05x07 - Episode 7

[bunniefuu]

It's the semifinal which means
our four remaining sewers

are about to be flung across
the globe to tackle techniques

and garments from the
furthest corners of the world.

It also means that we've
left the sewing room and

are now here in Barbados.

Top up my drink please, Esme.

Oh, that's where it is.

Oh.

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Welcome to
The Great British Sewing Bee.

Last time... What's happening?
You're ruining my holiday.

..the sewers took on
British and Irish fabrics.

The world comes to Britain
for these cloths.

After Riccardo's wayward start...

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

..he worked woolly wonders...

Riccardo, I love it.

..winning garment of the week.

Leah lost her way...

Why are we talking in Chinese now?

..but Janet's London landmarks...

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

..were a bridge too far.

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

This week it's the semifinal...

There is pressure.
I can feel the pressure.

..and our sewers are going global...

Stop showing off.

..from Africa...
Wowser.

..to India...

Very good warrior one.
..via Japan.

It's an origami party!

Which sewer holds firm?

Right now, I could just
throw this in the bin.

And who has finally folded?

It's got a hole. Oh, baby's hungry.

# I've travelled every road
in this here land...

# I've been everywhere, man

# I've been everywhere... #

It's the semifinal!

I don't quite know how
I made it here but I am here.

It is real. I'm actually
in the semifinal.

It's just surreal.

It'd be lovely to get
into the final.

I mean, obviously, you know
you start this process.

I guess that's the aim
everybody has.

The fact that I'm in the semifinal
is definitely exciting and I think

using techniques and fabrics
from different places

around the world
might be very interesting.

Hello.

Good morning.

Morning, everyone. Come forward.

Final four semifinal.

How do we feel?
Nervous.

This week it is World Sewing Week,
which I hope means that these two

want you to make German lederhosen
using only sausages.

Is that the case?
For this pattern challenge,

we're taking you on a passage
to India.

Thank you. Thank you.

We want you to make dhoti pants.

This is a modern take
on a traditional Indian trouser.

We want accurate pleats at the front
and exquisite finishing everywhere.

And this being the semifinal,
we expect you to make a perfect

fabric choice, which this week
we're leaving entirely up to you.

Just a word on pleats.

I'll be getting a tape measure out.

For this challenge, you have three
and a half hours

and your time starts now.

Right.

Based on the Eastern tradition
of shaping garments with tucks

and folds, dhotis can be
traced back 7,000 years.

Initially made from a simple wrapped
rectangle of unstitched cloth,

the addition of intricate pleats
and seams have seen them transformed

into a global fashion phenomenon.

I'm looking for something that's
going to drape.

It's all about drape. You want
something that drapes

and is still lots of shape.

Picking the right fabric
is just the start.

Wow, is that the length?
Yeah, it's massive.

The sewers face a pattern larger
than anything they've used before.

Are you even going to fit on there?

Oh, back to the drawing board.

A lot of Eastern clothing are based
around rectangles and squares

and these pattern pieces
might look quite unfamiliar to them.

You know, two trouser legs that look
quite slim actually start out

as effectively a huge diamond shape.

And fabric choices, you've not given
them any idea of what fabric.

What fabrics are ideal for this?

If you look at the silhouette,
it's doing a curve here.

This is a cotton, so it's got
a little bit of body.

If the fabric is too
soft and drapey,

it won't maintain the silhouette.

There is a huge amount of pleating,
they need to get the spacing

and the depth of those pleats
absolutely right.

This waistband needs to be beautiful
and flat on the front,

evenly gathered
with the elastic on the back.

And we have made it more difficult
for them by not including diagrams.

But this is the semifinal.

Oh, my gosh,
these are the instructions.

Yes, the pattern is minimal.

It's minimalist instructions.

I love that everybody has a
very confused look on their face.

Dhoti pants are engineered
from two vast panels

that must be manipulated
into a delicate garment.

First, the raw edge of the ankle
is concealed with a pin hem.

The two panels are then
sewn together with a French seam

at the centre back and centre front.

The legs are then closed
and 32 pleats painstakingly folded.

The waistband is then added,

elastic sewn into the back

and secured in place.

Finally, a fine layer of top
stitching is sewn

for a crisp finish.

Hello, Riccardo, I'm pleased to see
you are reading your instructions.

Yes, I am. And I'm surprised,
it's like one page.

Yes, well. It is the semifinal
you know! I know!

Let's have a look at your fabric.

OK.

I went for the similar choice
as Julia did.

This is cotton, it drapes very nice.

And at the same time,
strong enough to hold the pleats.

I think you should get
a reasonable crease in it.

Like Riccardo and Juliet,
Leah has also opted for cotton...

OK. ..but one sewer
has gone up market.

I've picked this beautiful
100% silk.

Oh! We'll see how it works.

I know nothing about
Indian and Asian sewing.

I've not been to India.
I've been to Korea.

I was working in Korea
so I didn't see very much.

So, World Sewing Week.
You've got Nigerian heritage.

Is it different in Nigeria, the
style of sewing? It is different.

They do lots of free-hand cutting.
Free-hand cutting?

Yes, like they would look at a
person, measure a person and just

mark out in the fabric and put it
on the fabric without drawing

on paper. They'll look
at you and go...

"You'd probably be like a 32..."
and cut it out.

They look at me after
I've had a curry and they go...

"I think probably that way.
So just get on that."

With their giant pieces cut,

the sewers tackle the smallest part
of the garment.

