Sewing Bee 2021, thread 2

[dillite]

Sorry, couldn't think of a clever title

I like Serena. She usually sews clothes that look design to be worn rather than being an extension of the sewer's ego

I don't like Serena. She always looks too smug although I admit she's a good sewer.

Sometimes the production will lead the viewer to think someone has it in the bag, then they fall at the last hurdle.

In like the French chap, though he didn't have a good week this week.

50s. Press studs.

Andrew's model is going to get a wet backside in the first shower of rain. How was that not commented on?

Well I bloody loved Damian's coat! It looked fabulous.

Farie's was great but that daft pony tail, as someone else pointed out would be useless in the rain.

What a waste of cute fabric in Adeena's why bother if you're going to just cover it up? She should've gone tonight.

Don't see how Farie got garment of the week when it didn't meet the brief, it was in no way unisex.

I don't think many were unisex TBH. I think that is a reflection on how gendered clothes have become though.

Oh, and 50s & they're poppers!

I didn't like Patrick's comment about it was sad Damien was in the bottom. Why? Absolutely nothing points to him being incorrectly there.

His rain coat, why looking good, was totally unpractical for it's purpose. Magnetic hood would be lost or pulled off 10,000 times a day.

Also probably best have the wearer avoid any heat source.

Also the mermaid costume totally unpractical. In fact all of them (mermaid ones) were, they seemed to forget the child needs to move!

liked Adam, his coat was a disaster.

originally i thought my dc would have loved the jelly fish coat, but actually no, it would have been too out there for my dc

I'm just wondering if press studs /poppers are the old fashioned ones you sew in and snaps are the ones you put in with a tool.

Yes, I think that would make sense. I still call them all poppers though 😂

Pretty sure "snaps" are a US term. I watch lots of craft videos and blogs and I think it's just one of those words that has crept over here.

I think Adam performed worst on the made to measure challenge and it was right that he left, but I was very sad about it. He consistently chose the wrong fabrics this week. I'm having lots of fun analysing the edits every week:

Patrick - " if they use a fabric that is too thick the poppers will be hard to attach".

Adam - "I'm using a thick chambray"

Me - "oh no".

Lots of those coats were too small though.

Sad Adam went, but he really struggled with that coat. They get to practice their made to measures before, don't they, so he should have known the fabric would have been that hard to work with. I loved the colour though, really bright and happy. I really didn't want him to go. He's so cheery and positive and the rest of the group seemed to really like him.

I don't think Farie should have won garment of the week. It wasn't unisex and the plait, although fun, was silly for a raincoat.
I loved Raphs colours on his coat. Really different.
Andrews coat was far too small for his model. It did look like he was wearing his little brothers coat, as a pp said. I was surprised it wasn't mentioned.
The shower curtain coat was really good. I'm sure we had that shower curtain many years ago

I really like Serena, and don't think she looks smug at all. She reminds me of my ds's gf. Quite shy and reserved, which can come across as smug I guess. I think she is a very talented sewer, and I'd like her or Raph to win.

I read in a Facebook group that the plait was detachable although I don't know how that person knew. I agree the fabric was more likely to appeal to a girl than a boy but if all the children were Yr 5 age you could say the same about Damian's. In fact I'm not even convinced that girls that age would like either of them.

Looks to me as though snaps are specifically press studs which are applied in a similar way that rivets are, without any sewing.

The plait was tied on, you could see the rainbow ribbon on it

Agree that most of the coats were ridiculously small - it was like the sewers had no experience of the necessary attributes of a raincoat.

Ironically, Adam's - had it been sewn well - had very good raincoat dimensions.

I have no idea why Adeena put those spotty bits over the dinosaurs when that was exactly the reason Catherine got kicked out last week. Seemed a very high risk strategy although it appears she can do no wrong, despite limping on for weeks.

I don't think Adeema can do no wrong, she's just been lucky that there's someone worse.

I can't work out how Damien is so bad in the first two challenges but generally redeems himself in the made to measure one. Every single week!

DD1 and me wondered if Damian is dyslexic as he seems to struggle with the 1st pattern challenge, but does well/okay in the transformation and when he's doing his own pattern.

I agree Damian coat the best one.

I think Damien has bucket loads of self-confidence, but not much sewing experience. This means he goes for it and doesn't realise when something is a tall order or isn't really going to work. When you're more experience, you can be your own biggest critic and hold yourself back if you're striving for perfection or worried your execution isn't going to be good enough.

I thought most the costs looked small across the shoulders to me, and would not have worked with any kind of layers underneath. To be fair my DS has broad shoulders and fills 3-4 at age 2 and I've just bought a 7-8 raincoat for 5 yo DD to get enough length to cover her bum and get the rain to run off to lower legs as she doesn't like wearing the waterproof trousers.

I like a longer coat with broad shoulders for jumpers/gilets, and no at the bottom - most of them were quite "dress" shaped with narrow shoulders and wider hems.

Loved the Crab, Jellyfish and Octopus costumes!

Plastic "snaps" are an abomination, metal ones are so much more durable!

I really didn't like Damien's coat, it looked like a shower curtain! And how squeaky and hot it would get!

@SoupDragon

I don't think Adeema can do no wrong, she's just been lucky that there's someone worse.

I can't work out how Damien is so bad in the first two challenges but generally redeems himself in the made to measure one. Every single week!

I agree re Adeena, she has scraped through a couple of times because someone else was worse.

Damian is better on the made to measure challenge because he doesn't have to follow anyone else's instructions.

@Clutterbugsmum

DD1 and me wondered if Damian is dyslexic as he seems to struggle with the 1st pattern challenge, but does well/okay in the transformation and when he's doing his own pattern.

I agree Damian coat the best one.

I think this is a strong possibility. He can work things out himself but struggles to follow detailed instructions.

@longtompot I don’t think she comes across as smug either, just quietly confident in her abilities.

I agree she isn't smug.