It's summer in the sewing room,
which means our 11 remaining sewers
will be making outfits for the
beach, barbecues
and saucy holiday romances.
Well, Mandy, we had a good summer
but I've got to get back to Patrick
and Esme and you've got to go
back to the window of Matalan.
Don't make this any harder
than it needs to be.
What's that?
You've met someone else.
His name's Alan
and he tests airbags?
Did the last three months
mean nothing to you?
Welcome to the
Great British Sewing Bee.
Last time...
Ah!
..the contest kicked off
with wardrobe staples.
12th place, Damien.
12th, Damien.
Damien diced with danger.
Yeah.
Farie fell behind, but Julie...
I've only done a top.
..was first to leave
the sewing room.
I knew it.
Now the heat is on...
Ah!
..as the sewers tackle
summer week...
Oh, crikey.
..stitching shorts in the pattern...
Oh!
..changing trunks
in the transformation...
Who doesn't love a man in Speedos?
..and fitting frocks in
the made to measure.
Undo the buttons, undo the buttons.
Who will shine?
Whoo!
And who...
I'm now winging it.
..will hit the panic button?
Oh, my God, the button's come off.
It's summer week.
Got my summer shirt on and my hat.
But my legs are past shorts
now, you know,
they don't come out,
not for anybody.
Holiday, holiday.
I'm just instantly happier
when it's sunny outside
although living in Edinburgh,
I don't get that much.
Hello!
Hello.
Come forward.
How are we all? Good.
Good.
Well, the theme this week is summer.
So we're talking sun,
sea and secluded beaches.
Actually the theme is the
Great British summer so it's
more like anoraks, traffic jams and
a jolly good fist fight on a pier.
To tell us about the pattern
challenge, Esme.
Here you go.
Pass them round.
Thank you.
What we've got are paper bag shorts.
Elasticated waist to give
that shape of the paper bag.
Bagged out belt,
pockets and turn ups.
Think about the effect of
a tied up paper bag
and how you can achieve that
with your choice of fabric.
You have three and a half hours
for this challenge.
Good luck. Your time starts now.
OK, here we go.
Fabrico.
Oh, I love this blue one.
I'm just going to grab them all.
Just imagining the texture of paper
so I'm looking for something
quite stiff.
How stiff is stiff?
Do you want it to crease or do you
not want it to crease?
Hmm. Go on, let's go with that.
The dramatic elasticated waist
of the paper bag shorts
mean they're both practical
and flattering for summer.
I think it's a light denim.
It will hold the paper bag.
But not too sure whether
it's going to be too thick.
Right, paper bags.
My dad says I couldn't
fight my way out of one.
What are paper bag shorts?
The whole idea of this is that
the top looks like a gathered
paper bag and the way
they are doing that is with
a channel of elastic which is turned
over the top and sewn on the inside.
Also, as they're sewing the bottom
line of stitching,
they have to catch in the top
of the pocket bag.
We've asked them to make a belt.
The end has to be quite
an acute angle.
We've also asked them
to give us a turn up.
They turn it under,
sew it and then turn it back
so that the turn up conceals
this row of stitching.
Well, let's hope the sewers
have got it in the bag.
P...it's a paper, paper bag.
I have never made a pair of
paper bag shorts before.
I'm waiting to see what
they're like, you know.
I might be a convert.
Well, I know what shorts are
and I know what a paper bag is,
so I figure if I combine the two,
we'll be somewhere close.
The paper bag shorts
begin as ten pattern pieces.
First, the front and back
pieces are joined at the centre
and pockets are attached
to the side seams.
Turn ups are made at the hem
before belt loops are attached
and elastic is enclosed
within the waistband.
A bagged out belt is fed through
the loops to finish.
Good morning, Jean.
Good morning.
You're drawn to a certain
type of pattern, aren't you? Yeah.
I think it's a little bit
like the Greek island
we were at last year
and that's why I love it so much.
Adventurous art psychotherapist Jean
and her partner Jo share a passion
for travel and spirituality,
attending regular worship at their
local Benedictine monastery.
Have you got maps on your headband?
Oh.
It's almost like you're
coordinating with you, uh...
Yeah.
..pattern, aren't you?
This is my Camino headband.
I walked the Camino - 500 miles.
Were you exhausted at the end?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
I went on a retreat after.
And Jean's not the only sewer
broadening their horizons.
I ended up choosing
this African fabric.
Just because it's saying in the,
on the side, something in French.
I was like, "French? Yay, that's
me."
Raph lives in London with his
partner, Keith, and their cat, Theo.
He divides his spare time
between sewing
and something much more strenuous.
I do gymnastics.
Tumbling, uh, jumping, trampoline,
just anything that will get me
going and sweating.
I love this pattern.
I'm just interested to know what
bit of the pattern you've got where.
I've lined up the horizontal lines.
OK.
And then for the seams,
I try to match the colours.
I think if you get it right,
it'll look...
Summery.
..very striking. OK.
It's definitely very summery. Good.
My strategy is just take my time.
Take my time and just make sure
I do everything correctly.
One, two.
Damien works as an IT
installation engineer
and is handy in more ways than one.
Doing bits of woodwork.
It is great fun,
but you can't wear a table.
You know, so...
Have you read through
the instructions on this one?
Um, I'm just cutting out this so...
OK. OK. All right.
But you will be reading through
them? Oh, yeah.
I'll definitely, yeah. And you
will be following them this week?
I will be following them
this, week yeah.
Don't you worry, I'll be looking.
I know you will, yeah.
While Damien is simply striving
to stick to the instructions...
I don't want to get on her bad side.
..Serena has decided
to stretch herself.
