Sewing Bee is back!

[Cocolapew]

14th April

Not going mad. I think she was the presenter until a couple of years ago. I loose track of time.

Claudia does Britain's Best Home Cook or whatever it's called. She good on that, partly because she and Mary Berry seem to have a good rapport and real affection for each other.

I forgot to say just how much I LOVED the Sewing Bee last night. I got my husband hooked a few years back and it's one of the highlights of the year for us. Like a warm hug.

Agree about Joe - he's lovely!

I don't know how anyone could dislike him.

And it was a particularly good first Bee last night - they all seem delightfully bananas!

Such a shame to lose Julie so soon - I do wish that the first programme could be a "setting in" one.

Every element of the programme is great - no fast forwarding through bits (unlike both bake off and masterchef and interior design master). Watch it from start to finish and as op said the hour flies by.

Also think the way they do the ‘catwalk’ and the amount of music in the prog is joyful. Unlike say project runway where the runway is rather over produced (although do like project runway a lot).

@PickAChew

I feel for Julie. No way could I produce anything decent in the time given and I've been sewing for 40 years, on and off.

She didn't seem to have looked at her fabric until the show, though, as she was surprised by the size of the holes. Then she decided to add a lining which took too much time. Raf had taken the time to prepare and dyed all his fabrics which had a lovely effect. She might be a brilliant sewist but a bit more preparation could have kept her in the game.

(I think that was Julie, if it was the other woman, whose name I forget, it still applies.)

Whoever chooses the music does a good job.

I wonder if they have all been isolating together? Which means there have bonded and there is an obvious warmth between them which makes it great for the viewer.

I think Joe did mention something about living there, not sure

sorry if this has been said already - I've come on and there are 20 pages already! - but the buffet dress. Surely they had been told they were going to make this beforehand (the french guy had pre dyed the material). Why on earth wouldn't you have a run through beforehand to make sure you could sew it in time?

@Newnormal99

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LOL, they have a point. I loved the Allotment Challenge though.

Love Throwdown, Sewing Bee, think All That Glitters is promising if everyone settles in a bit.

To be honest, I'm actually getting a bit 'over' the original, The Bake Off - challenges seem to be getting a bit repetitive, and the contestants don't seem to be quite the same somehow, perhaps in the rush to make sure we have all the diversity boxes ticked, some of the better ones are passed over? Nice people, but somehow not turning out the quality of earlier contestants.

@MaMaLa321

sorry if this has been said already - I've come on and there are 20 pages already! - but the buffet dress. Surely they had been told they were going to make this beforehand (the french guy had pre dyed the material). Why on earth wouldn't you have a run through beforehand to make sure you could sew it in time?

For some reason she had missed that the material needed lining. Presumably making the dress itself worked timing wise but not the extra. Why she did not just make a basic shift lining I'm not sure or line the panel pieces before sewing both of which would have been quicker.

@Roussette

I wonder if they have all been isolating together? Which means there have bonded and there is an obvious warmth between them which makes it great for the viewer.

I think Joe did mention something about living there, not sure

Yes he did, at the start. Not sure how long previous to filming started but you'd presume a good few days.

Thing is, even if the fabric should have been lined, an unlined but completed dress would probably have kept her in.

Also love Joe. And the music. And Esme. And Patrick.

Yes, not looking at the fabric until just before was terrible planning. I have a tendency to spend a lot of time stroking my fabric before using it, though. I have some of that heavy navy spotty fabric that someone used, slightly wonkily, in the first round and that is particularly lovely to touch and gaze at.

One of the men used tana liberty lawn in the 1st round - small red/pink flowers. I have used it time and time again, as I think it's perfect for sewing

also, we were told that the mannequins were created with the exact dimensions of the models. And the contestants didn't use them at all, but fitted onto the models. Why?

I do have to go out and make a cup of tea while the 'make something shit out of a pile of crap' round is on.

I'm looking forward to when they have all calmed down a bit. At the moment, most of them are focussing on presenting themselves as a Personality.

@MaMaLa321

sorry if this has been said already - I've come on and there are 20 pages already! - but the buffet dress. Surely they had been told they were going to make this beforehand (the french guy had pre dyed the material). Why on earth wouldn't you have a run through beforehand to make sure you could sew it in time?

Sewing a practice dress as per the pattern - like in the first challege - is alwaus going to be quicker than actually making and fitting one to the model. Farie had trouble with the fit of her (almost unfinished) dress and looked like she had no idea how to adjust it. She appeared to have made a basic mistake in not pinning the paper pattern to the model - its easier to make the alterations on the pattern before cutting the fabric than it is to change the actual garment. Although that might have been edited out.

And while I loved Raphaels dress it was not exactly "fitted"!!

@MaMaLa321

One of the men used tana liberty lawn in the 1st round - small red/pink flowers. I have used it time and time again, as I think it's perfect for sewing

It might be the editing but one of my comments every series is that they all seem to immediately dash off to pick the fabrics for the pattern challenge. Id want to look at the pattern first and it would save some "mistakes" - like the contestant where the back seam cut the faces in strange places. And in previous series we have seen completely unsuitable fabrics being used.

I'm looking forward to when they have all calmed down a bit. At the moment, most of them are focussing on presenting themselves as a Personality.
This, definitely. I'm sure the contestants in the first episode just got on with things and weren't trying to be whacky. I loved the older lady (Anne, I think) who won the first one. She was an experienced home sewer and inspired me to taking up making my own clothes again. Although Claire, from the last series was from the same mould, so maybe it hasn't really changed that much.

And while I loved Raphaels dress it was not exactly "fitted"!!
It wasn't really a fitted style, it just had to fit the shoulders and the bust so should have been a fairly easy Fitting challenge to start them off.

I can't think who Farie is.

What I need is something to reference - pictures of each episode with each contestant stood next to her or his three items would be perfect!!

also, we were told that the mannequins were created with the exact dimensions of the models. And the contestants didn't use them at all, but fitted onto the models. Why?

I think they only showed clips where the models were used. It makes sense from a Covid point of view to have the mannequins there to minimise contact with the models.

I miss Clare from the previous series. She was amazing.

@Wolfcub I adored her dress ! I would love to buy it.

I am just imagining being the model for one of them with a mannequin made exactly to my shape. (doesn't bear thinking about)

Then spending the next days/weeks scoffing anything in sight and the mannequin is now nothing like me and 'my' contestant has to put panels in to make anything fit