Last time...
That's incredible!
...it was Sports Week. Oh, God.
Anna scored a strike with
her bowling shirt...
I'm going to just let loose.
...taking garment of the week.
Yes!
Things were tricky for Minnie...
I got glue stuck on my shirt.
...but it was Tim...
No! ..who ultimately...
Doesn't tell me a clear story.
Came unstuck."
Do you want a group hug?
This week...
It's playtime!
...it's Kids' Week.
Agh!
The sewers drum up dance-wear...
This is the hardest pattern
challenge we've had yet.
...have fun with fleeces...
Ooh!
Oh, I'm actually really
happy with that.
...and summon the power to
create superhero outfits.
Pow!
Which cunning plan is
going to save the day...
Really need to get this right.
...and whose design
will be their downfall?
There's no time to be scared.
It's Sewing Bee.
In we go!
It's week six and it's Kids' Week.
I've never made
childrenswear before,
so I'm in completely
uncharted waters.
I am hoping for a better
week than last week.
That's not a high bar, is it?
People think that kids'
clothes are going to be easier,
but, actually, they're just trickier
cos they're so much smaller.
I'm a little bit apprehensive
because I don't have kids!
If you could ask me to choose
any week to do on Sewing Bee,
it would be this one.
I just love making kids' clothing.
Welcome back, my
stitch-savvy superstars.
This week is Kids' Week, which
means more color, more chaos,
more fun - but no tantrums.
I don't want to have to put
anybody in the naughty corner.
Right, Esme,
what have you got for them?
Right, pass them around.
Thank you.
Oh, that's adorable!
Oh, my gosh. Wow!
What we're giving you is
a pattern for a tutu.
The leotard has got
three pleats at the front
and it's got elastic straps.
You'll find a selection of
spandex in the haberdashery.
The net, leg elastic and fold-over
elastic is on the table.
Read your instructions carefully,
otherwise it'll be
TOO, TOO difficult.
Ohh! Ba-doom-tish!
You've got four hours.
Jeez...
Your time starts...
...now!
Oh, sorry. It's all right.
The sewers not only have to
battle each other over fabrics...
Me and you have pink!
I know!
...but making notoriously
tricky tutus...
I think I'm going to go rogue.
...means wrestling with
slippery stretch...
I am feeling slightly apprehensive.
I've never worked with spandex.
...and stiff nylon netting.
I've no idea how
this is going to go.
Never made a tutu.
That's going to be tricky.
So tell us about this tutu.
What we've got is a spandex leotard,
we've got four layers of net,
we've got a fold-over elastic,
which is applied on the front
and which forms the straps.
And we've got three
little pleats here.
So quite a lot going on.
What do you think they'll
find challenging?
Attaching the net is very tricky.
The way we've asked them
to do it is in two stages.
They, first of all, have to
gather their net together.
Once they've gathered it, they have
to sew the lower half of the net
onto the knicker half
of the leotard,
then they have to attach
this second sandwich of net
into the gap between the top
and the bottom of the leotard.
We want to see those four layers
of net in evenly increasing sizes.
So how do you create
this shape with the tutu?
Cos they sew the bottom layers
going up and top layer going down,
so it makes it like that.
But all of that is stiff fabric.
Yeah. Attaching a stiff fabric
to a stretch, it's hard.
Have you done a tutu
before, Esme? Yes.
I mean, you could wear that one.
You're the same size, aren't you?
I know!
I'm excited about this. I definitely
think it's something that
I would've probably ended up making
in a couple of years anyway because
my little girl, she will probably
be starting doing dance classes.
I used to do ballet. I always
wanted a tutu and I never got one.
I remember very vividly the tutu
that my mum got made for me.
To make the tutu, the leotard pieces
are cut from spandex.
First, the gusset is sewn
to the crotch of the front
and back knicker pieces,
and the side seams are overlocked.
Next, a loop of elastic is
inserted into each leg opening.
The front and back bodice are
overlocked at the side seams.
Fold-over elastic is sewn to the
front neckline, folded over the
raw edge and stitched with a twin
needle, which enables it to stretch.
Three pleats are created in
the front bodice and secured.
The back neckline is finished with
fold-over elastic in the same way
as the front and the excess is'
used to form the shoulder straps.
For the skirt, two neck pieces
are cut for each layer,
progressively shorter from the top
to bottom, and stitched into loops.
The top two layers are stitched
together with a zigzag over
fishing line, which is
then pulled together.
This is repeated for the
bottom two layers.
The bottom skirt layers are
attached to the skirt with hem up,
and top layers with hem down.
The bodice is pulled over the skirt,
the waist seam is aligned
and zigzag-stitched,
then the fishing lines are
removed to finish the tutu.
Good morning.
Surprise, surprise -
pink and turquoise.
Yeah. What a shock.
What was it about these two colours?
When I was little,
I had a tutu that was this color.
I kind of wished it had
pink in it as well.
And have you used net before?
I've never used net before.
Yes. It can be a bit tricky,
I imagine.
Right.
I chose a blue spandex
with white tutus,
and I think it's quite
classic color, really.
Can't go wrong with blue and white.
Here is my fabric.
That's a cute little pattern,
isn't it? Thank you.
I wanted to go traditional ballet
colours, but with a bit of fun.
And then I've also got the
brighter, more royal blue
for the fold-over elastic.
And have you made any
kids' clothes before?
Yeah, baby, baby stuff.
So, this is my friend's
little girl, Frieda,
so I made her those dungarees and
a little reversible gilet. Aww!
Never done a tutu before.
Definitely something new for me.
The tutu has its origins in
evolved to replace the existing
stiff, heavy skirts and trains
that masked a dancer's
delicate steps.
Ballet back then was less plie,
more power flex.
Enter La Camargo in the 1720s,
a famous French dancer.
She wanted to show off her
virtuosic jumps and entrechat.
Scandalously, she hiked up
her skirts, shocking Paris
but revolutionising
ballet fashion forever.
Fast forward to 1832 and
Marie Taglioni's floaty white gown
created the romantic tutu.
It was light, airy
and instantly iconic.
Today, the tutu is
more than a costume.
It's a fashion phenomenon.
Those layers of tulle
whisper "style".