Pin hem, both hands.

So, do a pin him to the ankles.

It's really thin and I would
normally go with a thicker hem.

A pin hem is really fiddly.

Ah, sugarelly.

You need to be really accurate.

Would you wear dhoti pants? No.

You're more of a thong man, really?
Yeah, exactly, yes!

Don't you think they're quite
cool pants?

This could be exactly the
sort of thing that I might end up

having for yoga.

At least I'm hoping.
I'm trying yoga.

Are you? What kind are you doing?
Do you know?

This is one that I've learnt.

Oh, yeah, very good - Warrior One.

Can you put your foot up
and arm down and then bend down?

What? My foot up?

Yeah. My arm...

What?!

Oh, Leah.

Wow.
There's the iron board pose. Right.

Hang on. We're making yoga pants,
it's official.

I've got to get this arm...

That looks exactly the same!

Yeah, you look just like Leah did.

Yoga is for everyone.

Come on, Joe!
Come on, you can do it.

Bend forward? Yeah.

Argh! Argh! Good, nearly there.

Is there a medic here?

Sewers, you've had one hour.

Pin hem complete, now the trousers
must be joined to create a waist.

Are you sewing down there?
Isn't it centre front?

I don't know. Crikey.

But with such sparse instructions,
they must figure out exactly

how far to sew.

Does it go all thing down?

It's only that bit.

You don't know if it's going to come
together at all

let alone whether or not I'm sewing
too much.

Crucially, they must stray
no further than the crotch.

Please work.

Please, please.

It's like a pair trousers.

If they sew too far...
Oh, no.

..they'll end up with
an entirely different garment.

I've made such a ridiculous mistake.

I've made like a full circle skirt.

Grr! Have a skirt.

All it meant was the crotch seam,
Leah!

Leah had a bit of a stumble -
put two front inside legs together.

So you made just one giant
skirt, effectively? Yes, I did.

It's literally going to have
to be rollerbladed over.

I haven't got time. Yes, but if you
whizz off and take a huge chunk

out of it, it isn't
quite going to work.

OK? Yeah. Thanks, Esme.

Leah made an absolute
major mistake.

Oh, yeah. She's made one huge tube.

Juliet did the same thing.
She didn't?

Yes. She had to unpick it all.

Leah just chopped it off.

Oh! The seam allowance's gone.

Does that mean that
if she's chopped it off,

she's going to have tighter...?

Yes. Yeah. The ankles are going to
be very tight and they're quite

tight anyway. It's not the sewing
bee if someone hasn't put a limb

on the wrong way, is it?

One hour to go, guys.
Ooh!

You have one hour remaining.

We're getting there now.
We can both get in these.

There they are, they look like
a pair of trousers. Yeah.

Once their trousers are joined
correctly, the sewers have a massive

three meters of fabric...

..which must be gathered to just
60 centimetres to form a waist.

The pattern says make pleats.

Helpful. It's 32 pleats so you have
to make sure you do it 32 times.

They need to calculate the size
of each pleat.

I have no head for maths.

The circumference
must be divided equally.

So 1.5, join it there.

Get their measurements wrong

and they'll be left
with uneven pleats.

This is a nail file, I'm just
using it as a mini ruler quickly.

What about pressing?

Once the pleats are in
place and they look beautiful,

I'll press everything.

No, you press as you go along.

It's called underpressing.

Under pressure, yes!

Esme just remind me
that I should press as I go,

but she didn't look very impressed.

But pressing is the
least of Leah's worries.

Jen, did you have massive gaps
between your pleats?

Maybe about five mils out.

As in too big or too small?
You're too much, I'm too wee.

I need to put something in place.

Just looks a bit pants.

This is the one challenge where
if that's what the judges say...

I know, right? So I've nailed it.
..you've won.

Dhoti pants may be a current
fashion favourite,

but in their original form
they became an unlikely symbol

of India's struggle
for independence.

During British rule in the
late 1800s,

India's centuries old tradition
of handweaving was in sharp decline

with its colonial rulers
reaping the rewards.

Indian cotton was sent to British
mills to be turned into cloth

and then sent back where
it had to be purchased

at an incredibly high cost.

This understandably angered
Mahatma Gandhi, who was the leader

of the independence movement
against British colonial rule.

And he placed cotton
at the heart of his campaign.

In 1921,
Gandhi took the momentous decision

to reject the Western suits
he'd worn working as a lawyer

in London and adopted
traditional dhoti,

made with a locally hand-woven cloth
called khadi.

Gandhi saw the revival of
village economies as central

to the regeneration of India.

He encouraged people to spin
their own cloth or buy locally made

and to boycott British goods,
especially cotton textiles.

In Britain, the effect of Gandhi's
boycott was devastating.

In just four years, 74 mills closed
in Lancashire alone

and thousands of mill workers
lost their livelihoods.

The Davies family, who were
prominent mill owners in

East Lancashire, truly believed that
if they invited him to come and see

the hardship that was being caused

by the Indian boycott
of British goods

that he might be convinced
to call off this embargo.

Incredibly, in 1931, the Davies
got their wish and Gandhi made

the long journey to Lancashire
to meet the workers face to face.

Gandhi was received with affection
by the Lancashire cotton workers

even though they were the ones
hardest hit.

And while he sympathised
with their plight, Gandhi looked

around the smart houses at the
Garden Village that the Davies

had built for their workers and felt
a huge contrast with the poverty

in his own country.

