05x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

Oh, no.
The judges have got me replacing

all the fabric in the haberdashery
with second-hand clothes.

Because this week it's Reduce,
Re-use and Recycle week.

And I'm doing my bit.

I've been wearing the same pants
for the last week and I will not

change them until we find
Britain's best amateur sewer.

Welcome to The Great British
Sewing Bee. Last time,

Oh, sh...shugar!

..the sewers took on tricky
technical fabrics.

Oh...catching. Jen's sculpted scuba
tracksuit left the judges
breathless.

Really beautifully,
beautifully sewn.

And won Garment of the Week. Jen!

Mercedes was over-stretched.

It's going to be a little bit
more Primark than couture.

But it was Alexei...

It really cooked my noodle,
this challenge. Did it?

..who became the fourth sewer to
leave. Thanks for your support.

This week in a Sewing Bee
first...

There's a lot of waste here,
isn't there?

..we breathe life into
thrown-out fabric...

Some of these fabrics bring back
nightmares.

..rework old clothes
in the Pattern Challenge...

Am I ready for the party?

..tackle
a throw-away transformation...

Recognise it?

..And a Made-to-measure...

I'm really feeling the pressure now.

..that leaves one sewer...
I need this to work.

..hanging by a thread.

Time to start thinking
about mannequins.

Time to think about panickin's -
I don't know about mannequins!

Feels really good to still be here.

Week five was my goal.

Up to now, I've kept things simple
but I can't do that any more.

I am excited for this week
actually. I do a lot of recycling

at home but not with clothes!

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle week - it's
difficult to say, let alone sew.

The haberdashery's changed. Yeah.

Where's all our fabric gone? Wow.

In a Sewing Bee first,

everything in the haberdashery has
been replaced

with second-hand garments and soft
furnishings,

so all the clothes made this week
will have had a previous life.

If this is the Pattern Challenge
what the heck

is this Transformation Challenge?

I think it's very important
that people recycle clothes.

As a teenager, I can remember,

my mum hid quite a lot of her old
clothes

so I couldn't get hold of them and
chop them up and turn them

into something else.
I would've, actually.

Welcome, sewers.

This week is Reduce,
Re-use and Recycle week

which means I'll be reduced
to asking reused questions and

telling 100% recycled jokes, so no
different to any other week,
basically.

To tell us more about the pattern
challenge - Esme.

Here we go.

Esme's shirt!

LAUGHTER

It's a classic...

..p*ssy bow blouse. You're allowed
to use up to four of the second-hand

garments on the rails in front
of you, but at least one of them

has to be a man's shirt.

Because we're asking you to recycle
the front placket

and the button stand.

ALL: Ahh!

Is this a pantomime now?

So, you have three and a half hours
and your time starts now.

Good luck.

I wouldn't normally do this.

I normally buy things from charity
shops to wear, not for making
something.

Going to be good. Wow.

So why are we using
second-hand clothes?

Have we run out of money? We've got
a really big problem in this country

with clothing and our attitudes
towards it.

On average, every person in the UK
throws away about 15 kilos

of clothing a year, which is one
of those big rails-full.

And it all just goes to landfill.

So what we want to do is make people
think about how can we turn

something that is not being used

into something
that has a wonderful new life.

Does it need to be a man's shirt?
Yeah, said man's shirt, I'm sure.

As well as a man's shirt,

the sewers must make their p*ssy
bow blouses

from up to three
more recycled garments.

Decisions, decisions! They'll need
to cut 16 pieces of recycled fabric.

Two back panels are joined
and gathered into the yoke.

Front panels are then attached,
giant gathered sleeves are inserted

and then gathered again at the cuff,
and finished with bias binding,

button and loop.

Finally, the p*ssy bow is attached
at the neck, to complete a garment

that is 100% recycled.

We've used four garments
here and we've taken different

elements and placed them
in different pieces. In this stripe

on the front, we've just used for
the binding round the cuff.

That's nice.

This gingham, we've used
on the collar and on one panel

of the back.

Where might they come
a cropper here?

They might see shirts and things
that they love and they want to use

but they might not have
enough fabric.

So then they have to be
really clever.

The sleeves are massive. Yeah.

They're massive. Yeah,
they are huge, aren't they?

The sides of the gathered sleeves
mean the sewers may have to combine

larger garments than
they originally chose.

I'm, like... Not doing well.

That's much too small.

So I shall have to go back
and choose something else.

But not everyone's heading
back to the haberdashery.

Oh, I just got an idea, now.

I think it might look cool to use
this fabric

and this fabric
to make the sleeves.

So it's half and half.
Morning, Riccardo.

Morning.
Now show us what you've picked.

I've picked these shirts
for the yoke,

the button stand, and
for half of the sleeves... OK.

..because I really like it,
but it's not enough.

So I cut it to two pieces
to make this sleeve.

I really like that you've thought
about splitting the sleeve

into two pieces, because this is
a big piece, and you've just said,

"Well, actually, I'm just going
to split the pattern piece."

Sew it up, cut it, make it...
And I think it will look nice.

Yeah. I agree with you.

Now, this looks amazing.

I could get away with just the one
piece.

Rather than combining
recycled garments,

Mercedes has found
a king-size solution.

I have chosen a duvet. OK. Right.

A duvet cover?
One shirt and a duvet cover.

Did you actually read what was asked
for on the cover? On the cover...

..I thought it said we could use...

Oh, did it say we had to use...?
It says use

up to four second-hand garments.

So I've used...two.

Right.

It's arguable that duvet
cover isn't a garment.

Oh! Second-hand garments!

True. Yeah.

You will be able to get me on the
small print there, for definite.

You will have made your life
considerably easier.

I think that was one of my aims.

OK.
Yes.

So we'll expect it to be...

I am trying to make it so beautiful
for you. ..all that much better.

..I am. Sourcing enough recycled
fabric is only the beginning.

Main body, main body.

Main body. Yoke.

Ah!

LAUGHTER

The judges will expect
the sewers' combined choices

to complement one another.

See, suddenly, seeing it on you,
I don't know.

And then this bit goes where?
It might be a complete disaster.

That's the necktie.

What do we think now?
Ties at the back...

Am I ready for the party?

I mean, I don't know - it's going
to look a bit kind of...

..art teacher, I think.