I'm having to be a little bit
careful with the cutting out
just because I need to try and
pattern match it down the front.
As a medical student, sewing gives
Serena time away from the books
and the wards to let off
some creative steam.
You're a medical student.
Yeah.
And now you're sewing.
Yes.
So how do the two kind of merge?
People always tell me
I could do surgery.
Well, yeah, can pattern match...
Yeah.
..somebody's chopped off finger.
Once their pieces are cut...
Pin and sew your centre front seam.
Oh!
..construction can begin.
Yay!
I need to prove that
I can finish on time.
No slow and steady today.
I'm keeping my station
nice and clean
so I know exactly
what's going on here.
And Adeena has got herself a leg up.
Are you standing on a box?
I am. Oh!
It really does help.
Adeena from Birmingham creates
bespoke garments which fuse
Eastern and Western fashion.
Have you ever sewn
those kind of pockets?
I have sewn pockets before.
So, let's see.
The shorts have two pockets
which are sewn into the side seams.
Alrighty then.
They must be positioned
precisely using notches.
Notches are little marks to make
sure what you need to line up
is lined up.
I don't normally mark my notches.
I'm a naughty notch ignorer.
If they match the wrong
notches at this stage...
There's a notch up there
which is for the waist.
..their pockets will be unusable.
I'm a bit too high.
Yeah.
I've done loads of pockets before.
What could go wrong with them?
That's a pocket.
A very big pocket.
I like hiding stuff in pockets.
Especially when you have
a three-year-old, you need to
kind of hide stuff all the time.
Bribes. Yes.
Working mum Lawratu runs a team
at Southwark Council and shares
her creative passions with
the crafty g*ng at her local WI.
Oh, look.
Do you think she's sewn that
herself?
I'm not sure she's sewn it herself.
I know she does sew.
I feel like I'm sounding more
offensive than I intend to be.
She looks really nice. I'll let her
know.
That's my WI president.
Oh, God, I've offended
the president?
Pin around the long curved edge
and sew your pocket bag together.
Let's see how we get on.
Hello, poppet.
You've caught me at a bend.
So this is a nautical themed...
Yeah. You keep putting these fab
boats in there.
You love a boat, don't you?
I do love a boat.
God, you can't get enough of boats.
As an entertainment director
aboard cruise ships,
Adam is not only
nifty with a needle...
Well, you've said that you're
constantly in a state of summer
because being on the cruise ships.
Well, usually, like summer
we're round the Med
but recently I've started
working on the Danube.
Oh.
Very cultured.
You are very cultured.
I'm not but the Danube is.
God, those are big shorts.
Oh!
Sewers, you've had half your time.
What?
Oh!
As the shorts start to take shape,
the sewers must
take on the most
challenging task yet.
And now I'm going to do
the turn ups.
To create turn ups,
three and a half centimetres
is pressed up
to the inside of each leg.
And stitched
just below the raw edge.
The shorts are then turned right
side out and turned up again,
covering the stitched line.
You turn them inside but then flip
it over to the outside.
Doesn't make much sense, but, yeah.
While some sewers struggle to grasp
the turn up technique...
It's like I've missed out a page.
..Andrew is all about attention
to detail.
The mathematician in me likes to,
uh, to be as accurate as possible.
When he's not teaching, Andrew
is a keen bell ringer.
And makes vestments
for his partner, Paul...
There you are.
..who is a priest.
How does that feel?
Yeah, that's great,
absolutely super.
When you tell people that
you're a maths teacher,
does it divide opinion?
Ah!
Do you know what, I think you're
great addition to the sewing room.
See ya. Oh, dear,
that's terrible.
Unless the turn ups are folded
and sewn in the correct order...
I'm turning up the hem
and this first line of stitching
will be visible on the outside.
..the stitches that should be
hidden will be revealed.
I think the contrast thread
looks pretty good.
Right, next step
on the instructions.
Oh!
Think there's supposed to be
folded up to the outside.
I've just hemmed on the inside.
I'll get marked down for that again.
Oh!
And these aren't the only shorts
that have taken
a turn for the worse.
Did you follow
the instructions on that turn up?
I think so.
Do you not think I did?
My turn up is wrong.
It shouldn't actually have any
stitching visible, I think.
Has everyone done them wrong?
I think the stitches
should be there,
now I'm looking at them.
I think quite a few of us
are in trouble.
I'm going to cut this off.
It's just much quicker
than unpicking it.
I know how to do the turn up now
but I just don't have time.
I'm unfolding the turn up
that I did wrong.
If I can do this in five
minutes, that means
I can do the other one
but that's big ifs.
I think in future, I should read
the instructions all the way through
because the thing is,
you turn it over,
it's like a thriller, because
you don't know what's coming next.
Full of plot twists!
Sewers, you've got one hour
remaining.
Serena, have, have you got past
heart attacks in the course yet?
Oh!
Oh, dear.
Look at these shorts.
Are you happy with them?
Yes, I'm happy.
Well, the last garment you made
on this show, you said...
It was terrible.
..was the worst you've ever made.
So I hope we're improving
from there.
We're getting a little bit better.
Now I need to do the waist band.
A well-gathered waist creates
the shape of the paper bag shorts,
and relies on a loop of elastic...
That looks exact to me.
..which must be sewn neatly
inside a channel at the waist.
I'm just going round,
pinning the fabric down over.
You can start to see this
is like the paper bag effect.
But of course now that we've got
the bit of elastic in,
everything's wanting to misbehave.
But it's not just the elastic
they have to contend with.
There's things you want to catch and
don't want to catch all in one seam.
You don't want to catch the elastic.
You want to go over the belt loops.
You want to catch
the pocket inside the waistband
so that there's not a dangly pocket.
