05x06 - Episode 6

[bunniefuu]

It's quarterfinal time, which means
we're down to the final five

in our search for the UK's
best amateur sewer.

And this week, it's all about
British and Irish fabrics,

like this delicious English Tweed.

Strong, warm, subtly masculine.

Oh, I could stroke this all day.

I'd rather you didn't.

Ooh, he's such a tease!

Welcome to The Great British
Sewing Bee.

Last time...
Am I ready for the party?

..the sewers wrestled with
recycled fabrics.

Recognise it?
LAUGHTER

I love it. It's a sort of homage to
all sorts of garments of weeks past.

Juliet reworked her magic...

Net curtains.
That's what you get.

..winning her second
Garment Of The Week.

Never has a pair of net curtains
looked sexier.

Leah scrapped her way through...

I'm really feeling the pressure now.

..but we had to bid Mercedes...

It would been nice
to have a finished garment.

..a fond farewell.

I'll really miss you, Mercedes.

Oh, I hope you will! Goodness me!

This week...

Woo!

..it's British and Irish fabrics...

This is the intention.

..with a specially
tailored pattern challenge.

I mean, seriously.
Why are we talking in Chinese now?

The sewers earn their stripes
in the transformation...

That is really a huge step up.

..and try and keep their cool...

Nobody panic. It's all fine.

..in a woolly made to measure.

Ah, this is pandemonium!

All for a place...
SHE GASPS

..in the semifinal.

This has been the hardest decision
yet for the judges by a mile.

# Before you go

# Back to London town... #

Making it to the quarterfinals
is just the best thing ever.

I think now that there are only
five of us,

the pressure is greater
because there are fewer people

that you can do worse than.

I think it's small margins now.

Going forward, it's going
to have to be clean and precise.

You do the teeny tiny mistake
and you're out.

I just need to try and get
through this morning

because if I think too far ahead,
it starts freaking me out.

Hello, everyone. Come forward.

We're through to the quarterfinal.
How do we feel about that?

Excited! Astonished!

So this week, we are celebrating
the UK and Ireland.

The judges have come up
with a cunning pattern

that they want you to follow.

Esme, tell us what fabric
we're using in this week.

This pattern requires linen.

Oh! Excellent. Oh! I love linen.
You're pleased.

Well, I've not seen the pattern yet!

This is a casual,
soft tailored jacket.

Oh, wow! Crikey!

Wow! That's hard.
That's a lot of work.

We want evenly set in sleeves,

symmetrical pockets,

a really nice fitting collar and
beautiful, accurate top stitching.

Behind us in the haberdasher, you'll
find an array of beautiful linens.

Pick one that will make
this perfectly and I'll know

if it's perfect
because this is one of my patterns.

Oh!

You have four and a half hours,
and your time starts now.

We've been spinning linen
for over 30,000 years.

But it was the beautiful soft linens
of 18th-century Ireland

that unleashed this ancient
fabric's luxurious potential.

I quite like sewing with linens.

It's a bit daunting
having to do a jacket.

And now home sewers can source
fashionable linens

from across Europe.

So I've chosen a pale blue, quite
heavy linen and it's not, like, too

crinkly, because linen can be
really, really crinkly.

To a certain extent, it's charming.

Well, it's going to make it easier
to sit properly

if it's got a firm structure
to the fabric.

I'll take this.

Because this was the last one left
with structure,

I split it with Jen.

Because sharing is caring.

The Irish have rightly gained
a reputation for making

the world's finest linens.

And it's the perfect fabric
for a lightweight summer jacket.

What's the difference between cotton
and linen?

Cotton comes from the cotton plant
and linen comes from flax.

That comes out of a plant?

Yes! Yeah. This looks like you've
just stolen it off Lady Gaga.

It's an ancient fabric but it's one
that's getting masses of attention

now because it's such a brilliant,
sustainable fibre.

So, jackets - are these particularly
hard to make?

Well, they are. There's a lot of
difficult steps in it.

And linen does naturally crease.

As they're cutting it out,
as they're sewing it,

they need to lay it out flat,

they need to make sure it's pressed
before they cut it because every one

of these little wrinkles
is a bit of length taken out.

And what are the key elements
that you're looking for

to be exactly right?

That the sleeves are put in
beautifully.

It has to hang correctly.

We don't want it hanging backwards.

And it's very important how they
sew the collar and lapel together

and that these corners
are really neat.

This is the first bit of actual
tailoring they've been asked to do

and it has to be precise.

This looks to me like one
of the hardest challenges yet.

Oh, this is definitely a step up.

Sewing, really, is about putting
pieces of a puzzle together.

Patrick's pattern makes it even
worse, doesn't it?

He'll be able to pick out every
single little problem

and I'm sure there will be
plenty of those.

The jacket requires 14 pieces
of linen.

Pockets are attached to the two
front pieces, which are then sewn

to the back with top stitching
at the shoulders.

The collar and lapel are sewn
to the neckline.

The sleeves are inserted
and the garment is finished

with three buttons and button holes.

Morning. Good morning.
How are we both?

Very well, thanks. How are you?

I love linen. Yeah? I really like it
as a fabric, I love working with it.

You've sewn with it a lot?

I've sewn with it a lot
this summer, actually.

Have you done tailored clothes
before? I have actually made a linen

suit before, for myself.

Bright orange. Bright orange
linen suit - now there's a vision!

Yes, indeed! It was the early '90s.

LAUGHTER

Well, best of luck.
I love this colour.

I think it's gorgeous. Well, I have
to say, it's not my cup of tea.

Kind of how I like my cups of tea,
interestingly. Very pale!

I should have said
never used it before now.

If it's not, like, spot-on
then I'll be getting nailed.

I've had a look at this fabric
and it might really be my downfall

if I don't press it.

It's important to press linen
because linen creases so quickly.

And if you don't,
you don't get an accurate sew.

Is that all carefully folded
in there? Yes.

OK. Knowing how easily linen
creases. Yes.

You've got it all folded
in a basket.

I'd keep them all flat.
Gosh, you're full of ideas.

This is Patrick's pattern,
isn't it? Yes, it is.

That's horrifying.
Why would you do that to us?