When textile workers told
Gandhi how much hardship

they were suffering,
he turned to them and said,

"My dear, you have
no idea what poverty is."

Gandhi's embargo remained
and this combined with a boom

in global cotton production meant
most Lancashire Mills had to close.

India finally achieved independence
in 1947.

And the role the dhoti played
in its struggle for freedom

has never been forgotten.

Sewers, you have half an hour
remaining.

Oh, no. He's freaking me out now.

Phew.

You've done pleats.

It's starting to
look like a pair of pants.

SHE LAUGHS

The final stage of the pattern
is the waistband -

the anchor for
the colossal folds of material.

Interfaces this fine that you
iron on, and it gives more body.

While the front requires
stiffening...

..the back needs something
a lot more flexible.

How long is the elastic?

The sewers must calculate
the perfect amount of elastic.

40 centimetres.

Too much, and it will sag.

OK. 35.

Too little, and it won't fit.

Argh. I need to stretch these things
and I don't understand.

Tried to pull it,
but then, you lose it. It's crazy.

Sewers, you have 20 minutes
remaining!

While Riccardo battles
to insert his elastic...

Ugh!

..the rest of the sewers face
the tricky task of securing it.

Last touches, Jen.

Oh, last touches.
Top-stitching, Joe, look.

You're sewing with
the elastic in place

so it's pulling everything
out of place.

It's a bit crooked.
It's catching, as well.

Oh! This is a disaster.

GIGGLING

It's really bad!

Five minutes to go, sewers!
Mannequins!

Oh, God, they're a neat fit.

Oh!
Juliet, what are you doing?

I'm trying to get it up.

You're trying to what?
Trying to get it up.

That is a look!

Exposed bum!

And she's ready for the party!

There's something wrong
with this machine.

It's splitting here, splitting here.

It's splitting at the front.

SHE GRUNTS

Go on, Juliet! Agh.

Come on, lady. Oof.

Ah, wow.

She's in. Less of the doughnuts
for this one!

On I go. Argh.

Needles up!
That's your time, sewers!

Bring your mannequins forward,
well done.

Four pairs of dhoti pants,
in just three-and-a-half hours.

Let's start with Jen.

Well, first impressions,

looks pretty spot-on.

The shape's lovely,
choice of fabric is great.

It's got a lovely, soft drape to it.

Look at the flow on those pants!

That's a thing of beauty. I say.

OK, let's have a look
at these pleats.

I was promised a tape measure.

PATRICK LAUGHS

I don't think I need a tape measure.

They're absolutely spot-on.
Yes!

Your waistband at the front
is very nicely top-stitched.

The back looks even as well.

I mean, this is what we were
looking for - precise sewing.

Very good job. Thank you.
Yeah, pretty faultless, Jen.

That is a beautiful piece of sewing.
Thank you.

Right, Juliet.

Well, you've chosen
a really nice fabric, too.

But let me look at the pin hem.

That is very neat.

Right. The pleats are
not perfectly even.

3.6.

2.5.

You haven't top-stitched
through the elastic

which, again, would have held
all those gathers in place.

But, otherwise, they're a really
fantastic pair of trousers.

Thank you.

OK, Riccardo.

Looks pretty good, actually.

The pleats look even.
You've done the pin hem.

Fabric's got a great drape.

Now, this looks dead, dead dodgy.

You should have attached
the elastic.

It is attached.
Come.

HE LAUGHS

Feel this. Feel it.

It's one thread holding it here.

OK, oops, I'm sorry, yeah.
Yes?

The elastic is now about three
inches shorter than it should be,

so, it's not gathering the back.

You haven't top-stitched. It's just
the waistband that lets it down.

Perfect choice of fabric.

Lovely soft drape.

But something has gone wrong
with your pleat placement.

You've got a huge space there,
and then,

you've sort of crammed them in
really close.

We've got a pleat
that's disappearing into the fold.

I mean, we do know that you chopped
that seam allowance off, for time,

and this may have affected
the pleats. Mm-hm.

The same on the bottom of
the trousers.

This has all got tighter here,

and the height of the crotch...

Is the industry term
for this a "hungry bum"?

It is a little hungry.
Yes.

And we've got a few threads here.

Patrick and Esme will now rank
the dhoti pants from worst to best.

Fourth place, it's Leah.

This challenge was about
perfect pleats,

and yours are far from perfect,
sadly.

Fair enough.

In third place is Riccardo.

Your waistband
really let you down.

Second place...

..Juliet.

Beautifully sewn,
but just lacking that final finish.

And in first place is Jen.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you, thank you.

A great choice of fabric,

very accurately sewn, and completely
finished. Well done. Thank you.

Well done, everyone.
Go and have a cup of tea

and we'll come back for
the Transformation Challenge.

# You'll never see a dark cloud
hanging round me. #

It's always nice
to have credit in the bank

and the first place gives me
credit in the bank.

But no, I'll approach
the transformation

the same way that I always do which
is basically with glee.

The pressure's seriously on now.

There's just not room for error.
Somebody has to go.

As the competition
gets closer to the final,

it doesn't feel a competition
against other people at all,

it feels a competition
against yourself.

I'm going to try my best to enjoy
the Transformation Challenge.

I've been to India,

so, might be North or South America,
I don't know. We shall see.

For the Transformation Challenge,
we are indeed crossing continents

to put the semifinalists'
design skills to the test.

Hello, everyone!
ALL: Hello.

OK. This is intriguing.

Sewers, it is
the Transformation Challenge.

