04x06 - Activewear

[bunniefuu]

We've reached the quarterfinal
of our sewing marathon

and our sewers are about to work up
a sweat as they take on active wear.

So, who is playing the long game
and who is going to run out of puff?

I'm quite tired just
thinking about it.

Welcome to the
Great British Sewing Bee.

Last time... Sex, drugs and rock
and roll. ..'60s girl Joyce...

I used a machine like that
when I was younger. ..came top...

These bands are absolutely spot-on.
..twice.

It's like a Liquorice Allsort,
it's almost edible.

Jade's attention to detail...

Even the sleeves were
pattern-matched.
..won her garment of the week.

I'm so happy. And after
mistakes in the made-to-measure...

Oh, God, look at that,
the lining is too small.

..we said goodbye to Angeline.

This time - the sewers get active.

They work.

Oh, my God. The alterations go
downhill. This is nuts.

Do you find this quite fun?
No. Why would I find it fun?

They grapple with stretch fabrics.

It's like it's designed to upset
you. Like weird boyfriends.

And figure-hugging sportswear.

This fits like a glove!

It's supposed to be a top,
not a glove.

But which of these
quarterfinalists...

Will people stop running?
It's really nerve-racking.

..will become a semifinalist?

Just a total nightmare.

Get ready for the
most unpredictable Sewing Bee yet.

It's from one thing to the next.
Like this...whoo!

Is anyone happy with theirs?
No. No. No.

So what the hell is going to happen?

If they complain that there
are puckers in my sleeve
insertions...

You may tell them to pucker off!

SHE LAUGHS

Can't believe
we're down to the last five.

Absolutely delighted to be here.

Did you say quarterfinals?

I'm just going to go in there
and do absolutely everything

that I can to stay.

All the way up?

That means we have to go
all the way down.

It absolutely feels like it's
anybody's game at the moment.

There is no clear winner.

I'm going to stay calm,
read the pattern,

that's probably a good idea,
we didn't do that last week.

And just try
and get that perfect sew.

Everyone else has managed it
and I really want to do that
for myself more than anything.

Huge congratulations for making it
through to the quarterfinal!

This week, the judges would like to
test you on how you make activewear

using very technical fabrics.

Patrick, why don't you share with
the group the pattern? Oh, God.

OK, here you are.

Hand those round.

ALL GROAN AND CHATTER

We'd like you to
make a men's cycling top in Lycra.

It's designed to be aerodynamic,

so we don't want to see any
puckered seams.

It's got to be beautifully sewn.

How do you feel about that?
Terrified.

You have two hours, 45 minutes.
Your time starts now.

A cycling top requires a highly
mobile fabric as it needs to

move with the body,

so the haberdashery has been stocked
with rolls of Lycra.

I'll go for block
colour but contrast it.

I think I'm going to go for that.

It's a men's cycle top,
let's remember that.

Yeah, I'm not going pink, then.

I've never sewn with Lycra.

I have felt it before.
I like the purple.

Purple is men's as well,
isn't it?

I don't wear activewear generally,

unless you count activity as lying
around on the sofa and knitting.

Why activewear?

Specific active apparel is expensive

and to be able to do it requires
a great deal of skill.

This is an incredibly
difficult fabric to sew.

It's got a four-way stretch,

so it stretches down and across
the fabric.

One side can stretch more than the
other, so you will get puckering.

It's really important
it is well pinned,

particularly around this area.

The zip is difficult.

It's very important that the collar
is lined up properly.

It's going to be very hard to
achieve this level of finish

with this fabric.

It's, I think, one of the
toughest challenges we've ever set.

Yes, I would agree with you there.

I am really nervous about this.

I really hate stretch fabric.

I mean, there's more and more
need for activewear these days.

More and more people wearing it.

Whether or not they're actually
being active

is a whole other ball game.

There's an arrow marked
on this pattern piece...here...

that you have to line up with
the grain line

so that your stretch is going
straight down...

If it is slightly skew
then you'll get twist,

which would obviously not be ideal.

You want everything to lie properly
and nice and flat.

The front of the cycling top is
made up of three pieces -

one on the lower half
and two on the top,

which are attached to the back
piece at the shoulder seams.

Next, a collar and zip
are attached at the neckline.

And the lower half
stitched at the centre seam.

Finally, the sleeves are inserted.

Tracey. Hiya.

Look at these colours,
you clever human being.

I like a bit of red and blue.

When you heard, "It is
activewear week", inside...

I died a small death inside.
I mean, by the way, so did I.

But apparently it is very important.
Have you worked with Lycra before?

I've made some kids' things with
Lycra, beach-short type things.

Are you worried about time?

Normally, I'm not
bothered about times
because normally I sew very quickly.

But I can't sew this quickly
because it won't be accurate,

so I'm more
worried about accuracy today.

I've got to get that right today.
All right. Darling, good luck.

Thank you.

I'm being very careful when I'm
cutting that I'm cutting accurately.

Using a rotary cutter really helps
with that. I always use scissors.

I've tried a rotary cutter
and I'm not so good at it.

It may be an age thing,
I don't know.

With all eight pieces cut...

So it says right sides together,

sew the upper front to the
back at the shoulders.

..sewing can begin. Let's do it.

Overlockers are very important
when working with stretch.

The stitch it does itself is
inherently stretchy,

it has all of these extra
threads in it.

Normally a
sewing machine has two threads

and if you pull on the stitch on
a sewing machine, it'll pop.

This, you can stretch.

Hi, Rumana. Hello.

Morning. How are you getting on?

Trying not to have a panic

because this is the only the second
time I have used an overlocker. OK.

Oh, really? Yeah, the first
time being the babygro. Oh, right.

So I'm not used to these at all.

They scare me more than anything.

A little bit panicked.

You do have to be careful
that you don't stretch it.

