Great British Sewing Bee 2020 part 2

[GrandAltogetherSo]

Hope I haven’t jumped the gun, but the old thread was getting quite full.

I’ve just been browsing the
www.bigcommunitysew.co.uk/
and trying to work out what sewing machines they were using at home. I always do that when a magazine has a feature about one if the contestants.
I think Therese has the same Juki machine as I have and she’s also got the mini quilter too. Lucky lass.

Also, do you think that maybe either Therese or that slightly annoying bloke Peter might have won this year as they also have Juliet, the winner from the last series in this group?

I haven't got loads of old jumpers lying around at home. I would have to go charity shopping to do this.

Loved this week. The bag challenge didn't go as bad as I thought it might.

I definitely think the judges judge on the garment as well as the person.

They said several people went charity shopping rather than their own

The leopardskin jumper which Joe pulled on at one point definitely had a charity shop label hanging on it.

Oddly, I can't recall Clare's made-to-measure dress at all

I think it would be good to challenge them at some point to be creative outside their own style comfort zones, don't you think?

@IntermittentParps

Oddly, I can't recall Clare's made-to-measure dress at all

Clare's was black with a skirt of pointy panels in puffin beak colours.

Soup, of course! Thank you. Can picture it now. It had a sort of tie/pussy-bow, yes? It was a very neat sleek fit. It was lovely.

I'm not sure what the top bit looked like, I only remember the skirt! There were issues with the neatness of some of the sewing at the points I believe.

I just looked it up (but don't know how to grab an image from iPlayer, sorry) and the top is black, long-sleeved, with a yellow tie.

I don't think you can take a screenshot in iPlayer - I take a photo of it on my iPad with my phone 🤣

I remember it being long sleeved and black but that's about it.

I think it would be good to challenge them at some point to be creative outside their own style comfort zones, don't you think?

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 I think that’s the idea with the pattern challenge - they often end up having to make stuff they wouldn’t wear themselves. Like Claire and her bomber jacket this week!

@AravisTarkheena clearly I've missed the point .

Clare's dress is now on her Instagram stories - clare.bradders.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 oh I hope I didn’t come across like I was being snarky! I just meant that I think they do use the pattern challenge to test the sewers with stuff out of their comfort zone.

No, don't worry you didn't @AravisTarkheena!

Thanks CaptainMyCaptain

This is how I see it:

The pattern challenge tests their technical skills - can they make absolutely anything if given the instructions? Most will end up with something they aren't used to in this challenge - men and bras, the placket on the rugby shirt etc.

The "invention" one is about creativity and imagination that is why Peter often won with his outlandish designs.

The Made to Measure one brings both these together and adds in the custom fit (which is probably one of the reasons people make their own clothes TBH).

I do think the challenges are carefully set up to identify the most well rounded sewer (or sewist which looks better!)

I loved almost all of the jumper type dresses - except the one with a short sleeve and a long sleeve.

Agree they were harsh on Therese.

I'd wear Claire's dress - I loved the colour contrasts. Nicole's was nice and well done but not my cup of tea.

Didn’t enjoy this episode, so boring. All very worthy Sewing plastic laundry bags together, but I want to see skilled sewers making lovely wearable items from gorgeous fabric!

The briefing has gone a bit Bake Off. You know, where we all love seeing them make gorgeous cakes and bread, but noooooo the producers have them baking pitta bread on bloody rocks on the hottest day of the year! 🙄

Next week is 80s? Whhhyyyy? Pick something modern and relevant, not quasi fancy dress.
I’m a bit cranky that this show is just becoming another wacky reality event.

Yes I kind of know what you mean there. I don’t want eighties. I want gorgeous clothes and to learn a wee bit of technique/tips and history.

The 80s styles have quite a few interesting techniques, though. Shoulder pads and puffball skirts are the obvious ones. My little girl had a puffball skirt, it was a nightmare to iron.

I was worried a bit about them going to Bake off with the themes this year but I don't actually think it's been that bad. I don't think the plastic bag challenge this last week quite hit the mark but actually reduce, reuse, recycle was interesting for me. I often struggle with the cost of fabric so to have them show what you can do with existing clothes was educational (!) and some of the dresses were lovely.

I have already forgotten the exact themes for each week but we've had skirts, and menswear, and children's clothes, and nightwear/lingerie. So, for me 80s week is actually the first one that is a bit pointless in terms of what people would make (though given the interest in having current fashion based retro clothing which seems to cycle through decades maybe it will be useful...)

They normally build up to the stunning evening wear towards the end of the series don't they?

I think the bag challenge was interesting from the point of view that it made you think of looking for fabric in unlikely places. Eg if you needed a water resistant apron or the backing for a picnic rug and had one of those bags languishing in a cupboard, why not?

I'm currently making muslin squares, which I bought when DS1 was born (he is 21!) and which have been through 3 children, into giant "bento bags" for reusable shopping bags.

I am doing a craft project that requires a ball and I have been inspired to use old tights and a chopped up old t-shirt to make the ball rather than buying a polystyrene one.

Have also started seeing a dress that is ok but not that flattering really as a source of fabric or something I could alter to look better (sadly my sewing skills are not really up to doing either!)