And as it is World Sewing Week,

I'm guessing, is it to make a sarong
out of a goat massaman curry?

GIGGLING

Maybe not.
Well, let's find out what it is.

We are heading to West Africa...

..with the dashiki,
traditionally a gentleman's attire,

but now this fabric is used
in everything from dresses to suits.

What we want you to do
is transform this

into a completely different garment
or outfit

using this exquisite border
and placement print.

But you can also use the
plain fabrics in front of you.

The judges are going to go away now
because they're going on safari.

Remember, Esme, the lions are more
scared of you than you are of them.

Off you go. Be safe.
SHE GIGGLES

Good luck.
Thank you.

OK, help yourself to
a dashiki on the rail.

You have 90 minutes
for this challenge. Good luck.

Your time starts now!

The dashiki is a loose-fitting top
made from light cotton,

perfect for life in the tropics.

Who wants the blue one?

I'll be taking that, then!

Its bold colours and
distinctive shape and print

make it a potent symbol of
African culture around the world.

I love African prints.
I think they're super colourful

and really, really nice.

Colour plays a key role
in West African folklore,

from the spiritual growth of green

to the femininity of purple.

And the dashiki celebrates this
from every angle.

There's a big African community
in Brixton near where I live,

so, I see plenty of this around.

I wouldn't have been able to tell
you what it's called, I have to say.

It's from my side of the continent,
and I love this fabric,

and I hope to do justice
to this gorgeous thing.

The dashiki is obviously
a traditional West African garment,

which is reflected in the really
vivid colours that you see

all across African clothing.

They're all different colours,
but the prints are all the same.

It's a wonderful starting point,

but what we're asking them to do
is create something new

that doesn't look like a dashiki

but which uses
the very best elements of it.

So, the borders
and the placement print

in an imaginative and creative way.

I think it's an interesting
challenge because

these are very bold elements

and bold elements can look wonderful
if they're handled well,

but they could also look very ugly
if they're badly thought through.

OK. I'm going to turn this
into a dress

so, I'm cutting this out,

and turning it on its head
a little bit.

What I'm thinking is to replace
one side of the green panel

with a yellow,
and keep all the edges,

and make a dress.

I'm going do, I think,
a pair of shorts and a top.

But this amount of pattern is not
normally what I would work with.

So, I just need to step out of
my comfort zone with this one.

I'm trying to make
a top and a skirt.

It's going to have like a peplum
on the top using the dashiki.

That's smart.
Have you already made a dashiki?

I have made a dashiki in the past.

Is there a picture of it down here?
Yeah, my little girl wearing it.

Ah! Look at that! That's so cute.

She loves her dashiki top.

Well, I'm loving wearing one,
it's so comfortable.

It's so colourful and vibrant,
you know. Yeah.

How long we have?

Sewers, you have one hour remaining!

Yellow, anybody? Yellow?

All the sewers have decided
to add plain fabric

to enhance their designs.

That could be a bit crazy vibrant.

But it must be used carefully

or they risk losing the impact
of the dashiki signature print.

Oh, God, this is scary!

VOICEOVER: And one sewer...

Oh, oh!

..is adding more than most.

So, this goes in the middle?
Exactly.

You know why they go there,

you will be able to see the main
pattern only through the opening.

These colours are like mental.

I mean, you've got to
really go with how you feel.

And I do that with mixed success.

Woo!

They're quite cute, aren't they?
They are quite cute.

I mean, your eye goes
to the crotch, doesn't it?

I mean, my eye often
goes to the crotch!

Well, depends what kind of person
you are!

That is the kind of person I am.

Do you want to know what your
fabric choice means? Yeah, go on.

Red means sacrificial rites,
bloodshed and death.

SHE BURSTS OUT LAUGHING

I don't think that's quite
the vibe I'm trying to go for. No.

Sewers, you're halfway through.

Where does the time go
in these challenges?

How confident are you?

80% maybe. Oh, OK,
that's quite confident. Yeah.

So, you chose yellow,

which has similar attributes
associated with gold.

So, I'm wearing blue. What is blue?

Would you like to know
what that means?

Super cute, the sexiest person in
the sewing room. Isn't that weird?

Oh, my God!

That's crazy
that they have that there!

It will be a peplum top.

I'm trying to cut out these
statement aspects of the fabric

to add body to it.

It's quite psychedelic.

No-one's going to miss you walking
down the street. No, they won't.

I've got a zip here, so,
I just want to attach that.

What's wrong with a bit of
colour? I love them.

Let's have a pop of colour.

You have 30 minutes remaining.

Stop showing off, Joe!

GIGGLING

Right, let's have a look, see how
we're doing on the shape of this.

Wowser.

You know the thing I made last week,

it was really cute,
I could see somebody wearing it.

This - not so much!

For my sins,
I'm doing some more pleats.

Are you pleating yours? Yeah, I'm
doing pleats. I don't even know why.

After today's debacle, why would
I do that? Why would I do pleating?

I would like to stitch
these two pieces together

with one of these hooks,
but am I having a very stupid idea?

I've done the peplum,
but it's taking up a lot of time.

Choo-choo-choo.

Sewers, you have 15 minutes
remaining.

Oh, my days.

I'm putting the neck on.

Are you going to finish? Yeah,
whatever you're not finished with

you can always say, "Yeah,
this is exactly what I want!"

Buttons.

I'm just going to continue
the high-low vibe

before I start hemming.

One minute, sewers!

Oh, wow.
It's like crazy!