You just have to take your time,

you can't really rush with
anything like this

because it does cut the seam off.

I love using an overlocker.
Foot down and go.

I drive a car a bit like that!

"With right sides together,
sew the outer collar piece to the
neckline."

It's a fine line between stretching
and overstretching the fabric.

Because we need to make the collar
fit, I'm using loads of pins.

Charlotte. Hello, darling.

You're used to this kind of fabric?

Nobody has ever used this kind of
fabric. It's really hard, isn't it?

The judges keep on
saying it's really hard.

It just wants to go all baggy
and horrible

and wibbly on all your seams.
That's what it wants to do.

It's like it's designed to upset
you. Like weird boyfriends.

Exactly.

"Attach the under
collar to the outer collar."

So if I can find my under collar,
I would be delighted to do that.

A second layer of fabric,

the under collar, gives the garment
structure around the neck.

It does just want
to shift...everywhere.

But joining two layers of Lycra
isn't easy.

I'm trying not to fiddle with it
too much because that's

when it starts to stretch.

It's slipping all over the place.

Going to have to unpick that
and do it again. Come out.

The judges definitely don't want any
bumpiness around the neckline.

I've attached the collar

so the next stage is to do
something called understitching,

which means attach this bit to
this bit

so it won't roll over to the front.

JADE: How exciting.

Understitching is sewn to the
inner part of the garment.

I think the thing to do with this
is just get it done.

Once the under collar is folded
back to the inside,

the stitches shouldn't be seen.

I think I've messed up my collar.

I don't really understand what
is going on at all with the collar.

OK. I'm just sewing it.
And hoping for the best? Yes.

I don't know why
we don't just buy it.

I think I will be buying these
things rather than making.

What if your lovely husband
goes, "Guess what, sweetpea,
I'm going to take up cycling."

You're going to say,

"Don't you worry,
don't go and spend £100 on a cycle
top, I'll whip you one up."

My husband has asked me
to fix a button on his coat

for about three years
and it's still not done.

And you haven't done it? Do want to
make an official apology to him?

By the way, I have never knowingly
done anything for my husband.

Sewers, you are halfway through.

Right, zip.

Esme and Patrick's pattern demands

an exposed zip in the centre
front seam.

Last week we had a lot of wonky zips
where one side was higher

than the other.
What have I done there?

The problem with it is, this woven
zipper tape is solid,

this stretches, so as you are trying
to combine the two,

they don't want to play
nicely together.

The zip-up collar is the most
visible part of the garment.

Holy bloody cheese ba*ls.

TRACEY: I'm trying to be really
careful with this zip

because it will show on the outside
if I'm not really careful.

Nobody likes sewing Lycra.

SHE EXHALES

I think this challenge is proving
as difficult as we thought it

was going to be.

That thing of stretching one side
more than the other, putting

stretch with non-stretch, sewing
the zip on is really difficult.

Oh, mother almighty.

You guys are getting meaner
and meaner each week.

I had to go to the dentist yesterday
and have a tooth filled,

I think I'd rather go back there
than do this again!

Joyce, are you unpicking?

I'm unpicking
and can I show you why?

I wanted that seam to be together
there and there and it wasn't.

Yellow and blue, almost denim-y.

It's actually Tour de France.
Tour de France!

Exactly. Instead of the yellow
jersey, he's just halfway there.

Fantastic. You know
what he needs - drugs.

That'll get him there faster.

That's what they do, Joyce, I don't
want to ruin it for you.

Sewers, one hour left.

Time is going
too fast in Lycra world - I sense.

I am now turning the under collar
to the inside

and then I'm going to cover stitch,

which means stitching it down with
that weird machine there.

What is this?
This is a cover-stitch machine.

How are you finding it?

I thought I hated overlockers
and then I met this. Ah.

The cover-stitch machine is new to
everyone. This is petrifying.

As far as I can tell,
it's two needles on the top

so I'm getting a twin
line of stitching on the top

and then underneath it's doing this
loop which allows it to stretch,

which is what
we need with this Lycra fabric.

The pattern requires two
lines of visible

stitching along the neckline.

When these are finished,
they look really professional.

They don't look home-made.

Going slow and steady cos
I've never used this machine before.

They have to be really
careful that they don't do what

I call wracking, which is
make one layer get pushed round

further than the other
so you get a wobbly edge.

It's not meant to be wonky.
But I think I've done OK.

That looks really bad.

I think I've overstretched it couple
of times already in the collar

because I wasn't sure what I was
doing. I'm hating this challenge.

I'm hating everything about this
challenge.

You've given me so many machines
I don't really know how to use

and I'm back to the overlocker.

I just want to get to the end now.

Sewers,
you only have half an hour left.

Well, it looks like half a top now.
So that's a start.

JADE: This is one of the key seams,

this is where it actually attaches
the tops to the bottoms.

It is an eye-catching seam.

It's got a slight curve on the seam
where it goes across the chest,

so it's going to be really obvious
if you've got one side slightly
wonky.

This is driving me up the wall.

This is the kind of thing that
would make you cry.

Right, sleeves. Just give me a
second, I don't what I've done here.

I've no idea which pedal
I'm supposed to be pressing

most of the time, with all these
machines on my desk.

I've just...
(It's just a total nightmare.)

Is anyone happy with theirs?
No. No. No. OK.

My thread's snapped
halfway round my hem.

I have not made friends with this
machine at all. Six minutes.

That is not helpful.

Scissors, scissors.
Where are my scissors?

It's definitely not simple sowing.

I've got three sewing machines
on my table. That's not relaxing.

I just want it to end
so the t*rture is over. Oh, come on.

That makes me
want to get on a bike. Does it?

"What are you doing this weekend?"
"I'm just going cycling."

These stitches are not as good
as they could be.

I'm going to bung it on the model
and hope I never, ever

have to do
anything like this again.

The only thing I'm not happy with is
this little wonky bit there.

