09x01 - Classics With A Twist

[bunniefuu]

Oh, hello. How lovely to see you.

So much has happened
since we were last together.

A new King, a new Prime Minister,

the baby I was just dating is now
married and working in finance.

And here we are back in Leeds
with 12 new home sewers

and I'm about to be reunited
with my very best friends.

You look nice.
So do you.

Hey!
Here we go.

I'm feeling really apprehensive.

I had a dream last night that
someone stole my sewing machine

and I was in such a tizz Esme
took me to her drinks cabinet

to calm me down.

Oh, my goodness!

12 people have arrived
at our sewing room,

hoping to realise their dreams...

I just can't wait to crack on.

I'm representing all those
older guys refusing to grow up.

...as they all share the one thing
they have in common.

Sewing is just everything.

Once you get started,
you're never going to want to stop.

I was a product of the '60s so
I cut my teeth making shift dresses

and you could run something up in an
afternoon and wear it that evening.

Over the next ten weeks,
Patrick Grant and Esme Young

will set them challenges to
test their precision, creativity...

Let's do it, let's do it,
let's do it!

...and ability to fit a model.

For me, it isn't just about sewing.

You can be an absolutely
perfect sewer

but if you don't bring imagination
to it, it doesn't work.

Just dust it in glitter and smile.

In straitened times like these,
being able to upcycle

and to make new things out of old
is an amazing skill to have,

but also making things
with your hands

it's a very meditative pastime.

After a busy day, my favourite thing
is to sit at my machine

and just transport myself
to a different place.

It's my time to be creative
and what keeps me sane.

Which sewer will be awarded
Garment of the Week?

I play golf for my country
so I'm very competitive.

And whose dreams of winning...

If I do this, does it help?

...will fall apart...

Oh, no!

...at the seams?

Breathe, relax.

It's not about the end goal,
it's about the journey.

OK, Mia, you've completely
misunderstood this competition!

Hey, hello!

Come forward, sewers.

How are you all feeling? Nervous?

Well, you shouldn't be.

We're going to have
a wonderful time.

This year's Sewing Bee is just
like the last, one host,

two fantastic judges,
Patrick and Esme,

and three challenges every week.

There's only one difference.

Turn on the foam machine!

Don't worry,
it's just in my dressing room.

This week's theme is
Classics with a Twist.

Over to Esme.

Here we go.

Pass them all around.

Thank you.

What Patrick and I want you to make
is a classic blouse

which has a twist.

So, at first sight this might
seem straightforward

but at the centre,
there's a bit of a brain teaser.

Now, you can choose any fabric
you like from the haberdashery,

so maybe pick something
that tells us a bit

about your own personal style.

You have three hours
for this challenge.

Lots and lots of luck.

And your time starts now.

I'm eyeing up this.

The fabric the sewers choose
for this first pattern challenge

will be crucial to the
success of their blouse...

Oh!

Obviously you can't give me
your opinion.

That's not very helpful.

...and show the judges
their personal taste.

Patrick got this down for me

cos I couldn't quite reach

and I don't know if he looked at it
like it was a bad choice.

But I've got a green house,
and I just love green.

I got distracted by the glitter.

I wear a lot of glitter
so I was like, there we go.

Just thought I'm going on a theme.

I'm going to give it a whirl.

So, why have you chosen a twist
top for their first ever challenge?

It's a familiar garment with
a really unfamiliar feature.

What kind of things could go wrong?

They could get the twist
the wrong way round.

So, can you see the left-hand side
is over the right?

Also, we've asked them
to do French seams.

By which we mean this twice sewn
seam where all of the raw edge

of the fabric is encased
within that seam,

so we shouldn't see any whiskers.

And putting a French seam
around the arm hole might...

Tricky. ..be quite tricky cos you're
going all the way round a curve.

What fabric should they use?

I'd suggest cotton
cos it'll be stable

and they still can do the twist.

Hmm.
And shout!

I can't believe I'm actually here.

Bit of a dream come true, really,
isn't it?

To actually see all the fabrics,
and I'm just like a child,

I just touched everything.

I've not done a twist top before
so my usual approach for most

things is have a go and learn along
the way, so today's no different.

The twist top is made
from five pattern pieces.

First, the front and back sections
are joined at the shoulder

with French seams
and the neck line is hemmed.

Indents are created

and the right front panel
is sewn up to form a hole.

The left is then fed through
that opening to create

the all-important twist.

Next, the front and back
are joined at the side seams.

And, finally, the sleeves
are hemmed and inserted.

I am going big table.

Morning, Asmaa. Morning.

Did you not like the
sewing station that we... Yes.

...that we prepared for you?

Well, I need my space...

Oh, very good.
...because I wanted to try, erm,

pattern placement.

I've tried to pick
the flowers at the front... Yeah.

...and then there's
the flower at the back.

So you've really thought about it.

Well, we'll see.

Asmaa is a breast surgeon
in a Cardiff cancer unit

and in her down time,
she loves making underwear.

I have inflicted my lingerie
obsession on a patient.

So I was testing out
a mastectomy bra pattern.

The smile on her face was
really worth every second

of making that bra for her.

Quite slippery.

I know, but I have a weakness
for satins, chiffons, Georgette,

so I'm really,
I'm setting myself up...

Well, so you've got this nailed...

...for failure.
...is what you're saying. Yeah!

Ah, Mia. Hello.

I notice that you've done
a lovely picture of Patrick

and Esme to try and get
into the judges' favour.

Oh, no.

They're my nan and grandad.

Mia studied art at A-Level in Surrey

and is about to start
a degree in costume design.

The most technically difficult
dress I've made was a dress

inspired by the 2015
Cinderella movie.

I've only ever worn it in the garden
but I do feel like one day

I should just wear it to the shops.

Knock things off the aisle
as I got cos it's so wide.

You're quite new to sewing, really,
aren't you?