It looks a bit like I've had
an accident at a ski resort,

but I've got to get to the wedding.

You've got...!

OK, I need to do the back first.

If I use these threads
made out of plastic bottles.

I've never use recycled
thread before.

I think that's brilliant.

Hello, Janet. Hello, Joe.

This is very nice.

It was a skirt. Oh, was it?! Yes.

Oh, you've got a bit down here.
Yeah. Those are the sleeves...

Ooh! ..and that's the tie.

Yeah. Lovely.

I'm going to make a very classic
p*ssy bow blouse -

and I'm queen of classic,
so, here we go.

You're the queen of classic?
Absolutely.

Who crowned you? Me.

You crowned yourself
queen of classic.

It's a self-crowned item.
Yeah, yeah.

To make the back of the blouse,

most of the sewers are joining
two pieces of matching fabric -

but one passionate recycler
has decided

that doesn't go quite far enough.

That's the back, isn't it,
you're sewing now?

Yeah, creating my back from two
kind of coordinating shirts.

It's meant to be a wee bit of
a feature.

It is an upcycled garment.
Of course.

I don't want it to look like
it has been made

from fabric bought from a shop -

I would like to be able to see
the story in it.

I think it looks great.

I've just sewn the two back pieces
together,

and I'm now going to do
all the gatherings.

Esme and Patrick's pattern
demands that the back panel

should be gathered
between the shoulder blades.

I've sewn a row of loose
long stitches,

and consequently you can pull one
thread and gather them up.

The idea is to try and spread
the gathers fairly evenly.

How do you do it?

I'm finding it super complicated.

There we go - so that's gathered OK.

Once gathered, the back pieces

should be neatly sewn into the
fabric at the top of the blouse.

Please tell me I've put
it the right way. I have.

Imagine if I did all of
this and it went the wrong way!

HE GASPS

I just realised I've got the back
of the garment inside out.

To fix the problem,

I need to unstitch everything -

but I don't have time.

Oh, it was so pretty,
everything else!

I hate this.

The seeds to our disposable attitude
to clothing

were sewn back in the '60s,

with the emergence of a new
fashion-hungry generation

desperate to shake off the shackles
of post-w*r austerity.

Young people had more
disposable income

than ever before,
and were really keen

to be spending this
money on clothes.

The 1960s really saw the emergence
of boutique shopping.

But the clothes in fashionable
boutiques were expensive,

and a gap in the market emerged.

In 1963, illustrator
Barbara Hulanicki

and her husband Steven Fitz-Simon

filled it with a company they named
after her little sister Biba.

They began Biba

as a postal order service,

which was the most economical way
to begin a business,

because you didn't have this big
outlay of cash creating stock.

Barbara would do a little
illustration of the garment,

they placed an advert in a newspaper

and they would only make up those
orders that had been paid for.

Biba hit the big time in 1964
when Barbara struck a deal

with the Daily Mirror to sell
an outfit exclusively to readers.

The summer had been really hot
that year,

so Barbara designed
a simple shift summer dress,

it had just a lovely little
keyhole detail at the back,

and she made a matching headscarf,

so you had a total look
for 25 shillings.

They geared themselves up
to sell 500 garments,

but ended up selling 17,000.

Even though they were making
just pennies on each one

they realised by selling
such a huge volume

you actually made quite
a considerable profit.

By 1973 they'd opened
a seven-storey department store

in Kensington High Street.

It'd gone from a postal boutique
to a seven-storey department store

in a decade.

There was always a really quick
turnover of stock.

Barbara was very aware
that teenagers,

their attention span
is quite limited.

They have one thing and they want
the next in quite quickly,

and that's exactly what
Biba provided -

and it was completely
at the forefront

of the birth of fast fashion.

There's just 90 minutes remaining

to turn old garments into
a brand-new p*ssy bow blouse.

I've really got to get a wiggle on.

To save time, the sewers are allowed
to recycle

the buttons and buttonholes
on their chosen man's shirt -

two strips of joining fabric,
known as a placket.

Obviously, this is a ladies' blouse,

so what we've asked them to do is
take the placket off the men's shirt

and then use it the other way up...

Right. ..which will reverse
the crossover -

which, actually, might be something
that trips them up.

Cos a ladies' shirt is normally
right over left,

and the men's shirts
are left over right.

So, what side are you putting
that on? I don't know.

You're putting that
on the right side.

Yeah, but I just don't know.

I'm still struggling.

So, it has to reverse the side it
buttons on for a woman.

I don't know which side
a woman's shirt buttons on.

I'm confused.

Jeez, man.

Buttonholes on the lady's blouse
go on the right-hand side,

so that wants to go on that side.
Are you guys on the button placket?

Yeah. We're all struggling.

Which side should the buttons be on?

The buttons should be on the left,
your buttonholes on the right,

cos you fasten things that way,
don't you?

Here's my blouse... Yeah.

Looking nice. Buttons on the left...
Buttons on the left.

Buttonholes on the right.

Oh! But now...

No, cos it's going to have to...

That... No.

Oh, men's shirt!
This isn't a man's shirt.

Because I've picked a lady's shirt

instead of a men's shirt
my placket's the wrong way round.

Getting fed up of me not listening
to what I'm told to do.

Why's that not long enough?

But Mercedes isn't the only
one struggling.

I've sewn my button band -

instead of sewing it on to
the centre front,

I have very carefully and neatly
sewn it on to the underarm seam.

So, a button band down here
is not a lot of good.

So, I've got to unstitch it
and do it again!

And I'd done a real nice job
of it, actually, as well.

Janet has sewn her front placket
to her side seam -

and, of course, this seam
is shorter than this seam.

Why is it too short?
Did I trim it off?

She's chopped it off there, so now
when she's put it in the right place

it's two inches too short.

Is that a big disaster,
is that something...? Yes.

That is quite major.

So, there's a whole catalogue
of new and exciting errors

that they've brought
to this challenge

that I don't think we'd have even
managed to think of. No.

Where's me buttons?
Those your buttons?

Well, you're a horrible pair
of tricksters

and I want no further part in it.

I'm going to piece
a little bit of contrast

on to the end of the placket

so it looks like it's supposed
to be like that -

but I might run out of time.

Death by p*ssy bow, isn't it,
really?

Sewers, you have one hour left
to finish off your p*ssy bows.