Is it written differently
if it's by Patrick?

No, I don't know if it is or not.

He's chosen a classic font.
I'd say that's an Arial.

He'll know every detail
of the construction,

that's what's horrifying.
That's scary, isn't it?

And he was walking there and I was
like, "Patrick, you scare me,"

and I think he likes it. I imagine
there's a sort of sense of power

when you know it's your pattern
as well. Yeah!

"Look at these people, scuttling
around, working to my pattern."

God, the pockets are curved.

Patrick and Esme are expecting
two identical

beautifully curved pockets.

I think the most important bit
maybe is these round corners.

I'm just pressing the edge of the
pocket in.

I've got to try and get a smooth
curve without any pokey bits.

And try not to burn myself
with the steam from the iron.

Look at that, you see?
That's not bad.

But making the pockets
is only half the battle.

I'm trying to make it as straight
as possible.

They must line up symmetrically
on either side of the front

of the jacket.

Ugh! I don't feel like my pocket
is straight.

I'm struggling to get these pockets.

I thought I'd placed them and then
when I looked at the two pockets,

they were just not the same.

Is this the same fabric as Riccardo?

It is exactly the same.

So two jackets made of exactly
the same fabric

from exactly the same pattern.

Yes. Whose is going to be better?

I mean, definitely Jen's.

I mean, I'm very confident,
but come on! Please!

They're certainly on line
at the top.

Very neat. Oh, Riccardo's here.

What do you want? Hey, Riccardo.

He's come to steal a pocket.

Get back with your pocket.

Let's do some top stitching.

Must be immaculate.

This is the one thing
they have consistently looked for.

I think they dream about
top stitching.

Pockets sewn on, so remaining -
the sleeves, and the collar,

and the front facing...

Brrrrr.

..which doesn't sound like a lot,
but it's probably quite a lot.

Oh, wow.

Oh, no.

Irish linen is undoubtedly
an Irish success story -

the clue's in the name.

But some people from other countries
played their part,

including an enterprising Frenchman

and some typically
devious British politicians.

Hurgh!

In the 17th century, when Ireland
was governed from London,

the Irish wool trade became
so successful

that jealous English wool merchants
sought to unravel it.

Under threat from
the Irish wool trade,

the English industry petitioned
Parliament to try to get it

regulated by law.

The 1699 Wool Act was passed

and this restricted the exports

of woollen goods from Ireland.

This prohibition destroyed
Ireland's wool industry.

People lost their livelihoods and
many families were dispossessed.

With no alternative,

the Irish turned to ancient linen
and the emerging industry was soon

revolutionised with the arrival
of Huguenot refugees from France -

and one man in particular,
Louis Crommelin.

His family were very wealthy and

they had a background in both
linen weaving and bleaching.

He brought with him not just weavers
but reed makers and shuttle makers,

all of these skilled craftsmen
who were necessary

for the linen industry.

Crommelin also brought with him
more technically efficient looms

able to weave a finer quality
of cloth.

But his biggest linen advances
were in bleaching.

Prior to Louis Crommelin's
arrival in Ireland,

most bleaching was done
on a very small scale by women

working at home with a mixture
of buttermilk and cow's urine -

not a very pleasant process.

But Louis Crommelin encouraged
the flax growers to consider working

on a larger scheme where linen
would be brought to larger bleach

houses, washed and bleached
to that lovely white finish

that would then command a higher
price at market.

By mass bleaching, Crommelin set
a standard for quality and price.

Within 100 years,

Irish linen exports to England went
from 500,000 yards to 38 million.

By the early 1700s,

the cloth being woven in Ireland was
so good that it actually rivalled

some of the best-quality linen
being produced in France,

which I think is kind of
a nice irony,

considering where
he came from originally.

Sewers, you're halfway through.

SHE GROANS

Do you plug this in?
How do you use it?

Where the top column meets the
front facing, press the seam...

I mean, seriously,
why are we talking in Chinese now?

You onto the collar? Is it a pig?
Yeah, it doesn't make any sense.

To make the collar, the sewers need

to begin by attaching the under
collar to the jacket's neckline.

The top collar is then sewn
to sections of reinforcing fabric

called facings. The top of the front
collar needs to be stitched

to the back, and those facings
need to be stitched

to the inside of the jacket.

This here is a top collar.

This to that. Yeah.

This... To that. And then...

Yeah, but you've got to fasten it
to your facing.

Are you enjoying this challenge?
Erm... I enjoy them afterwards.

Do you like sewing?

I have struggled with that
sometimes in the Sewing Bee. Yeah.

Oh, this is pandemonium!

I can't get my head around this.
Come and see, come and see.

So, look, OK? Here's the facing.

Yeah. That's going to go in there
like that.

Do you see? Now, look. Yeah.

That forms the pointy bit of
the lapel. Yeah.

And it goes up there.

Right. Let's do this, people.

OK, I'm going for it.
And if we're wrong,

then we've got unpicking to do.
Well, then we're both wrong. Yeah.

I feel like I'm watching
Alan Turing work out

how to break the codes.

Wing it, wing it, wing it, wing it.

And then this is where you get
to the point

you turn it out around the lapel
and collar.

Do you know what?
I'm happy with that.

That looks all right. Hallelujah!

Oh!

Have I sewn the wrong bloody things
on the wrong side?

Is that the wrong side?

Yes. It's the wrong friggin' side!

Have you got a quick unpick?

I've sewn the inner lapel bits
to the wrong side of each jacket!

I haven't really figured
this out, to be honest.

What I'm actually doing is trying
to bodge it a bit.

They're going to
see straight through it.

Obviously they're going
to see straight through it.

You have 45 minutes remaining!

Oh, my! And I haven't stitched
the sleeves on yet.

Breathe, breathe, breathe.
Yes, breathe.

That's one of the first
rules of sewing.

Even if they've managed
to attach their collars...

Oh, that's so dodgy. That's going
to come away at any second.

..the sewers face another
tailoring challenge.

Oh, my God! I've still got
to sew the sleeves in!

I'd forgotten about sleeves.
I should just make it a tunic!

I didn't know men's clothes had,
like, sleeves in two pieces.