With multiple layers of fabric
to control...
I feel like you need three hands.
..one simple slip...
Oh!
..could spell disaster.
I'm now winging it.
Oh, no, no.
Oh, dear.
I mean, I'm well off there.
Oh!
Sewers, you have ten minutes to go.
No, no, no, no.
And I've got a belt to make.
My hands are shaking again now.
The shorts' finishing touch
is a long, bagged-out belt.
What I need to make sure is that
I can make that very pointy.
Failure to properly turn it
through...
My fabric is a bit thick.
..will ruin the sharp end points.
Are you any good at pulling?
No, historically, I've not been.
No.
It's gonna be like Lady and tr*mp.
We're going to meet in the middle!
There's a way to do this.
I don't know.
That's a good idea, yeah.
Yeah, whip it.
Whip it to submission.
Oh!
Sewers, you have one minute
remaining.
Ah!
I'm not going to do it.
I've never ironed as fast
in all my life.
Oh, I forgot what is the front.
Moment of truth.
I mean, you're spraying me now.
I wouldn't do this
if it was a human being.
Where the hell is the pocket?
Needles up! That is your time.
All right.
Bring your shorts forward.
Happy?
As long as they don't
look at my pockets.
OK, I'll cough loudly.
# Who wears short shorts?
# We wear short shorts
# They're such short shorts... #
11 pairs of paper bag shorts
prepared in just
three and a half hours.
Well, judges, what do we think?
Any unexpected items
in the bagging area?
Well, they all look like they've
done what they were asked to.
But as ever,
the devil is in the detail.
# We wear short shorts...#
It's a good choice of
summery fabric.
It's doing what we want it to do,
which is this lovely crisp gather.
The turn ups... Yeah, you've sewn
those correctly.
The ends of these ties -
oh, I'm really impressed.
But the stitch in the channel
isn't straight.
Yes, yeah.
These have got a lovely
paper bag shape to them.
You've matched the pattern
extremely well.
The elastic channel looks well sewn.
The pockets,
those are sitting nicely.
The only thing that you've done
wrong is this turn up.
You have turned it
and then top stitched it.
The turn up -
you've sewn that correctly,
but your tie - that's not
very well pressed.
Because this fabric is thickish,
it makes it more difficult
to pull through.
Yeah.
You haven't quite poked that tie
corner out, but they look right.
The shape is nice.
There's some neat sewing.
There's a lot that's good in these.
Thank you.
I really like that you've done
a contrast belt.
But you've struggled
with this channel.
It's not flat.
And you've got a big tuck.
Good job I'm not
sailing in the channel! Yes.
Something funny is happening
with your pocket.
I mean, it is all the way
up into the waistband.
You haven't followed the notches
and look how small then...
Well, you've just got a tiny little
opening for the pocket.
Yeah, even my hand hardly goes in.
Also this hem is minuscule -
it's half the depth it should be.
And the stitching on that channel,
it's going all over the place.
You have not attached the top of the
pocket to the bottom of the channel.
And you've done your turn up wrong.
Oh, hold on.
You've got one pocket
going the right way
and one going the wrong way.
And you haven't sewn the
turn up the correct way.
Bit of a boo boo, I'm afraid.
So the pocket bag on yours
isn't caught.
But you've done that right,
the turn up.
Did you chop a bit off the bottom?
Yeah.
Because originally...
Yeah.
..you'd done the turn up
the wrong way? Yeah.
The points on your tie are good.
The channel looks even, but you
haven't sewn the turn ups correctly.
No.
Did you read the instructions?
I did, but not properly.
No!
I love this fabric.
It really works.
It has shape.
It's really bold.
It's given us a lovely sharp, sharp
edge on the top of the waistband.
Look at those points.
Turn up, you have sewn it
absolutely correctly.
I had to change it last minute.
Well, I'm glad you went back
and corrected it.
I'd love a pair of these.
They look spot on.
Patrick and Esme will now rank
the shorts from worst to best.
In 11th place, it's Jean.
Big disaster in the pocket area.
Sorry.
In tenth place is Lawratu.
The turn ups
and the pockets were wrong.
In ninth place, Adeena.
Again, an error with the pocket
and also you didn't do
the turn up in the right way.
Adam is eighth, Rebecca is seventh
and Damien is sixth.
In fifth it's Farie.
Thank you.
Cathryn is fourth
and in third place, it's Andrew.
Second place...
Serena.
It was really well sewn but you
just made a mistake on the hem.
Which means in first place,
it's Raph.
Just a great fabric choice
and fantastically well ex*cuted.
The perfect paper bag short.
Well done.
Thank you very much.
Well done, everyone.
Through the first challenge.
Go and take a break
and we'll be back for
the transformation challenge.
But well done.
# Why do you build me up
buttercup baby...#
Apparently summer week is my week
and look, the weather is with us
as well.
I know they wanted you to get
the pocket caught into the channel
but they didn't want half
the pocket in the channel!
The next challenge
is not my strongest.
My strategy is to just take
five minutes to think,
not just trying to cobble something
together that's an abomination.
The second challenge of summer week
could see some sewers
get out of their depth.
Welcome back to the transformation
challenge, sewers.
Every summer I transform from a pale
English rose to a bronzed Greek god.
All it takes is 16 gallons of fake
tan and a lot of lying to myself.
Patrick, tell us
about this challenge.
We hope you will be surfing
a wave of creativity.
Oh!
We're giving you board shorts.
You can take up to four pairs
and we want you to create a garment
for a woman for a summer's evening.
The shorts come in a variety
of colours and prints.
They've got pockets and ties.
All these things you can create
into a new fabulous garment.
We're going to send
the judges away now.