So, this leaves...

It's got all the gathers,

and also all the fiddly detail
the little buttonhole.

Ugh! This is why blouses are
such a nightmare.

It's massive, cos
it's a gathered sleeve.

It's just going to take time
that I do not have.

Oh, that's wrong.

My gatherings aren't matching.
They're not happy gatherings.

Even if the sewers are happy
with their gathering...

Oh, thank God. I've inserted it
at the right points.

..the sleeves are about to get
even more complicated.

The ends need to be neatened
with bias bindings...

Agh! This does look very messy.

..and then fastened with
a loop and button.

Oh, God! I missed it.

Isn't this a faddle, eh?

I'm inventing my own way
of putting this on,

because it would be nice to have
a finished garment to show them.

You know what?
I'm going to leave that.

I want to at least
have an attempt at getting a bow.

The whole point of
a p*ssy bow blouse

is that it's got its little bow.

Is anybody on a neck bit?

Janet, are you on a necktie?

No, I'm still doing the bottoms
of my sleeves.

I've given up on that.

You've given up? Yeah,
on the bottom of the sleeves.

God, I've not even started
on the p*ssy bow bit yet.

Do we have any idea how long
we've got?

20 minutes, sewers.

Brrr.

Mmm!

Yes...

Overdrive mode switched on.

I haven't even cut my bow out yet.

This is the whole feature
of flowers at the front.

I need neatness and precision.

Ain't nobody got time for that.

Well, you know what?

Esme's got time for that!

Do you know, I dreamt about turning
out pointed things last night.

Might give it a press.

It's the pointy bit at the bottom.

It's got to look nice and crisp.

I've cut the bow from
the worst stretchy fabric!

It is boingy. Is that a word?

I am attaching the necktie
to my neckline...

Not as neat as it should be,
but it's all caught.

Five minutes to go, sewers!
Five minutes.

I'm too far behind at the moment

I haven't even put on my bow yet.

I love being in a duvet.

Isn't that nice?

We're on the hem.

Press, double turn the hem up,
and stitch in place.

I'm not quite doing the hem
they suggest.

I'm just going to do a single turn.

Time to start thinking
about mannequins!

Time to think about panickin's,
I don't know about mannequins!

I'm going to get this tie on,
if nothing else.

It's not gone on properly, either.
Bugger.

I need to attach a button.

I would like to sew a button on,

but, you know, I can actually
do that on the mannequin.

I wouldn't have believed it,
but I've done it.

The only thing I haven't
done is the button.

Well done, Janet!

I can't get the button on,
I don't think. Flippin' amazing.

Have you done?
No, I missed loads of stuff.

One minute to go!

I can see a lot of naked mannequins.

Threads everywhere.

Mercedes, come on.
Less than 30 seconds now.

Sewers, that is your time.

Bring your p*ssy bows forward.

Let's see if any of them
need to go to the vet.

# They changed our local Palais
into a bowling alley

# And things ain't what
they used to be

# There's Teds
with drainpipe trousers

# And Debs in coffee houses... #

Six brand-new p*ssy bow blouses
made from recycling old garments

in just three and a half hours.

Riccardo.

Bring your blouse forward.

I really like the way
that you've split the sleeve.

I think that works really nicely.

And then you've done
the button stand

using this fabric... Yes.
..which is a very nice touch.

It looks pretty well done, actually.

The bow is nice.
It's nice and crisp.

Ah.

You've put the back in upside-down.

It's a shame!
It's just a shame!

I know. It annoys me, as well.

And then the binding
is a little bit twisted, and it's...

Actually, that is the second time
I ever make binding.

Was this the first?

Yeah, exactly! Exactly.

I think, tonally, the colours
you've chosen go well together.

Everything you have is in that
blue and red corner of the spectrum,

which works nicely.

If we could only judge the garment
from about here up,

it is beautifully neat.

Unfortunately, one side's
longer than the other,

and that just really... I know.
..hits you in the eye -

and you've got no button,

and you've got no binding.
I know, I'm so disappointed.

Overall, I think a brilliant use
of loads of different fabrics.

And I very much like the fact
that you make a real feature of it.

The button stand is neat,

you've double stitched the hem.

On the sleeve,
there's no gather here...

..and there is gather there.

Using a duvet cover should have made
this easier,

so I would have expected you
to have absolutely got it finished,

and you haven't.

You haven't finished
the bottom hem... I haven't.

..and you have put your front on
upside down.

Sorry. We've got a tiny little tuck
here, as well. Yeah.

Not enough pins, I imagine.
No pins, and 30 seconds to go.

Right, there we are.
PATRICK CHUCKLES

I think this really reflects you.

You like a bold fabric, don't you?
I do, yeah.

And you really make them work.

You've got colours all in that
purple and red spectrum

that work really nicely together,
lilac, pink,

and the overall effect is really
very striking. Thank you.

The gathers are really
beautifully done.

You've double turned the hem.

The placket's really nicely done,

and you've given us a loop,

and you've given us a button.

So, I struggle to find
any fault with it.

There's only one thing - I'm going
to be really nit-picky here. Mm-hm.

I would have liked the binding
round the cuff to be in this blue.

I think it would have really
bounced it.

Yeah, yeah. I think you've done
really well - and it's finished.

Yeah! Luckily.

I absolutely love this combination
of patterns and colours,

and I think the way
that you've placed them

works fantastically well.

Thank you. The gathering here,

very, very neat.

The necktie is very nicely
backed out,

you've pressed it really neatly.

You had a little bit of an incident,
didn't you, with your button stand?

I sewed my...button stand
to the side seam,

and I thought,
"Oh, this is too long."

So, I chopped it off.

But you found a really good way
to remedy that. Mm.

You've added this on the bottom -

and it's the same as this,
so, I think that's really smart.

Thank you very much.
Really, really smart.

You've given us loops.

The only thing you haven't done...
Is the button.

..is popped a button on -

but everything else is absolutely
beautifully done. Thank you.

Thank you.

Esme and Patrick will now rank
the recycled p*ssy bow blouses

from the worst to the best.

In sixth place,

it's Mercedes.

Your placket's upside down,
you haven't finished the hem -

and it just wasn't a garment,
to begin with.

In fifth place is Leah.

It's not finished,
and your hem isn't even.