Each sleeve is made from two pattern
pieces. Stitched together properly,

the right and left become mirror
images. But, with linen, the front

and back of the material
looks the same

so the sewers need to be careful
to stitch the correct sides together

or they'll end up with two
identical sleeves.

Which sleeve is that?

Are these right?

Or do they have to work
the other way round?

That is definitely that one.

The back seam of the arm doesn't
go on the shoulder, does it?

No, there's notches.
No wonder it doesn't bloody fit!

Tell you what, I'm really
struggling to find my notches

because it's frayed so much.

I'm trying to politely ignore you.

It's very difficult.

Is anybody having trouble getting
their notches to match up

on this sleeve? Yes.
I don't understand.

I can't figure them out.

That's a notch. That's the notches.

Buenas noches!

Oh...bollocks.

I've sewn my sleeves in
back to front.

Oh, you're joking!

Janet!

No, how can I have done that?

I've got one the right way
and one the wrong way.

Oh, have you sewn them the same?

I've got arms like that.

That seam should be there.

That's why my notches didn't match.

Janet, I think I made your
same mistake.

Basically I have, like,
two left arms. Yes, I have two.

Oh, so it's sort of mid-floss?
Exactly!

A floss. A floss interrupted, yes.

Is it easily rectifiable?

No, I can't, because they've already
been closed, overlocked

and top stitched. So I just have
a two-left-armed jacket.

I can't believe it! It's all right.
We're in good company.

15 minutes, sewers!
15 minutes to go.

Oh, my God!

What's next?

Buttonholes now.
Right, where are my buttons?

How many have we got to do? Three?
Yeah. Where the lapel naturally

falls, I think that's where
the first one's going to go.

Please work! I'm attempting
to insert a buttonhole.

Three buttonholes.

Three minutes, sewers!
Three minutes.

Jeez, man. Get your left sleeves
and your right sleeves

and your other left sleeves on.

I don't have time to do this nicely.

Where's the needle,
the needle, the needle?

No time left. Is that how you
put a button in? No!

Needles up, sewers!
That's your time.

That looked easy!

It is like this.

# Let him go, let him tarry,
let him sink or let him swim

# He doesn't care for me
nor I don't care for him... #

Five linen workers' jackets
made from scratch

in just four and a half hours.

But who's done Patrick's
pattern justice?

Ta-dah!

Sorry.

This sleeve's back to front,
isn't it? Yes.

You've got two right sleeves.

It's a big, big shame because
I think you haven't done a bad job

on the collar and lapel.

I'm just going to get
my tape measure out

just because I'm mean.

Five.

I mean, they're pretty bang on. Yes!

And it's sitting really nicely.

The pockets aren't bad.

Little bit angular around the corner
but there's a lot of good stuff.

But you can't wear a jacket
with a sleeve the wrong way round.

You have been less successful
with your collar.

It's lumpy, it's bumpy.

I'm not going to bother
with the tape measure.

I don't need to.
I can see it's a long way off.

I don't know what you were all on!

These sleeves are an unmitigated
disaster as well.

I mean, the pitch on that sleeve

is probably 90 degrees off
where it should be.

Can you see how all the ease
is here?

This is the sleeve head. Yeah.

This should be here.

This is not the best thing
you've ever sewn for us.

No, it's not. It's far from it.
Yeah.

The pitch of the sleeves
looks pretty good.

Finally! The shoulder... Yes!
A well-pitched sleeve! Hurrah!

The pockets, that's a
better curve than that one

but it looks pretty good.

I think you've really done
it justice. Thank you.

I think this collar and lapel
sit perfectly.

I am going to get my tape measure
out on this one.

What are we at there?

Four. Four. Four.

Mmm...

You're about a millimetre
out on that side. A millimetre!

Oh! Well done.

I mean, this is where it counts
and it looks absolutely perfect.

I'm very, very impressed with this.
Thank you.

This is a fantastic piece of sewing.

This is obviously a left sleeve
and this is obviously a left sleeve.

I did exactly the same as Riccardo,
but on the other sleeve.

Which is a shame, actually,
because it's not bad round here.

The collar's sitting well.
It's a real shame about the sleeves.

It took a bit of faddling out to
fathom out the instructions really.

Faddling? It's a North Yorkshire
expression.

To faddle? To faddle, yeah.

It's fiddling, but worse.

It's bad fiddling - faddling.

Deep breaths! Breathe. Right...

..the lapel here is longer
than the lapel on this side.

But... Shall we release
this just to see...?

I have a feeling you might
just be kidding us.

Look, there we are.
Pitched the right way.

You did put the sleeves in
the right way round.

Yeah. I think in the grand scheme
of things, it's a little lumpy

and bumpy, but otherwise
it's wearable.

In a catalogue of slightly
awkward-looking gentlemen,

it's certainly not the worst!

Well done. A hard challenge.
Take your mannequin back.

Thanks, Joe.

Patrick and Esme will now rank the
linen jackets from worst to best.

In fifth place

is Leah.

Yes, no surprise at all. Absolutely.

Fourth place, Janet.

We can't overlook a pair
of left sleeves.

Third place is Riccardo.

Your collar and lapel
were very nicely sewn,

but we have two right sleeves
with you!

Second place.

It's Juliet.

Not surprised. It's a little bit
agricultural in places

but it's all correctly
put together and wearable.

In first place is Jen.

APPLAUSE

Thank you, thank you!

Yay!

It's very nicely sewn, Jen,
and you completely finished it.

It looks great. Thank you.

Well done, Jen. Well done, everyone.

That was intense.

Go back, lick your wounds.
Maybe tearfully call a loved one,

and come back and we'll have
the transformation challenge.

That was painful.

# Every day I have to cry some... #

Oh, coffee, coffee, coffee! Man!

What a day!

They loved it! Hooray!

It's certainly nice to have
something in the bank. I mean, last

week I didn't really have anything
in the bank at any point.

But I'm just pleased that I followed
those instructions,

it came together,
it came together well, it worked.

My husband will have to bribe me
to make him one of those

because that was painful in there.

Did I enjoy the challenge?
No, I didn't enjoy the challenge

because I didn't know what I was
doing for probably 99% of it.