First things first, it says
"assembling the knickers".
After previous challenges making
both knickers and swimwear,
the sewers are no strangers
to these garments.
We've made so many pairs of pants!
We're getting used
to making knickers.
We can't get our
knickers in a twist.
I'm just pinning the gusset and
then that needs to be overlocked.
It's the best way to make a
seam on a spandex fabric.
Side seams are also overlocked...
They're looking good.
...and leg openings elasticated.
I have to pin them round and
then carefully stretch them
to make sure that the
leg openings sit tight.
Aww!
And there we have a pair of pants.
Oh, it's a little bit puckered.
They wouldn't fit me,
but they're not supposed to.
You're cracking along, aren't you?
Let's have a look at
the fabric you've chosen.
I've gone for this
sort of blue floral.
I've picked out the red in the net.
You've got red net.
Have you made a tutu or
anything like it before?
I've made dance-wear cos
I used to be a ballroom
and Latin dancer at university.
Were you? And I've done leotards,
but I have not done a tutu before.
Next, it's going to be the bodice.
God, this is fiddly. So small.
So I need to keep
an eye on the needle
and the seam
allowance at the same time.
Now, I have a lovely little bodice.
What have we got going on, then?
You've got your dark pink
and your baby pink. Yeah.
I picked it for my little girl.
She'll wear this.
Does she do ballet?
No, she does rugby.
She's that kind of little girl.
She sounds fantastic!
Next, stitch the elastic
along the front neckline.
That's what finishes off your edge.
I've done the neck elastic.
I'm not quite happy with it,
so I might end up unpicking
a bit and redoing it.
Now comes the scary bit -
on the neckline and the armholes,
we need to switch to a twin needle.
A normal needle has
just the one point,
and a twin needle has two needles.
Two holes, so at the back,
on the bobbin, it'll do a zigzag.
So you can get the look
of a straight stitch,
but it allows the elastic
to still stretch.
Oh, sh**t!
Do not want to have to
wind a new blue thread.
Let's just go for it.
There's no time to be scared.
It's Sewing Bee.
So it creates two parallel
rows of stitching,
and then on the back, you've
got this little, cool zigzag.
Ok, well, the twin needling is done,
so that's nice.
Oh, that was really,
like, stressing me out.
Hello! What drew you to
the burgundy-lilac combo?
I quite like a sort of high-contrast
color combination. Yeah.
And I think once the fold-over
elastic sort of tie it together...
Beth's also risking an
alternative color combo.
I've gone for this fabric
and I'm using this black net.
It's quite sort of disco, isn't it?
I just feel like there are enough
pink, flowery tutus in this world.
"Using the pleat markings, pin
the centre front pleats in place,"
so it makes, like, a little ruching
at the top of the bodice.
"Stitch down the centre
front across the pleats."
Ok that's done.'
The fabric does a little bit
of help to kind of disguise
some of the wobbliness.
I'm measuring out the fold-over
elastic that will be the strap.
Stitch in place with a zigzag.
So when you're dancing and moving
around, this is still stretchy.
Oh, Ok. Straps are on.
So small!
It looks really cute.
I'm all done with the
sort of leotard-y bit.
I've got a little top there.
A little tiny pair of knickers,
which will be attached.
Sewers, you're halfway through!
Oh come on.'
Tutu time.
"The tutu layers will be gathered
and attached in two pairs."
So I'm taking the two
pieces of net for layer one.
"Stitch together to
form a large loop."
So we're basically
making a big circle.
"Put layer two inside layer one."
And then I need to measure
out some fishing wire.
You do a zigzag stitch over this
wire and then you can pull it.
Then it'll start to
gather it as we go.
Oh, look, you're already on it!
It's so cute, right?
Oh, it's really cute!
When it's like a little sunflower!
First layer done, and the sewers
must begin the whole thing again.
We're onto layers three and four,
which create the second pair.
So I have finished my
second line of gathering.
So, "Stitch the skirt to the
knickers using a narrow zigzag."
When you stitch the skirt into the
leotard, one seam allowance is
pointing up, and one seam
allowance is pointing down.
And then it will be like that,
so that's what make it
stick up like that,
which is going to look so cute.
I can't really see what's
going on underneath.
Oh, my gosh.
This spandex has just caught.
Time-wise, I'm going to really
struggle to attach that.
Ok.
There we have tutu layer number one.
There we go.
From here, the delicate tutu...
Doing layers one and two
onto the knickers.
...only gets tougher.
This is the trickiest bit.
Ah!
This is way harder
than the knickers.
This is like knickers on steroids.
Oh! In a couple of teeny-tiny
places, caught a bit of the pants.
You've got half an hour!
Oosh...! I definitely haven't hit
the back of the net over here!
The final tricky task...
Stretch the bodice over it?
...is attaching the bodice
to the pants and skirt.
This is a bit of a faff
because the skirt's massive
and the bodice is tiny.
It's really, really tough!
This is, by far, the hardest pattern
challenge I think we've had yet.
Oh!
Oh, I've done it wrong again.
Not good about time.
I'm not feeling good.
Can't even see what you're doing.
It's amazing that such
a cute-looking thing
can be so menacing to sew.
Oh, my gosh!
There you go.
It's a tutu.
Oh that's so cute.'
Now I need to try and
make it a bit more perfect.
I think it's on.
I don't know how even it is.
Oh, just caught a tiny bit there.
How much time do we have?
You've got ten minutes!
Holy wa-wa!
I've just unpicked a little section.
I'm taking the fishing wire out.
Might take this wire out.
Come on.
Come and make me laugh,
Sophie, so I don't cry. Oh...
There's not much time left.
Ah, layers and layers. Layers.
I've finished the actual tutu now,
but I'm just doing my little tweaks.
There's a couple of spots where
it hasn't quite caught the right
amount of seam allowance in.
Well, it looks like a tutu.
You've got one minute!
It's got a hole in it.
Just a big mess.
By an order of magnitude,
this is the hardest pattern
challenge that we have had.
Get your mini mannequins dressed!
Oh, yeah!
Needles up, sewers -
that's your time.
Ah, what a dog's dinner.
It's just a mess.
Seven colourful tutus created
in four frenetic hours.
What do you think?
