Sewing Bee! Mannequins at the ready!

[Roussette]

It's back on Thursday! here. No details of contestants yet. How many men this time? Any?

Ten sewers, six weeks, can't wait!

(Can't think of another word for sewers at the moment, wish I could!)

Oh, I see. But three times a week? It must feel like it's on all the time!

The Australian / New Zealand ones are even worse! 'Masterclasses' in between rounds, split rounds (decision over two episodes), bringing back previous contestants in a 'surprise' re-entry. They go on for bloody ages.

The Australian version of Masterchef has about 80 episodes, just to make you feel a bit better.

Back to the sewing, I have a feeling Lorna will just edge this, Neil is a very good sewer, but I don't think he has the flair and I would have preferred to see Deborah in the final over Matt. However I think the producers are determined to get a male winner this year.

sofa cover

Absolutely yes. I'm sure home sewers do as many cushion covers and curtains as they do party frocks. Some fiddly pencil pleats, please.

I liked the child's fancy dress costume this time so maybe next year they should do it again and enforce a fucking World Book Day theme.

I do feel it should include other sewing projects such as soft furnishings, bags, soft toys etc. Still miss the basic How To guides like inserting zip, invisible hems and so on plus it does include more jargon now. It is all very well for them to have access to fancy machines and feet but most of the viewers would only have more basic equipment.

Neil is a very good sewer, but I don't think he has the flair

I didn't think Heather had flair throughout last year's series until that dress in the final.

would have preferred to see Deborah in the final over Matt

I agree. I think they are fairly equal but Deborah has the edge.

Has anyone bought the accompanying book for this series?

I've just subscribed to one of the sewing magazines that's offering the books as it's subscription offer. Seemed quite a good deal. Some bloggers have been reviewing the book and seem to think it's a good one. I didn't bother with the last one as it was serialised in the Times so I got most of the patterns for free.

Yes I got them from the Mail last time but the original book then was poorly reviewed. This one did look more promising as far as I could tell.

Do you know what I would like to see them make? A nice coat. Or some well fitting plus size clothes.

They did "plus size" on Project Runway one year IIRC. It was fascinating to see which of the designers had the imagination and skills to cope with darts and draping.

I agree with the PP who said it would be nice to see the contestants making things that are not clothes, a marquee perhaps, or sails for a boat

But if they do make more clothes, I'd like to see some more men's tailoring, we've seen so many dresses!

Yes Grey... in one series they made mens tailored trousers, that was interesting!

Sorry I can't be around tonight (boring meeting) but will catch up on iPlayer and will avoid the thread until I have or I will find out who's won!

Hope it's a good final

Duly noted, Roussette. I'll take care not to name names in my first paragraph either so you don't get spoilered by the preview in TIO...

I'm really looking forward to it. But WHY OH WHY isn't the series longer?

Getting excited!!!! C'mon Lorna!!

I forgot tonight was the final! I'm team Lorna too!

I have had to choose between EastEnders and Sewing Bee. I have chosen Sewing :)

The made to measure challenge seems to be an Avant-garde dress

You would have thought they could have got the carpet to lie flat and not ruck up.

This task looks a right bugger!

How lovely that they are all helping Lorna :)

I do like the way they help each other though. Really lovely.

I think they've fallen prey to the Bake-Off syndrome. They have to find more and more outlandish challenges, so we get wetsuits, leather, corsets, kilts....it's like Bake-Off doing Dobostorte and Kouign Amman (sp?). All against a ticking clock with just not enough time.

Personally I'd just like to see them sew proper garments, not gimmicks.

Bit unhappy with this series, tbh.

Had a good chat with Mum about this last night. She teaches sewing and so has seen young people doing patterns in exam conditions, she hasn't been impressed with some of the mistakes, she says the time allowances are perfectly reasonable. So that's a professionals viewpoint!

I'm team Lorna as well :)

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Neil has this challenge

Neil is fantastic.