clothes.

Matt, you all right?

Yeah, I haven't got any lining.

I've got it there, I just...
What I need is...

Would you be able to rustle up maybe
another hour? No. An hour and a half?

No. 45 minutes?
I've got to get home.

Shocking pink. I did not see that
coming. Right, arm in there.

Grease lightning!

I haven't constructed
my lining yet, so...

It's not happening.

Sewers, you have ten minutes.

Oh, Paul, what have I done? Uh!

Come on!

Oh, I think it looks fantastic.
Well, it does at the moment.

But if you look at it closely,
it doesn't look good at all.

The key is...never look
closely at anything.

Just need to now finish the end off,
and job's a good 'un.

I'm just putting some poppers on...

Whoa!

What is that? That is to hold up
the collar. It's a magnetic button.

So you can just...

and it will just attract?
Yes, hopefully.

Sewers, you've got
five and a half minutes.

And then I'm afraid
your leather jackets

will need to be on your models.

SEWING MACHINE STUTTERS

That doesn't sound right.

Yes! Yes! It worked. We put
it on her and then we do that.

You go back to your station.

I need something to polish...

Just anything. Oh!

I don't know why this popper
won't work. Not again.

I've bent the needle again.
Oh, what? I know I did.

Get on, get on there.
Can you get in there? Oh, I'm in.

Good girl! Whoo!

Don't move!

All of the lining is probably
too small. Let me stretch it.

One minute!

Boot polish.
Are you all right? Can we go?

Oh, dear, dear, dear...

All right, that's time. Finished.
That looks fabulous.

Ta-dah!

Very well done.
Adrenaline-filled sewing!

Six and a half hours,
five versions of a leather jacket.

# Grease lightning,
go grease lightning!

# You are supreme

# The chicks'll cream

# For greased lightning! #

It's a glorious colour.
It's really snappy.

Your top stitching on
your seams is really good.

The big error is clearly
at the bottom of the zip.

It's a real shame, because there's
loads in here that's terrific.

You've got lining in.
We've got lined sleeves.

So that would be nice to wear.

I mean, it's a very chic piece
of clothing.

I think you could be very pleased
with it. It's a really fun jacket,

isn't it?

For the more mature lady.

Oh, we have the unlined jacket.
Yeah, yeah, I...

It just makes it obviously very,

very difficult to get on
and off without lining.

Slight concern about
the fit of your sleeves.

They're really a close fit,
aren't they?

And also, these shoulders
are quite snug.

Not an awful lot of room
to move across the back. Yes.

This collar has been
handled really nicely.

I mean, that's a lovely,
sharp corner.

I mean, the precision with which
you have sewn this is

unquestionably incredibly high.

It's just a little bit snug. Yes.

I think it's really effective.

I think these sleeves have been
put in extremely nicely.

I can feel the magnetic catch, which
is a really good idea, isn't it?

Yeah. Oh! Really bright lining.

It's got a little pleat in there,
just for a bit of space.

So, trying to make it fit, yes?
The zip insertion's...

Yeah, a little bit messy -
the side ones.

But I think, overall, we need
to give you a pat on the back

for that, because there's a lot
that's extremely good with it.

The first thing I notice is
the shoulders are not quite right.

They're sort of too far out.

Which is a shame, because
this bit fits beautifully.

And if your sleeves were
a little bit further up,

they would also be the right length.
Because they are a bit too long.

You made it very, very
difficult for yourself.

This is a jacket that was crying out
for something softer and thinner.

I mean, this leather...it was like

trying to sew a jacket
out of cardboard.

But, I mean, you've coped with these
seams really, really well.

And they are laying
beautifully flat.

It was a brave choice of pattern,
with lots and lots of panelling.

Actually fitting that is
really, really tough.

You know, this sort of princess
line here ought to be sitting,

for me, above the hip.

But your top stitching down your
princess line here is smashing.

It's really, really straight.
Well done.

Now, you had a problem with
your zip. It sort of...

I was going to stitch some
stitches to make it stop,

but I hadn't done that
at that point, and then...

And we don't have any lining. No.