In fourth place is Riccardo,

and Jen is third.

Second place...

..Janet.

Lovely combination of colours -

all we were missing were a couple
of buttons.

And in first place...

..Juliet!

APPLAUSE

You've completely finished, Juliet.

It's very nicely sewn -

and one thing I really love
about it, it reflects who you are.

Thank you. OK, well done, everyone.

Go off and have a cup of tea -

as it's the
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle week,

we're using the same teabags
as last week.

So, good luck with that,

and we'll be back
for the Transformation Challenge.

Well done. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Well done, Juliet.

Thank you! Well done, everyone!

Well deserved.

One of the things that I really
wanted out of this competition

is for the judges to actually
start to understand my style,

and I'm really glad that Esme
made that comment

about the fabric choices.

Mm, yes. Very interesting.

I'm disappointed in myself
for not following the instructions.

Not looking forward to my husband
saying, "I keep telling you,

"you should always listen
to what they're saying to you."

I need to do well in Transformation
just to put me on an even keel

with everybody else for tomorrow,
I think.

Yeah. Come on, Mercedes!
Come on. Sort your life out.

I'm going to attack
the Transformation Challenge

with as much vigour and imagination
as I can muster.

I just have to try
and be a little bit more wacky.

You know? Wacky granny.

Here we come.

The Transformation Challenge
for Reduce, Re-use and Recycle week

is unlike any in the history
of the Great British Sewing Bee.

What is this?!

Come forward, sewers,
and take the lids off.

Recognise it?

THEY LAUGH

Very clever.

So, what you've got is all the
offcuts and scraps you have left

for the last five weeks
on the great British Sewing Bee.

Home sewers waste about 30%
of all the fabric they buy -

as you might see from the bins
in front of you.

We want you to use these scraps

to make us a beautiful, wearable
piece of clothing.

We don't care what it is,

we just don't want it to be rubbish.

OK, the judges are going to
go away now.

Off you go. Good luck.

OK. We would encourage you
to mix up your fabrics,

because we don't want
to know whose is whose.

You have 90 minutes,
and your time starts now.

Shall we just throw it all
on the floor?

# I'm in pieces
bits and pieces... #

Oh, look at that yellow! Oh, wow!

Some of these fabrics
bring back nightmares.

Is this the Lycra?

I'm trying to use
a piece from every challenge.

I'm loving it! I think this is
a really cool idea.

Especially using fabric
from everybody -

I didn't pick any of mine.

Yeah, they're going to think
that you're the one making it,

so I'm using a lot of your stuff!
Yeah, you use it!

You can get rid of that. Please.

I don't really know what I've just
cut up, but it's little,

and I suddenly thought, "Well
in that case, I'm going to start
with a little model."

I'm making a fabric angel.

There's a lot of waste here,
isn't there?

You having a good rummage there?

I certainly am. Just making sure
there's nothing I want

in this pile of... Pile of goodies.

So they're going to have to patch
this stuff, aren't they?

If it was me, I might patchwork
larger bits together.

Use it as a fabric.

So they'll have to think about
whether they make a nice, even
patchwork,

whether they use angled pieces and
sort of jigsaw them together.

I hope they do, actually.

And where those different colours
and patterns sit on the garment.

When you look at all this, you think

"Whoa, boy! Have their
imaginations got to get going!"

I would love to see a garment
that sort of almost tells the story

of their history on the show.

I'm looking for everyone's
jumpsuit stuff.

I never thought that we would use
all that amount of rubbish

in only five weeks.

I mean, that's...that's hard-core.

Oh, shiny things.

I think I'll probably make
a gilet-type waistcoat thing,

but I'm going to make
some fabric first.

Riccardo.

Hello. I've finished.

That looks brilliant.
What are you making? Thank you.

I think I'm going to go, like,
for a simple shape dress,

then try to make a fabric out of
different fabrics first, like a
quilt.

Fabulous. It's a walk down memory
lane, this, isn't it?

This is Jane, Janet.

I think both of those were a
Mercedes... Princess.

Mercedes! Princess Sunshine.
Princess Sunshine. Thank you.

You're welcome.

I want to do a wraparound skirt
with lots of different colours,

and it's going to be
a bit asymmetric

and I want to do something
interesting in the waistband

and a pocket on the outside.

OK, so you're making a child's
outfit? Yeah, I am.

I'm making a little dress.
Shall I hold that there for you?

Yeah. Thank you.

I'm going to start with a little
bodice piece, and if I've got time,

I might make a little ruffle
or something.

The plan is to do top a frill
that goes round the front,

round the shoulders, and little
straps to hold it up.

So I'm just sort of making a tube
out of these three different
fabrics.

I'm going to use all the stuff
from week one.

Oh! Week one was my favourite week,

meeting everyone, and I got Garment
of the Week as well.

What are you going to make with it?
These are straps for the neck.

It's going to be like a halter-neck
top. Oh, yeah?

Or they might end up
into a dress.

They work together really well,
those colours, don't they?
Yeah. And then add frills.

Ooh! Add frills, so I'm going to
do like a...

I'm going to add frills there.

Oh, lovely. Yeah.

Sewers, you've had 30 minutes.

You have 60 minutes remaining.
Night-night!

What I'm doing now is creating
a fabric big enough

to drape it on the mannequin.

I found some offcuts of sleeves,

so what I've done is use that
sleeve as a little template

to make different sleeves to put
in my little kiddie dress.

I'm just trying to make my
straps and then work on the frill.

Whether or not they're looking
for the use of smaller pieces

of fabric than I've used,
I don't know.

It's going to be a reversible
waterproof gilet,

so you go out with it,
and when the sun's shining

like that, and then when it starts
to rain, you turn it inside out,

and it keeps you dry as well.

So that's one side, and then you
reverse it, and it's that in the
middle.

The stuff from the tent kind
of coordinated. I've stuck

to primary colours.

I don't normally do bold,
but I have to go for it,

because it's a fairly safe concept.

Yeah, I'd say safe concept is a
waterproof-like gilet that's
reversible.

Reverse...reversible. Reversible.

I'd say that's too easy,
if anything, really.

Sewers, you have half your
time left. What's he up to now?

All right? Oh, Joe!

I now don't know where I am.

You are going to fit on.

I think he looks bonkers,
but I like it.