It looks like it's got three rows.

This fits like a glove!

It's supposed to be a top, not
a glove. Gorgeous, isn't he, my man?

Have I understitched it on the wrong
side? Have I got the wrong side?

Yeah, you've understitched
it on the outside,

it should have been
understitched on that side.

Oh, God, why is it baggy?
I don't know. I don't think...

Nothing to see, go away.

Just put it on
the flipping mannequin,
you've got about ten seconds.

Jade, stop speaking,
put it on the mannequin.

Time is up, Rumana, are you OK?
Zip him up.

Guys let's take these puppies up.

MUSIC: Let Us Take You For A Ride
by Cliff Richard

# Ride with us, come ride with us
Better be allied with us... #

Five cycling tops made from scratch
in just two hours and 45 minutes.

# We are pleading

# Please let us
take you for a ride. #

You've chewed this neckline,
unfortunately, just a little bit.

There's signs of multiple
goes at this. Pickings? Yeah.

It looks like you've stretched it.

Where the collar is, it's matching
up pretty well, actually.

This has been pulled up slightly,
here...

..rather than a smooth line.
The bottom hem is even.

Not bad at all, just I think
this detachment of the collar,

the stretching at the neck
that's let it down fractionally.

Well, I really like these colours.
They really pop.

It's also extremely well sewn.

I would have to say you've got
this near-on perfect. Yep.

The collar's sitting very nicely.
And here, this is not pulling here.

Your hem is very, very even
around the bottom.

This isn't bagging here. No.

The only thing is the zip
doesn't go right to the top.

The main thing is the collar,
actually. Where it shows...

Where the collar lines up
is slightly off.

What you've done is you've
understitched

to the front of the collar
and not the back of the collar.

Also, you've stretch it out
while you've done it a little bit.

You've lost tension
in just a couple of places...

around the bottom hem.

It's really not bad at all.

It's pretty neat, isn't it, Patrick?
Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, the collar does
actually sit really nicely. Yes.

The collars don't... I know.
..match there. I know.

And the zip is pulling this up.

But one thing I would say
that is really good

is how this meets at the top.

I think the colour combination
actually works extremely well.

Yeah, it does. I think it really
does look very smart indeed.

The first thing is you've managed to
stretch the... The neck. ..the neck.

It's sitting pretty well
at the back, but it is just...

It's gaping a bit at the front.

The collar isn't matching. No.

And you've done your cover stitch...
Yeah.

..over the seam. You were asked
to do it above the seam.

Your hemming... I mean, we've got...
Yeah, I had a problem.

How have we managed to get three
rows of stitches? I don't know!

The front seam is going up
a little bit,

and it's to do with the zip
being not stretch,

and this all being stretch.

Patrick and Esme will now rank
the garments in order of success.

In fifth place, it's Rumana.

You've just not
got that collar right.

Fourth place is Jade.

It didn't quite match here,
and the collar was a bit wobbly.

Third place, Charlotte.

Again, collar stretched out.

Otherwise, spot-on.

In second place...

..Joyce. Yes!

I'm really pleased with that.
It just didn't meet here. Yeah.

Which means, of course, in first
place, it's Tracey. Yay! Thank you.

THEY ALL APPLAUD

Well done. Thank you.

In a near-perfect execution -
beautiful choices of colours,

neatly sewn, beautiful fit.
Well done. Thank you.

Huge congratulations.

All of you, go and have a relax,
and then we come back in,

and the judges have chosen

a particularly exciting
alteration challenge.

I can't wait for you to see it.

# We've got to stay... #

Cheers. Cheers, guys. Cheers.
Another one done.

Absolutely chuffed with that.
Really, really thrilled.

I think I've taken their advice
on board,

slowed down, made sure it was neat,
and it was brilliant.

So, yeah, really, really excited!

Compared to last week's...nightmare.

I enjoyed making it, to be honest,
until I got to the collar,

and I could have thrown that
sewing machine out the window.

I hate being in the middle.
I want to be at the top.

Ideally, I would feel better
if I was higher up.

I don't think I'll ever make a men's
cycle top out of Lycra again.

Welcome back
to your alteration challenge.

Your judges are giving you
a classic piece of sportswear

that they would like you
to totally transform.

Patrick?

This week, we're giving you each...
Oh!

THEY LAUGH

Um...

It's a 1980s ski-suit.

This could be your chance
to go really off-piste...

Um, like what I did there?
THEY GROAN

So you've got three layers
of fabric here -

you've got a synthetic outer,
a layer of wadding and a lining.

We want you to take all of this

and to make us
a piece of outerwear for a child.

We don't want you
to use any other fabric.

You can use trimmings,
but remember you've got zips,

you've got belts, you've got bits
of elastic, you've got cuffs.

So we want you
to try and incorporate those.

Look at their faces.
They're very quiet.

They haven't been this quiet
since week one.

OK, we'll ask the judges to leave.
Goodbye, judges. Goodbye.

You have 90 minutes.

Your time starts now.

God. Let's have a look.

MUSIC: Ski Sunday Theme

Oh! Oh, my God.

I'll have that one.

Argh!

Just hideous.

Come on!
What kid wouldn't want that?

I would not subject any child
to having to wear that.

This comes from
my own personal collection.

Blimey.

That is special.

This is a humorous challenge.

I've made children's coats before,

so I kind of know what
kind of quantities of fabric I need.

We've got some zips.

This is nuts!

Haven't got a clue what to do.

If they're shrinking it down,
firstly it has to fit the mannequin.

But also it still needs to look
the right shape and size. Yes.

I mean, I'm hoping they might use,
you know,

little details like this, the pocket
flaps, this bit at the front.

Yeah. The collar.

If they use the colours and the
patterns that might be in the suits
wisely,

again, they could make something
that has real impact.

Oh, look at that.
How can I use that?

