Great British Sewing Bee is back on 15th July

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

I'm looking forward to it.

Was that at Malvern?

I really really wish they'd ditch the transformation challenge and bring back the alteration challenge. And I remember a mending challenge in one of the earlier series where they did some beautiful sashiko mending.

I really like Dan, he seems like a lovely guy, and he has shown in the past that he can sew. However the MTM dress he produced wasn't particularly complex or well fitted. The top part woven from the pyjamas was nice but the dress was a bit meh overall and it certainly didn't showcase much sewing or fitting skill.
Although I am enjoying this series a lot more than last year's, I thought last night's episode was boring and pointless, with very few garments produced that anyone would actually wear.

I really liked Dan's dress. I thought the way he used the pyjamas was very clever and I loved the shape and thought it fitted really well. But yes, an alteration or mending challenge would be more interesting and far more useful.

Yes that was the tent she got and you’re more limited in this challenge as you can’t use stuff in haberdashery?

Esme should be more objective

Birmingham NEC. I used to go almost every year when I lived in London but have hardly been at all since I moved to Ireland. I really regret that I didn't go this year as one of my favourite designers (Modern Welsh Quilts) had her own exhibition.

The Foldline have an interesting interview with Patrick about the Sewing Bee. s

I've just caught up. I loved Caz's m2m. So much so im now coveting it even though im pretty sure id look terrible in a jumpsuit 😀

Gaynor is a technically very good sewer( not inc long sleeves cock up this week). I loved her Korean dress last week. But she's not flamboyant enough to win. It will be Kit or Caz

Catching up late...
I have the Furstenburg wrap dress pattern at the bottom of a cupboard. Unfinished. It's so difficult- all that jersey fabric.

one Year they all had to make something out of a duvet cover which was interesting.

Yes I remember that! I'm fed up with the transformation stuff now. And Sara too tbh. And the obsession with bows.

I found it great that in the mtm the cameras skimmed over the gaping on Stuart's tweed jacket/skirt and Kit's dress but then the judges did mention them - been too many occasions over the last few years when obvious issues with the judges favourites were ignored. Kit obviously being the fave!
Kit to win, in final with Caz and I'm not sure who else

Nooo I love the missing vowels round! It's the only one I'm good at! <misses point of thread>

Back to GBSB I'm enjoying the series so far. The transformation challenge always amazes me as I know that I wouldn't have that creativity especially in the time allowed. I loved Caz"s dress - who doesn't want a wine pocket! I also liked Kit's.

Jess had an awful start although I thought she might just have redeemed herself with her made to measure. I think Gaynor will be next to go.

I think Stuart will be next to go.

It will be Gaynor or Stuart to go next. I think Kit will win, not because he's the judge's favourite but because he deserves it. Caz a close second.

but there were serious boob/underarm area issues with his m2m. Just as much as the gaping issue on Stuart's skirt from the jacket.

I think he'll win, but i also don't think he's as good as some previous winners. He really does have a fantastic eye for shape and colour though, and good technical skills, so i won't be complaining if/when he wins. Unless one of the others really steps up.

I think Stuart next to go, unless Gaynor seriously cocks up again. Then Gaynor to go in the next week.

Recycling tents by making them into clothes is ludicrous. As someone has pointed out, whatever you make is going to be sweaty and uncomfortable to wear. Surely the answer to abandoned tents at festivals is to sell the usable and repairable ones and/or to give them to charities to go to places like disaster areas?

There was an article on You & Yours I think it was a few weeks ago about a company that takes abandoned tents from festivals, cleans them up and then hires them out again. Something along those lines. And the ones that were unfit for tenting were made into other products.

IMO if they weren't so cheap to buy in the first place people would value them more. We have such a disposable mindset nowadays.

My grandson is currently camping in a tent I won in a competition at least 25 years ago. He used it for a festival last year and I told him to clean it out and make sure it was dry before storing it away. This year he complained it smelled cheesey 🤷‍♀️.

Frankly I’m sick of Esme. She’s so negative about everything and it’s always down to Patrick to praise the garments. She’s not objective either with her criticisms. Caz’s grey dress was lovely, but Esme didn’t like the grey. She’s getting worse, I can hardly watch her.

I agree to a certain extent - she definitely isn't objective. She's a bit like a food critic saying a mushroom risotto is awful, because she doesn't like mushrooms!

i used my old Force 10 2 person tent (weighed a ton) for years. It was made of canvass that eventually rotted away. I had it for about 40 years before i had to stop.

Wish i'd thought of keeping it to upcycle. Ho humm.

The trick, with tents is: after use sweep out, clean off gunk. Let it dry thoroughly. Turn it inside out, let it dry thoroughly again because first time it deffo didn't. Then. Before you use it, a week or less before, put it up and leave it up to air. No cheesy smells.

I did tell him and he admitted he hadn't done that last time. I also suggested he aired it in the garden and I don't know if he did that. He's having a good time camping anyway.

he'll work it out. Tbf, after a day the smell has usually dissapated anyway

I was really happy to see Dan get GOTW this week.

I'm in two minds about the transformation challenge, I think it sits well in some weeks, like reuse/reduce/recycle (although I didn't like the tent challenge this time) and kids week, but I'd like to see them do something else in other weeks. Having said that, last week where they all got the same taekwondo kit for the challenge was really good. I'd like to see some mending and alteration challenges instead of transformation in some weeks. Having to cobble together a kids fancy dress costume, mending something or altering an existing garment, or making a bag out of an old denim jacket are things a lot people watching might do or be inspired to try, but making a party outfit out of old cycling kit etc probably isn't.