I'm just trying to do the hem. I
kind of just want it to be uneven.

I've never done any draping before.

I don't...this is a fairly loose
application of the term!

But this is going to form the front.

A coat of many colours, eh?

This is going to be
a two-tier gathered skirt.

It's going to go with my crop top.

I like my fabric and Riccardo's
wiggle-dress fabric.

I know it's a transformation
challenge and the rules get thrown

out the window, but I still
want everything to look nice.

Ooh! This is really classy,
isn't it?

Well, we're trying. And then, are
you adding anything else to it?

Yes, I've got that. I want... Ooh,
what's this? I want to add a frill.

Fabric of Nigeria -

which you wouldn't expect
to go with an outfit like that.

Could be a bit too contrast-y
for the judges.

30 minutes remaining.

30 minutes.

I'm putting darts in order to give
the garment a nice shape.

The most important
thing is to make something

that actually looks like
a normal garment.

It's going to have a belt inside
here and a button here.

I wonder what else we can scour.

Where is this from? I love this!

I think that one's quite cool there.
I just need to find a needle.

I need some extra frill.

Maybe it'll make a bit
of an evening dress.

I'm not sure how will look like,
but I think I'll go for it.

Looks like I've got the effect
I want. I just need to decide

how I'm actually going to fix
it to the top.

Five minutes to go, sewers.
Five minutes.

Let's see what I can do in five
minutes, eh?

I won't have enough time to do
the pocket and the belt.

I'm going to add a button there.

In an ideal world, I will do
it with a buttonhole.

There's no time.
There's nothing on this mannequin.

Yes. Just be patient.
Prepare to be amazed. Amazed.

A bit of scuba going on.

One minute, sewers!

Ooh! Look at that.
You've done a frill.

Do you need help with
this mannequin, Leah?

I'm going to shove this
one through here. I think we've got
the arms round the wrong way.

Look at the thumbs. That's not
a thumb, is it? Look at that!

Awesome!

Needles up! That is your time.
Bring your mannequins forward.

It's bin collection day.

# A handful of memories... #

Wow! Look at these!

Oh, this is so cool!

Six brand-new garments made
from scraps of fabric

in just 90 minutes. Ooh!

And the judges have no idea whose
recycled outfit is whose.

Initial impressions?

They're looking quite fab!

I can see Riccardo's dress fabric
in three different garments.

Yes!
SHE LAUGHS

I really like the choice of fabric.

I like the net at the top.

I like that we've got tartan,
tartan, tartan, tartan.

We've got red, red.
We've got yellow, yellow. Print.

Everything is balancing itself off.

I think it's a really effective
transformation.

I agree with you.

It's party at the back.

That is quite extraordinary.

Is this a mini dress?
Well, yes, I think so.

They've made a tube with this frill
on the top.

This is less integrated.

I would quite like to see a bit
of this spot here as well and a bit

of white on the back.

It's like a trip down memory lane.

Every garment is bringing back happy
and some slightly sad memories.

We've got a panelled skirt.

We've got good old scuba
here as a pocket.

I do like the way that they've used
various different not

just colours, but textures.

Yes. It's a shame that it
doesn't line up at the bottom.

I wish this was a bit longer.

If it had been more exaggerated,
I'd have believed

that it was intentional.

Here we have a child's party
dress, I'd say. I think

it's really well done.

They've thought carefully about the
placement of the quite bold prints.

This little frill, and the frills on
the bottom. It looks sweet,
actually. Yeah.

It's really well-balanced,
and well-thought through.

It's a rah rah skirt
and a boob tube.

The layers of the different fabrics
in this frill looks great.

And I think that skirt is knockout.

They've done this overlap.

It's a shame it hasn't got
a popper or something on.

I really love the combination
of fabrics on this.

This is you all over in the back,
isn't it?

I really like the way they haven't
just simply panelled it in quarters.
Yes.

Or in rectangles. Rectangles.

I love it. It's a sort of homage

to all sorts of garments
of weeks past. Oh!

Wow! Is this reversible?

It is. Ha! Oh, I say! OK.

Really gone to town.
Extra marks for a waterproof. Yes.

The judges must now decide whose
scrappy transformation is top

of the pile.

In sixth place is
the black and white dress

with the frill. Mercedes.

This is the simplest. Yeah.

And this is the less kind
of integrated. Yeah.

In fifth place, it's
the panelled wrap skirt.

Jen. Nice idea, fitted well.

I just wasn't sure
about that bottom edge.

Leah is fourth and Juliet is third.

Right. In second place...

..the patchwork dress
with the frill. Riccardo.

I love the way you've placed the
different colours and the tartan

and the print and the frill
on the top. Thank you.

Which means our winner is Janet

and her amazing technicolored
waistcoat!

APPLAUSE

JOE LAUGHS

We loved this. It was so fun.

It's such a great use
of all those colours.

I could see Esme wearing it. Esme
could see herself wearing it.

It's a sort of joy to behold,
so well done.

Thank you very much.

I can't think of anything
better than the judges saying

that they would like to wear
something I've made!
That's tremendous.

Last week I was last.
This week I'm first! Thank you.

It feels great. I'm so happy
I came second.

I think Janet deserved it,
because she did a fantastic job.

I've broken the curse of fifth place
in the Transformation Challenge

by one position.

Yay...ish!

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

which sewers will make
it through to the quarterfinals.

So who's done well this week?

Juliet and Janet.

They both had a fantastic day -
two brilliant pieces of clothing.

Who's doing less well?

Well, I would say Mercedes.

But we know she's a great sewer.

We know she can fit.

And who else is looking vulnerable?

I think we've got a group
in the middle.

Riccardo, Jen and Leah.

If they have a terrible day
and Mercedes has a good one,

she could certainly see herself
into next week.

The models have returned
to be fitted with outfits made

with reused fabric.

Hello! Hello.

Welcome back sewers,
welcome back models.

It is time for
the Made-to-measure Challenge.

This week, the judges would
like you to make a day dress

using recycled upholstery fabric -

so that can be anything
from cushions,

curtains, sofa covers.

You have four hours for this
challenge and your time starts now.

OK, off we go. Let's get cracking.

For this challenge, the sewers
have been able to practise at home

and source their own fabric
to recycle.

My fabric was originally a curtain.