Mannequins!

If it doesn't fit,
I'm going to blame it on you, Joe.

It does fit.
Look, there you go.

I have no idea who would wear this.

Come on, Jen.

Cool, on the mannequins,
on the mannequins.

I mean, it's bonkers.

Needles up, that's your time!

Bring your transformations forward.
Well done.

Come on, Riccardo.

Ooh, OK! Big, strong boy!

It's right by my crotch!

GIGGLING

Four dashikis transformed
in just 90 minutes.

Wow.

And the judges have no idea
whose is whose.

Well, this is very dramatic.

Somebody's sending us a message
about pleating.

CHUCKLING

I think this is brilliant.

This, particularly, you know,
this sort of sweep of the pattern,

this inserted pink panel,
the pleating,

this beautiful kind of teardrop
down the side,

it anchors the whole thing
and it flows.

How does one get in and out?

There's a zip.

I can see somebody wafting
down the road in that.

I can see somebody wafting
up a red carpet in that.

Well, yes.
It's absolutely knockout.

This is really striking.

They've given us this sort of flash
of pattern coming out

through this giant
pleat in the front.

Is that tie attached?
Yeah, it's...

It's almost like that p*ssy bow.

I liked very much
how they've echoed...

We've got the gathered bit
at the neck.

Also, the sleeves are gathered.
Yeah.

It's telling a story.

And that undoes. It's two
different dresses.

That's after lunch.
And that one's before lunch!

I mean, that's not the neatest bit
of sewing.

That was obviously done
at the very last minute.

Yeah.

So here we've got a pair of shorts
and a little shirt that they put

this placket on. They've done the
button holes and buttons.

I like how they've used
the pattern round the neck

and then we've got elastic in.

I like the shorts.

I'm not sure I love the top.

It just to me is odd that we've just
got the sort of...

Front of the shorts?

..crotch exposer.
It needs to cover the front.

Look - this is...sort of pointed.
Yes, I've seen it. Yes!

What's it pointing at, Esme?
It's pointing at the bottom

of the crutch -
it's pointing there. Right.

LAUGHTER

Look at this! Got a top in a skirt.

The fit on this top is phenomenal.

I love this.

They've used most of the original
garment and just added this little

bit here for the top.

I mean, it's really clever the way
they've taken sections of the border

and pieced it in to make it feel
like one continuous band

around the bottom. Yes. And they've
used the same idea here to form

the peplum.

The only thing - now I'm going
to be really picky. Are you?

I would like a bigger -
more of a statement with this.

I think I'd agree. I think it's

a very, very impressive
transformation.

Patrick and Esme must now
decide whose transformation

has done their dashiki justice.

In fourth place...

..is the red one here.

Jen. I don't know what happened
here, but...

Yeah, it kind of wasn't...
It was an unfortunate coincidence.

OK.

Yeah, well done, Jen,
with your bloodshed and death.

In third place,
the yellow with the pleated front.

Riccardo. Riccardo.

Some lovely use of the original
borders, very clever shaping.

It's a great transformation.
Well done.

Thank you.

In second place...

..is the purple one.

Juliet.

Juliet, we love this and you've been
very imaginative,

how you've used the border
on the hem and the little peplum.

Yeah, it's great.
Thank you.

Thanks.

Which means our winner - this
stunning creation of Leah's.

Well done.

Thank you. I mean, we love it.

There's so much beauty in it.

It's terrific.
Well done.

And pleats! I had to redeem myself,
somehow, let's face it.

Thank you, though.

Well done. Well done, everyone,
through the first day

of the semifinal.

Go and have some international food.

Maybe a quesadilla some sushi
or maybe something British,

like a Chinese takeaway.

And we'll be back tomorrow
for the Made To Measure challenge.

Patrick said he really liked it,
which is very cool.

He said he could see it on the red
carpet, which is kind of amazing.

It deserved fourth.

I mean, really, it did.

If it hadn't come fourth,
I think I might have put my hand up

and asked why not.

Now I feel I am hanging
on a thread. Ha-ha!

I'm hanging on a thread!

Because I got third on both,

which is not the last, but out of
four, is nearly there.

It'll be amazing to get
through to the final. Gosh.

Just have to get that...

You know, just go in there
and whatever happens

we take it like that,
take it as it is.

Just have fun with it.

# Close the door

# Light the light
We're staying home tonight... #

One challenge remains.

One last chance for the sewers
to prove they have what it takes

to be a finalist.

# And we'll live in
a world of our own. #

Gosh, semifinals. Yes. Do you think
it's going to go to penalties?

For sure.

So who's doing well
and who's doing badly?

Well, it's been probably the most
topsy-turvy week I can remember.

We've had Jen going
from first to last.

We've had Leah going
from last to first.

I think Jen and Leah are almost
the polar opposite of one another.

Jen, very comfortable technically -

delivered perfection
on those dhoti pants.

Whereas, Leah, you know,
a little bit more raw in terms

of her actual sewing ability,
but then Leah's innate

understanding of shape and colour
and pattern is really very refined.

And we have Juliet.

Juliet's transformation
actually was stunning.

In any other week,
it could easily have won.

And Riccardo consistently third.

But I think that he's really grown
through doing the sewing bee.

He does definitely have
a unique style and taste.

So it sounds to me like
no-one's particularly more unsafe

than anyone else.
All to play for.

Absolutely all to play for. Yep.

The models are primed,
the sewing machines threaded.

This Made to Measure is
all that stands between our

sewers and the final.

