The Great British Sewing Bee

Deedaa I've just reserved that book at the library.

Sparklefizz

Joseanne There have been several fashion names mentioned on Bee which I'd never heard of - eg. buffet dress, and there was another one describing a dress that apparently 1950s housewives could make in a day ... can't remember what it was called, but I know my Mum never wore one!

Sparklefizz The WalkAway Dress. Here's the episode:

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b053gj1n/the-great-british-sewing-bee-series-3-episode-3

Ah, that's the one! Thanks OakDryad

The Fold Line - the pattern company I have noted above, has also brought out another video of starter patterns as a follow up to Sewing Bee.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4P2Nq2NbyI

This is one programs I look forward too. Not sure about the new presenter yet but will keep an open mind.

Everything stops in our house to watch the Sewing Bee. I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode of the new series. Like other GNERs I'd love to be let loose in the fabrics and haberdashery, and I just love that colourful stripy fabric in the opening shots. I must admit I would also like to see them make something other than clothes, perhaps soft toys, bags or a quilt - sewing isn't just about making clothes. You can tell where my interests lie! So that's Wednesday evenings taken care of for the next few weeks.

Well we had something different last night ... trainers!! I certainly wouldn't have been able to do them.

I liked the jackets especially the 'Serena Williams' one.

I thought the wrong person went home last night. I also think that help should have been given to the disabled lady with the ironwear in the trainers. It turned into a trial of strength and that was unfair. She only has one hand.

I did too Grandmabatty, I would have sent Chichi home, she seemed out of her depth.

Not enjoying Sarah Pascoe. She seems to lack Claudia's charm and Joe's wit, and both of their sense of empathy with the contestants.

I m not keen on the lady presenter and again like others think the lady with one arm is excellent but surely at such a huge disadvantage especially to be fast l thought the other guy was actually worse than the one that went home sorry haven’t got all the names yet I will by the time the series finishes he was the larger guy and I thought he was pretty useless

Sarah Pascoe is not coming across at all well is she. No empathy or genuine sense of humour.

Bluebell I think you mean Richie. I would have sent him home. His jacket was appalling.

Happysexagenarian

Everything stops in our house to watch the Sewing Bee. I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode of the new series. Like other GNERs I'd love to be let loose in the fabrics and haberdashery, and I just love that colourful stripy fabric in the opening shots. I must admit I would also like to see them make something other than clothes, perhaps soft toys, bags or a quilt - sewing isn't just about making clothes. You can tell where my interests lie! So that's Wednesday evenings taken care of for the next few weeks.

Loved the trainers, both the idea and the finished products.
Quilts take hours and hours to make, even ones for a small baby. You could fit that into a morning.
A lined bag with a zip (and interfacing for substance) takes quite a while too.

Couldn't fit that into a morning!

I think that this years sewers are generally more skilled.

I think Richie should have gone home ... perhaps next week.

The question of moving beyond clothes has come up a number of times but the response from SB is aways a firm 'no', clothes only.

I have found this years series a little bit flat. Some how despite the diversity the contestants appear very samey, no really distinct characters that really stand out, love them or hate them.

I am not sure about the stadards of their sewing. I know in the first run of SB the skills of the sewers got better and better and the tsasks they were set hrder and harder, until it bean to get boring because the contestants were all to busy sewin and concentrating to chtty to each other or the contestant, and I think had a break for a year, while they re thought it.

Since then, they seem to have put getting together an interesting and diverse set of contestants, with excellent sewing skills but not quite the absolutely best and given projects that are challenging, but not over challenging and the result is usually a more enjoyable programme, but I am not sure it has worked that well this year, we seem to have ended up with both diversity and uniformity, but there are many more programmes to come and it might suddently light up.

I thought the winning "made to measure" beach ensemble was lovely, especially the fabric chosen.
Definitely Brogan's lucky week!
In the past, wasn't the winner of the week chosen from any of the three categorises? It seems to be just the last one this series? I might have chosen Brogan's Sheering dress.

This series feels a bit flat to me too MOnica, I’m also not convinced Sarah Pascoe does much to enhance it.
Certainly Richie should have gone- but then it often seems to me they keep one less capable person on to maintain the contrast with the more proficient contestants (it happens on Strictly too)
Maybe it’s losing its appeal now?

Joseanne
I agree that Brogan's dress should have been the garment of the week. I also liked the beach shorts set so I thought that they may have chosen that. It was one of the men not sure of his name Christian I think.

It was interesting to hear that Esme had made clothes for Romeo and Juliet. It was the right decision to send Ritchie home, although Steve had a nightmare couple of rounds!

Millie22

Joseanne
I agree that Brogan's dress should have been the garment of the week. I also liked the beach shorts set so I thought that they may have chosen that. It was one of the men not sure of his name Christian I think.

I think Brogan is excellent, she always makes items you can imagine people wearing- her dress was lovely, and I liked her top and skirt from hammock material as well, some of the others were dreadful.

Yes the programme is not as lively as it used to be. Brogan is a very good sewist, very neat and precise, her smocked dress was fantastic. Her clothes are so pretty. Esme and Patrick seem to have lost their sparkle, they both seem jaded and worn out. The presenter alone cannot lift the programme

I too would like to see other sewn items, covering a small armchair, piped sofa seats, a set of cushions etc

Karmalady could any of those be done in 4 hours ? I think that is the maximum time given
Another idea is they could start a project at the beginning but do different jobs and keep coming back to it ?