Huge well done to you all.

It's time for you guys to go off,
relax, have a cup of tea.

Because the judges
need to deliberate.

When you come back they will
announce their garment of the week

and they will also reveal
the two people

who are not going to make it
into the final.

Well done, guys. Cheers.
Yeah, cheers. Here we go.

I don't know whether I'm going
to go home.

I had my best ever day yesterday,
which was amazing.

And I've had possibly
my worst ever day today.

It's felt a hard slog this week,
without a doubt. Lace, satin...

..ridiculous wet suit. Leather. I've
had some criticism on the jacket.

You know, the fact that it
was a bit tight and the fact that

it wasn't lined. Those both
let me down, so...

I'm hoping that hasn't scuppered the
chances of me getting into the final.

My leather today was just tough.

Patrick was right when he said that

it was more like
working with cardboard.

I think there is a possibility
I could go home after that.

You have to send not one
but two people home.

It doesn't feel like there's
anybody obvious.

It's tough, it's really tough.

Unfortunately, something went
wrong with Deborah's jacket.

The fit wasn't that good, really.
Fit wasn't terrific, but then,

that alteration was
really very good.

This was really great fun.
Paul's alteration...

I don't think was
terrifically successful.

You quite liked his jacket, though.
There was a lot of good work in this

and he's managed it as well
as you could possibly hope.

And Matt did a pretty sterling
job on that first one.

We weren't such great
fans of his alteration.

It just lacks a bit
of imagination. Mm-hm.

Let's talk about Neil. I think
he redeemed himself with the jacket.

His jacket was definitely
one of the better ones,

but, strangely, after
a fantastic week last week,

he's by no means sure
of a place in the final

at this point for me either.

I mean, I think at this stage,
the only person who's genuinely

completely out of
harm's way is Lorna.

Right - let's do
the lovely bit first.

May And Patrick, please reveal
your garment of the week.

OK.

A difficult decision this week, but
the garment we have chosen is...

..this one.

CHEERING

Back in the game. Back in the game!
Nice one.

So...

The first of two leaving
the Bee is...

..is Paul.

OK. Paul!

The second person leaving
the Sewing Bee is...

It's Deborah.

Oh, that's OK. I knew it was going
to happen. It's fine. Thank you.

I've had a brilliant time. Enjoy?
Yeah, thank you. You two...

Come on, hug it out.

Awwww!

Deborah - as she's gone
through the weeks,

she's got more confident and her
sewing has got better and better.

Her energy and her fun
will be missed

and the final will certainly be
a quieter place without her.

Paul struggled with tricky fabrics.

His jacket was almost there,
but sadly, this week,

he hasn't done enough
to go to the final.

I'm really proud of
how far I've got.

I'm going to miss the chatter,
the banter between everybody.

That's what life's about -
having fun.

And this has been a fun
experience for me.

It still hasn't quite dawned on me
that I'm through to the final.

Bring it on now.

In my head, of course,
I was leaving this morning,

after yesterday's performance.

So I've got to get back in the room
and, you know, get focused again.

The pressure's on now to win this.

Oh, I'll definitely keep sewing.
I love sewing.

And actually, I've found fitting to
another person really enjoyable.

So I think I'll probably do
a bit more of that as well.

Which all of my friends
will be happy about.

Ta-dah! Ta-dah!

At the final of the Sewing Bee...

Just three sewers remain, as Neil...

A bit nervous, it's the final.
Pressure's on.

'..Lorna...'
I'm having palpitations.

Good, I don't want you
to be calm.

'..and Matt...'
Why did I pick this fabric?

'..sew like never before...' Eh?

'..in a bid to become
the winner of this year's

'Great British Sewing Bee.'

Have you tried it on your mannequin?
No.

'The three finalists will have to
tackle mind-boggling patterns...'

How do you know your
right shoulder? Exactly.

'..excel at the unconventional...'
Come on.

'..in the most formidable
challenges yet.'

I think it could work.

'But which of the three home sewers
will do enough...'

Look at that!

'..to be crowned Britain's
best amateur sewer?'

Phwoar!