Maybe I should have washed the
curtain before putting it on the
model.

Really sorry, Laura!

They're materials with weights,
textures and patterns

that weren't created
for dressmaking.

Net curtains. That's what you get.

Nowadays, you can buy a lady's dress
for a fiver,

and they're made with the worst
possible materials.

Around the home, you've got all
sorts of great bits of fabric

that ordinarily would go to the skip

but they used to make curtains and
other bits of home furnishings

out of really good quality fabric
that was designed to really last.

I mean, something like this -
it's been woven with great care.

It's been beautifully printed.
It could have a great new life.

Yes, I think this would work
well as a day dress.

What are the challenges
involved with old fabrics?

I mean, there might be holes
and things in them,

so they have to cut round whatever
defects, and there'll be a limited

amount of fabric they've got.

And they'll have to be careful
how they place patterns

on the garment, so that it looks
pleasing to the eye.

Well, I'm looking forward to seeing
what they come up with.

I'm off to make some shorts
out of a carpet. See you later.

Ooh, lovely!

As soon as I heard about the
challenge, I knew instantly

that I had two blinds under my bed,
but I'm hoping that my godmother

will forgive me, because she made me
these blinds.

Leah plans to transform her
godmother's striped blinds

into a chic '60s day dress,

with nipped-in waist
and full pleated skirt.

My fabric's a lot heavier
than I would normally use,

so I've chosen a simple design
with quite a structural skirt

that works well with stiff fabrics.

But the scariest bit is all the
pattern matching, because I've got

endless stripes that need
matching, it seems.

That could go horribly wrong.

Good morning, Riccardo.
Good morning.

I absolutely love this fabric.

Me, too. I really like it. It's
beautiful. Yes. It was a curtain.

Where did it come from? A charity
shop near my house. Really?

And then in another charity shop,
I found this button from the '50s.

Oh, wow!

Riccardo is hoping to transform
his charity-shop curtains

into a sleek vintage dress
with asymmetrical pleats

in the bodice, which will be
attached to a pleated skirt

with a belt that will have
a unique fastening.

I'm making a belt out of the same
fabric, and I'm using the loops.

Nice. Great.

Yeah, I'm trying to make it 100%
recycled, like, even the buttons -
everything.

Brilliant. Very good. I love it.

Riccardo isn't the only sewer
headed back in time.

I was so delighted to find a curtain
which just reminded me so much

of Sputnik, the first-ever
Russian satellite.

The shape of it and the little
bubbles sticking out at the end.

And I love my sci-fi, so I thought I
was going to go a little bit sci-fi,

a little bit weird.

Mercedes will attempt a pleated
bubble skirt beneath a fitted bodice

with double Rouleau straps,

all in her complex retro
sci-fi print.

The pattern matching on it
is nigh-on impossible.

You can see in
the curtain themselves

that they haven't pattern matched.

Oh, isn't that absolutely annoying?

While Mercedes wrestles with
a complex pattern, Jen is hoping

for a more straightforward
route to the quarterfinal.

It's quite a simple design.

It's actually based on a dress
that I made for myself.

As soon as I saw the challenge,
I'm thinking Sound Of Music,

when Maria makes all those amazing
outfits out of one pair of curtains.

Jen plans to transform floral
curtains into a simple A-line dress

but will add a complicated headband
with contrasting pipe seam

an embroidered detail.

This embroidered panel at the bottom

is important, because, you know,
I don't have anything in the bank

from yesterday particularly,
so I need this to work.

Righty-h*.

The fit in the bodice is quite
an important issue in this dress.

All of the sewers have begun
construction with the bodice -

an area in any dress where fit
is most visible.

Now I've heard that you're going
to later be boning your bodice.

I'm boning it just now.

Haven't done boning before,

so this is a bit of a
hold-your-breath sort of thing.

Why are you boning it?

Well, because it's off the shoulder,
it's... So you want to keep the
shape. So it's got to...

You need something to stay
up, so yeah. Mmm.

So that's got to go there.

It's going to be a bit stiff,
isn't it? That's the lining.

So that's... Well, you'd hope
a boning would be stiff.

Janet's boning will support a deep
V neck bodice above a pleated skirt

for a '50s dress that's
100% home sewing.

My old dining room curtains.

They're nice curtains, them.
Yeah, yeah. Too nice to...

Premium quality, those.

There's a picture there, with a
red tablecloth. Look at that!

That's my mum. Your mum. And my
daughter and my husband.

And your daughter. And behind,
in the murky distance,

you can just see the curtains.
You can see those curtains. Yeah.

I'm going to argue that your husband
doesn't look thrilled to be there.

He doesn't like having his
photograph taken! Oh, I see!

Juliet's bodice will be a little
more revealing.

It is made out of net curtains.

I like lace, you know -
and my bodice,

it's going to be open-back,
a bit risque.

Her revealing bodice and high-low
skirt will see a contrasting

bedsheet peek through net
curtains, and the recycling

doesn't stop there.

You know the tiebacks you use for
curtains? Tie...? Oh, yeah, yeah.

So I thought I'll use it as the...
As the strap. Yeah.

Straps for the back. OK.
But I'm not too sure.

Feel it - is it bulky? Not really.
It's not that bulky, is it?

Well, I think, trust yourself.
Just keep it.

And then if it goes horribly wrong,
don't blame me. Blame it on Joe!

Please don't blame me.
OK, I won't blame you!

Right, what I need to do
is try this bodice on.

I wanted a nice tight fit.

So when you take your bra off,
your breasts won't drop.

Oh, hang on. It doesn't...no,
it wants to come down there.

There's a lot where
you can get rid of.

I've actually made it
too long in the body.

Ooh! I think it will look
really nice.

You sound like some fancy
designer when you're fitting.

"Yes, this is gorgeous. I love it!"

But not everyone's ready
for a first fitting.

The bodice requires some
really irritating pattern matching.

And that doesn't look right.
It's just time-consuming.

This is the extra length
that was in the bodice,

so I'm cutting that there.

I need to move my seams in a bit.
That's why it fits.

Just worried that it might show a
bit of side boob.

Hopefully I've got it to fit her
now. Yeah, that's good.

The pattern matching is not bad, but
it's gone a bit wrinkled there.

Oh, God! It's just going to be
the death of me!

Not happy with that.