My initial thoughts...

..are maybe, like, a winter jacket.

I'll probably take the collar off.

I'm thinking quite a squarish
jacket, not tight or anything,

but with fur around the bottom
and wrists,

and I'm going to make a hood.

But I've flipped it, cos
I prefer the blue to the purple.

Joyce. Hello, Claudia.

You, rather bravely,
went for orange world. Yes.

I mean, I didn't even know what to
say about this. What are you making?

I am making a child's b*mber jacket.
Oh, awesome.

I'm trying to utilise
the fabric there,

with these bits on, which I like.
Clever girl!

I'm going to make
a little stand-up collar,

then I'm just going to put sleeves
in, and I reckon that's my time.

You don't normally
like alteration challenge,

but do you find this quite fun?
No. Why would I find it fun?

No, OK.

LAUGHING: I'm performing
open-heart surgery on this thing!

I'm hoping I've got enough fabric

for a front, a back, two sleeves,

and I'm hoping I can get

enough out of it for a hood.

It doesn't look like much yet.

It does! Oh, my God, I want...!

That's like
a little Freddie Mercury baby,

which is all I've ever wanted!
RUMANA LAUGHS

I'm going to put these sleeves on...
Yeah?

..but I'm going to make it into,
like, a flamingo -

I'm going to make a hood
and then have a beak on it.

Stop! That's my plan.
Flamingo outerwear?!

Why haven't they made that already?
I don't know, I don't know. OK.

There must be a reason, I feel. OK.
But that's my plan. I'm so excited!

Are you having difficulty cutting
this stuff? 15 million layers!

There's that many layers -
that's the problem, isn't it?

The thick layers the sewers
are having to hack through

are all thanks
to a trip to the bedroom

with a post-w*r ski instructor.

Skiing only became popular as
a recreational sport in the 1930s,

with the invention of the chairlift.

But it left people with
the dilemma of what to wear.

The first recreational skiers
obviously had no clothing

that was specifically
developed for skiing,

so people would just adapt
the kind of sportswear

that they'd been wearing
for sort of country pursuits.

The fabrics that
these clothes were made of

were things like tweed
and things like wool,

so they can be very, very warm.

But once wool gets wet,
it really holds that water into it.

So if you're skiing
and you fall over in the snow,

then you're likely
to stay wet for a long time.

In 1947, Klaus Obermeyer,
a German ski instructor,

arrived in America and began working
at the Aspen Ski School in Colorado.

He quickly set about
finding a solution

to keeping his students cosy,
to extend their time on the slopes.

Klaus solved this problem
by taking a duvet,

which was filled with down, and
he turned this duvet into a jacket.

Down is very good for insulating,

because feathers trap air
and keep things very warm.

It was also shorter as well,
so it allowed a lot more movement,

so it was
a much more practical item.

When Klaus's prototype jacket

was snapped up
by one of his students for $250,

he realised he needed to make more.

The main issue with the first one

was the fact that the down would all
fall to the bottom of the jacket,

so he used quilting, basically.

So you're creating little pockets
on the jacket

that the feathers can all fit in,
so it's evenly distributed.

And this kept it much, much warmer.

Klaus's ingenuity
didn't stop there.

He helped develop plastic ski boots,
and introduced suntan lotion,

the turtleneck,
and even mirrored sunglasses.

But he'll always be best remembered

for creating THE jacket that
propelled skiing into the future.

Well, the '80s, at least.

Oh, Claudia!

Sewers! You have one hour left!

Blimey. One hour.

It's going to be pathetic.

So I've cut off my sleeve, and
I'm going to narrow it down a bit.

This fabric, to sew with,
is absolutely awful.

There are a lot of layers.

There's wadding, there is an inner,
there's an outer. Thick and bulky.

MACHINE CRUNCHES AND STOPS
Oh.

Didn't like that. Stop.

It's like rubberised...

..stuff. Nylon, basically.

They wouldn't have had proper
hi-tech waterproof things,

like we do these days.

The '80s were a terrible decade.

Tracey, did yours have a hood,
or did you add a hood?

I've done a hood, yeah.
I've drawn it. OK. Here.

Can I have a look at your drawing?
That one there. OK.

And you just measure? I've made two.
Made two? Yeah. Super.

I'm using the hood
that came with the jacket

as a pattern to make a hood...
SHE LAUGHS

..out of the actual trouser fabric.

Right, let's do the collar. Mm.

I'm putting bias binding
around this collar.

Gives it a nice little finish.

That looks adorable.

It will be quite cute.

I need something to bind the front
edge with. So you want some trim?

Mm... Do you want me
to lend you some yellow?

I mean, I am wearing this out
for a date. I'm not that desperate!

Sewers!

It's not that I'm not
taking this seriously, I am.

You have half an hour left to go
for your ski-suit challenge.

Can people stop running?
It's really nerve-racking. Sorry.

You'll be pleased to know
that my legs are sweating.

JADE: Nice.

Oh, come on! Get up,
you stupid thing.

These patches are decorative,
they're not functional one iota.

I'm going to put elastic
around the cuffs,

so I have a pulled-in bottom
and a pulled-in top.

I'm wondering whether to do,
like, wings.

I'm now putting the binding all
down the front, all round the hem,

up the other side.

And then I'm going to attach
the popper thing to close it.

MACHINE CRUNCHES AND STOPS
Ow!

The zip is not going on, no.

It just doesn't like
sewing through that many layers.

I'm not wasting any fabric here.

I'm using wadding from my ski-suit
just to plump out the beak.

I hope the judges like the fact
that I've utilised...

um, a lot of the fabric pieces,
if you like.

If they complain that there
are puckers in my sleeve insertion,

I might have something to say!

You may tell them to PUCKER OFF!

SHE LAUGHS

Sewers, you have ten minutes left.

Will everyone be ready? No!

No? OK.

