Great British Sewing Bee is back. Thread 2 - Art week is our past, Movies are our present

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

For when the first thread is full. I may be watching but won't be posting because I won't have access to a computer and I need the speed of a keyboard to get my opinion out there before I forget what it is.

Thought Orla was robbed, the basic black dress was beautiful and the rainbow bits (finally) worked. Caz's story was a jaw dropper for me, but her dress didn't fit right at the back (I've replayed and watched again and again). Both showed creativity though. Yasmin's less so, didn't really fit the brief, I think, and her side seams weren't great from the camera angle.

What a lovely final three though. Orla's family - wowser, what lovely people! Enjoyed all the families.

Good series!

Yes, remarkable woman -

Asmaa Al-allak was the winner of Series 9 of The Great British Sewing Bee in 2023, a consultant breast surgeon from Cardiff, born in Iraq where she learned to sew from her grandmother during the Iraq-Iran War. Her passion for sewing is a lifelong source of solace, and she now creates feminine, modest clothing, including post-op bras for her patients.

He looks like someone I've seen in the Woolovers catalogue.

I think she is just what would have been called a tom boy 30 odd years ago.

Great result, well done Kaz.

But Orla's sister also spoke English. I think she identified as Gaelic speaking but was also spoke English. 🤷‍♀️

I didn't like Orla's dress although I had had high hopes for her. On the day Caz was best so congratulations to her.

Really enjoyed it

Inking back did I miss an episode - I can't recall any male outfits having to be made - did we not have an overcoat in past episodes etc - I appreciate contestants may have chosen to make for a male but I mean an actual challenge eg why not a 3 piece suit for the final ?

(I'm Scottish) There is a big push for Gaelic education in Scotland, we have schools where children are exclusively taught in Gaelic like there are for Welsh speakers in Wales. But there are no people who are exclusively Gaelic speakers who can't speak English.

Pleased Cas won but I would have been happy with Orla winning although I feel the Sewing Bee is drowning in rainbow/ non binary stuff so did feel a bit “ oh no cliche time” when her dress and reason for it came up. Cas’s idea was more original although Orla’s dress was fun and completely mad.

All so lovely. 😭

Yes! I was thinking about that tonight! Absolutely spectacular

I agree Orla's dress was lovely, but I'm afraid the bobbly rainbow bits just seemed a bit stupid to me. I also struggled to understand where the trompe l'oeuil was in Yasmin's. So I think Caz deserved to win.

I was rooting for Caz to win and came in to see if the results had been mentioned, I’ve not had time to catch up on the final yet.

She had a very quiet ability about her and grew as the show went on. She’s obviously peaked just at the right time and I’m very pleased for her.

I agree and I think Orla's was the only one that fitted the ~ridiculous~ trompe l'oeil brief. The others were structural and very complicated pieces but they didn't really fool the eye. Caz's back story was, what I believe, clinched it. If Orla's black squares had just been fractionally bigger, the side-on effect would have been incredible.

I agree Orla's was the only trompe l'oeil dress. As a previous poster suggested, she could have used boning to strengthen the bodice to support the protrusions.

Caz's dress was well made and striking and of course had the all-important back story. But in terms of the brief they were given, Orla should have won.

I was delighted that Caz won. I love to see the catch-up stories at the end.

I am very please for Caz!

I think Orla's M2M strayed into costume rather than couture. She always did very well with dramatic briefs, but not all pieces are costume. I think she will do very well in the future though - amazing concepts and good execution.

I wasnt as keen initially on Yasmin's M2M but the outline was beautiful, she managed the differing layers perfectly. I think it just didn't act as an illusion though. If she had focused on either supersized wire frame large outer dress with beautifully fitted under dress or illusion of 3 piece suit and tie folded into the dress, then she would have won. The dress fitted her fiancee really well though.

But Caz pulled it out the bag, as she has done, with the M2M. It looked couture/cat walk. It was visually pleasing and handled well. I thought it fitted her daughter beautifully and didn't stray into costume.

And what a lovely series, really lovely bunch of contestants.

Really happy Caz won. That dress was gorgeous. I didn't think Orla's was very successful, though the dress itself was beautifully sewn.

I was very impressed that Yasmin persevered and finished. Her insecurity was sad - she asked her fiancée, "you believe in me, don't you?". I think if she can overcome that she will flourish. She was in the Sewing Bee Final!

I think it's lovely to hear people chatting in their usual language. My DCs are bilingual and they often just slip into local language when they are messing about together, even if they start in English. And it would be odd to me if they always spoke English, it would proabably feel weird for them too.

Loved the final, that was a lovely atmosphere in the sewing room. Really felt genuinely warm, with elements of competition but also of celebration of each other.

On balance it always goes to best m2m and in this case it probably was correct. But but but. I hate that at least 2 of the m2m have been rubbish things that people just don't wear. So boo to that.

I, too, love the catch-up at the end. Excellent.

thinking about it, she could have made the square bits on the end of the pool noodles round, and used that spring-back stuff that is used in children's pop-up tents to have them hold their shape, as well as using stiff interfacing. I have done that for fancy dress costumes in the past, and it works really well. Better than boning which can be a bit inflexible.

the brief for the m2m was shite tho.

Lovely final. Giving points for 1st, 2nd, 3rd in the pattern and transformation challenges, I think they all went in to the M2M bang even, didn't they?

I get that Orla's was probably more on brief, but sadly it didn't entirely work. She is fabulous though, and I have particularly enjoyed watching her on the last two pattern challenges, where she's been so enjoying going through the process knowing it was going well.

Loved them all, would have been happy whoever won and think the right person won based on that day. Caz's M2M wasn't flawless, but it was fabulous.

If it was on very simple points basis I would say it was:

First challenge Caz 1, Yasmin 2, Orla 3
Second challenge Caz 3, Yasmin 1, Orla 2
Third challenge Caz 3, Yasmin 2, Orla 1

Caz: 7
Yasmin: 5
Orla: 6

i was thinking that since all contestants are there for the final, they could hand out a few awards to the others?

eg: best transformation, best pattern challenge and best m2m by anyone not in the final?

I've given up and just use straight cut (if that's the correct term) fabric folded in half lengthways now. It's much less of a faff and I've never had a problem with the corners. I've even done one with wavy edges that way and it worked out fine.

I've got a piece of dressmaking fabric that I've been considering using on the bias but after watching last night I'm having a re-think. I haven't made clothes for many a year.