They all look pretty good to me.
They've not done TOO, TOO bad.
Hey!
♪ You don't know you're beautiful
Oh-oh
♪ That's what makes you beautiful. ♪
This pale blue net
and the bright blue elastic
has worked really nicely.
Your twin needling is pretty good.
There's a tiny gather
underneath the arm.
These pleats at the front
look a little bit wonky.
You've just caught a little bit
where you've applied
this top layer of net.
There are a couple of little flaws
here and there,
but it's a very, very good effort.
This was a difficult challenge.
This was a "if you don't laugh,
you'll cry" kind of challenge,
I think!
I like the print, and the red
that goes with the tulips.
You've attached the elastic
very neatly.
Your pleat's ever
so slightly uneven.
Let's have a look at the net.
Looks like you've just caught
a tiny bit there.
Looks just a fraction baggy
on the bum.
I think you've done a
really nice job
with just a couple of
tiny, little imperfections.
I like the colours.
And when you chose them I thought,
"Hmm, not sure about that."
But it works well.
The pleats are good.
Your fold-over elastic
is all pretty neatly applied.
The twin needling is
pretty neat and tidy.
Let's have a look at the net.
You have, at the back,
caught little bits of fabric in.
Yeah. Which is a big shame.
I mean, with a tiny, little
stitch out of place,
it's pretty much spot-on.
Thank you. Well done.
I like the colours,
and it says it's you.
On the whole, you've handled it
really well.
Pleats are very good and even.
Your twin needling is pretty
accurate.
The attachment of the net, I would
say, is really nice and even.
You've put this top layer
upside down.
I only just realised that,
two seconds ago!
We've got a narrow layer,
then a wider layer.
It's very well made. It's just that
you've got one layer topsy turvy.
The color combination
is very classical.
It feels very ballet tutu.
The elastic is really
neatly applied.
All of the twin needling
is pretty good.
I can just see a bit of blue
showing through the elastic.
I didn't want to swap the bobbin,
sorry! Right.
Right, let's look at the net.
There is one thing.
The seam here is going up.
You mean the seam on this
piece of net? Yes.
You've just joined them with the
seam on the wrong side, basically.
You've got your fold-over elastic
attached pretty well.
Pleats are good,
and I think the quality of your
twin needling is pretty good.
Let's have a look at the
net attachment.
Oh, gosh, it's a bit untidy.
We've got a couple of holes.
It's twisted here.
I was rushed at the end and
I just ran it through the machine.
It's not bad but I think you've
obviously struggled a little bit,
putting the net on. Yeah.
I really like this fabric.
I do love the combination.
It's disco Black Swan.
Yeah!
The pleats are pretty good.
Your elastic has been
beautifully applied.
The twin needling's really accurate.
Now, let's look at the net.
You've handled that so well.
This was incredibly difficult,
and that's pretty much perfect.
Thanks.
Patrick and Esme will now rank
the tutus from bottom to top.
In seventh place is Adele.
You just struggled a bit,
getting the net on neatly.
In sixth place is Emma.
Your top layer was upside down.
Yeah.
Minnie takes fifth,
Heather is fourth,
and Rebecca third.
In second place is...
...Anna.
There were just a few tucks.
Yeah.
Which means in first place,
it's Beth!
- Yay!
- Woo!
Brilliant combination of fabrics.
And totally flawless execution,
well done. Thank you!
It feels pretty amazing to win.
I feel a lot more relaxed now
about Kids' Week.
Ah, I'm a bit gutted.
Last, but I'm not going to
let it get me down.
I still love Kids' Week.
I don't like tutus.
I just caught a layer upside down.
It's an easy mistake to make.
Kids' Week so far has been lovely.
Quite liked having
the little dummies.
That's a dreadful thing
to call Patrick and Esme!
So far, the sewers have been
technically tested,
but now the judges want them
to fashion some fun.
Welcome back.
It's time for the
transformation challenge,
where you take something
old and unloved
and make it fabulous!
Ok, Patrick, P-Dog,
what have you got for us?
Well, you've heard of a wolf
in sheep's clothing...
Ooh!
Oh, that's cool.
Now, we're giving you fleeces.
Like most fleeces,
these were made of plastic,
which makes them
incredibly difficult to recycle.
So, instead,
we'd like you to re-use them
to create a stuffed toy animal.
Oh, my God!
You can take one fleece each.
You can take what you want from
the table, and when we come back in,
we need to recognise straight away
your animal you've made.
Right, the judges
can't be here for this,
so they're off for a
game of hopscotch. Off you pop.
Lovely. He'll win.
Ok. You've got an hour and a half.
Your time starts now.
Oh, I don't know which one
to go for!
Let's have a look
what's on the table as well.
Ok, that makes a big difference.
Ooh, googly eyes!
I have never made
a soft toy before.
I've made dollies before,
but I've not made animals.
I used to make little
cuddly toys as a kid.
Quite excited to see
what turns up at the end.
We've asked them to make
a toy animal out of old fleeces.
They could choose to be inspired
by the particular pattern
of the fleece.
That might be zebras. Zebras.
Could be something that's
a bit more big cat.
Fish. Scaly, yeah.
But they can choose to be
a bit abstract with it.
If you're making a lion,
it doesn't have to be beige.
As long as we recognise the animal.
Of course, just be aware that
this stuff is not normally
intended for use in this way,
and just make sure everything's
really well sewn, neatly attached,
especially if it's for kids,
make sure they've got no bits
hanging off them.
I'm really intrigued to see
what they come up with.
I'm just looking forward to seeing
this lot get a new FLEECE of life.
I am going to attempt to make
an octopus.
Well, if there's eight legs on it,
there's a limited
amount of things that it can be.
My son had a dinosaur when
he was a baby, called Sleepysaurus.
So I'm going to make a stegosaurus.
I've made teddies before,
and I'm going to make a teddy
again today.
I just wanted to make something
pink and fluffy, really.
I've gone for this orange,
but I'm hoping that if I do that,
you might get an idea of what
I'm planning...
A turtle.
Little flippers, little tail,
and then a really colourful shell.
Just trying to, like, picture
what a monkey looks like.
Is that a monkey
or is that not a monkey?
What are we doing?