Yeah, two years.

It was kind of my mum, actually.

She'd got a sewing machine
for her birthday.

Then I think she did about
two stitches and it tangled up

and she went, "I can't do it
any more."

So I had to finish it.
That's such a cunning plan of hers,

if that was her plan all along.
Yeah! Like here's a sewing machine,

oh, it's too hard! So do I. And
now she's trained you up to be...

I have suspicions.

At home, I sew between several rooms
and two children and three cats,

so it's nice to just sew
in a sewing space.

Vicki juggles family life
in Lincolnshire with being

a police dispatcher.

Can you deploy to a burglary, please?

She started sewing to make
clothes for herself.

My body shape has always
been a bit larger

and it's definitely liberating
to make things.

You know, I can make
anything to fit me.

It makes you feel good
about yourself

and that's how everyone should feel,
isn't it?

That's me and my husband.
I crocheted us.

People always say that he
looks like Jarvis c*ck,

but not so much now because he's got
a beard, so he's lost it.

Step two, with your back piece

and your front pieces, you will
create French seams at the shoul...

shoulder seam.

French seams are used
to create a clean,

high-end finish
on delicate garments.

A French seam is really rather smart

so you could wear it inside out,
should you want to.

That is an octopus.

Gillie is retired
and lives in Nottingham.

Her passion for fashion was ignited
by a stint in Paris in her 20s.

I was a Saturday girl
at this wonderful fashion house

on Boulevard Saint Germain.

My French wasn't very good.

I think they just really wanted
an English girl, a bit of a prop.

Do much with French seams?

Yes, I have done
a bit of lingerie.

What sort of lingerie?

Oh, just camisoles or those
extraordinary knickers.

What are extraordinary knickers?

You mean with the gussets in?
Oh, I see. Yes.

Yes. You're in the presence
of gusset royalty here.

Oh, that's lovely,
I can come and ask you.

I love a gusset.

With the first line of stitching
done on their French seams...

Ooh, la, la!

...the sewers must carefully
trim the raw edges they're encasing

or risk frayed fabric or
whiskery threads on show.

You don't want anything poking out
where it shouldn't be.

Lesson for life, that one.

I'm just going to do the second pass

and hopefully that will
enclose the raw edges.

Goes so fast.

There's the French seam.

So all the raw edges
are now encased inside.

You know what I've forgotten to do,
is trim my French seams,

so I've got little hairy bits
poking out.

I am now doing the neck edge hem.

It's going off course.

I'm going really slow here
because the way this material's

moving around, but I'm not letting
that get to me at all.

Three years ago, Tony left
a high-powered job

in manufacturing to become
a postman in Cornwall.

Sewing gives me a process that
I can follow from the start

to the finish and have something
tangible at the end.

It's almost like mini manufacturing.

I have to use two pairs of glasses
when I'm at the machine sometimes,

because it's not strong enough
at the bottom there,

so they're reading glasses.
They look awful, don't they?

Catherine. Hello there.

Can I say something
about this fabric?

It's very like your tattoos.
I was going to say

exactly the same thing.

I mean, I picked it
for the colour, to be fair.

Catherine lives near Brighton
with her husband and cat.

She's also a Bafta-winning
computer games designer.

I've never done one game.

No? Never?
Except netball.

Yeah, but I'm sure you didn't do
that on the computer.

I mean, I did games as a kid
but I like...

You're too old for that now?
I'm too...

I don't know if I'm too old but
I'm just, you know, I moved away.

Games are for everyone.

I can imagine.
Just like sewing is for everyone!

You are halfway through!

Ah!

As this is a twist top,

I've got to make a hole which
a twist is going to go through

at some point.

To make the holes, the first step
is to create a small indent

in each front panel.

I think that's right.

Now bring the side seam at the
front edge towards the side seam

along the uneven edge.

Ay-ay-ay!

Could I have English
instructions, please?

What's happening?

This step is about doing this

but in a really neat way that
isn't going to get me sacked.

Can I ask a... It's going to
sound like a personal question,

have you got a tiny hole?

Are you all on the same bit?
Yes.

It's making my brain hurt
a little bit.

That's the opening
and then put it...

Fold it over like that.
And there's a tiny hole.

There's a tiny hole, yeah.
Yeah!

I think we're good.

That's worked.

Now bring your left hand,
erm, front through that hole.

This is the right panel there.

Wait, is that your right?
I've done that as the right.

I'm just pulling through the twist
where I think it should be.

Once the twist is achieved,

it needs to be held in place.

See that?

I'm really pleased.

I raced ahead and I French seamed

when I actually need to do
something before I French seam.

It's going to be fine.

Everything's great,
just dust it with glitter and smile.

Matthew is a teaching assistant
in Peterborough

and was taught to sew
as a child by his late nan.

Sometimes I've sewn something
and I'll be like,

"I wonder what she'd think,"

and then I look at it and it's
a leg harness with half a kilt.

Maybe she wouldn't understand it
but she'd be proud of it.

Were you this glittery when you
cam in or is this this material?

It's the material. Put your face
in it, that's what I did.

Yeah, is that what happened?
Just went, "Ah!"

You have an hour left.

Oh, one hour, it's fine.

We're going to do this for an hour.

God, I'm out of breath!

Right, chugging sleeves.

Sleeves are a bit like zips,
they're always near the end

and they should be easy
but they never are.

Right, here goes nothing.

While most of the sewers get to
grips with their sleeves...

Oh, dear.

...Catherine has yet to start hers.

I'm just doing the side seems,
then I can do the sleeves

and then I can, um, breathe.

Oh, last page.

I've never French seamed an arm
hole before in my life.

Oh, sleeve easy at great speed.

Doing it quickly, I think the issue

is always, it going
a bit wonky-donks.

Something has gone wrong
but I don't know what.

And I haven't caught all of there.

I'm just ironing my hem and then
I need to attach the sleeve still.