Come on, come on.
Haven't got time to mess about.

Somebody's making something
for Jackie Collins.

Oh, hello! Who wants to go
to the swings?

It's all a bit sort of rough and
ready at the moment. That's fine.

And I still need to put
some fur around the sleeves.

I'm using buttons for eyes.

Sewers, you now have
two minutes left.

I've never done anything
this fast in my life.

And I've just noticed
a bit where it's not caught,

so I'm just going to go over that.

I have just noticed that my zip
doesn't do up straight,

but nothing I can do about that.

How are you? I'm just adding
a couple more poppers.

Have you got time?

Oh, it's so CUTE!

It's very tight, very snug.

She has wings!

I've got wings on!

I'm very happy.

I mean, that garment alone
makes me want to have a baby.

OK, guys, that's it. Time's up.

Let's take your adorable coats

and put them at the front
of the room, jumble them up, please.

Good girl. Come on!

Come on, leopard.
Come on, flamingo.

MUSIC: Cold As Ice
by Foreigner

# You're as cold as ice

# You're willing
to sacrifice our love... #

There's some fantastic work.

They look quite exciting.

# You're as cold as ice

# You're willing
to sacrifice our love. #

Got a little b*mber jacket...

with embroideries on.

Look at the back! I know.

Isn't that cute? This has been
taken off and reapplied. Yes.

Taken off, reapplied.

I love the embroidery.
It looks great.

Obviously, this is a part
of the original fastening. Yes.

And yes, it's not as neat and tidy
as it could be,

but I think it's terrific.
Yeah, it looks great.

(Blimey.)

So we have a little duffle coat.
With a little hood.

That hood is a good shape.
Yeah, it looks pretty good.

Oh, and I like how they've put
the stripes on the back...

..echoing the sleeves.

And look, they've put binding
down the front, round the bottom

and round the hood.

It's a bit snug. Yes.

We've got
a very sort of '80s looking...

b*mber. ..kind of flight jacket,
yeah. I love the shape of this.

I mean, look at that.

The scale of it
works absolutely perfectly.

The sleeves have been re-sewn.

The fact that we've got the sleeves

coming almost right out
of the waistline...

I think works really well.
I think it's...

Very, very '80s.

We've got binding round the neck,
black binding.

Binding round the bottom.

We've got the V at the front,
and the V at the back.

I think it looks really fun.

It's a little bird!

I think some child would really like
to wear this.

Yeah, it's really fun.

It's actually very nicely ex*cuted.
Yep.

The original neck and the top
of the front are the original...

And they put the hood on. Yeah.

So they've chopped up
other parts of the ski-suit

to make these feathery shapes.

They got a bit of felt,
they've used buttons for eyes.

I like it, it's completely different
to the others. I think it's great.

This has been turned inside out.
Has it?

This is for a little girl, I'd say.

A little hood
with leopardskin on.

They've had to put this zip in.
It's a new zip, is it? Yeah. Yeah.

Doesn't quite meet at the top,
but...

The fit is right, so it's
a functioning piece of clothing.

I really like the leopardskin trim.

I-I don't love the leopardskin.

But who's made the most successful
child's jacket from a ski-suit?

In fifth place, it's the green one.

It doesn't really fit. A bit snug!

It's a little bit snug.

In fourth place,
it is our fur-trimmed duffle.

Esme particularly loved it -
I'm not a huge fur fan.

Third place is the orange one.

We loved how the embroidery
had been placed on this,

and it's really cute.

In second place...

..it's our pink bird.

Rumana. I love it! What?!

It's a very, very fun alteration,
and really nicely done.

There's lots of great elements
to it, so well done.

Well done. Thank you.

And in first place
is our '80s b*mber jacket.

APPLAUSE

Finally!

Oh, my God. I love the shape of it.

We both loved the shape of it,
actually. Thank you.

It just has a kind of
great feel to it. It works.

Well, it's cool.
It's a really good alteration.

Are you happy? I'm over the moon!

This is really not my speciality.
Very well done.

Well done to all of you.

Go home, sleep, relax.

When you come in tomorrow,

it is the activewear
made-to-measure challenge.

Goodnight.

That was my first number one,
and it's an alteration challenge.

That's absolutely nuts.

I'm just finally happy
that I've finally got one.

I'm really disappointed that
I didn't get that first place.

I think this was the one challenge

where I could expect
to get first place.

Activewear not normally my thing,

so this is the week
I needed to survive, really.

I'm going to dream
I am in that ski-suit!

SHE LAUGHS

There's one final activewear garment
to make

before we discover who's going to
make it through to the semifinal.

Let's be honest,
in the quarterfinal,

it feels like
there's often a frontrunner.

But it sort of feels
that it could be anybody's.

It must be quite confusing
for you two.

Er, more confusing
than it usually is, I think.

It really does feel like absolutely
anybody could go this week.

They're all great,
and each week and each day,

it's from one thing to the next,
like this. Whoo!

So what the hell is going to happen?

Morning. Morning.

'The last item of activewear will
have to be fitted to a real person.'

It's been a week
since I've seen you!

Welcome back to our models. Thank
you so much for being with us today.

For your made-to-measure, the judges
would love you to make a yoga outfit

and there has to be
freedom of movement.

I don't know if that's yoga,
but I did it anyway. Enormous luck!

You have five and a half hours
to make beautiful yoga outfits.

Your time starts now.

Right, I want to check
the measurements.

'This is the one challenge
the sewers have had a chance

'to plan and practise.'

I'm not looking
forward to this challenge.

Again,
it's fabrics I'm not very used to.

'And, as yoga outfits need to move,

'they're all using fabrics
with a four-way stretch.'

My favourite yoga position is where
you lie down at the end and relax.

Why a yoga outfit?

Yesterday, we asked them
to make a cycle top.

Some tough techniques,
but, actually,

it was just fitting
round a male torso.