And you could see it
in the final garment.

For the transformation challenge,
the sewers are headed

to the British coast...

..to pay tribute to another
of our iconic fabrics.

Well, well! Crikey!

Welcome back!

Patrick, tell us -
where are we going on our holidays?

Well, we're off to sunny Burnley,

where they've been making cotton
textiles for centuries,

including these fabulous
ticking stripes,

which are experiencing something
of a resurgence.

We'd like you to take
one deck chair and one parasol

and make us a fantastic outfit.

We want you to manipulate
and play with the stripes.

You can use haberdashery,
but the outfit has to be made

entirely from your parasol
and your deck chair.

The judges are going to leave now.

One, because they don't want
to know whose is whose,

and two, because when Patrick sees
a deck chair

he has to get in his trunks!

So, Esme. Here we go.

Whoo!

Off you go.

Bye! Good luck. All right.

One parasol, one deck chair.

You have 90 minutes
and your time starts...

..now.

Do they match?

What's happening?
You're ruining my holiday!

It's all a bit ridiculous.

# ..some fish and chips
on a day at the seaside... #

Ticking was traditionally used as
a hard-wearing upholstery fabric...

It's unusual, shall we say?

..and has been produced in Burnley
for over 150 years.

I'm just going to play
around with the stripes.

Shall I have this going down
or across?

# And we'll both dip our toes
in the deep blue sea

# At the seaside... #

Somebody get me an ice cream!

In an odd way, this fabric has kept

the last bits of the
Lancashire cotton industry going.

When most cotton fabrics
disappeared,

ticking fabric continued and kept
one of the last mills in operation.

Oh, wow.

It's a very tightly woven
herringbone twill fabric

that was designed to keep
mattress stuffing in place,

so it had to be absolutely
impenetrable.

I love a bit of ticking, and I love
a stripe. And I really am looking

forward to how they use
the combination of stripes.

Well, there's lots they can do
to manipulate

the size and orientation.

Chevron. You can create corners,
you can create chevrons.

This is beautiful dry-handle cotton
which feels like summer clothing.

Also the patterns feel of summer.

It's a deck chair and a parasol.

I hope they make things
for being on the beach.

This fabric has got seaside
written all over it

so we're going to do
a skirt and a top.

I've got an idea with the stripes,
but I need to sort of

free my mind a little bit
and be a bit more wild.

I was thinking I'd use the parasol
for trousers and then make a top.

Like, I want to come up with
something cool,

and make some of my darts here
to make a nice fitting.

It would be nice at least
to match the stripes.

I'm thinking about
an A-line mini dress. Nice.

So you're using that as
your A-line? Yeah.

Oh! Is this a bib? Erm...

No. That's part of the arm hole.

So it will stand like that?
Yeah, sort of.

Actually this is sort of
Riccardo's jacket, isn't it?

Yeah, you're right!

Soz! Slagging you off over here.

I've only got enough from one deck
chair for the front of a skirt.

But hey-h*!
It'll have that on the front

and I've got a wee peasant top
idea going on.

Stripes this way.
Stripes that way. Stripes this way.

I'm going to use the edge of this
and I'm going to make a top,

and I'm going to make like a
rah-rah skirt.

A rah-rah skirt is something that's
got frills and flounces and things

that you go "rah, rah, rah" in.

The idea is a little vague
in my head at the moment...

She said, hacking away at this!

Sewers, you have one hour remaining!

We've already spent 30 minutes? Mm.

As I was thinking about the summer
and all this, I thought about...

You know you always see
this old Victorian animation

with a woman with a...with a corset
and the puffy trousers?

So I thought, "Oh, yeah, why not?"

So what I need to do is now cut
this, put some elastic on the

waistband, and here, and just see
the effect of it.

So what I'm going to do is turn
these pleats

so you've got a red band, and sew
them in the opposite direction

so you get some crazy pattern.

It's a cotton canvas
so it's quite easy to shape.

So, this is the deck chair
and you've pleated it...

What I've done is I've pleated it

so you get the red
going into the white.

So I thought I'm manipulating...
It's really smart, isn't it?

Manipulating the stripes by taking
them out entirely there.

Oh, I've got such a great idea
in my head,

but, like, I don't think the time
we've got would be enough for it.

Just take an idea and go with it.

OK, Jen. You can do it.
It will be brilliant.

I should just chill, chill.

Oh, you've done a star!

I've made a star, yes. It's
actually going to be a dress now.

How lovely! How is this fabric
to work with?

It's actually surprisingly easy.

It's got a twill weave,
like a herringbone.

That gives it a sturdiness?
It's very sturdy, yeah.

It's actually ticking. You can't
hear it, but it's ticking.

Sewers, you have 45 minutes
remaining.

I want some fullness in the skirt

so I'm just putting in some pleats.

It's probably not adventurous
because the others all do great,

adventurous things and mine's always
a little prosaic, shall we say?

So, I'm starting some
origami-esque sewing.

I'm trying to add some pleated bits
to the front of my dress.

That's tight.

I've done half a skirt
and I need to do the back

of that, obviously. And I'm just
knocking on with this top.

Kept the piping from the parasol
over the shoulders.

Got elastic round the neck,
and then at the moment

I'm just trying to match
these stripes a wee bit.

So part of the brief was to
manipulate the lines.

Yes. So let me show you.

Is this a little boob tube? Yes.

HE GASPS

That's smart.
And it's got these, as well.

I need to sew them on really quickly
because it's taken most of the time!

Half an hour to go, sewers!
Half an hour.

Oh, my God.

I wonder whether or not I can
actually get a skirt out of that.

Whoa!

A very striking shape, isn't it?
Then any more up here?

Yes. Maybe a strap
if I have enough time.

I've been too generous with my
pleats so I'm running out of fabric.

I'd have to use a bit of
parasol there

so I've got a bit of extra width.

So I've got to make sure that
I finish this front bit quickly,

and think about how people are going
to get into the dress

so I won't run out of time.

15 minutes to go! Is that enough?

Can you do more than that?
No, I can't do any more than that.

You can do better, Joe.

I'm just going to do some
gathering on the skirt.