So I'm a little bit on edge.

Ten minutes left!

I can't not get my sleeves on.

Oh, no!

Oh!

I put the sleeve in upside down.

I might not be able to do
a French seam

but I'll get it in the right way.

Oh, my word, minutes to go.

How's it going?
OK.

I'm trying to put my sleeves in.

Is that one not even on yet?
Hurry up! Catherine!

♪ I've got hairy seams,
we've got hairy seams. ♪

She's sorted, she's finished
and she's ready for a night out.

I'm just having a moment.

Ah-ha!

Oh, it's hairy!

Needles up, sewers!

Your time is up.

Oh, God, what have I done?

One of my sleeves
is the wrong way round.

That's just a disaster.

12 twist tops in three hours
ready for the first judging

of this year's Sewing Bee.

Considering how deceptively
difficult this was,

I think you've all managed
really very well.

I love the fabric.
It hangs really nicely.

Sitting really nice and flat.

There's a tiny little whisker
on the inside of this French seam

but nothing on the outside,

so you've obviously trimmed it
back really carefully.

And the twist,
you have got it the right way round.

You chose a fabric

that you felt absolutely
reflected your sparkly personality.

The twist is correct.

I think you've done a really
nice job. Thank you. Thanks.

I think it's a great
choice of fabric. Clearly,

greens and yellows in the jungle
is 100% your vibe.

French seams, they're neat.

Pretty well done. Thank you.

Well, the fabric says you.

But this hem here is not caught in.

Yeah.

Right, well, let's start with

the, uh, elephant in the room. Yes!

We've got one sleeve that is
held in place with pins.

It's a shame because I think there's
a lot of good sewing in it.

It's just there's not really
any going back

from getting one sleeve
in upside down. No.

I like the graphics of the fabric,

but the twist isn't
the right way round.

You haven't trimmed the inside
of your French seam back enough.

It's not even whiskers. We've got
the edge of the fabric showing.

This is quite wobbly.

That's stretched.

Ah.

You've got a little bit of
hair here,

so you didn't cut it down enough.
MOUTHS: No.

Looks ever so slightly uneven

down the front edge.
It's just stretched a little bit.

And your hem, we can see a raw edge.

Your French seams
look well constructed.

But this side should've
gone through this hole.

Your hems are beautiful.

The twist is the right way round.

I mean, those French seams
are perfect

and it's a lovely, smooth insertion.

And with a difficult fabric.

That's brilliant.

And you've thought very carefully

about putting the pattern

in the same place on both sides,

and you've done it beautifully.
Thank you.

Well, Catherine...

...the first thing I'm going to say
is positive.

You've put the twist
the right way round. Yes!

But you have put
the sleeve in upside down

and you haven't finished
the French seam.

Ten minutes more,
those sleeves would've been right.

Unfortunately, I did not
have ten minutes more. No.

No. You didn't.

Patrick and Esme will now rank
the twist tops from worst to best.

In 12th place,

Catherine.

We've got an upside down sleeve

and we haven't got a French seam.

In 11th place,

it is Gillie,

and that's because you've
only got one sleeve in.

Lizzie is tenth,

Tony W is ninth,

Maria eighth,

Mia seventh,

and Lauren sixth.

Fauve comes fifth,

Vicki fourth,

and Matthew takes third place.

In second place...

...is Tony R.

Thank you.

Great fabric, really good finish.

It was great. Cheers.

Which means in first place,
it's Asmaa.

Yay!
APPLAUSE

Well done.

I mean, it was pretty
close to perfection.

Beautifully neatly sewn,
well laid out print,

really first-rate. Well done.
Thank you so much. Thank you.

♪ Every day
when the work is behind you

♪ And the shop and the store
put the lock on the door... ♪

I went with my gut,

and it worked, thankfully!

I felt I'd let myself down.

I felt I'd let everybody down, really.

But I'm all right now cos
the judges were very kind to me.

Really, I should've checked
but I was just like,

"I've got no time at all,
I just need to get the sleeves on."

I'm definitely feeling worried.
I mean,

who wouldn't be, right?

The first challenge tested the
sewers' ability to follow a pattern,

but the next will test their
creativity and imagination.

♪ I know a place where we can go. ♪

Welcome back, sewers. It's time
now for the transformation.

This is the one where you take
something unappreciated

and make it covetable.

Hmm, it's a birthday card from
a boring relative. Ah!

Oh, look there's money inside.

LAUGHTER

Patrick, what are
they transforming this week?

OK, sewers,
forget about the nine to five.

It's time to escape the rat race.

We want you to take this
corporate uniform

and transform it into a garment
that expresses your personality,

and you can take whatever you want
from scrap baskets,

and any trims.

And this one is judged blind,
so these guys are off

to work on their detective
spin-off sewing show,

Snitches Get Stitches.

Off you go, guys. Good luck.

You have 90 minutes for this
challenge, and your time starts now.

♪ I've got the brains
You've got the looks... ♪

ALL: Ooh!

♪ Let's make lots of money... ♪

Can I get in?

Oh, nice.

Wahey, look at you.
Straight to business!

So, Esme, we've given them
boring old corporate wear

and they've got to transform
that into something exciting.

I mean, I think it's
important that it ends up

not looking like an office skirt
and an office shirt,

so I'm looking for something, really,

where there's quite
a major transformation.

Obviously,
they can use scraps as well.

More marks for using more of
the shirts and skirts... Yeah.

...than using scraps from
the scrap box. Yeah.

This is their first chance
to really show us

something about their creativity.

I'm really looking forward to that.

I am going to keep one half
of the shirt whole,

and my aim is to almost create,
like, a harness effect on this side.

Kind of like a deconstructed punkiness.

So what I'm going to be doing

is a maxi skirt with
two panels on the side

that have gathers in them,
and if I have time,

I'm going to make a sleeveless
little top with the blouse.