Today, we're asking them
to fit a female form which has,

obviously, far more curves

so there's a lot more engineering
in this challenge today.

I'm hoping to see panels,
ruching and really good fit.

Yoga clothes have to withstand
an enormous amount of stretching

and all of those seams have to move.

They have to be incredibly robust.

Five...

'As well as measuring
their model...'

Cos I don't want it
to be too tight...

'..the sewers will need
to carefully gauge

'the amount of stretch
in the fabric

'so that the outfit is neither
baggy nor constricting.'

I've got a 25" waist,
so I'm going to cut it as a small

and then adjust as I go once
I've got the pieces out.

So I want them to come
to about there, I reckon.

I can always shorten it
once it's on you.

So, my leggings are actually
only made out of two pieces.

Very, very simple. I think I'll
have to play it a little bit safe.

Rumana's simple two-piece leggings

will accompany a vest top

with an added power mesh bra
for support.

It'll have a Y-shaped back

and contrast trim.

Is it binding? Yes,
so that's going to be red Lycra.

And how are you going
to attach that?

I think I might do it
hand-basted first,

cos that's the thing that I think
will look the worst if it goes wrong

so I'm going to be really
careful with that

and give myself the most time
for that. OK.

But I thought it gave a pop
of colour. No, I like it.

A good yoga outfit is meant
to feel nice and snug.

You want to make sure
you don't fall out of it,

which is why my top is two layers of
this and then a layer of the black

so it's going to be
really nice and thick.

Jade's making leggings with
a contrasting waist band

and side panels and a crop top

with six crossover
rouleau loop straps.

Yesterday, my top was slightly
stretched out, so that means

I'm just going to work even harder
today to make sure that it isn't.

Good morning. Good morning! Hello!

What are you making today?

OK, I'm making a yoga outfit
with tight leggings

and I'm going to do the top there
with just a round neck.

How are you seaming all of these?

I'm going to do it
on the overlocker.

You are? Yes. Very wise,
I would say. Yes.

The contrasting panels in Joyce's
full-length leggings

will be echoed in her
raglan sleeve T-shirt,

shaped with princess seams.

I'm overlocking the panels
in the leggings.

The overlocker is great for these
seams because you don't need

to finish them with a zigzag stitch
and they're stretchy.

Let's have a go.

I've used the overlocker and I've
made it slightly bigger first

cos it trims away the seam allowance
so if you make it too small,

there's nothing you can do about it.

But for her leggings,

Tracey is planning to overlock
using a different kind of stitch.

I'm just doing a practice piece
using the overlocker...

..to make a flatlock seam,
sewn together like that

and when you pull it,
the whole seam flattens out

so you get a ridge on the outside
of your sportswear

and on the inside, it's visible
and it's a decorative element.

Tracey's decorative flatlock seam

will be used to join
the contrast panel

down the front
and back of her leggings,

to which she's adding
a crisscross detail at the cuff.

Her matching bra will also be
crisscrossed at the back.

There's about six pieces
in these leggings.

I just thought the ones with
the panels were more interesting

and I need to do something
to prove myself today

after an up and down day yesterday.

With their leggings
loosely constructed...

Are you ready to try these on?

Let's sort you out.

..the sewers can
begin gradually

taking the stretch fabric in.

I think it's probably a bit baggy.

This challenge all boils down
to how well these garments

fit on the body and how well
they move on the body. Yes.

I'd rather do it too loose
and take it in.

It fits nicely around here so far.

They need to come in at
the ankles about an inch.

I've got quite a few pins in, but
the more pins, the better the fit.

That's not bad, actually, is it?

I've turned it up
and I'm not doing that too tight.

I'm going to do that one
a bit longer.

It's not sticking out anywhere
on the waist, is it? Brilliant.

I'm being controversial
with my yoga outfit.

I think I'm the only person who's
not making a pair of tight leggings

for the bottom half,
which is slightly worrying.

Charlotte's loose-fitting leggings

accompany a drape top
with cross straps

and an integrated sports bra.

Personally, I wouldn't want to wear
tight leggings to do yoga in.

I would want something that
would sort of stop people

from examining my bottom
in any great detail

so there's just a bit more space
in them than other people have got.

OK, it's going to be a b*tch
cos of all the pins,

but we'll take it off
really carefully.

If the sewers think
they have a perfect fit...

I'm just going to shave it off
from the inside seam.

..there's no turning back.

As it finishes their seams,

the overlocker will cut away
any excess fabric.

Look! All of that! That's
how much has been taken in.

They work!

Oh, my God!
SHE LAUGHS

They look all right, don't they?

Yeah, OK. Happy, happy.

(Oh, I'm so happy.)

They FIT!

But for Tracey, there's more
to worry about than just fit.

This exciting thing is the cuff
on the bottom of my yoga pants

so it starts life like this
and ends up like that

so I've got to sew these down
and then you cross them over

and sew them to the other side

and then you kind of bag it out,
really, so you end up with a cuff.

But then when the leg's in it,
it will stretch.

Sewers, we're halfway through
in yoga world. Er, bra next?

This is the bra that goes under
the drapey top, so it needs to be

nice and tight against the body
to hold everything...in position.

When you're doing
downward-facing dog,

you don't want your bosoms
falling out of your top.

Sports bra needs to be tight.

It needs to fit round the side
seams and round her boobies.

To get a tight fit under the bust,
the top needs additional support.

The bust section has to gather
to fit the band section,

which has to stretch.

So you're kind of fighting

to get all that fabric
into just that space.

I'm looking for it
to fit a lot better

than anything
I normally make does!

Hello, Rumana. Hello!
Where have you got to?

So I'm just doing the folded
elastic of my power mesh bra.

And you've pinned that
elastic evenly, I presume?

Yes. You're zigzagging it.

You don't feel comfortable
doing that on the overlocker?