So, I'm just pulling
the threads through.

How are we doing, Riccardo? Good.

Anything I can help with?

No. No, thank you. Exactly.
That's very kind of you.

How would I wear this skirt?
How would I wear it?

I don't quite know how
she's going to get into it.

Zip. Put a zip.

I might need to get some Velcro.

Five minutes to go, sewers.
You can do it!

So, I'm adding a red zipper
at the back of the dress.

I'm going to use
the red bias binding to make ties.

That's the idea.

Janet, do you think they're too off?
Should they be like this?

No, I liked it in the middle.
Here? Yeah. Cool.

Excellent. Me too, then.

I need to get some bias.

What's the Velcro for?

So that when you go to the beach,
you can just go pa-tchoo!

Is that how you do it when you're
at the beach? Absolutely.

Tch-tchoo!

How long have we got? Have we got
time to do a bit more manipulating?

One minute, sewers!

Got to get those outfits
on mannequins now, guys.

It's all a little bit rough and
ready, so I hope it fits her.

How am I supposed...?

I'm helping. I'm coming to help.
Finally I can do something for you!

Needles up, sewers! That's your time.

Bring your mannequins forward.
Well done!

It's a bit odd round the back.

# We're all going on
a summer holiday

# No more working for a week or two

# Fun and laughter on our
summer holiday... #

Five brand-new outfits
made from Burnley ticking fabric

in just 90 minutes.

Welcome back. Look at these!

And Esme and Patrick have
no idea whose is whose.

Good first impression, isn't it?

Yes! Absolutely phenomenal.

They've really played
with the stripes.

I like that. Enough to make you
drop your candyfloss.

Almost!

How very, very seaside.
It's a Victorian bather.

The shape of these bloomers
are absolutely fantastic.

Gathered at the bottom with
elastic. And there's elastic

in here, so it can be pulled
on and off.

They're really effective.

I like the way that they've very
simply used the parasol stripes

in the knickers and the deck chair
in the top.

A couple of long darts
in the front to give it shape.

And some very clever cutting
and construction in this.

A lot of work.

I love this.

I really, really like the way
they've used the stripes.

I love the shape of it.
And I love how they've turned

these stripes into pleats.

I imagine this is the edge
of the parasol.

So this is the binding that was
originally there, but the way

that they've used it to create
definition

on the edge of the sleeve...

Really looks great.

This star created out of panels
of striped fabric

is really impressively done.

Hang on, what's it got at the side
there? Velcro. There we go!

The idea is that when you're at the
beach, you can just whip it off.

And leap in the sea.

It's slightly falling off.
And if you look, it's slightly odd

that we've just got this stripe
here and not on this side.

It's like they ran out of
the deck chair.

Well, they've really played
with the stripes here, haven't they?

Haven't they just?

Yeah. They've joined them up
and they've made this origami.

It's really clever,
the way they've created these folds.

I mean, the shape of this skirt
is phenomenal.

You know, it's been gathered
up in rows to create

all of this billowing fullness.

There's a lot of thought that's gone
into the finish as well as the shape

of it which, given the time,
is... Very impressive.

Oh, I say! So I like how the ties
match the zip,

and they've put the zip on
the outside, so we see the red.

I think the pleating on the front -

it's a shame it's just not
a little bit neater.

Here we have a pin.

If we take the pins out,

it's a bit gappy at the back,
which is a shame, actually,

because they could have cut that in.

The execution is much better...

Patrick and Esme must now decide
who'll get a ticking off

and who's ticked all the boxes.

Have you made a decision?
We have. Yes, we have.

Not an easy one.

All brilliant. OK.

Who was the least brilliant?
The least brilliant?

In fifth place is the star
on the end.

Janet! We love the imagination.

The fit slightly let it down,

and this side panel
slightly threw the eye,

but otherwise a fantastic
transformation.

I ran out of deck chair.

Did you? I was right!

All right, Marple!

Well done, Janet. In fourth place...

..is this one with the pleats
over the bust. Juliet.

We loved it, but it had pins
in the back. In third place...

..the knickerbockers. Riccardo.

Fantastic invention.

Lovely fit.

And on another week, it might well
have won it by a mile.

Thank you.

In second place...

..is this one with the navy
binding. Jen. It was great.

Fabulous.
It was really difficult to choose.

That's all I can say, really.
Thank you.

Which means our winner
is Leah's origami.

I'm winning!

And how you recovered from
this morning!

You're playing with my emotions!

I mean, so much brilliant sewing,
fits beautifully, so clever.

The pleating.
Fabulous use of the stripes.

Brilliant. Thank you so much.

Well done, Leah.

Did I just come first
in the transformation challenge?

I've been middling and getting worse
and worse and worse every week.

I don't know what to say now.

I feel like I'm in
a washing machine!

Well done, kiddo!

Leah's was sick!
It was unbelievably beautiful.

So it was completely well deserved.

I was slightly disappointed
because I'm sort of, like, average

and if tomorrow doesn't go well,

that could really put me
in a very bad place.

Anything could happen.

There's just one more garment
to make before we discover

which sewers will make it through
to the semifinal.

How's British and Irish Week gone
for you guys? Mixed, a mixed bag.

Yeah, I think the pattern challenge
was very tough.

Only Jen did a good job.
A very good transformation.

Leah's came out the best, though.
Incredibly clever.

But her jacket was a disaster!

So going into the made-to-measure
challenge, apart from Jen,

everyone's in contention to go home.

So what do they need to do
to stay safe, then?

They need to make something
exquisite and beautiful,

really finessed.

It's about beautiful British fabrics

and we want the fabric
the hero of these pieces. Right.

Well, I'm off to do something
British and Irish -

I'm going to dip a scone into
a pint of Guinness. Goodbye!

Morning, sewers, morning, models!

As it's British and
Irish Fabrics Week,

the judges want you to make
a coat out of British wool.

Now, a word of warning.

I know that it'll help your sewing,
but if you put your coat

onto your model before the end
of the challenge,

they won't feel the benefit.

You have five and a half hours
for this challenge,

and your time starts now.

The sewers have been able to
practise their coats at home.