It's nice to have your support!

Honestly, it's just so hard.

I hope it works.

I can feel the pressure,
but let's see.

This week, as it's World Sewing
Week, the Made to Measure is taking

us here - to Japan.

Do we like what I've done there?

It's meant to be a scale model
of Tokyo.

So I'm pleased with it.

This week, the judges would
like you to make an origami top

using geometric shapes and
sculpture. For this challenge,

you have three and a half hours.

Your time starts now.

Origami has been around since paper
was introduced to Japan

in the sixth century.

Now it's been adopted by the fashion
world through the work of

high concept designers
like Issey Miyake.

For the sewing room,
it's a first.

I've never done
anything like this ever, in my life.

It's all new ground.

Literally, my experience of
origami is doing paper aeroplanes

when I was a kid.

Are you into Japanese arts?

I feel like you'd be good at karate.

Oh, I'd love to be good at karate.
Do you do origami?

No, not at all.
It's complicated stuff.

Why have you chosen origami today?

Origami comes from the Japanese
word for folded paper,

and this is all about their pattern,
about their understanding

of how fabric can be manipulated
around the body to create

interesting shapes and unique
silhouettes.

There aren't that many commercial
patterns for origami-type tops.

So quite a large part of it

they'll have to draft and make
themselves.

What should they be doing
in terms of fabrics?

We need a fabric that is going
to fold into ,crisp precise shapes,

so the fabric has to have enough
body that it will take

a sharp crease.

Also, there's something very
delicate about the best origami

and we want to see that sort
of lightness of touch in the way

they use the fabric.

I think the real challenge
is to create something

that is far away
from the traditional body shape

but still is beautiful and wearable
and delicate.

They could really come
unstuck here, I reckon.

Yeah, well, shall we see
how she flies?

Go on, then.

All the sewers have self-drafted
their patterns.

An origami top pattern
is completely different

to your regular bodice pattern.

To do this, they've taken the
mind-bending geometry of origami

to create templates that will
see their 2D fabric transformed

into a beautiful
three-dimensional top.

You're literally treating the fabric
as if it is paper and folding

it into the shape you want.

It's a complex process, and Leah,

practice director at a firm
of architects, has called

on colleagues to help her realise
her vision.

The closest thing I can show
you to a picture is courtesy

of my architects at work.

Oh, wow. OK. So I got a picture
for a collar and they turned

it into a pattern. Ah! Oh, wow.
Very clever. Yes.

So it's the first time
that I have personally found

any architect in my firm
to be useful!

Leah's intricately folded

accordion colour will sit

above a pleated front panel.

With contrasting spots and stripes.

it's inspiration
is typically Japanese.

It's actually quite Hello Kitty.

Cute. Oh, right.

Kawaii...

Well... ..I believe, is the correct
phrase. I wouldn't know!

Is that true? Is it?
That is their culture.

Just, fresh day, fresh challenges.

Just got to give it a go.

While Leah cultivates the kawaii,

Riccardo is aiming for the
avant garde.

When I was thinking about this, I
was actually thinking about Bjork,

because she's the kind of person
who would wear this to a concert,

or maybe just to go to supermarket,
knowing her!

His top will feature a dramatic

three-dimensional folded diamond

at its centre.

He's using organdie, a light

translucent cotton, to reveal

the inner workings of his garment.

The problem
is, because it's very fine,

it will be very hard to work with.

You can sort of see the bones
of it inside.

I mean, as long as it's neat...
Yes.

..I think that's OK.

While Riccardo has made a
brave fabric choice, the rest

of the sewers have gone with tried
and tested cottons and silks.

This cotton isn't too flimsy.

I didn't want to add fabric stress,
felt like I was already

doing so much.

But Juliet's made
a bold choice of her own.

Her concept comes from
a master of the art.

This is inspired by a guy called
Shingo Sato and he's a genius.

He had this spiral on a sleeve
and I thought, "OK, I'm going to put

"it on the bodice." She's using a
vast deconstructed pattern that will

fold down to create
the front of her top.

Along with her origami spiral,

Juliet will fashion ruched sleeves

and a halter neckline.

That's one arm hole
and that's another arm hole,

and that's the neckline.

And it's really distorted
architecture and fabric.

It's crazy.

While Juliet, Leah and Riccardo
have one central origami element...

Jen's looks like
some sort of crazy river.

What's going on there?

..Jen is taking pattern drafting
to a whole new level.

This is the front.
Isn't it crazy?

And look what I started doing.

So when I was designing
this top, I started making

the miniatures. Her entire
top is fashioned from one

enormous origami puzzle.

It is the brief. I mean, this is
absolutely an origami top.

Isn't that so cool?

Jen's mind-bending pattern will
fold down to create a bodice

that features subtle

three-dimensional textures,

a pleated collar

and a concealed breast pocket.

I seem to have created a seahorse.

Somebody just pointed it out
to me... Yes, you have.

It's beautiful silk
and it's all pleated and folded.

That sort of snaking
piece of fabric.

Very, very clever.
But you've got a lot to do.

Good luck. Sounds great.

Sewers, you've had one hour.

Oh, blimey.

How's it gone?
Quickly.

With their pieces cut and origami
moves marked...

Folding 1.8 metres.

Like an accordion, isn't it? Yeah.

It is the same principle.

..the folding can begin.

Right.

The collar.

These lines will indicate
particular folds.

First, I'm zigzagging.

This all needs to be precise.

Press into place.