I'm trying to make a monkey.
What inspired the monkey?
Anything behind it, or just panic?
My dad always used to call me
"Monkey",
cos I used to do
a lot of climbing
and I'd always stick to the wall.
Aw, that's sweet, isn't it?
I'm going for a piggy.
I want to make him into a boy.
I know I've gone with pink,
but you can have a boy pig.
Yeah, and also pigs are pink.
Boys and girls. Yeah.
I am going to be doing an elephant.
Hence the grey.
I'm going to start with the face
just cos I think it's going to be
the most complicated bit.
I'm going to make
all the legs first.
Not legs, are they?
They're tentacles.
I thought if I have that
in the seam,
it'll look like the
little octopus suckers.
I'm going to sew them in, so then
when I turn it out, hopefully
these will be on the back
of the stegosaurus.
Sewing the head and, uh...
Oh, sh**t.
Nope, not the head.
Never mind. Just forgot the head.
Got the top piece I need to do.
Aye-yai-yai!
So, I need to cut some new heads.
This is the body,
and then this is the belly.
Kind of needs a belly button.
I'm going to give him an outie,
I think.
I don't know whether to do a smile.
I'm going to use these
for the ears.
If they don't work it out,
I'll just do some oinking
noises in the background.
Ooh!
Oh, I'm actually really happy
with that already.
One down, seven to go.
Eight is actually quite
a lot of legs, I'm realizing.
My elephant has ears, trunk,
and it has some googly eyes.
Moment of truth.
Look at that!
That's worked quite well.
They said they wanted it to be
a recognisable animal.
She's recognisable to me.
Sewers, you're halfway through!
Ok, that went very quickly!
I need to make a tummy and legs.
That's a really big head.
Trying to reduce the size
a little bit.
Making sure his head is nice
and fluffy.
Oh, the trunk is on a bit wonky,
but I think it gives him
a bit of character.
Ooh, he looks a little bit anxious.
Angus the anxious elephant.
He's got a story.
Angus the anxious elephant
worried his way around,
until one day, some peace he found.
You can have the children's story
book rights if you would like them.
Yeah, I would, actually!
Got to sew some arms.
This is the second leg.
They're not very leg-looking so I'll
just make sure I do better arms.
Seeing if I can make a curly tail.
Is that a turtle? It is.
That makes me happy
cos you've recognised it.
So I've made the body,
but obviously the key thing
for a turtle is the shell.
What's he going to be called?
Or she, or they.
I haven't come up with a name yet.
Ok.
We're going to have a little think.
Brainstorm it, come back to me.
Got two arms.
I might put them fairly low down.
I'm hoping that the long tail
will stop it looking like a bear.
I think if they see it
as a monkey, then great.
I need to get my shell sewn on.
Looks like... Oh, my God, I've got
so many of these to do.
I need to stitch that on.
What are you making? Is it a seal?
Am I right?
It's a bear.
Once you've got his bottom legs on,
and its arms, then we'll know.
So that's his head.
Little ears sticking out there.
Right.
The bottom of my little elephant's
leg, and then I can stuff that.
I've sewn all my tentacles.
I think I'm going
to stuff them next.
Now I need to try and figure out
how to fit said legs.
Ah, I don't know how I'm
going to do this.
He's a bit of a funny shape,
but I'm going to put clothes on him.
Don't know the best
technique for this.
It's really hard to get it
all the way to the end.
Oh we're in. Tentacle one.'
All of the shell pieces are on.
He's not the neatest thing
I've ever sewn.
Hopefully it gets the idea across.
Mine's quite 3D,
it's quite standy-uppy.
His legs and arms are connected
to the body using buttons.
This is where it's going to
get tricky
because I kind of need them
to all go in a circle.
So that's going to be,
like, the base.
Do you know how long we've had?
You've got 15 minutes!
I'm going to make some clothes now.
I'm thinking dungarees, and I'm
going to put a pocket on the front.
We're nearly onto the stuffing.
Yes. Closing up the bottom
of her belly,
and then she will be ready to swim.
I've got a name. Mi-CHELLE.
There we go.
I think the stuffed
is quite an important
component of a stuffed animal.
No-one wants a half-stuffed
dinosaur.
Think it looks like an octopus.
Ideally, I would like my bear
to sit up and not have a drunk bear.
I might just get some black thread
and do a little smile.
Sewers, you've got
five minutes left.
He needs shoes.
Based on the amount of time I've
got, I don't think I'm going to be
able to change the expression
on the elephant.
God, it's a weird-looking thing.
I want a really tiny, little smile
so he looks really cute.
Stuff her up, and then I'm going
to hand-sew last bits.
You've got one minute left!
Aye-yai-yai!
Ok.
Ah!
Ah!
I'm just putting a little
smile on now,
cos it's got to be
a little bit cheeky.
Needles up, sewers.
That's your time.
I'm done!
Mine is kind of scaring me
a little bit.
He's a farmyard pig.
He's Arthur Pig.
I love him.
Oh, it really goes with your dress,
actually. Thank you.
A collection of upcycled fleeces,
transformed into
a menagerie of cuddly toys
in just 90 minutes.
And Esme and Patrick haven't a clue
whose animal is whose.
Ah, dear!
Ooh, la-la. You've had fun.
Fabulous. It's a deranged zoo!
So, this is octopus, or a squid.
Two, four, six, eight.
I think it's an octopus.
I think this is absolutely fabulous.
It's such a lovely little
expression.
The eyes are perfectly sized,
and the fact that they've used
these pompoms... Yes, I agree.
...to create the impression
of suckers on the arms,
is absolutely brilliant.
And I love the colours.
It's perfectly proportioned,
it's incredibly fun,
instantly recognisable.
I think it's brilliant.
We have a monkey of sorts. Yes.
He is... What's this?
Well, that's his belly button,
isn't it?
I think he's brilliant.
I love the shape of his head.
The expression on his face
is fab as well.
Anatomically,
he's a teeny-weeny bit skewwhiff,
but he's very clearly a monkey.
I agree with you.
It's hilarious.
♪ It's the Dinosaur Song! ♪
This is...
I think it's a cheeky stegosaurus.
It's got that instantly
recognisable stegosaurus shape.