Self-belief is really key today.

But now they must sculpt beautiful
woollens around their models... 42.

..to create their largest garments
of the competition so far.

Wool is something that I use
all the time, but the amount of time

I would normally take to make a coat
would be... Ooh! A few weekends.

Wool coats.
These are very British, aren't they?

Don't see many in Dubai.

The world comes to Britain for these
cloths, and they're iconic.

Right across the UK, there are
extraordinary local varieties

and types of woollen fabric.

Harris and Shetland Tweed, you know,
the Borders, where tweed comes from,

the River Tweed is there,
tartans from Scotland,

Meltons from the south-west
of England, Yorkshire Tweeds.

I mean, there's all this beautiful
regional variation.

What's tricky about working with
wool? We need brilliant finishing.

We need it to be crisp.

All of this fine work is more
difficult on heavier fabrics.

It's really going
to test their skill.

Also, we want their personalities
to come through,

their individual
vision of a coat.

It'd be great if they chose wool
from where they came from.

Well, I'm excited.

I sort of think of myself as wool,
really, in that I'm hot and heavy.

My coat is based on a 1960s pattern,
mostly in this pink Harris Tweed.

I've been out to the Outer Hebrides
a few times,

and I've been into weavers' yards,

and it's literally a guy with
a loom in a shed in his garden,

exactly how it's been done
for generations, and you just feel

such a link to the heritage
of the fabric.

As well as her pink
local Harris Tweed,

Jen's '60s swing coat
will have grey Yorkshire wool

running down the sides
to contrast her raglan sleeves.

This is a massively difficult
challenge in terms of timing.

Harder than the pattern challenge
yesterday? Yeah, I think so.

It sounds like a lot of time
to me - five and a half hours.

You would think, wouldn't you?

I don't think I've worked five and a
half hours in my life! You lucky git!

But Jen won't be alone
in the Western Isles.

Jen, is Harris
a Scottish island? Yeah.

Harris is one of the Outer Hebrides.

Having picked the same linen
as Jen yesterday,

today, Riccardo is also working
with Harris Tweed.

For this challenge,
I'm using a pattern from the '70s.

But I wanted to give a twist

and I'm playing with
two different colours -

I'm playing with red and yellow.

Riccardo is planning to update
his '70s cropped tweed coat

with a contrasting colour
across the shoulders

and an inverted pleat in the back.

This coat is complicated,
and also the construction -

it can be tricky because I'm making
all small pieces

and then I will put
all of them together.

Juliet is aiming for a more
straightforward approach.

It's a Vogue pattern,
so it's a nice and chic coat,

and I felt like if I added
anything else,

it might just take away
that element of simplicity

and just style and classy.

I hope I don't sh**t myself
in the foot with that.

Her simple medium-length coat
will have a single button

and an inverted collar and lapel,

all in the same camel wool twill

used by her favourite
British designer.

It's inspired by Stella McCartney's
spring coat collection,

and she had lots of camel tones,

so I decided to go down that lane
and use a camel.

Well, it's very classically British,
the camel coat.

Yeah. It's a very beautiful colour,
the pattern's beautiful.

I think it could be very, very chic.

I'm in a bit of
a camel-off with Juliet.

Oh, is she doing camel as well?
She's doing camel!

You've got to take her down,
basically.

I'm not going to, though. It's you
or her now. She'll take me down.

You think? Oh, yeah.
That's what will happen.

I think there's more fight
in you than that.

Leah's hoping for victory with a
'60s swing coat with raglan sleeves

and a contrasting Peter Pan collar.

But for the Sewing Bee's first-ever
camel-off... Come on, little pocket!

..she's developed a secret weapon.

I'm adding this colour
because I want it

to have a little peeping out,
I want to see... Yeah.

It's nice. It really pops,
doesn't it?

Yeah, that's the intention,

but I'm worried that the judges are
going to look at that and think,

she hasn't sewn it properly.
This is the intention.

Janet's intentions go way beyond
a simple pop of colour.

Morning, Janet. Hello. How are you?

I'm good, thank you.

What are you doing there?

I'm cutting out some patches
that are going to be appliqued

onto my coat. OK.

The theme of the coat
was British wool

and the appliques have got
iconic London scenes

so it all kind of fitted
rather nicely with the theme.

It's a bit more funky. I mean,
it's a bit away from classic.

It's quite a long way from classic.

I'm going to go for it.

Janet's landmarks will be attached
to a knee-length coat with

a stand-up collar, darted lantern
hem and dropped shoulder sleeves.

But her applique... Ow!

..isn't the only risk she's taking.

I'll start with the lining.

All the others sewers plan
to conceal the raw seams

inside their coats with a lining.

My favourite coat
is an unlined coat,

so I chose to do one the same but,
because I'm not doing a lining,

I'm going to do a fancy
finish on the inside.

I'm doing what's called
a Hong Kong finish on the seams,

which is a bound finish,
and that's quite time-consuming.

Janet plans to conceal
every raw edge inside her coat

with individually sewn strips
of bias binding.

I've got to do good today otherwise
I shall be booking my ticket home.

Lined or not,

the success of a woollen coat
faces two major obstacles.

So the sleeves will
start about there.

Due to the weight of the fabric,
sleeves hung in the wrong position

or poorly pitched will pull the rest
of the garment out of shape...

It's just very easy to get sleeves
round the wrong way.

..ruining the balance of the coat.

These are just a couple
of raglan shoulder pads.

You need something to help
the coat sleeve hang.

So I made these. Do you like them?
They look like slugs!

They're my shoulder slugs!

The shoulder pads - you use them to
give a nice shape to the shoulder.

But my model has very nice, broad,
straight shoulders,

so I don't know if
I shall actually use it.

What do you think, Riccardo? I don't
think that needs shoulder pads.

No, absolutely not.

Oh, it's perfect!
Oh, my gosh, I'm so delighted!

Oh, nice!

OK, cool.

A couple of wee adjustments
to make on the shoulder bit.

Hopefully, that will let me
get a good fit.

Sewers, you're halfway through.

I've kept the patches out
and then I can stitch over them.

Yeah, that's it.
That's what I wanted.

Hello there! What are you doing?

