Sewing Bee is back

[Cocolapew]

Wednesday 24th May at 9pm 🥳

I simply do not believe there are no older Asian or black or any other non-white british background women with the right skills for sewing bee. The problem I guess is finding them and persuading them to appear on a tv show.

There's the rub.
They don't necessarily want to be on tv.
Encouraging people to do so is not "box ticking".

.....also, like the Eastern Europeans, they are less likely to watch 'English' telly than I am, for instance, so there won't be so many that apply yet. It'll come.

I wonder if they'll do some more of the type of sewing from another area of the world. First, find your designer from that area, I suppose.

I clearly remember the lady who cut out without a pattern.

I looked again last night at the guest designer. I had missed seeing her walking towards camera before and I realised that what I thought was a dress was actually a coat and she was wearing trousers - super.

I'm not really interested in the back stories. I just want to watch the sewing.

I think a big obstacle for people who have learned to sew in a different language (eg Eastern Europeans) is that even if they are well settled and have good English they are probably still sewing in their native language. I know if I were living long term in a foreign country I would still be buying patterns in English because that's what I know. There are a lot of specialised terms in the various pattern challenges. Tricky patterns with a time pressure is hard enough, throw in a foreign language as well and it would be very difficult.

there have been eastern European sewists on the programme (maybe only one?) she was very confident but went out relatively early which was a shame because she was very good.

I loved the contestant who did the draping - i am in awe of people who can do that - but one of my favourites was another earlyish chap who sewed outfits for his drag-artist husband/boyfriend. I remember the dress he made the week they used old jumpers to create a garment and it was flipping wonderful. Full of pizazz and movement.

And Ralph the trumpet player who made that marvellous - absolutely stunning - denim dress showing a whale in the sea out of old jeans to show the way cotton uses so much water.

And the (male) colonel who sewed ball dresses for his wife

And the lady who only had half an arm, and how it really wasn't emphasised at all and we all slowly became aware of it as the weeks went on. Etc etc.

Right now, outside Asmaa who makes stunning, really stunning, creations (especially the lingerie, you can ask to sub to her private account showing those) i can't see a stand out. But maybe it will come.

I know if I were living long term in a foreign country I would still be buying patterns in English because that's what I know.

this is me. I am a competent sewer of many years. But there are some expressions and things that i just don't know in German. Luckily it is easy now to find out, but in a shop when I'm asking for something, it sometimes comes down to very convoluted conversations with them trying very very hard to understand what i want.

Very true.

I love the diversity. I don’t think it should be deliberately ‘sought out’ because it should be all about the sewing but it is lovely to see a mix of people. If folk can see they should make the cut.

I am a bit irked to hear that a ‘quirk or story’ is needed. I could have climbed Mount Everest, given birth to iguanas and rescued an astronaut from the moon. I can just about sew on a button securely and would therefore make a right thimble of myself - even though my story was marvellous.

My favourites at the moment are Tony the Post and Asmaa.

I haven’t seen the episode from last night as I was at work. That’ll be watched with a bit of breakfast and a coffee when I get home. Happy days.

Same here but it would be a different programme. They have set out to gain a wider audience including people who don't sew and have no intention of taking it up. I know people like this who enjoy watching. One of my grandsons auditioned for Junior Bake Off. He is an excellent baker (better than me) but he didn't get through. He understood that it was because he is quiet and serious and doesn't have the chat. He also wouldn't make the 'hilarious' mistakes either. Not good TV. It's the way it is 🤷‍♀️.

I'm not really interested in the back stories. I just want to watch the sewing.

Amen to that.

And none of the pressure makes either. Give them the time to shine. They’ll have someone trying to make a kilt in 20 minutes and forging a sgian dubh from a slack handful of pins next.

Don’t go bake off.

Controversially, I think the requirement to have a back story only really lowers the quality of the white sewers.

It's about having a brand. If you're a fantastic sewer and black, then you're this year's black sewer, but if you're a fantastic sewer and white then you also need to have something to differentiate you from the other white sewers. So hence this year having the pole exercise one, the one that played golf for Wales, the wild swimming one, the posh breathy one, the young one etc. It used to be you could be the male one, but now the men are good enough there's the postie and the bondage one etc.