All this felt's been
zigzagged together.
It's been really well engineered.
I love his little face, and just
this little...
"Mm!" ..tongue poking out.
I think he's great.
I have no idea what this is!
Is it a bear?
Well, I'm looking at his snout.
Oh, pig!
I think it's a pig.
I love the color,
and we've got little ears,
and we've got the little tail.
And trotters. They're not
staying on terribly well,
but they are quite fun.
The dungarees are very cute.
Any child would enjoy curling up
in a sty with this little fella.
♪ Teddy bear, teddy bear
♪ Turn out the light
♪ Teddy bear, teddy bear
♪ Say goodnight. ♪
It's instantly recognisable
as a teddy.
The shape of the head and the arms
and the body are actually very nice.
I like how the buttons
have been used
to sew the arms on, and the legs.
I think the buttons
co-ordinate nicely
with the color of the plush and...
Yes, I agree.
...it hangs together really well.
This is a turtle, and it's big.
I'm not sure about all this.
The way they've created the shell,
I wonder whether they needed
to be a little bit more
evenly positioned.
I think he's fun, he's recognisable.
Some elements could've been
managed a little more precisely,
but somebody's going to love him.
♪ Nellie the Elephant
packed her trunk
♪ And said goodbye to the circus
♪ Off she went with a trumpety-trump
♪ Trump, trump, trump. ♪
Of course, it's an elephant.
I think it's great.
I love the ears.
Again, he's instantly recognisable.
For some reason, I feel like
he's just maybe missing a feature.
Maybe an eyebrow.
The face just feels
a teeny bit empty.
Ears are super, legs are super.
He's really well engineered.
He stands up very well.
What do you think about the trunk?
I'm in for the trunk.
You're just going to hold that?
Yeah.
The judges will now rank the toys
and decide whose animal
is at the bottom of the food chain,
and whose is
a most superior species.
In seventh place
is the turtle.
It's Rebecca.
We liked how big it was,
but the shell could've been better.
Thank you.
In sixth place is
our adorable elephant.
It's Heather. There's
something magical about them.
Just makes you want to give him
a little cuddle. Thank you.
In fifth place is Minnie,
Adele takes fourth,
and Beth is third.
In second place...
...is the cheeky stegosaurus.
That is Emma.
We liked the little cheeky tongue,
didn't we?
We loved that.
Thank you very much.
So, in first place,
it's the octopus.
That's Anna.
Woo!
We love the colours'
we love the expression on his face,
and we love the old pompoms.
Thank you very much. Well done.
Oh, my gosh...
The octopus went down a treat
and, yeah, I'm really pleased
with it.
I don't think I would've expected
to have made something like that,
um, so I was really happy.
Little bit deflated. I think
everyone just did such a great job
that someone's got to come last.
I'm happy with fifth. Fifth
among really good sewers is not bad.
I'm gutted with sixth place.
I think it's going to be
a bit of an anxious night's sleep.
Tomorrow will be the make-or-break!
♪ The sun's gonna shine on
everything you do. ♪
Just one challenge remains
for the sewers to prove
they have what it takes to
stay in the competition.
So, fabulous first day of
Kids' Week.
How have they got on, do you think?
We're seeing a little bit
of a split.
We've got two people
in Anna and Beth
who are sitting right up
at the top. Beth won the pattern.
Anna's octopus won
the transformation.
Emma, I think, sitting
just below those two.
And then we've got a really
tight bunch of everybody else.
So who's got to pull it out
the bag today?
On points, Adele is at the bottom,
and then we've got
Heather, Minnie and Rebecca,
just a smidge above her.
Really, there isn't very much
to separate those four.
Just quickly, which teddy
would you want to take home?
I think I'd go stegosaurus.
You loved Heather's elephant,
didn't you?
It's an elephant
that's got a lot of therapy to do.
The final challenge in Kids' Week...
Here we are!
...is making super-duper
outfits for nine-year-olds.
Hey!
High five.
I think it's going to be
a really fun one.
Welcome back, sewers.
And hello, mini models.
So today is
the made-to-measure challenge,
where we want you to make an outfit
for a real-life person,
or in this case,
for a real-life superhero!
Cos the judges would like you
to create a superhero costume
with an original name
and an original superpower.
Now, I've checked under the tables,
there are no supervillains.
You just have to be careful
of these two!
So you've got three
and a half hours.
Your time starts...
...now! And we're off.
The sewers were able to precut their
pattern pieces ahead of time...
I'm just going to measure
this against your arms.
...but now they must make sure...
Arms up for me.
...the outfits will fit
their mini models perfectly.
Do you want to give me
a superhero pose? Amazing!
This is a fun one, isn't it?
We've always liked superheroes.
Superman, I think,
was the first really big one.
Then you've got
Spider-Man and Batman.
But the characters that
our sewers come up with
are every bit as valid
as these others.
When we look at it'
we need to understand the power that
the superhero has. Yeah.
You've probably got a tight-fitting
suit, got a cape, maybe a headpiece.
All of that needs to be decorated
in a way that tells the story.
And they have symbols on the front.
So, I mean,
if you look at all the classic ones,
Superman's just got a letter S,
Spider-Man, his whole suit is a web.
Yeah.
Batman, ears and a cape.
So, to create all these
fabulous ideas,
what sort of fabrics
do you think they should use?
I think spandex, jersey.
Things that stretch.
Yeah, you rarely see a superhero
who's not in spandex.
They need to be ready for action.
Yeah. Yes!
Did you like superheroes as a kid?
I've always been
a fan of the Batman.
"THE Batman"? Yeah. Yeah.
He's very dramatic, very broody.
Yeah, that's what you want
from a Batman, isn't it? Yeah.
Morning. Morning.
Morning.
Tell us about the superhero
you are creating.
I am creating a superhero
I've called Electra,
and she can
create and destroy energy.
Defeating the laws
of thermodynamics.
Yeah, exactly! Yes.
Never mind Einstein.
Here's Electra.
Peppered with lightning bolt motifs,
Beth's superhero Electra
will sport a purple, blue
and metallic spandex unitard,
and a stylish quilted orange gilet
of energy armour.
The inspiration behind this
was to make it
a little bit more like streetwear,
than it being really flouncy.