One, so they don't know
whose is whose but mainly
so they can apply some factor 50 to
each other's hard to reach places.
No, thanks!
You have 90 minutes for this
challenge and your time starts now.
# I'm thinking of good vibrations
# She's giving me
the excitations...#
Oh!
As well as board shorts...
Speedos as well.
..our sewers have been provided
with a variety of men's swimwear.
Who doesn't love a man in Speedos?
What do you reckon as a look?
So we've asked them to take
the board shorts and make us
a garment for a woman
for a summer's evening.
And I think it's a great challenge
because they give us
acres of really fun printed fabric.
I'm hoping they will use
the waistbands,
the ties and the pocket to make
a statement about the garment.
Yeah.
And it's absolutely crucial
how they place the colours
and the patterns together.
Yeah, these are really loud,
shouty fabrics.
I don't think there's
any point in taking this
and trying to do
something subtle with it.
So I definitely want
to make a dress.
Something that's halter neck.
Think I'm going to sew two darts
to shape it here.
I'm thinking of putting
this in here.
A panel in the back.
So it's more of a little top
and then you'll be able to wear
a pair of shorts just like the ones
I made earlier.
I'm going to try and make a top with
straps for on a beach in Benidorm.
My husband often relaxes in this
kind of shorts in the evening.
I'm always robbing his clothes
for elastic and buttons.
When Cathryn's not ripping up
her husband's clothes,
she's ripping up vegetables
at their allotment.
That's tea.
What do you do to let yourself go
normally, Cathryn?
At home? Yeah.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Do you? Yes.
What do you dance to?
I like a little bit of grime.
Do you?
I do, yes.
Do you know about Stormzy?
I think he's wonderful.
You know, Vossi Bop, Joe?
What's a Vossi Bop?
Are we doing a vossi bop?
We're doing a vossi bop.
My son despairs of me, you know.
He's 23 and, uh, he finds me
so embarrassing.
And Cathryn's not
the only one ready to party.
This one's the crotch bit of a pair
of really skimpy shorts.
So we're going to use that.
My person is going for a rave.
She's in Ibiza.
She's there for a good time.
Farie learnt to sew at
primary school in Zimbabwe
and loves creating womenswear
using colourful and playful fabrics.
Yeah.
I don't rave so I'm not sure
who I'm making this for.
I'm quite boring.
I enjoy just staying at home
and having a cup of tea.
Well, my aim is to make
an asymmetric skirt.
It'll start up here and then it'll
kind of drape down there.
I'm just going to make panels, mix
them all up, put them all together,
put it on, chop it off, sew it up.
Combining fabric from swimwear
isn't easy.
OK, so I've got a panel there,
a panel on that side.
The sewers need to find some way
to ensure the loud patterns
and colours will
complement each other.
I am thinking to make a dress.
I'm going to have this kind of
geometrical print on both sides.
It's like a mix of green
and blue ones.
I think they kind of go together.
This jumped at me, Hawaiian blues.
So in segments, it's blue
and then green vents on the side.
Orange, really, I think is a theme.
I'm going to go for a dress
and see how I can mix it.
So I did kind of go
for a colour story.
This is a little bustier top
so I'm just pinning some bits on
and seeing how I get on.
Damien?
I'm going for
a wrap-around dress at the top
and I'm making this into a skirt.
It's great to have that little
pocket at the front.
Yeah, that's what I thought, I'll
put it on front, give it a feature.
So if the lady's going out for an
evening, she can put all of her...
Yes.
..credit cards or, um...
Yeah. ..a small novel or
a letter from a loved one.
Yes, this is Magic Mike
and, yes, I'll do the hen do.
Hang on one second.
Sewers, you've had half your time.
My rate is £6.
Don't know if that's
going to be long enough.
Even if they've settled on a design,
the sewers still need
to create a feminine fit
from shapeless shorts.
Just beginning to attach
the skirt piece.
So I want to make it more fitted.
This is the skirt and
then this bit closes it off
so it'll be tight to the waist.
I'll have to use my model to make
sure that I create a woman's shape.
Well, I'm rushing but I'm very calm.
I don't know why I'm always so calm.
My parents definitely wouldn't say
that I'm always calm.
Rebecca inherited her creative
flair from her mum and her nan,
who taught her to sew
when she was just four years old.
That a different background?
There's four backgrounds. Oh!
But her attention to detail,
she gets from her dad.
Your father is a health and
safety inspector, is that right?
He is, yes.
How would he feel about this area?
It's a health and safety nightmare.
Yeah, he wouldn't...
he wouldn't be very happy.
The colours are kind of working.
It's bright and vibrant.
We have got the makings
of nearly a top.
I'm just going to chop it.
We're going to go a wee bit plunge.
But I'm just cutting the side bit
out to make it asymmetrical.
What I'm planning to do is to
add in some of this fabric over it.
Just because I love a novelty print.
Oh!
It's just too thick for it
to go through.
The skirt I was going to start with,
you just couldn't get in it.
So I've now got this
which can be my skirt
but it's not going to be
all the same colours.
Oh, no.
I've had to remove some of
the panels because there were
quite a few layers
and a couple of my needles bent.
Ten minutes, sewers.
Oh.
Ten minutes.
I'm going to get some fancies.
I'm going to put this
on the bottom fringe,
just give it a little
bit of razzle dazzle.
Is that just too much?
No, come on, go for it.
Yes.
That works.
I've decided to add ribbons.
It'll just bring in a little bit
more consistency.
Five minutes, sewers.
Won't go any faster.
Coming, coming, coming.
I think this takes it a little bit
more evening wear.
It's, uh, it's party time.
Just trying to quickly
hand tack this fabric with
sort of a draping effect
on the front.
