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?

Punk thing applying to Liz. I think Matt should go as being able to produce clothes that fit an actual person is an essential part of dressmaking and he hasn't mastered the basics in that

got the picture wrong in my head!

I wasn't sure myself once you'd said it - I know I wondered why she didn't just swap so the sleeves were mismatched but thought I might have got that wrong at the time. WhicH is odd given it's so distinctive!

The only person that really did the "made to measure" bit this week was Liz.

Nicoles's was baggy and still had issues around the zip.

I'm not a Nicole fan but I did like her made to measure this week. It was very clever.

I do agree that Liz's fitting was better.

It's international week nex time, isn't it?

I loved the 80s dresses. Agreed it was time for Therese to go but I will miss her smile.

I keep watching it and thinking Claire and Patrick would make a lovely couple. I NEVER think stuff like that it must be the lockdown getting to me.
Claire is my favourite
I agree Nicole always does daring for the sake of it.
I thought last weeks spat between Patrick and Esme over GOW was interesting he rated the quality of sewing but she felt Nicole was more High St than catwalk couture and I think it is a good summing up Nicole is a good sewer but she seems to have a checklist of things to do to get through, use tricky fabric be whacky for the upcycle and complex and tricky fabrics for the made to measure.
None of them standout as great designers to me.

Therese reminded me a bit of the older lady in the very first series. Extremely competent as a stitcher (sorry, every time I see the word sewer, I think of underground tunnels flowing with unsavoury objects), but struggles with the time element. I suspect that like many women of our age, she was taught very painstakingly at school and still tries to sew to that standard. For example, my old needlework teacher taught us to tack, not pin fabric before sewing, every seam had to be properly finished and sewn in, all seams had to be neatened - definitely no zig zag or overlocking etc. I think that when she sews for family she probably produces something amazing, and lasting, but takes a lot longer than the time allowed on the programme.
I was sad that she went, expect as Matt seems to make so many errors week after week - missing out entire pattern pieces is far worse than not finishing on time, imo.

Was that Anne who made that beautiful crochet scarf.

Yes taught to tack etc

Yes to how we were taught. I'm 50 but remember being taught all the embroidery stitches, tacking hems before sewing, gathers, darts etc. DH is amazed I can hand sew an invisible (from the outside) seam or turn up.

I also learnt to sew in the late 60s - pin, tack, sew and turn over a tiny hem to neaten seams. I don't usually tack now though unless it's very tricky or slippery fabric. Does anyone else still do tailor tacks?

Also late 50s and also learned to sew and embroider in school. We made some lovely things. For young kids the standard was pretty good.

I wish they would do a speed challange, like making as many face masks, sanitary towels, button hole&button... as possible in x time.

I wish they would do a non garment based task - curtains , blinds, cushions, bean bags, accessories etc maybe as a reinvention challenge. In the first series they made evening bags which required hand sewing as well as machine. It was a shame that the 80s week did not include retro sewing machines as previously.

Agree @LIZS. Also think they should do more men’s clothes.

I wouldn't like to see a speed challenge - I've seen them on the pottery throw down and I don't like the way skill goes out the window in favour of speed.

I don't think machines from the 1980s would be vastly different to current ones TBH. I learnt to sew on what I guess was a 70s machine and then 80s ones at school and both styles did the functions of a basic machine now.

Bags would definitely work as a challenge. Curtains are basically a rectangle with some tape at the top so perhaps not technical enough... I think a lot of soft furnishings probably fall under the "too easy" category.

What men's clothing have they had this series? The rugby shirt and holiday shirt... is that all? They've made ties, pyjamas, kilts, waistcoats (I think) and some other tailored item in the past. The bias is definitely towards women's clothing - is it perhaps more complicated and shaped?

I used to do tailor's tacks (and still do when I need to make the point of a dart, which is rarely!) My parents had a gadget that did them for you - you pushed it in through the fabric caught the end of the thread and pulled it back out again.

I vaguely recall tacking rather than pinning at school but when my dad taught me to sew before then he definitely used pins.

Embroidery I only did in primary school (Y6) and at Girls Brigade on Binka. I have a felt owl upstairs that I made at primary and it has embroidery on the chest bit and, I think, around the eyes.

DD (and DS's) have done nothing like this. DD showed some interest once but it died off.

The bomber jacket was a men's pattern as well I think. There hasn't been much though.

Most of the invention challenges could be men or women's clothing but the sewers have tended to go towards women's. Technically the pyjama one could have been menswear too but I guess they were told they had female models.

Personally I think there's greater breadth of creativity with women's clothing unless you go for something extremely flamboyant like new romantics style for men.

I was also taught to pin and tack first (and to do the dreaded tailor's tacks that I always managed to pull out). And while I don't do it on straight seams, on the rare occasions that I sew, I still tack the seam before putting a zip in and prefer to tack sleeves and collars.

It might feel like a faff, but unpicking a machine-stiched sleeve that isn't right, is a lot worse.

I definitely wouldn't like to see a sanitary towel speed challenge. They're not very interesting. Agree technique goes out of the window on speed challenges.

Have they made men's tailored jackets à la Patrick before?

Remember the dart wheel and tracing paper?

@woodhill

Remember the dart wheel and tracing paper?

I tried that at school but didn't have a tracing wheel at home.

It was coloured

The little wheel perforated the carbon paper type sheet which marked the fabric. It had the potential to get messy in the wrong hands.

Quarter Finals!

[happysigh]