I am creating my collar.

And yesterday, I made lots
of mistakes with my collar.

You didn't make all of the right
decisions yesterday,

I'm going to be honest with you.

Patrick will probably whip out
his measuring tape again.

I know! That was a real curveball,
wasn't it? Do you know?

Right, yeah.
It was quite sinister, actually.

Just making the collar.

This bit's been scaring me all day.

Creating a collar for any
garment is complicated.

Trying to make one involving several
layers of thick woollen fabric

is even harder.

Oh, these pieces are so awkward!

So Leah's not doing herself
any favours by being so panicky.

Why have I got a mark there? Right.
Hang on. I've got to get this right.

What's going on? What's going on?
I can't think straight.

I think she needs to take a little
bit more time because a lot

of these garments, the collar
will make or break how it looks.

Oh, God, don't tell me I had it
right to begin with!

It's happening all over again.
I did, as well.

Oh, gosh, that's annoying!

So now the moment of revelation.

I just needed to turn it inside out,
and I think...

..we are there!
How's Riccardo getting on?

The collar looks really nice,
actually. It's got a nice shape.

The colour combination I think
works quite nicely.

Jen's got raglan sleeves.
To me, it looks not at all right.

They have a very particular rounded
shape to them.

Her model has very square shoulders.

I wouldn't have made a
raglan-sleeved coat for that model

because it'll look very square.

Janet? She isn't lining it.

It can be more work
to bind everything.

But what about what she called it?
A Hong Kong finish?

Never heard of that before!

You have one and a half hours left.
I think the arms are fine, Riccardo.

We have a bit of a coat going on.
Some pins in the neck, OK?

So don't jiggle when it's on.

OK.

Wow! Let me have a look at the hem.

What about the fit of these coats?

Well, this is tricky. On Savile Row,

we go on and on about balance
on a coat.

Is the coat hanging
straight up and down?

And is it hanging level all the way
round, not riding up at the front,

not riding up at the back,

not wobbling from side to side?

And turn again. Thank you.

That is tricky cos
all of their models

will have different shoulders,

different postures, and that is
absolutely crucial

on the fit of a coat.

I used to have to stand
on the kitchen table

while my mum did this
all the way around for me.

I don't know if it's
going to be level.

I'm on the floor
because I want the hem to be level

all the way round.

So I'm putting a row of pins
18 inches from the ground,

and then I can measure what length
I want it to be when it's finished.

So I could take a wee smidge
off there, I think.

Just do that and check. No.

OK, I couldn't. OK, that's cool.

Yeah, I'm trying to create my lining

cos that's what's going to cover
all the mess on the inside.

You want a wee bit more room
in the lining so it doesn't pull

in any part of the coat.
If it pulls somewhere,

then you've potentially destroyed
the line of your coat.

Which is not a good thing.

So I'm going to chop off one inch.

Oh, please, let me do
this right. Please.

So what I thought was to stitch
the lining all around it

and then just turn it inside out.

Oh, this coat is heavy!

Ideally, I would like
to hand-stitch mine,

but hopefully,
I'll get away with it.

I'm only hand-stitching

because I can't sew
the lining in any other way.

It's probably the worst slip
stitching anyone's ever done.

It worked! Yeah!

Ta-dah! I have the lining.

I think that is just
a bit off there.

I've no idea of the time scale,
so I'm just ploughing on.

Sewers, you have 30 minutes
remaining. Way behind.

I'm not going to finish,
I don't think.

I'm a bit panicking, as usual.

I'm going to give it a press and
then do my buttonhole.

30 minutes - will I be able
to do it? I don't know.

Janet, how's this coming along?

It won't have quite all
of the accoutrements on it

that I would have liked.
Not long to go now, Janet,

so I hope you get as much of it done
as you can.

That's very kind. Thank you.

Where the hell's
my last button gone?

God, am I going to have to make
another button?

No, I've got it! I've got it!

I've got it! I've got it!
Nobody panic, it's all fine.

Five minutes, sewers!

Time is pressing,
and so should you be!

Seriously pushed for time.
I want to top stitch.

What is this? The belt.
I don't know if I should pull it.

Whoa! It's a belt!

She will go to the ball!

You've literally got a minute, Jen.
You need to get it on the model.

One minute, sewers! I see a lot
of models with no coats on.

My model's going to be cold.

OK, are you in? Janet, you need
to get it on your model. Yeah.

Riccardo, you need to get
it on your model.

Sorry it's not finished.

Needles up! That is your time.

HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

Oh, I'm loving it!

Sorry I've let you down.
No, you haven't, Janet. Don't!

I'm just cross that I didn't finish

cos it would have looked
so good if I had.

Like this, it still looks amazing.

I need a drink.

Five made-to-measure British wool
coats in just five and a half hours.

Riccardo, I love it.

I think it's really impactful.

I love that kind of soft drape.

You know, the Harris Tweed
is actually a softer, lighter tweed

than many people think.

And it has a lovely fall to it.

I mean, the back
is absolutely stunning.

I love the shape of this yoke
and this kind of bold pleat

with the inserted yellow tweed.

You've done a lot of work

because you've done
all this top stitching.

This kind of swelled edge follows
all the way round on the collar.

You've got it on the belt.

It follows round on the pockets.

The pockets, actually,
when the belt is on,

I think they sit in that
space really well.

Let me turn you to one side.

That sleeve is perfectly pitched.
Perfectly pitched!

You know, look at it.

There is not a wrinkle
down that sleeve.

Let's have a little look inside.

So you've fully lined it.
Not in the sleeves.

Not in the sleeve?
There is no sleeve lining.

But I love the combination
of fabric.

It looks really cool,
it really suits you.

She looks stunning.
I really like it.

Well, Jen, I like these fabrics.
Harris Tweed and Yorkshire. Yes.

They're very nice wools.

The seams are nicely pressed
and we haven't got the undercollar

coming to the outside,
which is great.

I think you've handled the tweed
really nicely, actually.

You know, the quality
of the sewing is really good.

The seams are nice,
you've got a lovely smooth curve.

Something is going on here.

Can you see how you've got
this drape here? Yes.