What's this? Is that in case
she needs to parachute out?
That's right, yes.
I don't think I'm going to
finish in time.
One minute!
Ah.
Just stitch.
Oh, I'm not happy with this at all.
Just keep sewing.
Oh!
Oh, crikey.
Needles up, that is your time.
What have you done with my shorts?
I'll have nothing to wear
all summer.
# She sells seashells
by the seashore
# She sells seashells
by the seashore
# Seashells she sells by the sea
# Seashells she sells
by the sea... #
Washed up men's swimwear
transformed into women's summer
garments in just 90 minutes.
Oh! Wowzer!
Esme and Patrick have no idea
whose is whose.
I think there's some absolute
smashers there.
# All you've got to do is
repeat it after me... #
This person has thought
about all of these colours.
There's the yellow
and that coral pink
and the blue, almost
perfectly matching here.
They've really thought about
the placement of these stripes.
The fitting and this geometric
pattern is brilliant.
It feels like the top doesn't go
with the skirt.
I think there's some
quite clever elements
but I think there's almost
too much going on in this for me.
We've got a dress.
What's this? Oops, that's come off.
It's a drape of some description.
I don't understand why it's
so untidy and I don't get this.
I'm not sure what this person
was thinking. No.
Oh, look at this.
There we go.
That's how you get into it.
What I really like is the way
the plain green has this blue
piping, and picks up the waistband
and then leads us into the top.
There's a load of really clever
thinking has gone into this.
This one, I also think looks great.
And the colours
really, really go together.
The only thing
I am not sure about is this.
I agree with you.
I'm not sure I love the fringing.
I think the top
half of it is brilliantly inventive,
but does look a little
bit like a rocket.
If I could lose the rocket's fins...
I mean, I do quite like them.
It's about to take off.
This is a... A sort of batwing top.
But you'd have a problem
lifting your arm.
And this kind of panel geometric,
it seems out of place.
I mean, it's definitely very
beachy isn't it?
Very beachy.
Purple, neon pink and neon yellow.
All works really well together.
They've used
a waistband on the bottom.
But when you walk I think
it would make it ride up.
We have a long
asymmetric skirt and a boob tube.
Which needs a few darts here.
But I think it's pretty good.
I think there's a lot of
clever thought has gone into
how it's all gone together.
The colour coordination here is
really good and we've got this
dusty blue and the pale grey and
the white, and then we've got just
a little bit of green
in these straps
which is echoed on
the tie on the front.
It's very clever. Yeah.
I think the colours work
and the prints work together.
Because there's so
much busy geometry,
I think it works really well.
Also they've tied it
together with this...
Yes. ..pink and white ribbon
to delineate the sections.
I do really like it.
The judges must now rank the summer
garments from worst to best.
In 11th place is...
..the sunrise dress.
Lawratu.
I love the colours,
but I have no idea what
that drape's meant to be.
In tenth place is
the orange stripes.
Andrew.
Just a little bit busy.
Too much going on for us, I think.
Jean is ninth,
Farie eighth,
Raph seventh,
Damien sixth,
Rebecca fifth,
Cathryn fourth
and third is Adeena.
In second place...
..the green and blue.
Serena.
Such a beautiful
combination of colours.
Really wearable, nicely assembled,
very well done. Thank you.
Well, there's only one left.
It's Adam.
We loved how you played
with the stripes.
It was so, so clever.
You seem surprised.
Well, it's just a load
of old shorts, innit?
I'm flabbergasted that out of three
pairs of old swimming shorts,
that I've managed to
win my first challenge.
That was a complete roller-coaster.
It's like already I told myself
that I was going to come 11,
so that just shows, do not give up.
Today, hm.
It was a struggle.
But tomorrow is a new day.
# Seven days to our holiday
# And there's such a lot to do... #
There's just one summery challenge
remaining before our judges decide
who will win Garment of the Week,
and who will leave the sewing room.
# Are you with us or not? #
What a summer we're having.
Great clothes, great company,
a holiday romance.
That's just between the three of us.
How are our sewers getting on?
I think they all tackled
the pattern challenge
with some degree of competency.
Well, there's one person who didn't.
Jean made a really big
error on the pockets.
She absolutely got
the notches muddled.
Also Lawratu.
Her transformation just seemed
like she didn't have
a clear idea of what
she was trying to achieve.
It felt to me like,
"Oh, I've got this last short.
"I've got to put it somewhere."
Yeah. So she just bunged it on.
So what do they need to do in
this final challenge to impress?
Something beautifully sewn, well
fitting and expressing themselves.
And, of course, they all need
to finish. Yes, they do.
For the final challenge,
the sewers will create garments
to fit their real life models.
Morning, Gloria.
How are we today? Very well.
This is the fabric we've
got for today. Oh, wow.
I'm going to warn you, I didn't
have such a great day yesterday
so we're going to be
on point today.
Welcome back, sewers.
Welcome back, models.
It's time for our summery
made-to-measure.
And this week the judges
would like you to make
a button-down summer dress.
Not the sort of thing I'd
wear in the summer.
I think anything without Velcro
just slows you down.
You have five hours for
this challenge. Good luck.
Your time starts now.
The sewers have been able to
practise their dresses at home...
OK, so that's going to fit here.
..but must now fit them perfectly
to their models' proportions.
It's not so far off.
Yeah, definitely needs to be longer.
How much longer?
That's the question.
Well, this task is
pushing all my buttons
and then sewing them onto a dress.
Why a button-down sun dress?
Well, it's a classic summer item.
And it's actually a deceptively
difficult challenge.
Most of them will have a lot
of buttons down the front of this
dress, and every single buttonhole
needs to be perfectly lined up.