It's just a bit big there.

Got quite a lot to do with my
fitting,

and I really want to get this made
quite quickly,

so I've got time to play with my
band.

I'm really feeling the pressure now.

As soon as I get the bodice done,
I'll have to really pick up speed.

Now, I can move to the skirt.

A bubble skirt is a skirt that's
actually attached to the lining.

The way of doing it is by having
the lining smaller than the skirt,

then the lining will pull it in,

and that will give it its voluptuous
bubble effect.

But achieving a flattering
silhouette in fabric meant

for robust home furnishings
isn't easy.

I'm just putting the skirt together.

It's got soft box pleats.

The fabric - it's perhaps a little
heavier than I would normally have
used.

I'm trying to make the perfect
shape. I think I like it.

I really like this fabric,
because it's thick enough

to be shaped around the body, but
not heavy. A very thick fabric

I'm not sure would have been a good
choice for pleated dress,

because it might be too bulky.

I haven't made anything out of any
material quite this robust,

so that's thrown me a little bit.

It behaves in a slightly
different way.

My godmum, Lizzie,
made them for me.

In some ways, Lizzie should have
known that you were going to
do this challenge ten years later...

It's all her fault, right?

And should have made it in
a thinner fabric. I know!

She's so selfish like that,
isn't she? She DOES that!

So this is just varnish, but what I
normally do is I put the gels on.

One second. You have an hour
remaining, sewers. One hour
remaining.

I don't grow them out enough.
That's the issue, though.

Nice chatting. See you soon.

There's an awful lot of gathering
on this skirt.

Because I need to pull it right in,

it just gets a bit bulky.

I don't know if I'm going to have
time to finish.

Oh, that one just won't sit in the
middle. Move in the middle, dammit!

I've got to attach
my skirt to the bodice.

This is where I find out I've pinned
it on the wrong way round. No.

We're OK.

Perfect.

OK.

Oh! Do you not love a bubble skirt?

Right.
That look about the right level?

Janet's tacked the skirt together.

She's just checking that it fits.

That's got to sit like that
off your shoulders.

It looked like
it was draping a bit here, to me.

Leah spent an awful lot of time...
Matching. ..matching up her patterns

and there are a lot of pleats in it

that she should have really been
pressing very carefully.

She's sewing it
like a bull at a gate.

Jen's dress is probably
the simplest of all

in terms of its shape and
construction. Yes, I think it is.

She's still got to put
the bottom band on the skirt

to create definition

which I don't think will actually
create enough definition.

We will see.

I'm just needing to do this...

..hem band.

It's not as neat
as I would like it to be.

I'm really hash-bashing at it.
The piping above the band,

I might miss out and just do
top stitching instead.

So if that's what
I have to sacrifice,

that's what I have
to sacrifice.

OK. I need to make a belt
using the curtain loops.

I need to be fast if I want
to finish in time.

I am currently inserting my little
loops for the curtain tiebacks

so I can create a zigzag effect.

I try not to rush at the end but...

SHE GROANS GENTLY

My glasses are so sweaty,
they're falling off my nose!

I like it.

See, now the skirt works. OK.

How much time have we got left?

Sewers,
you have ten minutes remaining.

Keep focused. Keep focused,
keep focused, keep focused.

I would really like to do
just even one flower.

Problem is, to do this embroidery,

I really need to kind of
be calm, to keep a steady hand.

Oh, it's come...

Don't mess up on the machine.

Oh, come on!

This is the last bit and then
I'll give it a final press.

Oh, God. It looks an absolute mess.

The pleats, they're terrible.

I think it's curtains for me.

We're just putting some strips on.
This is to the wire.

We're acting as if we've got
five hours, not five minutes.

Four minutes!
Four hours, not four minutes.

I just want to do one more flower.

Let's get those models dressed.

Ha! Haven't anything to dress them
with yet. Oh, excellent.

There you go, honey. You take that.

Is it comfortable?
Was it too tight? Is it digging?

Oh, that's cool.
That's lovely, Lila.

It's not perfection.

Could have done with taking it
a bit more out here.

Little bit there
that's not quite right.

The curtain tiebacks are giving us
a bit of a situation here.

That is your time.

That is the end of the
Made-to-measure Challenge.

Wow. Yes!

I'm exhausted!

Oh, my God. I hope she'll like it.

She's certainly not going to make me
another pair of lines again
in a hurry.

The fit is slightly loose.

But then that's to allow for
afternoon tea.

# Girls in white dresses
with blue satin sashes

# Snowflakes that stay on
my nose and eyelashes

# Silver white winters
that melt into springs

# These are a few of
my favourite things... #

Six brand-new day dresses made
from old curtains and blinds

in just four hours.

I love this period pattern

and I think it's really on trend,
actually.

And the fabric works
really, really well.

The fabric choice is fabulous
and I love the way you've reused

the rings from the curtain
to make the belt.

It really works.

It's a slight sort of nod
to the modernity of the '60s.

And I really love this asymmetric
pleated front

and then the central pleats
in the skirt.

I feel it's pulling here.

Do you see here?

But I do love it, and I hope
you will try and make

some more dresses like this.

I think the overall impression
is extraordinarily chic.

# Just a little bit of sunshine

# Makes it all a better place

# You can chase away
your troubles... #

Right, Jen.

I really liked your choice of fabric

and it's very, very pretty.

And I like that you've put the
pockets on and you've piped them.

Yeah. I would have loved to
have seen this piping around...

Yes. ..here.

I don't understand what this band
around the bottom is doing

now that you've taken
that piping out.

Did you do any embroidery?
I managed to get two flowers.

If I'd had more time to do
more embroidery, I think

it would have made more sense
as a construction.

It doesn't fit.

It's got too much...
Too much fabric here.

Yes. Yeah.

And there's another thing, actually.

All the flare on this dress
is on the side.

It's very... Too triangular
and two-dimensional.

I don't think it's up to your
usual standards.

# You got to turn on the sunshine

# Push those blues away! #

It's a great choice of fabric
for a summer day dress.

I really like the silhouette
of this dress.

It almost looks '60s.

You know, Audrey Hepburn wearing it.

You've had so many stripes to match.

Yeah. You've matched them through
the darts,

you've matched them
through the side seams.

But this actually isn't matching
here, which is a real shame.