It's got to be wildly unfair to any ethnic minority sewers as well - its about having token representation so one black sewer, one Asian sewer, one alternative other. Considering how many of the fabric shops are black or South Asian owned its got to be a massive under-representation.

EXACTLY!

Same with Bake Off - i'd rather see a beautifully executed Victoria Sponge than watch everybody cock-up whole roast swan in aspic with a chive and fennel custard, or whatever else rubbish they throw at them - especially as they probably wouldn't give them enough time to pluck the swan.

Last year Was watching the early Australian Bake Off on Netflix - it was brilliant. I don't know if it's still on, but apparently they've re-vamped it for the "drama", and the original two judges and the presenters left in protest. As they were an integral part of the success of the show (to my mind) I didn't watch any more after they'd gone.

My favourites at the moment are Tony the Post and Asmaa.

Mine too, Arcane

And Ralph the trumpet player who made that marvellous - absolutely stunning - denim dress showing a whale in the sea out of old jeans to show the way cotton uses so much water.

Crikey, yes! I'd forgotten that one @Brefugee - it was fabulous!

I do like to see a tiny bit of background (eg married, with cats), but they can forget the"quirks" as far as I'm concerned, unless they happen to be just lucky incidentals to an excellent sewer.

@MoltenLasagne I was thinking similarly but also that there's something a bit off about seeing "black", "Asian", "gay" etc as a character trait which the way they seem to be using diversity seems to be doing. Apologies for two seems, but hope it makes sense. We are all of us more than just one thing. None of us wants to see a grumpy misanthrope sewing on our tellies but I don't think the back story has to be so important because as in friendships we learn more as we get to know people and I've always liked it when that happens in shows. So, as much diversity as possible with added slow burners who we grow to love as we find out more about them.

The first few weeks make it inevitable that "characters" stick out more because there are too many people and too little time to even remember all the names, but as the weeks go on the quieter ones who are good enough to stay in the show can really shine given half a chance and when they produce great stuff we get behind them even if they're not a great big "character", more so because often the characters are annoying or divisive.

Sorry all, too many words there.

They revamped Married At First Sight UK too for the "DRAMA", following the Australian model, apparently.
I stopped watching.

LadyEloise

Indeed they did. And as you say they ruined it.

Likewise with Masterchef. I cringe myself down to a size 8 when I see them coming on with huge ‘personalities’, jazz hands, showmanship and gobshitery.

I don’t care. And it turns me right off. As well as causing my fast forward button on the remote to wear out.

Show me your Pommes Anna not your persona.

Show me your Pommes Anna not your persona.

I read this in an Australian accent and it sounded fantastic!

😄

The joy of these shows (Sewing Bee, Bake Off, Throwdown, Woodworker) isn't in the cut-throat competition, it's in watching people who know what they're doing produce an excellent result, and particularly seeing them help and support each other when things go awry (as things sometimes do). THAT'S what keeps the viewers glued to their sets - not backstabbing, underhandedness.

remember that Bake Off episode when that woman cheated by using someone else's custard (I think it was)? Wouldn't surprise me if she had to move house, have plastic surgery and change her name, the outcry was so loud!

Absolutely mosh

I love the sewing, cooking, whittling, skill admiring etc but I love the camaraderie more.

I agree about zany characters and crazy tasks. Definitely Bake Off has suffered from this. Most of the sewists this year seem fine, but it's too easy for these shows to go down that path.
It's such a lovely show with a nice presenter and great judges, I hope it stays unspoiled.

When I had warbled about making clothes from other cultures, I thought that they probably have done in the past, but without a visiting designer. Did they once have to make a kimono or is my brain making that up?

I think they did. Could it have been the same week they had to make origami dresses?

Was it a kimono dressing gown. IIRC?

One of the men over-reached himself and ran out of time - he'd been doing really well until that episode, too.

Does anyone have a favourite series? Mine is the one won by Juliet. Memorable contestants showing great sewing skills and imagination, and a lovely winner.