Great British Sewing Bee the last leg thread (that's 3 for those that follow)

[dillite]

I thought I might as well start it. As then I won't have to go searching for the new thread.

*Can someone explain to me why the uneven hems weren't an issue in the pattern challenge?,
You are supposed to leave a garment to hang before hemming and then make adjustments according to how it stretches out. I should think that would be even more likely with that pre pleated crepe although the unevenness seemed really drastic.

It might not have been a very suitable pattern for a timed challenge.

Bold fail - oh for an Edit facility.

I seem to remember that many years ago - and I'm nearly 70 so I mean 50 years ago - it was possible to send fabric away to have permanent pleats put in. Does that strike a chord with anyone else?

Therese was terrible three weeks in a row. Like it or not, finishing the garment against the clock is a fundamental part of the format, and her timekeeping was terrible.

Clare’s timekeeping has slipped in the last couple of weeks - I hope she pulls it out of the bag in the final.

I still don't understand the hems on those dresses. I understand that they dropped but I can't quite get my brain to work out why they didn't just get longer all over.

The pre pleated fabric must have had tapered pleats to fit into the waist so it was probably very difficult to cut at the right angle. I've never used it but it looks a nightmare so I never will .

I just really really really like Liz

I've never used it but it looks a nightmare so I never will

Yes, that was my preliminary conclusion.

I liked Liz too.

But I'm not sure her flapper dress would have been the best if the others hadn't messed theirs up. Matt's material was gorgeous, and I loved the colour and design of Clare's.

I like Nicole but she does seem to make a lot of mistakes! Next week is going to be interesting.

I think the final will be really interesting - Claire probably the most technically skilled, Nicole with a flair for striking design and Matt more inconsistent but can pull it out of the bag.

I find Nicole frustrating in that her ambition overrides her skill level. Liz's flapper dress was well executed but I felt the delicacy of the web fabric was a little lost by the wrap over layer. Matt's Marilyn dress won him through.

It's one of the reasons I don't think Nicole should be in the final. Her work can be brilliant but she doesn't seem to understand how different fabrics handle as much as the others. She goes for fabric patterns she likes rather than what fabric works best. Can't fault her ambition though.

I really like Matt as a contestant so I'm happy to have him in.

And I've watched Ru Pauls Drag Race for years and have learnt that sewing for drag is bloody hard, especially as padding can move around as one walks, so actually I have no issue with it. The fit is still the thing - a bad fit is a bad fit whether they are real hips or fake. Esme and Patrick are very picky about hems and stretching and gaping and pulling, so I don't think it would actually make any difference to the judging.

I really liked Liz so was sorry to see her go and I loved her spiderweb dress - but her transformation challenge was truly awful. Matt may have used less scrap but at least it was wearable.

Matt's transformation dress wasn't really wearable by an actual woman. Nobody's boobs would stay in that. You'd need something like a bodystocking underneath. It was more like an apron than a dress.

Therese was terrible three weeks in a row. Like it or not, finishing the garment against the clock is a fundamental part of the format, and her timekeeping was terrible.

Yes, I think my problem is that I fundamentally don't think sewing challenges should be pitted against the clock, but that's because I have the luxury of doing it as a hobby and not as a profession.

I agree Soupdragon about them all messing up this week!

Esme and Patrick always let it fly when there's a chance of a nipple showing in the transformation challenge.

I remember last year someone did similar and they just laughed that you'd have to be Kate Moss to wear it and left it at that.

I'm glad Nicole is still in as I love the style and colour of her final pieces. this week wasn't a good one for her but I'm glad she clung on. She tends to be over-ambitious with some challenging fabric choices and then runs out of time (I really like how she dresses too - she's cool! Will she be my friend?). She'd be fine i think without the time constraints. I really liked Liz but sometimes her own personal taste seemed to limit her creativity and she seemed to struggle with the recycling challenge most weeks.

I'm less bothered about Claire and Matt. Claire is very quirky and technically extremely talented but sometimes the brownish drab colour palette of her fabric choices is just too fusty for me. Matt is very good at the recycling/re-fashioning. He's clearly out of his comfort zone with some of the garments but still does a good job most of the time.

I think Claire will probably win and probably deserves to overall for her technical sewing skills but it will all depend on who has a good week.

I so love this show Esme and Patrick are pure class and great fun. And Joe Lycett is great. I shall miss it when its gone. Glow-Up is no substitute with that silly woman judge shouting 'DING DONG!!' all the time....

I've badly made a few things where the instructions say leave for 24/48 hours for the fabric to drop before hemming. So that didn't surprise me.

I did feel the gold on Nicole's dress was put on very unevenly. I know she did it in a hurry but it was messy. The judges had a really hard call last night - any of them could have justifiably gone.

Oh god, the DING DONG. Interesting show otherwise and great at knocking down stereotypes but that catchphrase....

IMO Esme showed her favouritism for Nicole last night when she pointed out her mistake with the first dress and told her to look again at the pattern/ instructions.
Of course it could just be the editing but I definitely think she has a very soft spot for Nicole.

I want Clare to win, I'm afraid I find Nicole's "oooh this is so difficult, I've made it very hard for myself" soundtrack rather tedious.

@TheSmallClangerWhistlesAgain

Matt's transformation dress wasn't really wearable by an actual woman. Nobody's boobs would stay in that. You'd need something like a bodystocking underneath. It was more like an apron than a dress.

I envisaged it with a black crop top underneath TBH.

I am not sure who is going to win. I honestly think it is going to come down to whoever messes up the least.

Binglebong given your name I thought you might quite like DING DONG. If you wen on it and excelled she could say 'DING DONG BINGLEBONG!"

I think although Nicole has made some major mistakes, she has often been able to overcome them, which to me shows experience and creativity. Even when she messed up with bagging the front pieces of the dress yesterday, her sewing along the seams was still quite neat.

My hunch is that cautious Clare probably makes fewer mistakes and sews well but isn't so used to overcoming disaster.

Also interesting that Claire hasn't done flamboyant well. She likes what she likes and her transformation last night showed she is a sci-fi geek as well as a 1940's groupie and her space outfit was stunning, but like last week, her flapper dress lacked drama and zing.

Matt is the weaker sewer, but occasionally does brilliant design. I actually loved his 1930s fabric last night. The three of them should make for a bloody good final.