If their folds are even
just a millimetre out, their garment

will be thrown out of shape.

Nice and precise to make my spiral.

And this is concertinaing.

I'm really pleased with how
my fabric's handling so far.

But Riccardo's organdie
is proving far less sturdy.

The fabric is really...fine.

The consistency is like paper.

It's really delicate work
and you have to be really precise

with it cos...

..you see what is underneath.

THEY SPEAK JAPANESE

Ha-ha!

That means, "Hello, how's it going?"

I know. You do know
I speak Japanese? Do you?

No. Oh, right.

This was drawn by my architects.

Is the business struggling?

No, quite the opposite.

And it's a collar, look. Whoa!

That's so cool. So, that's my kind
of origami bit.

And then I've got a second
origami bit, which will go in the

central panel of the top.
It's a lot to do. Yeah. I know,

I'm a bit worried about that,
actually.

Sewers, you are halfway through.

Eh? I need to speed up.

OK.
Central panel.

It's got folds and pleats
in contrast colours.

THEY SPEAK ITALIAN

That's good origami.
That's good folding.

That's good folding.

It's a very lengthy process.

While Riccardo and Jen must keep
folding, Juliet is ready to hit

the machine. Going to base it in
place, to make sure that I do not

lose my pleats.

This is a bit of a pivotal
moment, because I have to...

..sew a dead-straight line
in the central panel.

Sounds like good spectator sport.

SHE SOBS JOKINGLY

Not only must Leah
sew in a straight line...

I've flipped over.

So that you get a spot of white
with the blue, and a spot

of blue with the white.

..she must fold as she goes.

To reveal the opposite colour.

One wrong move, and she'll ruin
the central feature of her top.

So it's pretty critical.

Yes. Yes.

This is putting you off,
me being here.

No, it's OK. I hope not.

It's got a hole!

When you create the origami,
that's how it's supposed to be.

But I'm going to put something

there to cover it. Feed the baby.
Could be a little baby.

Oh... Just get the baby to...

Yeah, baby is hungry.

LAUGHTER

Sewers, you have
one hour remaining.

Oh, my God!

I've finished.

While Riccardo is still folding...

Doing the last couple of folds.

..the other sewers have moved
on to fitting.

So far, so good.

Juliet - my only one concern...

..is that where she's created
that rosette,

there's a lot of bulk.

It might look quite heavy.
But she does surprise us.

She does things that I don't expect
are going to work and then they do.

Jen has got this beautiful complex
geometry around the front, but every

time she works it, every stage
she goes through, it's getting

more and more creased.

She's got a massive job to press
it back into pristine condition.

Oh, my God.
My hands are shaking.

Leah - it's always some level
of mild panic.

Yes. It's very, very effective.

But she's got to get finished.

After nearly two hours of folding.

Riccardo is finally ready to secure
his giant 3D diamond.

Stitching it with the sewing
machine... I'm scared.

He needs to make sure
he fixes it really well.

Otherwise, whoop, off it will go.

HE EXHALES

Man!

Sewers, you have 30 minutes left.

Sugar.

I'm still in panic

because this is not stuff
that you want to do under pressure.

It's so hardcore. After hours
of precision folding...

I need to do the zip.
..attaching a fastening

will require a more delicate hand
than ever...

Trying be as fast
as I can within reason.

..or their fragile forms
will be pulled out of shape.

OK, zip. It's quite delicate
right now.

Because it might break!

BLEEP!

I pulled the zipper off the end
of the zip tape.

It's really annoying.

I need to take the original one off
cos I can't get it back on.

Oh, that's a disaster.
Raised band.

Doesn't match up.

Sugar, sugar, sugar...

Right.

Replace the zip.

Calm down. Gosh, it's all happening
over here, Jen.

Yeah.

No rest for the wicked. Ten minutes.

This has put me back.

Three-dimensional pressing.

Oh, my gosh. How are her nips
looking? They're covered.

Don't worry.
What a disappointment.

Shocking.

Ahh! It's a shame I didn't have time
to press it better.

I was going to do a little loop
button, there.

Gosh, I really am
attached everywhere.

The effort in creating this...

You know, right now, I could just
throw this in the bin

and I seriously would like to.

One minute to go!

Let's get those models dressed.

This better work, this better work.

Oh, my gosh,
what's the matter with my bloody...

I'm not finished.

Which is, quite frankly,
a bit dispiriting.

30 seconds left.

It's an origami party!

Needles up, that's your time.

Well done, everyone.

Could really do with
another press. Wow!

LAUGHTER

I'm just covered. I made such a...

# Kawaii, baby

# Kawaii, baby... #

Four origami tops made to measure

in just three and a half hours.

# Pretty little baby

# Kawaii, baby

# Pretty little baby

# What does she know, baby? #

Well, I think it's really visually
super-impactful. Yes.

I mean, when you see it walking
towards you, it has an extraordinary

silhouette actually.

For something with so much going on,
it actually

feels quite well-balanced
and quite delicate.

I love this rosette here
that's this sort of sunflower

or this kind
of big yellow sun.

I love the colour.

I also think the proportion
works well.

The shortness of the top and the
sleeves just slightly longer,

and it suits your model
really well. Turn round.

It's very impactful, too,
at the back.

If it was me, you know
what I'm going to say, don't you?

A bigger bow! I know!

The back is really stunning.

The only trim on this garment,
are these two

mother of pearl buttons.

You know, it's like a very confident
full stop on a very beautifully

handled garment.