I know it's probably better,

but I'm doing a lot of things
I've never done before

and I'd like to do
something I can do. OK.

Joyce has chosen to make this
final challenge even harder.

I'm doing a raglan sleeve
where it comes from the neck.

She's the only sewer attempting
a top with sleeves.

I need it a bit closer there.
We don't want a gappy neck, do we?

It's quite a straightforward outfit,

which is why I want to get
the fit just right.

I need a coverstitch machine
for the hem parts. Oh!

All the sewers have decided
to use the coverstitch machine

to neaten the edges
and hems of their garments.

I am coverstitching basically
round the arm holes of the top

and round the neck edge just to keep
it all where it's meant to be.

I've only used the coverstitch
yesterday so I feel a bit brave.

Hello. Hello. Right,
what's happening with you?

You're just in time

to catch me swearing at a
coverstitch machine. Right.

So, what are you coverstitching?
I'm coverstitching...

This is the arm opening, it's not
really... OK, well, that looks good.

Yes, it's sort of a second attempt.

And then I've got the neckline
and the other arm hole

and the hem and then on the back
as well. It will look nice.

I know, I know.
Well, the alternative

was to turn it over and zigzag it

and that would have looked
a bit amateur hour.

I agree.

Sewers, one hour left. I'm going
to throw this word in - Ashtanga.

I don't know what it means.

I don't think I'll ever be a
fan of stretching, I'm afraid.

There's a band that comes
underneath. Oh, OK.

You'll not be hanging out
the bottom, don't worry.

Joyce. Claudia! How are you finding
this? Well, I've finished this.

Let me see. That's the top. Oh, now,
that looks lovely. That looks...

Like, suddenly, I want to lunge.
Is that what you do in yoga?

And that's the trousers.

That's nice.
So, what are you doing now?

Well, I'm just trying to fashion...
Are you making a headscarf?

Well, yes. No, I'm trying to
fashion some sort of cardigan.

You've already done two pieces.
I know, but...

I'll give you a head massage.
Would you? Relax! Ooh!

I'm going to finish off the edges
of my top with a binding strip

that I've made myself.

My binding is a little bit tricky
to sew around the curve,

but I have to be really careful
of not overdoing it

and stretching out the neckline.

I'm just pinning the straps on at
the moment to get the fit right

and then I'll zigzag them when
I've got them in the right place.

Jade's straps require more work
than anyone else's.

This is a very technical process.

She needs to make six rouleau loops.

Cut a long bit of fabric,
fold it in half,

then you overlock it and
then just pull it through.

What are you doing now, Joyce?
I am making a cardigan. A cardigan?!

Do not be impressed because when
you'll see it, you just won't be.

I wish I'd had time
to make a cardigan!

Sewers, you have 15 minutes left.

SHE GASPS

15 minutes to make your
beautiful yoga outfits

and then there will be
a catwalk show.

Right! Calm down, calm down.

I'm trying to get them
in the right place.

Yep, that'll do.

It's really not going very well.

See, it's not even catching
it on the other side.

SHE EXHALES

Having to unpick my stitching.

Nearly there,
don't rush and c*ck it up now.

It's not very good,
but who cares at this stage?

Lift it slightly...

That is exactly what I do under
pressure - I just talk to myself.

It's just not working out well.
What can you do?

I am thinking about where
I'm placing the straps

because they want to be
in the exact same place.

It's not the best of bindings... Oh,
that's come off there. Fantastic(!)

That's exactly what I needed.

Two minutes, sewers, two minutes.
You're going to be all right?

Jade, what are you doing?
Sewing up a little hole.

Turn around.

That needs to be flipped down.

Spin. Look at the back.
Oh, look at the back!

It's a waterfall front, so...

Yeah, it's completely overstretched.

Sewers, well done!
That is it - time is up.

Please stop fiddling.
There we go - perfect.

I'm really proud of the fact

that I've managed to use
all the weird machines.

Oh, I'm so happy it's over!

I hope this wins me
a place in the semifinal.

Everybody wants to go through.
I really want to go through.

We'll see, won't we?

# Bend me, shape me

# Anyway you want me

# Long as you love me,
it's all right... #

Five fitted yoga outfits
made in just five and a half hours.

# You've got the power
to turn on the light... #

Well, Charlotte,
you're the only one who hasn't done

a completely
tight-fitting outfit

and, actually,
I think it's pretty successful.

I agree. I think it works
really nicely, actually.

Let's have a little look.
So that feels like a good fit.

Now, I think these straps are very
effective. They're very effective.

If you look here,
can you see how it's bagging here?

If you'd done that,
it would have got rid of that.

OK, let's look at
the fit of the bra.

So I'm afraid I'm going to lift
this up. Oh, it fits really well.

Yeah,
that seems like a good fit there.

It's a great-looking outfit,
it moves very nicely,

the fit's good.

There's a lot of positives in this.

# Hey, Mama's doing the twist

# Everything's different
in our house

# Now that Mama's
doing the twist... #

It's very well sewn,
very neatly sewn, but, to me,

it's neither very form-fitting
nor loose-fitting.

It just sort of feels somewhere
lost in the middle.

It's loose on the ankles.

I mean, that's a lot of extra there
and also I think it's too long.

It sort of looks
a bit like a trouser.

Yes, I'm not convinced about
the proportion of this top.

I don't know if it'll be nicer
shorter or longer. I agree with you.

Also, you haven't quite made
the binding tight enough

and also you've got your wrap.

Yes.

Again, I think
the proportion of it...

You've told me you were doing this
sort of waterfall front. Yes.

It's a pretty good piece.

I mean, it's a very bouncy fabric

and you've managed it
extremely well.

It's just the fit for me.

OK. Yep.

# Bend it, bend it just a little bit

# Take it easy,
show you're liking it... #

The overall impression is that it's
a very good fit, wouldn't you say?