I think it's going to be a jacket,
so boxy sleeve,

and I'm hoping I'm going to make
some detail out of these buttons.

I've done a little rough
sketch of a top idea.

I'm just going to make it into
a really ruffly blouse.

That's step one.

Lizzie is a graphic designer
and animator from Bristol.

She enjoys getting her hands
dirty at the allotment

she tends with her partner.

Check it out!

Is this you with your

butternut squash? Massive butternut
squash, yeah. That IS massive.

How close to the camera
are you holding it?

It was huge. It's like a baby.

I've gone for a yellow skirt
and, like, a yellow shirt as well,

and then I thought of kind of
making, like, a patchwork-y top,

kind of like this, to be honest.

So what are you making?

I am going to make
a pair of shorts.

I'm a bit of a... an old '90s skater,
and big shorts were the thing then.

Can't help noticing that I'm
wearing big shorts myself today.

You are wearing big shorts.
That's why we get on so well.

I picked just a classic blue shirt.

I'm a nurse
so I'm always in uniform.

This particular colour

would be a nurse in auxiliary
or a health care worker.

SHE CHUCKLES

So I pay homage to all my A
out there.

Hello!

Maria lives in Fife and is
an accident and emergency nurse.

My job is not a very creative job.

I have to stick to procedures, protocols.

That's why I like sewing. It's
just given me that creative outlet.

I'm doing my own transformation
over here, Maria.

Don't... don't mind me.

I'll just stand next to the mannequin

and see if Patrick and Esme notice.

I have arm holes,
I have a zip front.

But I also don't want it to
just be like a shirt.

Going to make some slices in it!

I just realised I've
cut along the seam so...

It's a feature.
It's totally a feature.

I've got two front panels
from a pinstripe skirt

and I'm hoping they're going to
make up a nice waistcoat front.

I've made waistcoats before
and I often wear them to work.

Tony is a primary school teacher
in Essex

and occasionally brings
his sewing machine to work

to share his love of sewing
with his class.

Sometimes the children come in
and show you some of the things

that they've sewn, like a little
doll's dress or something,

and that's really nice

because they've seen that you've
made something

and then they've gone
and made something as well.

I have gone to the scraps bin and
I've chosen something a little bit

silky, shiny, and I'm going to
use that as a bit of a lining.

I'm going for a blouse and
that is going to then be the sleeve.

I've going to cut this here
and add a frill.

It's quite nice, actually,
being able to rip a suit up

after wearing one all day every day!

Fauve has to dress smartly for
her job as a trainee solicitor

in Swansea, where she lives
with her parents, nan and brother.

There's five of us plus three dogs,
so space is limited,

so I've turned a cupboard
into my sewing room.

You open the doors
and it's a little bit like Narnia.

I don't really use
embellishment normally.

It's not really my cup of tea.

But I can do a trim out of that,
can't I?

Gather that in.

Yeah, we'll go with that.

It's lunch at your desk again today, girls,

and you're halfway through.

No, no, no. Not you, them.

OK, the feature is cats escaping,
yeah!

It's like they're staring
and watching.

What are you making?

Oh, a bolero, and I'm going
to make that skirt look

a bit more come hither-ish.

Is that the word?
Come hither-ish? Is that...?

Yeah, how exciting!
A come hither-ish skirt.

Yes. How?

Well, that might take a bit
of doing! Yeah.

I love a white shirt so I'm going
for a crop top with a skirt.

It just screams holiday vibes
for me.

After having her two kids, Lauren
gave up a career in law to work

in a fabric shop in the Midlands,
where she fell in love with sewing.

I was a new mum and sewing
gave me a bit of me back.

It's just a bonus that
they get clothes out of it!

It sacrilege having to
cut that up. It's a nice shirt.

I would wear this. I don't know
why this was put in the rubbish bin.

I would definitely wear this shirt.
See if Patrick comes in

and goes absolutely furious
when he sees your dress!

The judges are expecting the sewers

to use both a shirt and skirt
in their transformations.

At the minute I'm trying to
make this look like a sleeve.

It's a bit difficult cos the skirt's
so much heavier than the shirt.

I am using cuffs

as, like, sleeve tops.

I'm going to incorporate the skirt
by keeping the waistband.

This fabric is from the scrap bin

and this is from the skirt.

The shirt is still on the inside

but the bold pattern
is on show for all to see.

This is the red skirt.
It's going to be the harness,

and I've just had to just go for
purposefully rough.

Up to this point,
I've just reshaped the shirt

and basically sewn a waist seam
into it from a skirt.

I'm going to sew on a pocket.
That's the shirt.

Yep, so that's the only element
that I've used.

I'm just going to slit up
the front of the skirt.

I just wondered if it would look
come hither-ish.

Slightly concerned about the amount
of shirt fabric I've used.

Perhaps I can add something else
somewhere along the way,
if time permits.

You've got 15 minutes left!

Do I have time to do this?

Yeah, let's do it, let's do it,
let's do it.

I've got sleeves.

So I'm basically just going to
gather this and use it as a skirt.

It's not a jacket any more.
Now it's a top.

I've kind of gone Vivienne Westwood,
sailor in a storm.

Oh, wow!

It's just about knowing
when to stop. Never stop.

Quickly, stick some extra bits on!

Oh, my gosh, you're such a bad influence.

Probably should press it,
but who's got time to do that?

One minute left.
Get those mannequins dressed!

Does this go any faster?

I ironed the lace and it was too hot

so I've melted it.

Shall I try 'em on?

Oh, I don't think this is
going to work.

Get on.

Business at the front,

party at the back.

I wanted a dress. I've got a top.

Needles up, sewers.

Bring your mannequins forward
and muddle them up

like a half remembered
national insurance number.

Oh, it looks so cute.

She doesn't move.
I know, she's too voluminous.

She doesn't... Yeah, she's...
She's too voluminous.