And they'll do it right at the end.
So I hope they time themselves.
Where might
they come a cropper with fit?
They will have darts.
They will have seams... Seams.
..they will have a waist.
So those points need to be well
fitted onto their model.
Yes, if it doesn't fit properly,
we will certainly notice.
Good morning, Cathryn.
Good morning. Morning.
Can you show us what you're making?
I'm making this button-down dress.
I'm using a cotton material.
The colour reminded me of the sea.
Have you ever made
anything like this before?
Yes, I have made the dress
that I'm wearing.
Oh, yes, you have.
You're wearing one. Yes.
Cathryn's sun dress features
a fitted bodice with
scooped neck, 12 covered buttons
and key print fabric.
I've bought a print which
I thought needed to be matched,
but I'm going to... Have you done
a lot of matching before? Never.
I think you're mad trying
to match this pattern.
It's so small. Yeah. And so busy.
I would rather see 12 well attached,
beautifully spaced, covered buttons.
I'm going to try. OK. OK.
Well, I admire your bravery.
So I'm doing this pattern.
I'm doing it in a palm leaf fabric.
Essentially I'm calling it
the coconut dress.
It's 100% cotton,
so I'm going for the natural theme.
Damien's dress has a high-low hem
and coconut shell buttons
he's made himself.
He's pattern matching the front,
allowing the buttons to
really stand out.
This goes over here like that.
Look at that.
That is pattern matching.
Well, the only trouble is,
is when I put it on the model
I don't want this sort of splaying.
No. I want it to sit nicely
like that.
That's what this challenge
is all about. Yeah.
Damien and Cathryn aren't
the only sewers taking
a risk on a perfectly
matched pattern.
The fabric is African wax prints.
I'm trying to pattern match so
that will have a perfectly matched
centre front,
and it just kind of disappears.
I've always avoided
pattern matching,
but if you don't try, you'll
never know how it turns out.
Farie is pairing
a vivid pattern matched print
with sparkly buttons to give
her curved hem shirt dress
a vibrant summer feel.
When they say summer dress,
I always initially think of home.
I think of Zimbabwe, I just
think of Africa in general.
You know, the sun's always shining,
so everyone is always
in bright, loud colours.
And Farie's fabric
isn't even the boldest.
It's very nice, isn't it?
It's nice.
The prints look gorgeous.
Yeah, and again...
I know you love a print.
I love a print, but I
chose it cos I just thought
Gloria'll look quite nice
in this one.
Jean's vivid floral dress
features ten green tree buttons
and a flowing circular
ankle length skirt.
It's a big, big skirt.
And how are you going to
finish the hem?
I have no idea yet. Oh!
OK. Oh, I think you need to
thinking about that. Yes.
I'm in the relegation zone.
It could all come down
to goal difference.
After last week, I'm trying to
work as fast as I can.
No safety pins today.
While making a fitted dress
against the clock is a challenge...
There is so much fabric
in this skirt.
It's probably a crazy thing
to have chosen to do.
..Adeena has set herself
an even harder task.
You look like there's
stuff going on.
There's loads going on.
I self-drafted this.
That part's going to be
open at the top,
so all the seams need to be
concealed, so they're not showing...
Oh, my word. Oh, my word!
..when it's flipped open.
The only sewer to draft her
own pattern,
Adeena's sophisticated design
features an ambitious two-way
neckline, intricate pin tucks
and an off-centre button fastening.
I look at that and I think, "Wow,
you've put a lot on your plate."
And last week you did all
those little loop things,
and you smashed it. I never learn.
I still think that,
"Oh, I can add a bit more!"
Well, if you're going to do it,
why not do it now? Absolutely.
Once their pattern pieces
are adjusted and cut...
HUMMING: Do-do-do-do-do-do.
..work can begin on the bodices...
Thank God.
It's taken me a lifetime.
..because the buttons must sit
straight on the curves of the body.
It's about getting that dart
the right size
and right shape to actually fit
the curve of the model.
Any fitting errors will
distort the line of buttons
on the front of the dress.
Oh, hello, Andrew.
Good morning.
Is this having a tuck?
Well, there's all sorts of things
going on here to help me fit.
There's gathers at the waist,
there's a tuck on the shoulder,
and there is a bust dart
as well at the side.
Andrew's making his fitted floral
dress in a white cotton
with black contrast collar, belt
and 15 buttons,
reflecting 1940s style.
It harks back to an era
when dressing up was a thing.
I mean, my grandmother - and mother,
really - would not go into town
without their lipstick on
and a proper dress on.
ADAM: I'm going for a little
bit of a '50s style.
I love the '50s.
To be honest, I'm a bit of
an old soul, really.
Adam's polka dot dress features
a '50s style flared skirt
with red contrast
piping and buttons.
You love blue and red. I do.
What's tricky here is
that your polka dots
and your buttons are almost
exactly the same size
so they're sort of disappearing
a little bit.
I mean, I've got bigger buttons.
I mean, they're a bit more dazzling.
Personally I think
I know which one I'd choose.
Well, I think the smaller one.
They're a much better red.
So you've got a dilemma here.
Oh, now you're confusing me!
And Adam has competition when
it comes to his colour palette.
You've gone for a lobster
and anchor vibe. Yeah.
Red, blue and white,
so it's a nautical theme.
I mean, I do feel like Adam
might kick off about that,
cos Adam loves a nautical theme.
Ah, he does.
Is this a naval w*r that
you've declared? This is official.
Raph's cotton seaside themed dress
has anchor buttons,
a dip-dyed hem
and a sweetheart neckline.
Oh, is this a shoulder? This is
the bust. A hat? Lovely. Ooh.