I think it's an exceptional fit.
Yeah. I mean, those leggings are...

They are tight,
but there is still movement

and they are absolutely
bang on at the ankles.

Turn around. Can we turn you round?
They look great over the bottom.

Yep. The fit across the chest
is really pretty good.

It's sitting very neatly
over the bust.

The straps, they're not 100%
evenly spaced. No, they're not.

They're not evenly spaced, actually.

But the effect of them
is really vivid and very strong.

You know, I think you've done
a brilliant job. Yes.

I think it absolutely nails
the brief.

Well done. Thank you. Well done.

The fit on the trousers
looks pretty good.

There's a little bit
here on the front.

You've done this technique
with the overlocker.

I would have preferred it
if you'd reversed it and done it

so that the underneath of this
stitch was on the top.

I think it makes a stronger
statement about it.

This is not quite tight enough.
Slightly too big at the front.

And it's sh**ting up as well.

I think it's a little small,
actually, across the bust.

They're quite tight, these loops.

I would have preferred if the loops
had been in this colour. Yep.

And the cuff had been
in that colour. Right.

It sits really nicely
across the shoulder blades.

It's going around
the shoulder blades,

which is exactly what we want
from a cross strap.

I really like it.
I think it's very effective.

# Hey-hey, little girl

# Do you wanna twist?

# Hey, little girl... #

I really like your
choice of fabrics -

the black and white print

and the black top with
the highlights of red.

If we start with the leggings,

they look like a pretty good fit.

Sorry!

And slightly loose at the ankle.

My big issue is with the binding,
just the armholes.

Either you've pulled it out of shape

or you just haven't made it
short enough and drawn it in enough.

Yes, you need to make the binding
smaller than the arm hole

and that will pull it in
so if I go like this,

if the binding had been
that much shorter,

it would have laid flat. OK.

And because it's in
a contrast colour,

it really, really shouts at you.

Yeah.

Well done to all of you - five
brilliant outfits. Go, have a snack.

When you come back in,

the judges will announce
the garment of the week

and they'll also announce, which
I think actually is impossible,

who will be leaving the Sewing Bee.
Thanks very much.

Well done, off you go.

INDISTINCT CONVERSATION

It's always very tense at this time

when you're about to find out
who's going home,

but now there's only five of us
left, it's even more noticeable.

They always love the colours or
the style that I put together.

I think maybe I should stick
to designing rather than sewing.

I did think I had a good fit,

but my good fit obviously is
not what they were looking for.

They were looking for skin-tight.
I don't do skin-tight.

This week was really,
really difficult.

Lots of people had never
sewn this fabric.

Lots of people hadn't
used these machines

so it was really, really difficult.

Let's talk about who
is going to leave.

If we start at the beginning,

I think Joyce did
a good job on this,

but we put Rumana's at the bottom,

but we both really like Rumana's
pink flamingo outfit. I loved it.

Actually, Rumana's yoga outfit
was a pretty good fit

and a really nice choice
and very well ex*cuted.

It's just this binding
that let it down.

Joyce's yoga outfit, it was well
sewn, but it really didn't fit.

It looked sort of...
It looked like nothing, really.

It didn't look like sportswear.
I think it could be Joyce.

I think it could be Rumana. Yeah.
I just think we need a bit of time.

It's really close, really,
really close. We need to conflab.

A huge well done to all of you.

First bits first, the lovely news -
garment of the week is...

This week, our favourite
garment or garments...

..is this one.
APPLAUSE

Well done, Jade!

That's lovely. Twice in a row, Jade.

The fit was brilliant,

the overall impression was
just absolutely spot-on.

It was just a very, very
professional piece of sewing

so well done.

Are you happy? I'm over the moon,
I can't believe it.

Good girl.

Now, the really much
less pleasant situation,

which is somebody has to leave the
Sewing Bee and that person is...

It's Rumana. I'm sorry!
It's all right.

I thought that was me, Rumana. No!
Oh, I'm really sorry, darling.

I mean, I was expecting to go in
week one. At least you got this far!

Exactly.

Rumana has great personal style.

She creates beautiful-looking
clothes,

but this week was about the ability

to handle probably
the most difficult fabric

we've ever given them
on the Sewing Bee.

Can I give you a hug? Of course!

Thank you so much,
I've enjoyed it so much.

I definitely think the stretch
fabrics got the better of Rumana.

She's got a style about her
which I really liked.

I started sewing because I kind
of got fed up of people

telling me how I should dress.

There was a time
when I started wearing a scarf

that I was ashamed
of the way I looked.

I'm going to start crying now!

I've actually Superglued you to me!

I think people see me
as someone quite confident

and quite comfortable in their skin
and I wasn't always

and I think sewing
let me be that person.

It let me have my own style

and I think, with that,
my confidence has grown

and so, for people who don't know
if they want to sew,

I would encourage you to sew,
because it lets you feel beautiful,

it lets you look beautiful
cos everyone is beautiful

and I think I've got that
confidence from sewing.

Being in the semifinal is amazing,

but it's horrible that it comes at
the price of other people leaving.

I really, genuinely just deal
with one thing at a time

and this is why, when you're
saying you're a semifinalist,

I'm thinking, "What?"

I'm looking around, you know,
"Who's a semifinalist?"

When I started this, I didn't think
I'd get this far, so, you know,

to achieve this has been
an absolutely brilliant experience.

(Gosh!)

That's bonkers, isn't it?

Next time... Gordon Bennett!

..the four remaining sewers...

Pressure's on,
hands are shaking.

..face three of the most technically
demanding challenges...

Seriously? ..Esme and Patrick have
ever set. It looks like a map.

What is that?

But who will book their
place in the grand final?

Taxi for Tracey, I think!

'And who will fall...'

We're so upset about it.

'..at the final hurdle?'

This is the most ridiculous
thing...EVER.