I just love the fact that you have
literally made what you're wearing!

12 pairs of classic shirts
and skirts

have been given a twist in
just 90 minutes,

and Patrick and Esme don't know
which sewer has made what.

Here we go. What do you make
of these office workers?

THEY CHUCKLE

Very funky.

We've got a great, big
gathered skirt.

We've got gathered sleeves,
so there's lots of gathering.

Ooh, look Patrick. We've got...
We've got a twist.

...a gatherer that... We have...
It's almost a twist.

I think there's some really, really
nice thought gone into this.

Both pieces have been tied
together by the use of this

floral fabric.
They've cut the front into strips

and they've put this fabric
in behind.

I think it looks great.

I really like the sleeves,

and look at the back.
Really gone to town.

Hello! It's little cat's faces
peeking out. Meowing.

What's nice is they've used
the shirt as the pocket bag.

But I think they've used
an awful lot of scrap.

I mean, half the garment
is from the scrap bin.

I like how they've
really thought about

the placement and the
colour combinations.

I think it's interesting to turn
a wool skirt into a waistcoat. Yes.

This is scrap from the scrap basket,

but I can't see any evidence
of any shirt.

I mean, the black lining,
that could be.

But I don't know!

It looks very neatly sewn.

But what has happened with this?
Yes, exactly.

Have they tried to do an edge,

or was that something on
the original skirt?

I mean I don't think it's the
most ambitious transformation

that we've seen today, because

the original shirt is
still clearly evident

and all of that skirt
has just become

a small band around the bottom.

One thing I really like is how
the skirt has been cut out,

and it's been removed
from the sides. Yeah.

And the shirt has been
completely transformed. Yeah.

To get this amount of work done
in that amount of time... Yeah.

...is really pretty spectacular.

It's a gathered top
with a frill at the back.

I think the combination of the three
fabrics is really well handled.

I think it's great.

The shirt has been
completely deconstructed.

The button stand is round the back.

What looks like the cuff created
this waistband at the front.

I mean, it's been
so cleverly engineered.

I think it's pretty good.

We've got a...

...a kind of bondage shirt, and...

...I love it.

I think it's absolutely fantastic.
Me, too.

This is the office,
and this is your evening out.

This is the dungeon. Yes!

It's got hints of Westwood,

and every single colour and detail
works extremely well.

Esme and Patrick will now rank
the transformations

from least to most successful.

In 12th place is the pale
blue tunic top.

Maria.

It was the kind of least
dramatic transformation

but it's still very good,
so well done. Thank you.

In 11th place is the shorts.

Tony R. Oh, well, we should've
guessed, shouldn't we?

I'm a postman, I wear shorts
and I live by the sea.

Tony W is 10th, Fauve ninth,
Mia eighth and Lauren seventh.

Thank you very much.

Asmaa comes sixth, Catherine fifth,
Gillie fourth and Lizzie is third.

In second place is...

...the blouse
with the orange sleeves.

That's Vicki.

Very well done. Really love the way
that you played with the details

from the original shirt and
completely transformed it.

Well done. Thank you.

So, what's in first place is
the '70s-inspired punk outfit.

Matthew.

I love the combination, how one side
you've left the shirt as a shirt

but then you've gone wild.

Yeah. I think it looks great.

Thank you.

Because I wear things like that,

it's nice to hear
an appreciation for it.

Yeah, over the Moon.

If I wasn't a Hijabi, I'd wear this.

You could wear a top underneath it
if you like.

I think after the first
two challenges

I'm probably in the bottom
of the pack.

I'm going to have to put on
a really good show.

Hopefully, that'll be enough
to keep me in a bit longer.

I'm not necessarily in the running
for winning it

but, um, I think it's anyone's game
at the moment.

The sewers' final challenge is
the made to measure.

They've had a chance to practise
at home, but this is the first time

they've met the models
they'll be fitting to.

Never done anything like this before.

You've never done anything? No.
Oh, well a little bit.

I make stuff for my kids and husband

but I don't fit it, you know,
cos they're not bothered.

Welcome back, sewers.

For today's made to measure,
you will be expected

to make your clothes look good on,
of all people, professional models.

Welcome to the sewing room, models.

For your first made to measure challenge,

the judges would like you to make
a cut-out dress.

Now I know what you're thinking,
all dresses have holes in,

how else would you put them on?

But they're looking for bonus
holes in unexpected places.

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

I'm going to hug you.

Measure twice, cut once.

I haven't really worked with
models before,

unless you class my mum as a model
which would be nice to say, I think.

I don't feel that confident
at the moment

but we'll see how things
go with time.

Hopefully, I will be showing
Patrick and Esme that I can sew.

So, why a cut-out dress?

Well, I think they're a bold style.

Right now I think cut-outs
are having a moment,

you're seeing them in day wear
and evening wear.

You see them on the red carpet.
Also, it's a challenge.

Yeah, I mean you're removing
quite a large portion

of the structure of the dress that
they're making

which means the engineering
elsewhere in the garment

has to make sure that it all stays
in the right place.

If it's loose, it could move
round the body,

but if it fits, it shouldn't.

What would you like
to see from our sewers?

I want the cut-out to be bold
enough that it looks like

a big feature in the dress.

So it can't look like a little
sort of accidental hole.

Yeah, not a tiny little peep hole.
Moth hole. It's a cut-out.

Right, weight, scissors. Centre.

Oh, you're talking to yourself.

I am talking to myself, yeah, I'm,
I'm, I'm... What's the matter?

I'm placing this on there.

Ooh. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Describe the garment to us.

It's a rockabilly-inspired dress.

Circle skirt. Is there any petticoat
or anything underneath it?

I've got a black tulle, so I'm
hoping it's going to give it

quite a big bit of lift there
as well.

Great. But make the dress first.

But, yes. Yeah, I know,
that's exactly it.