And that is cos the lining
is pulling it.

Yes. And is it the same length?

No, I think it's slightly shorter.
Yeah.

And it feels like this is
too short here,

that we need more in the shoulder.

I mean, she's got
very broad shoulders.

If it was me, I probably wouldn't
have tried to put a raglan coat

on somebody with such
square shoulders.

Rochelle, you've got lovely
shoulders. You do, I know!

Well done, Jen. Thank you.

Janet, I wasn't sure about
this combination

of appliqued cotton patches with
the tweed, but I actually love it.

I like the way you've zig-zagged
these on, you've thought

really carefully about these little
postage stamps all the way around.

Can you put your hand in the pocket?

It's interesting and quirky.

The shape of the coat is lovely,

those darts at the bottom
giving it that lantern shape.

I really like the shape of the
collar. It fits your model nicely.

Inside, you have bound...

..the seams really very neatly.

But you haven't finished it.

You've not finished the sleeves. No.

I mean, presumably, there were
more buttons down the front. Yes.

Sometimes, it takes more work
not to line a coat than line it.

Yes, yes.

I'm so disappointed
that it isn't finished.

It's stunning.

You're not alone.

I really love the idea of this coat.

It's very pared down,
it's quite architectural.

I love that you're letting
this beautiful,

very pronounced camel twill
kind of do all the work for you.

This arrangement of the collar

with the kind of faux
turned-up lapel -

it's absolutely precise,
beautifully turned out,

very, very even. Turn round.

You needed a bigger
shoulder pad cos, look,

it's all collapsing here.

You know, there's one thing
I want to keep doing.

Is that pulling it forward,
making the front come down?

I think the balance is miles off.

And if I turn her that way,
it's really running up at the front.

OK. Yeah.

We love the colour, and it's great

with the great big buttons down
the front. It really shouts out.

Could you turn round?

And actually these raglan sleeves
fit fairly well.

It looks a little bit like
they're pulling on the shoulder.

Can you see this drape
under the arm?

I liked how you did the pockets with
the red on the inside,

and we've got a little flash here.

I'd have made it bigger

and made sure it was
really, really protruding

cos it doesn't look quite
meant enough. Shame.

And can you see how this button
is overlapping the edge of the coat?

I can now, yeah.

And that is because you've made
the buttonhole

far too close to the edge.

What is happening here - it's really
pulling. It's pulled that way.

This isn't... The worst slip
stitching in history!

The lining isn't attached
to the sleeve.

For me, the collar is lumpy
and it's bumpy.

Doing two layers
of that heavy melton -

it's really stiff, it's fighting
all the time to come out,

and it's a real shame because
it's so striking, that collar,

and the collar is the worst
bit of it.

And that's where
your eye goes to. Boing!

Thanks for your comments.

Well, that was character-building!

They crucified my coat!

We were absolutely slaughtered
in there!

The big elephant in the room
couldn't be avoided -

the fact that I hadn't finished.
I was really pleased

with how the coat looked, and I
think, when I finally get it back

and do finish it, it'll be cracking.

I am nervous.

I certainly wouldn't be
surprised if I go home.

Well, lads, it's the quarterfinal,
and you two have got

an absolute bloodlust.
What's going on?

Well, I think, at this point, we set
difficult challenges,

and we judge them to
a very high standard. Yes.

Shall we start with the positives?
Who's doing really well?

There was one for me that stood out,

and that was Riccardo's beautiful
Harris Tweed coat.

Riccardo has really upped his game
hugely.

And I think he's getting
better and better,

but there's another thought
about Garment Of The Week.

Jen's pattern challenge
was beautifully handled.

She finished,
the collar and lapel is great.

Let's talk about who might
be going home.

Well, Juliet is fabulous on dresses,

but she's clearly not as comfortable
with the tailored clothes.

And it definitely threw her.
And then Janet -

such a shame because
I love this coat.

It is just nowhere near finished.

Yes, it's a shame.

This was Leah's made-to-measure.

There are a lot of things
wrong with this jacket.

The collar is very poorly made.

The buttonhole's in the wrong place.

And this is for a place
in the semifinal.

There is an awful lot at stake here.

We've got an important
decision to make.

And a very difficult
decision to make.

Good luck.

OK, so, we have two things
to do, as ever.

Patrick, who has Garment Of The Week?
Our Garment Of The Week is...

Well done! ..Riccardo!

Well done! Excellent! Well done!

We loved your choice of fabric.

We loved how it looked on the model,
the pleat in the back, the yoke.

It's really well thought
out and it's really cool.

Congratulations. Thank you so much!

OK. Now for the horrible bit.

Somebody has to go home.

This has been the hardest decision
yet for the judges by a mile.

The person not going through
to the semifinal is...

..Janet.

Oh, you're so brilliant, Janet! That
comes as absolutely no surprise!

Really? Well done.
Thank you very much.

Oh, boy, what an adventure
it's been!

Well done, Janet. You've been great.

I am very proud of what I've done.

I think I've made some
cracking garments.

They'd have all been better
if they'd been finished.

I think I shall probably miss the
most having people to laugh with.

I think I was saved by the
transformation challenge.

I think otherwise it would
have been me.

Janet is the more experienced sewer,

so I sort of feel
a little bit shaken by it.

We're going to have
to just channel Janet,

even though she's not here!

She helped me a lot.
I knew that, anything I needed,

I just go, "Janet, can I...?
"Janet, how would you do?"

She'll be missed.

She's a really fantastic person.

So thank you and goodnight.

But not goodnight cos we're going
clubbing, aren't we? Yay!

Riccardo's going to take me
to a club

cos I have never been to a club!

To the Ministry of Sound
we should go. Ooh, wow!

Next time... OK. Focus.

..it's a global semifinal...

..as the sewers embark
on a pattern to India...

What?! It's splitting here,
it's splitting here!

..trek through a transformation
that's straight out of Africa...

I'll be taking that now! ..and aim
to prove they're big in Japan.

It's an origami party!

But who will fold... There is
pressure. I can feel the pressure.

..and who will reach...
Ah, sugarelly! ..the Grand Final?

I've never done anything like this.

I can now reveal that the person
going home is...