Do you feel pretty confident?
I'm not confident at all about this.
Fitting a bust is something
I've never done, so... Never?!
Never.
Fit's really important for me today.
After the events of yesterday,
I know that
I really need to present a well
fitting, completed garment.
Lawratu's cross-back dress features
the only fully fitted silhouette.
She also plans to use the most
buttons of the challenge.
How many buttons?
At the moment we're looking at 17.
17? Wow. Yes.
Now that button, obviously, is
a very strong contrast. Yes.
So you're going to
have to get that...
In a straight line. ..absolutely
perfectly lined up. Oh, yeah.
Oh, a button!
Oh, it says, "Do not press."
But, uh... No, I won't.
Sewers, you've had half your time!
No, mm... No, I won't.
BUZZER SOUNDS
With the bodices coming together...
Oh. It's a little snug.
That's lovely.
..it's time for the sewers
to discover...
Just have a look.
..if they've hit the mark
with their fitting...
I've had to self-draft
the pattern again slightly,
but it worked out fine.
..or if they'll need to make
time-consuming adjustments.
I think there's a bit
too much room here.
What I don't want is two waistlines,
a waistline in the dress
and a waistline in the belt.
It is going to hang a bit at the
back, but I don't know by how much.
The fit is not good yet.
Cos can you see it needs to
be, like...
..there? Yeah.
Cos at the moment it's, like, there.
Rebecca's cotton gauze dress
has a deep V neckline
and nine buttons,
with decorative tied sleeves.
My sleeves are quite
complicated. Oh.
Got, like, slits up them
and ties up them.
They're fun, though.
You can put a bell on them
so that you could hear someone
coming, like a cat.
And another sewer is also hoping to
steal the show with their sleeves.
I'm just gathering the top of them,
because they are puffy sleeves
so you just pull on
one of the threads and then it
bunches the fabric up.
Serena's statement sleeves are the
feature of her floral cotton dress,
which has complementary wooden
buttons and a midi skirt.
Yeah, I like that length. And then
if the buttons stop there. Yeah.
So I think I'm good.
Dresses might be emerging...
Oh, my God. We're getting a dress.
..but important details
now need to be quickly added.
I'm doing some pintucks.
These are going to be going
at the bottom of the dress.
I've never done pintucks before.
I just have to make
my life difficult.
I need to put both sleeves in.
Yeah, that's perfect.
Oh!
Taking too long at this stage...
Look at that for pattern matching.
..will leave less time to
accurately attach all their buttons.
Our pattern is matching!
I just need to do the armhole,
buttons, buttonholes and hem.
I think we need to work faster.
And Farie's not alone in
feeling time is against her.
How are you getting on?
Shocking.
I have got to sew the seams up,
attach it to the top...
And then do your button,
the buttonholes.
..put the buttons and hem.
Ah.
WOMAN: Ow! Oh, sorry.
Sewers,
you've got one hour remaining!
Can we get a medic, please?
I'm just starting to make
the buttonholes now.
Big buttons, small buttons.
I'm such an indecisive person.
I'm a Libra.
HE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY
Buttons and buttonholes
are both the focal point
and the fastening on these designs.
Decision. It is the bigger buttons.
Once made, a buttonhole is permanent
so there's no way to fix one
made in the wrong place.
I'm going to put three
buttons on the bust.
And I'm going to repeat that down.
Any miscalculations will ruin
the look and fit of the dress.
Just want to check my distance
between each one.
Only when they're confident
their positioning is on point...
To the sewing gods up there,
please give me nice buttonholes.
..can they commit to
making their buttonholes.
And off we go.
And that's only half the battle...
Right, OK.
..as the same number of buttons
must then be perfectly
lined up and stitched.
I specifically chose buttons
so I could use the machine
to help me stitch them.
It saves so much time.
But not everyone has
opted for fast fastenings...
Cos I've chosen shank buttons,
I'm having to hand-sew them on.
Oh, God.
This might be my downfall.
..and some sewers are being
even more ambitious.
So it's going to be a side opening.
That part will be then opened.
Oh, I see.
So you'll actually have, like,
an open panel there. OK.
These are my coconut
shell buttons I've made.
I've made them
in the shape of guitar picks.
I just bought coconuts in the shop,
chopped them up with a hacksaw
and sanded them down.
With buttonholes already made,
any missing or uneven
buttons will be obvious.
Don't know if I've measured them
correctly, and I won't know
until I put this on Gloria.
Jean's in a real panic.
She isn't as far ahead
as she thought she would be.
And it's a long, long hem
she's got to do. Huge hem.
Well, Farie's matched her pattern.
She's actually matched it
very neatly,
but she hasn't actually
started on the buttons yet.
OK.
Sewers,
you have ten minutes remaining.
Oh! Oh!
Put your foot down and...sew.
I'm thinking let's get some
kind of underskirt done,
but it's going to be a rush job.
There, so it'll be like that.
Yeah?
OK. I'm going to quickly do the hem.
I'm presently trying to get
a hem completed.
Have you ever seen a hem like it?
SHE CHUCKLES
Oh, we're in tense
times at the moment.
You're just putting your buttons on?
Yeah.
Right, how many more have
you got to do? Mm, lots. OK.
I might just get one or two on.
It's better than having
no buttons at all.
Sewers, you have two minutes.
Let's get those models dressed!
Right, Elizabeth.
Undo the buttons, undo the buttons.
Oh, my God, the button's come off.
I hope it fits.
Whoo!
I can't find the hole now. Ow.
Well, it sits a bit high, actually.
One minute to go, sewers!
Argh!
Hmm...
No.
HE GIGGLES NERVOUSLY
I hope it fits.
No! No, it's coming off.