Tony's tulle petticoat should
give his cotton rockabilly dress

a flared shape, mirroring
the triangular cut-out on its back.

Big fan of the skull?
Love the skull.

It's kind of modern vintage
but also that punk,

tattoo kind of thing going on there.

Hang on, I collect skulls. What?
Hopefully not from real people.

Humans, mostly. I wish! I've got
a bull's head, sheep's head,

I've got a goat's head.

Hopefully, your interest in skulls
shouldn't influence this

too much, maybe!

Vicki has also turned to
the macabre for inspiration.

I just love this fabric.

It reminds me of Stranger Things'
Eleven,

cos I really like the stuff
she wears.

Channelling the 1980s style of
the hit horror show, Vicki's dress

will feature a cut-out on the back,
puff sleeves and a two-tiered skirt.

The top tier of the skirt is
going to be a bit fitted.

OK, when you say a bit fitted,
what the hell do you mean?

I'm just not committing myself.
Right, OK. Oh, right, OK.

What she's saying is, it should be
fitted but if it isn't,

she's just going to pretend that it
wasn't supposed to be that fitted.

Yeah! Right.

For her cut-out dress, Gillie's gone
back to the swinging '60s.

For my brother's 21st,
my mother made me a shift

and she put sort of like port holes
all the way round the waist

so I'm sort of emulating
that in a quieter way.

Her cotton sundress will feature
discrete triangular cut-outs

at the waist.

So do you have quite small cut-outs?

I did, because when I practised
and did it,

I made big ones and they gaped.

Yes, they do apparently.

Yes, so I thought I'd just go little.

Less is more.
That, that was it.

More to the imagination.

Yes. Yes. You don't want to give it
all away. No.

Matthew is taking
a different approach

to how much should be on show.

Right, and you're comfortable with
that size cut-out?

Yeah, I mean it's not nipple, is it?
That's my worry.

As well as revealing cut-outs
at the bust and lower back,

Matthew's daring design
includes a harness

and thigh-skimming waterfall
skirt in a polka dot polycotton.

The material comes from, uh,
an outfit my nan would wear.

Oh, bless you.

You look like her.

Ah, thanks.
She was, uh, amazing.

Yeah.

But she wouldn't wear a harness? No.

No.

He's not the only sewer
smitten with spots.

You may or may not have noticed
that I love my polka dots.

I wanted to do something that was
floaty and I wanted it backless.

Asmaa's elegant open-backed evening
dress will have long sleeves,

a statement bow and a floor length
skirt which she's creating

with unconventional pattern pieces.

What I have found is very useful
to use is disposable binbags,

because when it's a big piece,
it sticks to the fabric

so you don't actually need to pin it
or weigh it down and it just stays.

You are halfway through.

Ah!

We're on it.

The success of the sewers' dresses
relies on achieving

a perfectly fitted bodice.

Now, I've got a cut-out,
I've got that joined nicely.

Anything less and the edges
of their cut-outs

will sit away from the body...

If I just take it in a bit there.

I don't want the cut-out to gape.

...not only ruining
the line of the dress

but also potentially exposing
more than intended.

Ooh.

I think this is too long for you.

And Maria has given herself
twice the work.

This fabric is called
Broderie Anglaise.

It's holey fabric, therefore
you need to line it.

I'm just making sure that the lining
and the bodice are exactly the same.

It's hard.

Her cotton lining and
Broderie Anglaise outer dress should

come together to create
a summery knee length garment

with a cut-out at the small
of the back.

How've your fittings gone so far?

I realised I had to lengthen it
quite a bit, um...

The bodice or the... The bodice,
yeah. By six centimetres.

Wow, that is quite a lot.

Yeah.

While Maria fights on to get
the perfect fit...

I know it looks like
a hot mess right now,

but there is method in the madness.

...Tony W's gambling
on his fabric choice

to ensure a form-fitting cut-out.

There's a rumour going round that
you're the only person

using stretch fabric.
It can be a bit of a nuisance.

Not as stable as woven fabrics
cos it moves around.

His stretch fabric summer dress
will have a high-low hemline

and a cut-out formed by gathering
his material at the bust and waist.

And you're comfortable sewing
with stretch fabric?

That's a dangerous question.

Yes, it is, yeah.

Pride comes before a fall.

Although Lauren's fabric may
not be stretchy...

I've gone quite linen-y.

...she's found another way
of ensuring a close fit.

I'm using elastic to hold all of
the cut-outs in place,

so if you didn't have some kind of,
um, structure there,

it would be quite loose.

She'll feed the elastic through
channels under the bust

and around the back and neck.

To finesse the fit, she'll adjust
the tension with decorative ties.

There's two ties
so it's making sure that they match.

But just like eyebrows,
they'll be sisters, not twins.

And they're not the only near
doppelgangers in the sewing room.

I know that there's two other people
making the same dress as me,

so we're going to have
a lovely linen version

and we have a flowery version too.

This is a Chinese-inspired fabric,

I just want to make something cool,
comfortable and sexy.

She may be using the same design
as Lauren and Mia

with elastic to hold the cut-out in
place, but Catherine is hoping

her use of a slinky sateen fabric
will make her version distinct.

So is there an added
element of competition?

I don't think there is... No?
...cos I think we get to see

how everyone interprets it.

That's a very magnanimous thing
to say, cos Lauren was saying

she just thinks hers is the absolute
best and no-one's... Damn.

...and no-one else's is going
to be as good as hers.

And Mia kept saying,

I'm going to throw the other girls'
ones in the bin.

Gosh. I did. Yeah, see, look. Jeez.

Even when you sew from a pattern,
you do so many changes

along the way to make it your own

that I feel we've managed
to differentiate it enough.

My pattern is slightly different
because it's going to be short.

Mia's mini-dress will be made

from a retro flowery cotton, which,

as the crispest of the three fabrics,

should ensure her skirt
and sleeves have volume.

