Sewing Bee

[Cocolapew]

New thread for this weeks 🙂

But even with the puckers I think Asmaa's dress was much better made than the smoking jacket.

Apparently Sara's blouse is the Orseund Iris Drama blouse. It seems to be discontinued but retailed at several £100s and it's polyester.

I really hope they mix it up a bit next series by getting rid of the transformation. It's so boring, and who the effy jeffers wears a dress made out of a shower curtain?!

I liked the middle challenge in the earlier series when they were all given the same task, eg put some sleeves in a sleeveless dress. A transformation more in line with the kind of thing that home sewers do. I suppose they changed it so that round 1 is for their technical skills/ability to follow a pattern, round 2 is for imagination, round 3 is for design and being able to fit to a real person not a mannequin.

i think round 2 could be tweaked again. I’d like them to go back to all having the same garment to alter but perhaps a little less “out there” challenges with more realistic scenarios where you end up with a garment you would actually wear. Eg fix a pair of trousers with a broken zip, turn a damaged occasion dress into a something else, disguise the worn holes in the elbows of a woollen jumper, make a kids “world book day” outfit from an old duvet cover, temporarily shorten a borrowed prom dress, invisible mending of a quality work dress - I’m sure there’s plenty there that covers imagination in deciding the solution and skills in execution. Plus, how many home home sewers spend a lot of time making items other than clothing? I know we’ve had a rucksack recently, but how about them making a new chair cover?

I totally agree. Let's have transformation challenges that suit home sewers. Problem is the same with all the programmes like this. Bake-off used to be like what a home baker does, but now it's more like training for industrial baking. I could see myself entering 10 years ago, but not nowadays.

(Sorry for digression)

I remember a transformation challenge outfit winning outfit of the week in the past. There is no way on god's green earth that would happen now with shower curtains and make an outfit out of stuff from the recycling bin with a few added elements from your compost bin. The latter hasn't happened yet but there's still time for that level of nightmare.

Ditto!

I finally, reluctantly caught up on Wednesdays episode last night. I could hardly be bothered to watch it. It's lost its sparkle for me.

Good point.

But I, for one, am thankful.

Sadly, I have to agree with you. I watch it, but the gloss has gone because the tasks are getting silly and I can't relate to them any more - just the same as Bake-Off (which I stopped watching because I JUST COULDN'T BEAR IT ANY MORE!

I'm dreading losing this the same way.

And if they mess with Pottry Throwdown, I will not be responsible for my actions . . . 😡

I agree - I loved the material Vicky chose for her jacket, but it was a real bum-freezer. I think a smoking jacket is supposed to be slightly longer than an average jacket, not practically a bolero! (OK, I exaggerate slightly . . .).

And I loved Lauren's clothes - every week she's just quietly got on with the tsk and produced a lovely garment - he little girl's party dress was delightful. I'll really miss her.

I hated Mia's smoking jacket - I don't care how beautifully scalloped the lapels were, it was just wrong -material, style, everything was wrong.

I caught up last night as I'd been away. Asmaa is so much better than anyone else they might as well just end it now. I agree Mia's jacket was all wrong although, oddly, DH said he liked it.

I often look at wartime make do and mend leaflets and they have lots of ideas for transforming worn out clothing - a smart tweed skirt from husbands old suit trousers with a matching hat, for example.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/10-top-tips-for-winning-at-make-do-and-mend
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/make-do-and-mend-0

You could do a whole series of wearable transformation challenges like this.

I wish someone would transform Patrick's clothing into something stylish.
Sara's blouse; gorgeous, I want it!

Thanks for the Make do and Mend links, @CaptainMyCaptain - i love things like that.

One thing does give me hope for the future is seeing some good sewists on YouTube making things like tops out of thrifted men's shirts etc (my DD copied a few) so i feel sure the knowledge and skills haven't completely died out. And totally agree with pp that the transformation challenge should use some of these things as inspiration rather than ridiculous things

having said that: i read Esme's autobiography, and the clothes out of shower curtains that they did at Swanky Modes were excellent.

I remember Ann, who won series one, was in her early 80s and spoke about being given a pair of her father's old worn out Oxford bags to transform into an outfit which she wore to university. A similar transformation would be an excellent challenge - turn a second hand suit into a wearable garment.

My teenage grandsons often bring me clothes to be mended they also buy vintage clothing and get me to alter it if necessary. At least they are aware of what can be done. By vintage they mean 90s though which makes me laugh 🤣.

Thank you for these links - I love stuff like that!

A suit would be a reasonable transformation challenge but but in the time they are given. Suits are being used less with casual wear in the office. A genuine reason for repurposing unlike the beautiful crochet blankets. Should give them a few hours though.

The crochet blankets transformation challenge was painful to watch. All that handiwork wasted. And completely illogical for the structural properties of the "fabric". One missed stitch and the whole thing would unravel. Who in real life would do this?

@chofeshacad I completely agree.

I don’t like the wastefulness - why use brand new shower curtains to make something that no one will ever wear. The programme needs a restyle, except for Patrick, i’d change pretty much every else.

Speaking of waste, I'd love to know what happens to the made to measure clothes. Do the models keep them?

i think they keep them because i think they buy the fabric themselves. I'll ask the frend of a friend who was on last year (Debra)

Clare has re-made some of her clothes on Instagram. I think they get them all back.

That explains why they sometimes requests models of a similar body shape. I do hope the child models kept their dresses, though maybe I'm projecting too much on how I'd want my DC treated .

Surely most of the items made in the pattern challenge would be useless afterwards anyway as the fabric probably isn't prewashed so it'd shrink when washing. They make them so small too.
Claire posted on her Instagram that her pink 80s jacket was hanging up at work incase any of her colleagues wish to wear it and feel empowered. Made me laugh!