The main body of the suit
does have the stretch this way,
so I'm hoping that does me Ok,
because my model is quite tall.
What are we doing over here?
We are doing my superhero
called Shapeshifter,
and they can shape shift into
different animals... Right.
...and assume their natural ability.
Heather's Shapeshifter will have a
spandex suit with butterfly wings
and a hood with bat ears'
along with cheetah-print
boot covers.
She's creating an interchangeable
dolphin fin
and a monkey's tail that attaches
with hook and loop tape,
so her hero can shift shape
and abilities.
Did you ever do that game at school
where you morph into a different
animal or character?
- It's like, old lady...
- Hello!
I can definitely say
we did not do that!
I am using this bright pink neoprene
because it's stretchy,
so it will make the fitting a lot
easier for a growing child.
I think superheroes are doing
a lot of moving around, aren't they?
So I think they definitely need
something stretchy.
Tell us, what's your superhero?
My superhero is going to be
called Rocket Boy.
His superpower is that
he can fly so fast,
he can travel through
all space and time. Goodness!
He's going to have black trousers
with all these flames on, so it...
Ok, so effectively he is the rocket,
and the flame is coming...
Anna's Rocket Boy will have a blue
velvet cape studded with gold stars,
and a silver velour tunic,
paired with a porthole belt and hat,
along with trousers with
felt flames,
to rocket through
multiple dimensions.
Tell me a date that you'd
go back to for a day.
Versailles in the late 18th century.
Maybe Rocket Man'll take ya. Woo!
Come on, Anna.
I'm going to try
and do the unitard first,
cos that's the really fiddly bit.
I'm putting six zips on in total.
It's time-consuming, but it's
the whole idea behind my costume.
What are you making?
I am making a costume for Zip Kid.
And Zip Kid can teleport anywhere
by the use of zips.
So here is one of the sleeves,
and if you want to
take the zip down... Ooh!
...there's a little hidden woodland
in there.
Oh, there is, isn't there?
With a wealth of zips
for teleportation,
Emma's two-piece outfit will
be a mix of scuba
and Ponte di Roma
stretch fabrics,
along with belt and mask made from
double-sided metallic silver
interfacing.
How are you going to get
the mask on the head?
I'm going to overlock the elastic
so that then it'll just be able
to go around the head. Ok.
Shall we zip ourselves out of here?
Time to zip off! Ha-ha!
I have practised all
the elements of this.
I haven't necessarily put it
all together.
I just need to get on with it,
really.
This is a tight one for time.
I'm assembling the trousers.
I just want to get this done
as quickly as possible cos I've
got to get all the flames on there.
I'm just making the wings
because the wings are going to be
attached into the side seam,
so when they lift their arm up,
it creates that full winged effect.
Just think about how
I can place these.
Kind of want it to look like
he is just ready to launch.
I think just the front.
I have something that is starting
to look like a top.
I've put my superhero emblem
on the centre.
This is a treble clef.
Tell us what you're making.
I have a musical-themed superhero.
Ok.
Her name is the Treblemaker, um...
Ooh cos of the treble clef!'
And she can make crowds
burst into song and dance,
like in movie musicals.
Rebecca's Treblemaker costume
comprises of a silver spandex
T-shirt and leggings,
a knife-pleated piano key skirt,
and a lilac satin cape adorned
with applique notes and staves.
I genuinely like this superpower.
I think this sounds like
a lot of fun. Yeah.
If it works, we'll all burst into
song later, won't we?
You Ok, Hez?
Just powering on with this
main body of the suit.
How are you getting on?
Ok, I'm on the last zip.
God, you're flying through the zips!
Yeah.
We've got the very shiny leotard.
It needs finishing up,
but I'm going to wait for my model
to try it on first.
I want to start making
some of the other bits.
I'm doing the puffy sleeves and I've
chosen this thick duchess satin.
It gathers them up
so they look a bit, like, muscly.
Feisty girls' arms.
Hello! Morning.
What are you making?
Oh, it's a buzzing bee!
A Super Bee costume.
What is the bee's superpower?
It's got sting blaster wristbands,
so it can sting all the baddies.
Sting blaster wristbands?"
Ooh, la-la! Watch out!
Adele's Super Bee comes with
a sting sh**ter wristband
and a mask for alter ego anonymity.
Her puff-sleeved yellow
and black polycotton dress
will have a skirt of bee wings
with bee logos on the bodice,
and a black duchess satin cape.
Why the bee?
My little girl got stung by a bee,
and it's like Spider-Man -
he got bitten by a spider. Right.
And ever since, we always joke
that she's got super bee powers.
I need to get my front piece,
which has the two zips on it,
and I need to write
"Zip Kid" on the front.
So that is one half of
my knife-pleated skirt.
So there will be black piano keys,
like this.
I am doing 14 keys,
which will be
two octaves' worth of a piano.
I'm just trying to make my frill
that goes onto the shoulder
of my dress.
So it's a big feature,
I really need to get this right,
and I really need to get this right
quickly.
Tell us what you're making.
Cos I grew up in Asia,
I grew up with a superhero genre
which is magic girls.
So I'm making Magic Girl costume.
She can hear
and she can talk to cats.
Oh! Esme can talk to cats.
Meow! Meow.
Meow, meow, meow.
Minnie's Magic Girl
has a black Lurex jumper
with a bell on the neckline'
under a pink neoprene dress
with shoulder ruffles,
a huge bow on the back,
and a cat logo cut-out on the chest.
Is that a lining?
This is iron-on interfacing
because it's really easy to stretch
the cat shape out,
so I'm stabilising. So this centre
panel is not stretchy anymore.
We'll let you get on with it. Meow!
I'm a bit worried
that the judges will say,
"Oh, it's not superhero enough
for us."
Now we're making the monkey's tail.
I'm trying to add the stuffing
and make sure it's all pushed down.
I'm doing the big wings
on the front of the skirt.
Got six of them,
so I need to get a move on.
So I'm just doing my sleeve hem
for my jumper.
Ok, there's a little hem. Cool.
Zip Kid! Would you like to try
one of my teleportation zips?
And I can go anywhere? You can go...
You might need
to use your imagination.