Needles up, that is your time!
Well done, everyone.
God knows how I did make a dress,
but I've made a dress.
You look real bonny.
I'm sorry I didn't get it
finished for you.
I love that you've
made your own buttons.
They all look well secured.
The spacing looks good.
And with a big pattern like that,
it's great you matched it.
And you've given us a high-low hem.
Yeah.
But it's a bit big in the back.
Yeah.
But it's a really nice-looking
dress. Thanks.
It's quite sexy, isn't it?
Well, I was just thinking
it's the middle of summer,
you've got a tan,
you're just feeling all right.
Well, I think you hit
the nail on the head there.
These straps are sitting
so perfectly around
the shoulder blades.
The only tiny bit,
it's just a little bit big
on the front of the chest.
But the colour looks great,
and 15 buttons.
I mean, that's so much work, and
the spacing is absolutely spot on.
Well, it's a fantastic simple
but bold combination of colours.
I think it's a very
elegant shape as well.
I like that you've
used the big buttons.
I think that was the right decision.
I know it divided you at one point.
We've got a floral
and we've got a wooden button.
I think it looks really natural.
The sleeves are absolutely
beautifully done.
But I don't think it
fits that great.
If you turn sideways,
can you see this drape? Mm.
And it's because
the bust point is too tight.
You've really thought about
the belt, the shoes, the hat,
the contrast collar and the buttons.
But the trouble with putting
a belt on something
is the belt will go to the waist.
Yeah.
And the waist on the dress
is a little below. Yeah.
Putting belt loops on...
Of course. ..would've kept
that in place. Yeah.
The fit on the front isn't great.
That button's going to come off.
And you've missed
two buttons off. Yes.
Yes, I have. But you know what?
I did match the back.
I managed!
Look at that, you have matched
the tops of those keys,
but if you hadn't done that matching
you'd have had plenty time
to finish off. Yes.
I like the shape of the sleeve
and I like this detail with the tie.
The button spacing looks
really nice and even.
But the shoulders are too big.
Yeah.
Don't you think that fits better?
Yes, definitely.
I really like your fabric.
It looks very, very summery.
Love the choice of buttons, but
they're certainly not all lined up.
Also, I think it's sitting too low.
I would like the whole thing up,
but that would mean the bust point
is almost two inches
off where it should be.
The fit is good.
I love this fabric,
and I'm really impressed
with your pattern matching.
But we've got five missing buttons.
It is a real shame that you
haven't got it finished.
Second time in a row.
Well, I think this fabric has
definitely got a wow factor.
And it's fitting
your model really well.
But the bottom of the skirt
isn't level.
And the hem, there's raw edge.
Yeah.
Also your waist seam
doesn't match up,
and I don't think these buttons
are close enough to that front edge.
That is too much of a gap.
Your model is called Grace, and this
dress is the very epitome of grace.
It's a lovely pattern,
and you are the only person to have
given us an off-centre button.
It was a bold choice,
and you've ex*cuted it well.
Thank you.
To me, cos this is so chic,
it didn't need those pintucks.
It fits your model well.
I also like that you've done
a contrast buttonhole,
because it's telling us
that it's lying down...
Yeah. ..and it will go up. Yeah.
I think it's really chic.
Thank you.
Are you relieved?
JOE AND ESME CHUCKLE
I think she is, actually. Yeah.
I think we can tell. Yeah, we can.
What's happening with you,
you daft bat?
Thanks.
Joe, get out of the way.
Esme's feedback,
it just reminded me of Mum,
and made the first thing I want
to do is go and give her a call.
I'm glad I got the dress finished,
but it was far from perfect.
So I think it's my cards
are on the table.
No, I don't want to go home yet.
However, it's something
that might happen
because I've had two
unfinished garments.
Well, what a summer we've had,
sewers.
Now it's time for
our metaphorical autumn.
Two things to do.
Let's start with the nice one.
Patrick, who has won
Garment of the Week?
Our Garment of the Week
this week is...
Congratulations.
It's ever so chic.
And also you did something
different than everybody else,
so it really stood out.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
OK, now the not-so-nice bit.
This was tough...
..but somebody has to go and I can
reveal that that person is...
..Jean.
Thank you.
SEWERS: Oh, Jean.
Yeah.
It's fine.
Well done, Jean.
I mean...
Yeah, we can do elbows.
Yes, we can do
a bit of that, can't we?
We love you, Jean.
I've enjoyed it.
What it's taught me is that
I love sewing for myself.
Being here, it's an adventure,
and that's what's important to me.
I just wish you all very well.
I mean, you're so talented.
SEWERS: So are you.
So sad to say goodbye to Jean
but, as joyful as her final garment
was, it really wasn't well sewn,
and yesterday she just had a big old
wobble on that pattern challenge.
Wow.
With two unfinished
made-to-measures,
I just thought I was going.
I...I really didn't see that coming.
I got Garment of the Week!
What that has done is
actually given me that boost
and inner belief that,
actually, I can do this.
And I just need to
keep believing in that.
Next time... My gosh,
there's loads of cutting.
..it's gents' classics week.
Oh, good shoulder size!
The sewers put their thinking
caps on in the pattern...
So is this how a hat
looks before it's a hat?
..let rip in the transformation...
FABRIC TEARS
..and graft in the made-to-measure.
I didn't realise that sewing
involved all this hard labour.
Whose sewing will be suave...
Fingers crossed I can
actually get this jacket made.
..and who will want to jack it in?
I've literally made a huge mistake.
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07x02 - Episode 2
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Amateur sewers take on challenges as they compete to be named Britain's best home sewer.
Amateur sewers take on challenges as they compete to be named Britain's best home sewer.