Anyone watching the Great British Sewing Bee?

aggie, you have put your finger on it. At the end of the day the program has got to be interesting and watchable.

littleflo, that's a good point about Leah's blocking.
It seems odd, to me, that the judges do go round making comments during the sewing.

I really admire Ricardo. I believe that he knew he would not win so made his ecology message in his dress. I like him so much and I expect he is an excellent teacher,

I don’t understand how Leah got through to the final. She was so irritating with her panics and flapping. Not blocking the material before she cut her pieces was a fundamental mistake. She would not have finished that challenge if Esme and Patrick had not pointed out her error.

I think Juliet was a worthy winner. I hope they repeat the earlier series’ as there were so many talented sewers.

I think you have to have an instinct for sewing , I was hopeless at school but being a poverty struck student soon gave me an incentive to sew my own clothes , material was inexpensive then , and patterns could be used over and over , different materials produced different looking things . How to do curtains , how to take up hems , simple alterations , that would be a useful but boring programme . The draw to watch the sewing b is more about the personalities and the interaction than the actual "how to " of dressmaking

I'm glad Juliette won. I thought she might win from the first evening. Then perhaps Jem but she left and unfortunately I missed why she left.

Monica a programm on learnng to sew is impossible because it takes ages and you only learn by years and years of making clothes.
Buy a sewing machine and start with pot holders or cushion covers. There's plenty of ideas on U-tube.

The was a programme called Penny Pinching, or somesuch, which had someone doing that sort of thing.
A TV channel needs to see the potential of s full programme on sewing, and look for a charismatic presenter.

We need a Delia Smith - or Jamie Oliver of sewing. Think how much money people would save if they could do their own repairs and transformations!

I love the GBSB, and always look forward to it when a new series is announced.

I would love to see an offshoot of the programme with a broader remit, to cover other areas of sewing - bag making, curtains, upholstery, tableware, patchwork and quilting - the possibilities are endless.

Given its single-minded approach to sewing, the GBSB should really be renamed The Great British Dressmaking Bee

I agree. Bring back the pottery. I liked the judge, with the hair, who cried when he saw perfection.

I loved that Pottery one too

Loved the series and I thought she was the most worthy winner. It would be nice to have more craft shows and wish they'd do more of 'The Great British Throw Down".

Just finished watching. I do think Juliet deserved to win. She was very strong throughout and her ball dress was definitely the best.

Just spotted FountainPen's post about 2020. Excellent!

Yes, I forgot it was the final so, for anyone who recorded it, there was a spoiler and I did read it. The significance didn't dawn on me at first. However, it wasn't that much of a problem because I wasn't rooting for anyone in particular at any stage. I did think one or two survived some weeks by the seat of their pants!

If I even got through the selection, I'd be out first week so I do admire them all. There was only one transformation challenge that I'd have had any idea what to make. That was the African kaftan fabric. Even from the security of my armchair I was stumped every other week.

I hope they don't wait another three years for the next one. ?

You can still buy sprig muslin - and it is still not expensive. The use of silk and satin has always been limited to the wealthy, even in times past. Most of us dressed in cotton and/or wool.

Fabric has gone the same way as other materials.travelsafar The good ones are too expensive. Imagine the cost of trying to build a stone house nowadays.
I once touched a roll of embroidered silk in Liberty's and they almost called security. I checked the price tag and it was about £300 per metre.

I think they did that in previous series, but only went back to the 1950s (no hand and treadle operated macines. If they went too far back they would have to hand sew everything

There was a lovely review in the TV column of the DM today, commenting on the friendliness and co-operativeness of contestants on GSB

Love this program but still wish they would venture back in time to the Vctorian or Edwardian era. The fabrics in those days were so beautiful, sprigged muslin and satins for ball gowns.Even an outfit from the 20's or 30's would be a challenge and so lovely to see, especially if they had to use an early sewing machine and not an up to date one.

Sad that Riccardo didn't win as I feel that he is a true designer - a bit more avant guarde (is that how how spell it!) than the others. He always chose such gorgeous colour combinations. I think he knew that he wouldn't win and chose instead to use the moment to raise awareness about the plight of the oceans which I think is the charity that he works for.

Juliet hadn't always done well in precise tailoring challenges so I was thrilled when she made that perfectly tailored waistcoast. Then, I started to worry when she seemed to be going to pieces during the net curtain transition. Her red dress for the final round was stunning although I agree it would have been even better had she accentuated the assymetrical design of the bodice.

Opal I too like to watch people sewing and enjoy heading over to YouTube to watch Debbie Shore. One of my favourite quilting channels on YouTube is Jenny Doan's of the Missouri Star Quilt Company.

A worthy winner and glad to see that GBSB will be back in 2020.

Excellent programme, and a very worthy winner, I loved Juliet's creations. I just wish we had more sewing programmes during the year. There is so much rubbish on TV, and so many repeats, I'd love it if there were more "craft" programmes, especially sewing. Maybe Gransnet should start a petition .

I didn't watch the first few series as I thought sewing must be very boring to watch, but I am surprised, as a non-sewer, at how addictive this programme is. The sewers always seem to be genuinely supportive of one another and the creations, made in such short times, are often really good.

On the subject of fabric wastage, I am ( or was) an avid quilter before the arthritis took over, and refused to invest in the Aququilt cutting machine because of the waste involved, but it didn’t stop my enjoyment of this program.
I love to watch any sewing shows and I thought, in my opinion, that they chose the right winner.
I myself would not be of any use as a contestant as the pressure and timing that’s involved would render me utterly useless.
I still love my sewing as a hobby, and get immense pleasure from it, especially now that I am fully retired.
Let’s hope they keep making more series like this.

Just heard Juliette speaking on Radio 4 Women’s Hour. I loved her comment that the atmosphere there was lovely and everyone helping each other. I just love any programmes with this feel good factor. It’s a shame that it doesn’t seem to be expressed in broader society.

Really enjoyed the programme last night and a worthy winner. Juliette constantly produced fabulous garments.
I really hope that the programme will be back again. It's a joy to watch.