Health spa. Oh, no,
I'm afraid you've just opened
a door to space!
This is my little unitard.
Now I'm moving on
to my energy armour.
I'm going to stitch the shapes
of lightning bolts on it.
They will actually be giving it
the quilted look.
So that's my pleats stitched down,
and I just need to attach
the waistband to neaten up
this top edge.
Hello, my buoyant badger!
This is a piano, is it?
It is, yes. I'm doing
a musical-themed superhero.
This is definitely a superpower
I would like to have myself. Yeah.
I think my superpower
is to be super-organised.
I love a spreadsheet. I love a list.
I love a plan.
If I had a superpower,
I'd probably want to be invisible,
sneak up on everyone.
Maybe not, that's a bit weird!
Sewers, you're halfway through!
It's going to be a bit tight
but, you know, when is it not?
We're on to scuba.
So this is like a little yoke
for the top of the top.
What else have you got to do?
The waistband.
I need to do the hem
of the trousers.
I need to do the hem of the top
and the cuffs.
I need to do my belt and my mask.
Get going! Yeah, I am.
Right, next we're going to do
the dolphin's fin.
Are you going to get bat ears?
Don't think we're
going to have time now.
Ok. I'd rather try
and get the legs
and everything else finished.
The idea of the energy armour
is, I've got two layers
of fabric and one layer of wadding,
and I just want to make sure
that I don't end up
with a seam on the inside
when I turn it through.
I want to make some little kind of
cuffs, like gauntlet things
with little rocket fins on the side,
and hope that that slips on.
With a lot of these accessories,
I'm going more
for the visual impact than
the quality of construction.
The main thing with this is to get,
like, something
that makes sense for the powers.
You've got one hour left!
Aye-yai-yai!
Stress-sense superpower!
Super Flapper, super-panicking!
Heather's just stuffing
her dolphin fin.
I don't think she's going
to get the bat ears done.
Emma, I'm worried about her,
doing all those zips.
That's a lot of work. Minnie
seems to have got on quite well.
It's quite subtle. You've just got
a little cut-out cat shape
at the centre front.
Doesn't feel like a superhero to me.
I'm sort of with you.
I hope it's enough.
Adele's doing pretty well.
It's very strikingly bee-like.
She's just got to make the
wristlets that sh**t stings.
Let's hope she doesn't
sh**t them at us.
Let's hope.
I think I am going to get my model
for trial now.
Hi, Nora.
It's now the sewers discover...
I might just make those shoulders
a little bit smaller.
...whether the measurements
are accurate...
Hopefully this fits. Wonderful.
..and their master plan...
Got a cape for you,
but I just want to make sure
it's not going to be
uncomfortable.
...is going to work on their models.
All right.
Let me just see if we
can get this closed or not.
It's a little bit snug,
so I need to adjust the bits
that I'm working on now.
I need to add the hook
and loop tape.
Still got a bit to do.
I'm just going to take
a wee, wee bit off these shoulders,
cos it was a little bit big
in the shoulder for you.
You've got 30 minutes left!
I'm using this oven-glove wadding.
It'll be coated in silver fabric,
and I'm putting a bit of the
blue fabric behind,
so it'll kind of look
like a window.
Right, sting blasters. They're
going to attach with poppers.
I'm just applying my bolts
to the back of the armour,
and then I'm going to
zigzag around it.
This is the belt for Zip Kid.
So that's the little belt window.
So it'll kind of do up
with, like, loop tape.
I'm just doing my cat ear. Done.
There you go.
That's the ears.
I'm making the little hat,
which will hopefully look like
the top of a rocket.
I'm going to really quickly
start on my cheetah boot covers,
and then I'm going to add elastic
to keep them up,
so it will be like so.
Attaching some music notes
onto my cape,
and then I can stitch the hook
and loop tape,
which is how the cape
is going to attach.
Working on the cape. So that might,
like, pull the top back a bit.
Ten minutes left!
Bit stressed for time.
Oh God!'
Hiya. Hello!
First things first -
let me measure your heid!
How does that feel there?
Do you want to try the mask on?
You look cool.
A few little messy bits there,
but I don't really have
much time to sort them.
Try not to get stressed.
Five minutes left! Argh!
Don't panic, Janvi.
I'm just going to finish off
the bottom seam.
One done. Other leg to go.
So you can pop those on.
Last row of stitching,
and then some thread shopping.
We'll get the cape on.
Oh, we've got no hood.
There was no time for a hood.
And then we've got
a little hat for you.
I have to do my wee mask.
You've got one minute!
I gotta get this finished!
Get those superheroes ready
to save the day on the catwalk!
Woo!
I've got these to put
on your wrists.
So they should just slip on.
Let's wriggle you in.
Let's pop you, that one there.
Nice.
Shoogle, shooge, shoogle.
Velcro you all in.
You look gorgeous!
Oh!
We are coming apart a little bit.
And you've got a cape!
Needles up, sewers!
That's your time!
How's that?
Oh, you look just like a rocket!
Pow! Not a fighting type of
superhero, are we?
You're the friendly
neighbourhood Cat Girl.
♪ We have got the power
♪ To go minute after minute,
to go hour after hour
♪ We can't get this party started
until we have got the power... ♪
Seven superhero outfits
made to measure
in a fantastic four hours.
♪ To go minute after minute,
to go hour after hour
♪ We can't get this party started
until we have got the power... ♪
I love the idea of being able
to zip myself
to a different destination'
and I really like
the way you've played
with different places
that Zip Kid can zip off to.
These zips are inserted really well.
The logo on the front
hasn't worked so well.
Zip Kid should have been
half the height.
That's where you need that logo,
so that the belt can be
right on the waist.
Yeah. It is a little big.
It's coming off the shoulder
a smidge,
but it's still very, very cool.
You've just got to know where
the important bits are sitting.
Thank you so much!
♪ Rocket man, burning out
his fuse up here alone... ♪
I really like this idea.
These flames are great.
But you needed to sew them round,
because from the front,
they look right.
But from any other angle,
they're just not having
the same effect.
I think the rocket-cone hat,
the shape needed to be
a bit more upright.
I like the cape,
but the top is pulling.
The cape was heavier than
I thought it was going to be.
