Sewing Bee 2024 thread 2 - 5 down, 7 to go!

[SoupDragon]

The other thread was getting too slow (and we were running out of space faster than the thread on a bobbin)

Tacking - I was also taught to tack EVERYTHING by our sewing teacher who was archaic (genuinely about 70) in 1997 when I was a chosen one allowed to do textiles, but her sewing was phenomenal.
I really only tack complicated stuff and children’s wear - which I find fiddly in the smaller sizes - these days. Ms Hansen would not be pleased.

I was taught by my mum. I didn't realise that my first garment - a ra-ra skirt made from a pair of curtains - would now be trendy upcycling. Clearly decades ahead of time
Anyway, yes tacked everything.

Same here and if I don't tack I pin carefully.

Imagine how much time they'd need this year if they tacked everything!

Gutted Alex is gone.

I was taught by my grandmother who had been a court dressmaker. Everything was tacked; every hem was sewn by hand and heaven help you if you picked up more than one thread at a time when hemming. I spent years in my 20s only sewing stage costumes because they didn't need to be perfect.

Just watched it and really disappointed Alex has gone. I think her outfit didn't fit the brief but that's because the program has changed. It's moved away from being a show about sewing to a show about designing dressing up clothes. There have been very few outfits in this series I've felt inspired to make myself and it's not going to make people want to start sewing either. Really disappointing to see the move to an all fur coat and nae knickers style of sewing

Just caught up and also sorry to see Alex go. Perhaps she’s just not wacky enough but she’s a good sewer. I did think she missed the brief though. Suzy’s MTM was eye-catching and diva-esque but when will she show that she can actually fit something to her model, rather than dressing her in a tent?

Happy to see Pascha go well enough on this one, as I don’t think the diva theme was a strong one for her.

Similar to others my grandmother was a trained seamstress and tailoress, finishing her apprenticeship in 1927. I still own her 21st birthday present: a treadle Singer sewing machine complete with original invoice. She tacked everything, French seamed even basic items and always hand sewed hems. Pieces had to be as beautiful on the inside as they were on the outside. As a stroppy teen I did not appreciate her talent and refused to learn from her. I am so regretful now I am in my 50s and despair of the shoddy workmanship of high street clothes. I have just signed up for a sewing course and hoping to channel some of her talent 🤞

i will French seam expensive or flimsy fabric, but otherwise i'll overlock - even if lined just to be safe.

I only tack if i really really don't think i can manage without (still do tailor tacks though, they are really efficient) it adds too much time for the Bee so no wonder they don't. If it's not clothes, or a tricky part i don't pin or clip either. I have tried the sticky tape thing with zips but i don't like that either.

I still think that you have to be a bit clever to get in the final - and i think that maybe Suzy is doing this - just make sure you get through the rounds. So while her Gaga Coat wasn't really what we'd call m2m - it definitely fit the brief. When she had to m2m (last week) she wasn't the worst, and that is enough to get in the final. And i think that if i am understanding her correctly, she may be looking to start her own business? in which case just getting there but not winning will be enough. (i am guessing here tho)

Alex going home is the nature of the competition unfortunately. She didn't lose, she threw it away with a poor choice. It's happened so many times in the final.

I think there are a lot of new sewers who haven't been taught, they've learnt from videos etc and have only learnt the things they need to make the garment they want to make. My dad must have learnt the same way (through need, not from videos!) as he wouldn't have had sewing lessons at school and I can't think of any family members who would p have taught him (his mother was not a crafter!). I did learn the technical aspects in Needlework lessons at school so I do have a grounding in the basics but I'm pretty much a sewer through intuition/necessity as well.

Do they even teach needlework at school any more? I think DD did some work with Textiles but it was linked into art and certainly didn't include dressmaking.

My elder DD did textiles for GCSE and made a wearable skirt in year 10. Her final piece for GCSE was a stage dress based on Wicked though, so not fine seeing.

My Mum, born 1916, was a seamstress so I know what you are saying. Of course the contestants don't have time to tack and they hack away any old how, it seems. We knew someone else who was a seamstress by trade and I remember when dresses started to be sold, which had machined hems, not even a hemming stitch done on a machine. Mum had died by then. The conversation went - "Have you seen hems nowadays? They're doing them with an ordinary straight machine stitch." "I know, but it's WRONG!"

Did your grandmother teach you about matching checks? A few years ago, Princess Charlotte went out at Christmas wearing a check dress. You bet I checked out the checks! They were ok. Last week I was looking at all the stripes on Mrs. Sunak's dress!

I take the point that Suzy makes tents rather than fitting the clothes but I liked the look of the pink tent. I have spent years hiding my not-good figure under as many tents as I could find.

I wish they'd have a week of 'hand-stitched only' garments. Either they'd need loads more time or easier things.

Ah Alex was my winner - I agree it seems to be all on the final garment as she didn’t do badly in the first two rounds. Alisa to win for me now. I did like seeing Luke’s obvious joy this week.

This week was totally in Luke's wheelhouse and he did really well. Shame for Alex, but as said, that wasn't diva. They didn't even mention that the fringes were on the wonk as that wasn't the biggest issue. Pascha to win.

To be fair, Alex had to ask for Luke’s help with her zip, so she was struggling with the basics and he is plainly the better sewer (much as that annoys a certain Mumsnet demographic). There was no way they could keep Alex in after that pitiful made to measure.

Luke isn't "plainly the better sewer" at all 😂 He's struggled in previous weeks and has produced poorly sewn garments before.

Blaming opinions of his sewing on the "demographic" is just rude.

@HeadNorth yes Luke was good this week but in previous weeks he has made some absolute horrors , no one on here has said that he didn’t deserve the win this week , he was by far the best on the M2M . Alex missed the brief spectacularly

I'm sure Luke could be a great sewer if he wasn't so pleased with himself and took the time to listen and learn. No one with any real skill would be bragging about his 1 hour shirts. So much of his sewing is just plain sloppy.

The garments this week were all the type of thing Luke was used to doing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the M2M wasn’t based on something he had previously made.
Other more every day wear seems to trip him up.

And yes, the judges seem to be excited by Suzy’s style and design rather than sewing ability. It reminds me of Interior Design Masters in that respect.

On another topic, Ailsa's hair looked fabulous this week. She is getting steadily more consistent and could be a potential winner.

I want Ailsa to win now.

Don't be tiresome. We grumbled about Janet shoehorning sexy dancing into every project, and Luke is the same. That is what a lot of people don't like.

I don't think he's a better sewer at all. His m2m haven't been astounding, and likd the other chap a few years ago who sewed outfits for his partner's drag act - can't sculpt particularly well around a female form, because that's not what he regularly sews.

He does have a good eye for colour and fabrics though, and his Lady Gaga outfit was brilliant (although the handlebar reminded me very much of the Thierry Mugler scooter outfit a few decades ago)

I do like how they help each other though. Helping Alex with the zip was kind, as was his input into the piping thing the week before.

what's next week's theme? i always stop watching as soon as they announce who is leaving because the spoilers are irritating.