And it doesn't look a great fit
across the front.

And these pleats, they're just
sort of all over the place.

That's tiny. That's huge.

Next one's big.
Then you've got a little one here.

And my eye can't help but be drawn
to these uneven pleats on the front.

# Why am I so starry-eyed?

# Starry-eyed and mystified... #

I really think it's impactful.

And you've got your bubble skirt...
I've got my bubble skirt.

..that looks very cute.

The way that you've managed
all that fullness

and given it that lightness
and bounce is fantastic.

Thank you. But it's too long
in the body. Yeah.

The waist's meant to be on the waist
but it's sitting on her hip.

I think you've obviously tried to
match the patterns.

You know, you've got this leaf,

you've got the edge,
you've just missed it here.

But the double straps
feel really kind of sporty.

So the overall effect is terrific.

Thank you.

# Yes, it's a good day

# For singing a song

# And it's a good day

# For moving along... #

This started life
as a pair of curtains

from your dining room and now
is a very elegant day dress.

I think it's very well sewn.

This box pleat in the centre
and the two pleats on either side

are perfectly spaced.

I think it's a bit tight
across the bust

and I think that's what's causing
this fullness here.

That's quite annoying me. Yeah.

THEY LAUGH
But overall, it is very nicely sewn

and it looks good.

# However, I

# Got my eyes on you

# So best beware

# Where you roam... #

The overall impression
is absolutely stunning.

You know, never has a pair of net
curtains looked sexier than this.

And I love the turquoise
underneath.

I think it looks very neatly sewn.

You've handled the seams
on the bodice really beautifully.

Curve is very smooth.

They're sitting
just at the right point.

I like very much this wideness
on the neck.

And you were worried about
these curtain ties, weren't you?

I was worried. Turn around.
But this looks great, actually.

There's only one thing
I'm going to say.

Can you turn round to the side?

I think that could have been
slightly filled in.

Yeah. I mean,
it looks really great on her.

And lots of young women don't mind
showing... Bit of side boob.

A side boob, no.

I wouldn't want to show a side boob

but then I am a woman of
a certain age.

Well done, sewers.
Go and take a break.

When we come back, we'll find out
who's through to the quarterfinal

and who is sadly leaving
the Sewing Bee.

When you look at that dress, you'd
never think that it's recycled.

The model did look chic.

Actually, they were awful
as a curtain, ugh!

I really enjoyed making that dress
out of curtains.

It suited, you know, young girl,

out at the races with a friend,
looking glamorous.

Showing a bit of side boob.

I liked it.

I tried really hard this afternoon.

There were moments when I thought
my goose was perfectly cooked,

and I was going to be out,
but I kept fighting.

You know,
Patrick keeps saying to me,

"It's not the standard we expect
of you, Jen."

So I feel I'm just maybe not quite
on the right wavelength this week.

I am up for the chop.

I can totally feel it.

OK, lads.
So Reduce, Re-use, Recycle week.

How have we enjoyed it?

I was enormously impressed
by all of them.

I think there's some tremendous
sewing in there.

I like the stories of the fabrics.

Who's in contention for
Garment of the Week?

I just loved Janet's
Transformation Challenge.

Personally
I really liked Riccardo's.

Made-to-measure.

It was a shape that suited his
choice of fabric incredibly well.

And also he found a pattern
in a charity shop.

Juliet's was an absolute knockout.

The fit was wonderful.

Look at the inside of that,
which is something we didn't see.

It's under stitched.

It was really stunning. Yeah.

Mercedes was looking vulnerable.

Is that still the case?

I loved Mercedes' bubble skirt.

I think the choice of fabric
was fantastic.

It looked sporty and fresh.

But the fit,
it was too long in the body.

Jen's was poor by her standards.

The cut and shape of the dress,

you know, it was very flat.

She had this band on the bottom

that didn't really make
any sense at all. No.

Leah, I think, was a very brave
choice of fabric,

lots and lots of matching,
but she didn't sew it very well.

I did really like the silhouette.

I thought it looked really chic.

It's just the finishing.

So potentially in danger,
Mercedes, Jen and Leah.

Sewers, made it through
another week.

Let's do the nice thing first.
Patrick.

Our Garment of the Week
this week is...

It is, of course,
Juliet's Made-to-measure.

Never has curtain twitching
been so glamorous.

It's beautifully sewn,
it's wonderfully created.

Very well done. Thank you. Thanks.
Yeah!

OK. Now for the horrible bit.

To the person who's going home.

You've made it way over halfway,
but you've done brilliantly.

And I can now announce the person
who is going home this week is...

..Mercedes.

Well done. Thank you. Thank you.

Well done. Thank you.
You've been fantastic.

Great. Great to have you here.

Thank you. It's been a joy to have
you in the contest.

I'm sorry I didn't... It's just,
really messed it up this week.

We'll really miss you, Mercedes.

I hope you will.

Goodness me!

No, I'm not going to cry.

That was a surprise.

Oh, no, I wasn't surprised.

I hope my nan's proud of me.

Cos I miss my nan.

When I left home at 16,

she sent me off with a single bed
and a Singer sewing machine

that she bought from down the road.

So yeah, sleep well and sew.

And that was what she was
interested in. She set me off.

Well done on your one.
Garment of the Week again!

Yeah!

I got to week five,
which is absolutely amazing.

Cos I still think they'd actually
picked the wrong name

out of the list and I wasn't
actually supposed to be here

in the first place!

It's so sad to see Mercedes leave.

She's an amazing person.
I will miss her so much.

The sewing room is going to be
a poorer place without Mercedes.

We're all really going to miss her.

That's going to be a big old gap
in our group.

I'm so anxious about going
through to the next round now.

I wanted to get past the first week.

Next week is week six.

Yay!

It's all just so...

I'll probably wake up tomorrow
and then it will sink in.

Eek!

Next time...

There you go. More linen.

It's British and Irish
Fabrics week...

Ooh, dear! Oh, my.

..as the sewers take on tailoring...

It's just trying to work out
the instructions.

..a beach of a transformation...

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

..and the largest
Made-to-measure garment yet...

Nobody panic, it's all fine.

Oh, this is pandemonium!

..causing one of the
biggest upsets...

It's a big, big shame.

..of the competition so far.

So disappointed
that it isn't finished.