Yay! Sewing Bee is back!

[Roussette]

Does anyone else watch it? Or is it just me...

I love it because it reminds me of another life when I used to sew (before the DC's came along and before I lost the footpedal to my sewing machine in a house move).

The contestants are just so talented and I like the beardy man judge too. Anyone else?

I think so too.

She's a better sewer than Jenni overall, but she wasn't better on that week's challenges. Jenni had two storming challenges in the first two sections and her final dress was fine -- it wasn't to my taste, or to Patrick's (I agree with him that all that fabric was a bit overpowering), but it was well-fitted and finished.

And, crucially, Cerina didn't finish her dress, which Patrick had put forward as the #1 criterion at the start of the challenge. I think if she'd never planned to do the overskirt and had submitted the dress that design that she eventually produced as her plan she'd have stayed and David would have gone. David's dress wasn't as good but he did finish it (albeit by machine-hemming the underskirt while his model was wearing it). And Cerina's dungarees were shockingly bad.

I had thought she might make the final, but I guess that no one is safe if they have a weekend of brain farts.

dd wants Lynda's dress ! thought David had really improved whereas Heather looked a bit lacklustre last night.

I liked Heather's dress, though. The bodice could have done with some tweaking but she'd made some really good fabric and style decisions, whereas David picked an unforgiving and not particularly flattering style in an unforgiving and not particularly flattering fabric (even if perfectly made, it would have screamed "bridesmaid" rather than "prom"). And Cerina picked an interesting style, from what she was showing us of the construction process, but the base dress fabric didn't show it off properly and she didn't manage to make the overskirt. With that fabric and the time constraint she'd have been better off making a simpler underdress, finishing it properly and leaving herself time to make the overskirt.

I wonder if they are going to make wedding dresses in the final, given that evening dresses have been done now? Or is that too similar to this challenge? It looks as though they have trousers next week and there will probably be a jacket/similar at some point.

They could do a more formal wedding dress, one that covers your shoulders. For the prom dress they specifically said it had to be strapless so that might be how they ring the changes.

Heck, I want Lynda's dress and the body to be able to wear it . I want the fabric, at least.

Interview with Jenni here.

Chinelo and Lynda are having a conversation on Twitter about how "its all about the bubbles week next ". Whatever that means...

Oooh, Chinelo has a blog with tutorials!

Will stop talking to myself now...

I did think Mr. Po-po's choice of pale blue a strange one. It was a bit ummm nightdressy. Why not choose a bold fuschia or aqua or a stronger colour that suited his model.

Chinelo struggled with the whole of this challenge I think - her heart wasn't in it. And she certainly is competitive I think, I am not sure she will be a good loser (she grimaces a little when others work is praised!) so it's just as well she will probably win the whole thing!

I see I am not the only one who loved Lynda's shawl - I am a knitter and crocheter as well as an occasional sewer, and I would love to know what pattern and yarn was used to make it.

I think they must have some pretty amazing sewing machines there - I know for sure that mine couldn't cope with four layers of heavy denim or corduroy - it would just lie down and give up the ghost!

I rather liked Chinelo's dress - even though the bow was a bit OTT - I loved the colours she used, and the bow could have been toned down a bit.

I think someone linked to the shawl pattern on Facebook -- hang on a mo...

They are supposed to be relatively basic machines, I think -- sort of high-end of entry level. Ann did say at some point what they were last year.

Yes, indeed -- behold the shawl pattern.

Ohhh Debbie - you star!!!

And that's Lynda modelling it, isn't it?

This year's machine is the Janome 525s, which retails for around £250.

Anyone else not get the point of the alteration challenge?
Take 2 shirts and make anything out of them. Those who did what I would have thought as the challenge got told it looked too much like the original shirts-but those that altered them to be totally different might as well have been given two smallish pieces of fabric and told make what you want.
I used to make a lot of the children's clothes when they were small out of old charity or warn out clothes. Much cheaper than new fabric, but really no harder than trying to squeeze it out of small amounts of fabric except you need to unpick the seams first.
Ds's christening outfit (a sailor suit) was made out of two of dh's worn out shirts. Was not difficult.

I'd like to see it a mending task. Here's a dress with a rip out of the front/shirt with a stain, make it wearable again. I think that would show more skill and just as much creativity.

I have a Jenome Mystyle 22. And, although it's nearly 20 years old it's doing pretty well. Although it did stage a protest after last year's panto costumes and refused to do zigzag until it had been serviced.

lynda's daughter has a blog. crafts from the cwtch. She's talked about Lynda's scarf in her latest one

I really liked Cerena. What a good sport!

Love the idea of a mending task, DeWe - genius!
Realistically I'm never going to sew my own leggings but I would love to pick up some professional mending tips.

DD thinks there needs to be junior sewing bee, like Junior Bake-Off, in which you make Barbie clothes, a bag and a skirt.

I think partly what they are getting at with the alterations challenge is pattern drafting -- so if you take two men's shirts and turn them into a slightly different man's shirt, or a woman's shirt, you are just tweaking. If you turn them into a child's sailor dress, working without a pattern, inside an hour and a half (or whatever that challenge time was) that's showing a wider range of skills (and, as your own example shows, doing something that's closer to what people will actually want to do in RL).

A lot of people watching Sewing Bee don't want to spend a fortune on fabric or patterns, and they don't have a huge amount of time to spend. The idea of making something out of materials you already have in a limited amount of time is likely to be more immediately inspiring, and seem less daunting, than the other challenges.

I think often the most successful alteration projects are those that make something different out of the starting garments (given that that's one of the stated aims of the task) but cleverly reuse details like hems or button plackets (saving time, given that they have very little time to work with).

I would like to see a mending challenge, though. Or a "here's a model and a ready-to-wear garment to alter to fit" challenge (but then would they all have to have the same model, to make it fair? Adjusting for sloping shoulders is very different from adjusting for a sway back, for example).

I've just noticed I wrote scarf, of course I meant shawl!!

I have a Janome MyStyle 22 as well, DeWe.

It's still working, but not with all feet, so it will go to the shop for some attention.