The porthole, I feel like I need
to see the computer inside
or a little guy, like,
peeping out or something.
I'm so happy you got the gauntlets,
but I feel like a couple
of little details
are just separating it from
being really, really good.
♪ Change
♪ You can change... ♪
I love the idea.
He's got the speed of a cheetah,
he can swim underwater
because he's got the dolphin fin,
he can fly because he's got
the wings of a butterfly,
and balance
and agility of the monkey.
I also like the sort of
almost liquid mercury suit.
It's a bit tight under the arms.
It's doing all this draping here.
I like that you can take on and off
the different elements,
but you've just sort of run out
of fastening at the top there. Yeah.
It's a little bit untidy.
I was going to do the hood
velcroed onto that neck band.
For me, it wants something on the
head, or something on the chest,
some sort of symbol,
that sort of quarter cheetah,
quarter butterfly, quarter dolphin,
quarter monkey, or something.
Thank you.
Good job.
♪ Girl, pretty girl
♪ Girl, pretty girl, magic... ♪
It's a very cool-looking dress.
I like the bright pink neoprene,
and I like the combination
of the subtly sparkly black top.
You've managed the construction,
on the whole, pretty well.
The shape of this bow
is really dramatic.
I think this cat is not obvious.
Yeah. I have no idea
what superhero this is.
I'm with Esme.
It's a great-looking outfit,
but the superpower of your
magic girl isn't hugely obvious
because that cut-out shape there,
it's just sort of lost a little bit.
Thank you.
Really well done!
Yeah!
Electra looks absolutely electric.
It's really cool-looking.
It's a nice take on a kind
of superhero costume.
The quilting of it is really clever
cos it's creating a really
kind of powerful shape.
I think the suit underneath
is a great fit.
The color combination
is really smart.
I like how you've put this
flash on the shoulder
and this huge flash on the back.
It's really, really good.
Thank you.
I absolutely love this,
the idea that your superpower is to
compel people instantly into song.
Just a nice thing for the world.
And I love the way
you've interpreted it.
Even the name - the Treblemaker,
with the treble clef - it's so nice.
We've got a cape with notes on.
The waistband's very well sewn.
I think you've done a good job.
I think it's brilliant.
The superpower leaps out at you.
It's fab. Thank you.
♪ So, Supergirl
♪ Supergirl, oo-ee-ooh
♪ Supergirl... ♪
This is really effective.
The mask is very superhero-ish.
You've got that classic
diamond on the centre of the chest
and on the back of the cape.
From a very long way away,
you can see that this is
a bee-based superhero.
The sleeves are great.
The way that you've constructed
the skirt is really clever,
and then you've got, of course,
the sting blaster.
Do you want to give us a blast?
Boo-ya! That is top sting-blasting.
The whole thing hangs
together really well.
I think it's super fun.
It's super clear.
It's definitely superhero.
Thank you.
Judging went really, really well.
They completely got my design,
and I've finally made
something that fit!
The comments from the
judges were fantastic.
I'm so, so pleased.
I'm just hoping and praying
I've done enough.
Definitely could've gone better, but
it definitely could've gone worse.
I just really hope it was
superhero enough for them.
The judges couldn't read
"superhero", which I understand.
I'm happy with what I made.
That's the main thing.
They really liked what I was
going for with the more streetwear.
I genuinely have been quite
apprehensive about Kids' Week
and I actually can't believe,
like, how much fun I've had.
So, that's the end of Kids' Week.
What are our thoughts?
Going into today, we had four
sewers sitting at the bottom. Yes.
We had Adele, Rebecca,
Minnie and Heather,
and the made-to-measure has
really torn that right up.
Adele's Super Bee, you loved. Yes.
It was really well made and
we knew immediately what it was.
And then Rebecca's Treblemaker -
A, it's a great pun,
B, she also ex*cuted it
really, really well.
It just hit the right note.
Oh, it hit the right note!
Both of them, along with Beth's,
are in contention for
garment of the week. Yes.
Beth's was really original,
beautifully ex*cuted,
which leaves Heather and Minnie.
Heather's had a few flaws,
but it did have superhero
qualities about it.
And then we've got Minnie's.
It's a great-looking dress,
but what it lacks is that
clear story of the superpower.
So we've got quite a
lot to work out, then.
I've a favourite for
garment of the week,
and I think I know who
should be going home.
So do I.
So, that's the end of Kids' Week.
You've all been fabulous.
Your imaginations are just wild.
Which leads us on to
garment of the week.
What have you got for us, Big P?
Our garment of the week
this week is...
...the Treblemaker!
Congratulations!
Rebecca!
Just such a great idea and
so brilliantly ex*cuted, so clear.
Well done. Thank you!
Ok, always a bit more
of a difficult bit.
Unfortunately, one of you
does have to go home,
and the person going
home this week is...
...Minnie.
It's all right. No, it's all right.
It's been really,
really, really nice.
I think the best part is
meeting all the sewers,
and I have learnt a lot.
Whilst Minnie, I think, delivered
a really great-looking dress -
beautiful shape, amazing color -
it didn't tell the story
of that superpower.
I am proud for how far I've got.
Been quite a journey.
I'm proud and I'm happy.
It's a good place to be.
And, Rebecca, well done.
Well done. Congratulations.
I'm completely shocked!
I was not expecting that.
Oh, it's beautiful.
I'm going to take from this week
that it's not over until it's over
and a bad challenge on day one
does not count you out of the race.
It means the world to me
to still be here.
I've survived Kids' Week!
Great job. Great job, guys.
I am elated to still be here.
Think I'd got through
by the skin of my teeth.
Well done. Well deserved.
I'm so, so excited for next week.
It's going to be a great one.
Next time...
Come on!
..It's Music Week.
That is pop star, right there.
The sewers take on
a conical conundrum...
Look into my eyes!
...get frisky with
bedroom furnishings...
K-pop bondage!
And make outfits to move in."
They look a little bit small.
Who will be boogying
into the spotlight...
That's definitely got disco
kind of running right through it.
...and who... I'm just going
to encourage you to...
...will be dancing at the door?
Speed up? ..speed up a wee bit.
Oh, gosh! Ok.
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12x06 - Episode 6
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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.