I like the effect,
the puffiness of the sleeve

and the puffiness of this bit
too kind of matches nicely.

Although when it comes to puffy
sleeves, Fauve is upping the ante.

Average size sleeve, yeah?

My size sleeve.

As well as super-sizing the puff
sleeves of her floral cotton

tea dress, Fauve's taking extra
measures to give them volume.

I'm just attaching the sleeve lining
to the sleeve to make sure

that the sleeves really stand up,
but there's so much fabric

that it's just the weight of it now.

And where are you up to?

I'm just doing the front bodice

and then I'll be
almost at the stage of Lauren.

You think you're on time?

Um, I mean I have no idea
how long I've got.

You have one hour left.

Oh, that's fine.
I feel that's fine.

You think that's fine?
Yeah, I think that's fine.

With their bodices in hand...

Look at the sleeves.

...the sewers can move onto the
bottom half of their dresses.

Skirt time.

And for hers, Lizzie's paying
homage to haute couture.

My inspiration is the Dior
collection in 2020.

That collection
has been described as

Dior clothes
the modern day goddess,

so I wanted to choose something
that had that beautiful flow.

She's using a lightweight viscose
to create her halterneck bodice

with cut-outs at the front and back
and a floaty floor-length skirt.

So I've got the four panels.

Obviously not dragging on the floor
cos my model's nice and tall.

Right, checklist.
Sleeves, done. Skirt, done.

Attach the bodice skirt...

That bit is the top. Those two bits
will go together

so that you get the opening
pulling down and pulling up

to get the cut-out.

My gathering's awful.

I should've done
a single tier skirt.

Ooh, little bit buckled.

It's just a little bit gape-y
here at the back,

but we could maybe bring it in
slightly up here.

Do you know what, looking at it now,
it's a bit like Ikea.

What Matthew's done, the cut-out
at the front looks really low.

We could have a nipple.

Catherine, Mia and Lauren
are all making the same pattern

and Catherine is
the furthest behind.

She's still making channels,
she hasn't threaded her elastic,

but she seems very calm.

Mia's charging on.
Lauren's ahead of me.

I feel I should get some elastic in.

And cut!

You have half an hour left,
so keep cutting.

Oh, my goodness. Right, let's go.

I'm getting round to
putting some elastic in.

Are you going to get that
petticoat done?

Um, what's the right an...?

The right answer is, yeah!

I'm just going to do a
one shoulder harness

to go with the one shoulder dress.

These are the ties. Yeah, I'm just
thinking that's a main feature.

Yeah, there's no...
It's not, um, it's not joined yet.

If I just... Oh, no, is that...?

Ah, fudge, I think
it's come through. Damn.

I'm going to have to feed that
through again.

I'm going to try and rush through
this petticoat.

I don't think it's going to be
pretty, but it's an undergarment.

I've got you. I'm going to have
to pull that elastic out.

Oh, no. There has been a drama.

My elastic broke at the top
of the channel

so it's stuck in here somewhere.
I need to find it.

Ten minutes left!

Pff...

You can do it. Trust yourself.

I need this channel
so I can get the main elastic in it.

Oh, thank God. OK, it's going to be
the fastest elastic

in the history of elastics.

Do you like that?
Bit long, though, innit?

Got to sort that out.

I'm just chucking threads
everywhere!

Executive decision.

One last button.

Please don't shout now.
Please don't shout now.

Five minutes left.

I want more than five minutes.

Sorry, I've lost the plot.

Um, you won't look at the zip,
where are you?

Arms go through there... Pff.

Oh, Lordy.

Your fabric's got lots of
little mini cut-outs.

If it's sort of more holes
the goals, you will win.

I got a new piece of elastic in.

Oh, I want you to be able
to wear this.

Right now I'm just not sure of
the likelihood of that.

It's not going to...

You can't wear this.

My model can't wear it.

There's no elastic on the front and
that's where it holds it in place.

Can you pin it for the judging?

It's going to look terrible.

I know I'd... I'd be the same as you so...

How did you do?

Um, like, I'm really pleased
with mine. I don't want to say...

I don't want to say that, sorry.
No, that's OK.

One minute left!

We'll help you put it on the model.
Yeah, yeah, come on. Come on.

This way? Hold on, Catherine,
help us out here cos...

We're doing this together.

Should be nice and stretchy.

Got it?

I'll do the arms. Get the arms.

It's a bit wonky at the back,
I don't know why.

Do you need more pins?

I'm not as unhappy as I was.

Give it a twist round.

I like that it's a team effort.

It's perfect with a twist.

Cut it out, sewers.

You've finished your first
made-to-measure.

All right? Yeah...

Don't worry.

I think I sewed
the sleeves on backwards

so that's an interesting vibe
going on there but...

Well, hello. Hello. I'm... I'm,...

Nice to meet you!

♪ When you come home from the dance

♪ Stand in the halls
and make a romance... ♪

12 cut-out dresses made-to-measure
in just five hours.

♪ Peek-a-boo
I'm watching you

♪ Hope you heard the things I said

♪ Let it sink in your big hard head

♪ When you dance

♪ The soles right off your shoes

♪ Peek-a-boo, I'm watching you. ♪

PATRICK: Lizzie, I think
it's really dramatic.

You've got two cut outs, one
at the front and one at the back.

I think the fit here needed a nibble

so that it sits flat.

This fabric has good drape

and I love these bust pieces.

Overall I think it looks terrific.

♪ Ooh, boy, do you miss me
like a hole in the head?

♪ Because I do, boy

♪ And it's cool, boy. ♪

This is the kind of fabric you love.

I do.

The cut-out works really well.

Oh, you've put
facing in the sleeve

so we get this big puff which...

I like!

♪ The stars were as bright
as diamonds the night

♪ We met and we danced

♪ And we flirted... ♪

I think it's got terrific presence.