It's very impactful.

It looks great.

Thank you. Thanks.

MUSIC: Venus As A Boy
by Bjork

We asked for origami and you've
absolutely given us origami.

Very sculptural
but it's very delicate.

I mean, I was in two minds
as to how this was going to look

in the finished article
but it has real impact.

I love organdie and you have
used it so well.

The top is simple so the drama
is all in your folding and pleating.

I mean, simple
but very, very impactful.

Here we have the edge of the fabric
covering the zip.

I just think that's
a really great detail.

Still playing on that
layers of the fabric.

I love that you have given
us raw edges throughout.

We can see the seams
that you've pressed open.

I love that we can see
the inside of the darts.

It's almost like, you know,

we're sort of x-raying into the
bones of this garment

and it's really effective.

It's got this really lovely
kind of ethereal quality

to it and it's really stunning.
Well done.

Thank you.

Right, Leah.

It looks very nicely made.

I could see you wearing this.

I could see me wearing this.

I mean, it's a very simple shape,
but actually

I really like how you've used
the stripe on the collar

and on the centre front.

I think it's extraordinary.

I think it's absolutely
beautifully balanced.

So much precise pleating

down through this
central band.

Collar is this very delicate
concertina.

But I've got two things
I want to say.

Firstly...

I think the back's a bit too long.

Oh, OK. Yeah.

And I would have loved this band
to be the same width as that band.

If you'd done that...

..it would have been perfection.

Thank you so much.

Well, Jen, you know when I saw
that seahorse laid out on the table,

I didn't know quite how it was
all going to come together

and it has come together.

There is so much complicated work
going on here, but cos

you've had to do so much
work to this garment...

..this very delicate silk has got
a bit bruised in the process.

Every little crease is there.

Creases, particularly here,

and this is where your eye goes
to, it's on the front.

Turn round.
You've got the zip in.

It's a shame you didn't manage
to finish that,

you were going to put...

A little, wee button,
just up here for the keyhole.

Why have we got a pen?
I don't love the pen.

That's just my sense of humour,
Patrick.

She's off to work.

Overall, the proportion of
the garment is really nice.

It was very ambitious.

It was, that front piece looked
really complicated.

Did it ever? Yeah.

Best thing about it was doing
the pattern.

More fun in the drafting
than the sewing.

Well done, guys.

The judges now need to make
some deliberations, so go off,

have a cup of tea
and we'll come back,

find out who is Garment of the Week,

who's through to the final

and who is sadly going home.

This is it. See you soon.

I feel really pleased, but I wasn't
thinking I had to do it well

because I want to go to the final,
I just need I want to do well

because the final product
will look amazing on the model

and that is what I did.

I agree that it looked like it

had been dragged
through a hedge backwards.

I thought they could've said a lot
more things that were bad, actually.

They were very kind.

Has it done enough to go through?

I think I've had two good garments,

but I've also had one
absolutely howling mess

so they'll weigh up their choices.

I don't know, we'll see.

If I get through...

..it would be fantastic.

Bonjour, Patrick, bonjour, Esme.

World Sewing Week.

How have they done?

HE SPEAKS FRENCH

Speak in English, please.
OK.

This is the semifinal.

And so we've had to set them some
terrifically difficult challenges.

So, in contention
for Garment of the Week?

Ricardo. The fabric is perfect.

It's 3D and so considered.

He's really thought about that.

Then we have Juliet.

Very, very clever use
of this spiral.

Another really stunning
piece of sewing

here on her made-to-measure.

And who's in contention
for going home?

Leah. I just think it's absolutely
phenomenal how beautifully

she's sewn that and how badly
she's sewed that.

Jen did the reverse.

You know, she delivered perfection
on those dhoti pants.

And today the made-to-measure
was far from her best sewing.

Interesting decisions to make now.

Yes.

OK, sewers. We have done
this six times already.

But this time it is the most
important because we find out

who is going through to the final
and who is sadly going home.

We have something fun to do first.

So Garment of the Week, Patrick.

OK. This week our
Garment of the Week is...

..Riccardo.

Congratulations.

Boy, it was beautiful.

Light, bouncy, delicate.

Origami exemplified.

Yes, you really went to another
level this week, Riccardo.

Thank you. And it is gorgeous.
Absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you. All right.

Now to the person who is going home.

You've got through to the semifinal.

You did incredibly well.

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

..Jen.

Well done, well done.

Absolute pleasure.
It's been a pleasure.

It's been brilliant.

And thank you for all tips
and advice.

I have learned so much in here.

It's been such a pleasure
to spend time with everybody.

I think overall I've done myself
proud. I'm not...

You know, I think my head
is held high.

The final is going
to be a lot of work

and I really wish the guys well.

I think they'll all do amazing.

I'm going to miss Jen so much,
she's been extremely kind

and helpful to me.

If it wasn't for her,
maybe I wouldn't even be here.

On one side, I'm worried because,
the final...

I mean, if this was tough, imagine
what will happen at the finals.

On the other side,
this is incredible.

Guess what.

You made it?
I made it!

Well done.

That's brilliant.

Oh, my goodness me.

Am I in the final?
I think I'm in the final.

I'm in the final.

I just said that out loud.
I'm in the final.

Next time...

Can our three finalists
step forward, please?

The pressure, the stress.

I am thrilled to announce...

Please, please, please,
please, please...

..that the winner
of the Great British Sewing Bee...

I can feel my heart beating.
Oh, God...

..is...