I love the colour
and the print on it

and here we have this
very dramatic cut-out.

It's a little bit off the body
at the side of the cut-out,

but I think it's very elegant.
Well done. Thank you.

♪ You're playing
hide and seek with me

♪ And everybody else can see... ♪

The pattern that you've chosen
works extremely well with the dress,

and I think the cut-out looks good.

Just needed to be a little shorter.

There is one thing,
do you know what I'm going to say?

My emergency petticoat? Yes.

It's designed that way to peek
out just in little bits

along the way with it.

But, anyway, I'm impressed that
you got the petticoat done.

Yeah, cheers.

♪ Girls on film

♪ Two minutes later

♪ Girls on film... ♪

The fit is terrific
and I do really like the print.

The quality of the sewing
throughout looks really crisp.

It's very successful.

♪ Where are you, baby?

♪ We used to have so much fun

♪ You drive me crazy... ♪

Amazing - you've lined it all.

That takes a lot of work.

What's nice is you've got
cut-outs all over your fabric,

and I think that was a
clever interpretation,

but you said that you'd had
to lengthen the bodice.

That's right.
I think it's too low.

So the cut-out is a little bit long.
Mm-hm.

♪ Well, let me tell you 'bout
the way she looked

♪ The way she acted

♪ The colour of her hair... ♪

The front looks very neat,
fits very well.

But the cut-outs...

They're not really a cut-out,
are they?

If you are walking

and your arms are in front,

we don't even know that
there's a cut-out there.

♪ You feel bad, let me tell you

♪ We all get the blues... ♪

I love the colour combination,
it absolutely leaps out at you.

But there's just too much going on.

The skirt dominates and the
cut-outs become diminished by it.

And this shape, if you were disco dancing,

we know what would happen, don't we?

LAUGHTER

Yeah.

♪ A goddess on a mountain top

♪ Was burning like a silver flame

♪ The summit of beauty and love

♪ And Venus was her name... ♪

The cut-out is doing a lot of work here

and that's what we wanted,

and I quite like the fact that
you've been bold enough to say,

"Well, I'll just keep
the fabric simple."

It fits your model really well and
it gives a really great silhouette.

I think it looks great.
Thank you so much.

♪ She's got it

♪ Yeah, baby, she's got it... ♪

I do like the choice of fabric.
It's very jolly.

But it's doing something
slightly odd.

The sleeves went a bit awry.

They've actually supposed to be
the other way round. Ah!

It's just dragging the whole thing
out of shape.

♪ Come up and see me

♪ Make me smile... ♪

When I came to speak to you

with about an hour to go,
I was like, "Got enough time?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've got loads of
time," you said to me. "Yeah, yeah,

"I've got loads of time,
I'll be fine, I'll be fine."

And then with five minutes to go...

Oh, come here!

It's OK.

These things happen. I know.
These things happen.

There's so much that had to be improvised.

What I loved was that the whole
room got involved.

Yeah, it's a team effort.

I love your fabric

but we've got a lot of
safety pins there. We do.

In a way you could've put them
all the way round on the sleeves

then we could've thought
it was intentional.

You know, it was a shame because
the bits that you did get done,

you've done really nicely.

♪ Baby, I know

♪ The first cut is the deepest

♪ Baby, I know

♪ The first cut is the deepest... ♪

I absolutely love the fabric.

And the fit

is terrific. I mean, it's...

Hold it together! Yeah.

It's... it's fantastic.

Around your cut-out
it's sitting really flat.

You've allowed the stretch
to do a little bit of the work

but you haven't relied on it
to give you that fit.

Are you enjoying wearing it?
Yes, I am!

You look like you are.

Well done.

Without having done well this time,

I'm pretty certain
I would've been going home.

I realised that I'd made a boo-boo
but, obviously, you know,

some things you can't hide,
unfortunately, so...

I'd love to stay,
of course I would, like,

I don't want to go away from
these lovely people.

I've had so many hugs
over the last few hours.

Well done, everybody.

You've made it through your
first week of Sewing Bee.

You have all shown yourselves
to be incredibly talented

and sewn yourselves into our hearts.

We have two very important
jobs left.

First of all, the celebratory one.

Over to Patrick.

Our Garment of the Week
this week is...

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

...Tony!

Well done.

TONY SOBS

ALL: Aww!

Well done, Tony.

Beautifully ex*cuted,
great fabric choice.

And it fitted your model
really, really well.

And now for the sad bit.

I know that nobody wants to
go home first

but you've all achieved so much
just to be standing here.

But the person who is
leaving us is...

...Catherine.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, bub.

Some days things don't go
according to plan

and it was just one of those days
for Catherine.

You've done so well. You did.
So well.

But what was lovely was that
everybody else mucked in

and we had half the room
finishing that garment.

It says a lot about our sewers
that they can't help but help.

Yep. Yep. Please. Come on.
Come on, stop it. Come on.

Someone has to go and that was me.

But I loved the experience,
I've met great people,

and even though I've been
super emotional,

I wouldn't want to have
not done this.

You can't beat yourself up about it.
Will you give me a hug? Yeah.

ALL: Aww!

I think Tony really
redeemed himself.

His made-to-measure was
absolutely brilliant.

After the first two challenges
it looked like a little bit dire.

"Did they just drag him off
the streets?"

But actually I have
shown I can do...

I can sew! I can, I promise I can.

Yeah, it's nice that they
recognised that it was there.

Next time... Woo!

...the sewers are off
on their travels...

I take one look at this
and I think of Brits Abroad. Yes.

...they pack a rucksack...

I'm birthing a bag.

...transform windbreakers...

What are we going to do with this?

...and head poolside for
the made-to-measure.

Swim.

Who will shimmy
to their destination?

And who will get heat stroke?

We want drama, drama, drama.

SHE BREATHES DEEPLY

Oh, my God,
I can't believe I burnt it.