🪡 Sewing Bee 🪡

Nougat

Luckygirl3

Gaynor's dress was so well executed and the fit was perfect. It was simple for a reason - reflecting the simple beauty of a snowdrop. For my money it beat all the flim-flam!

I agree.

The brief ( as we heard it) was to make a fancy dress costume for a child inspired by who or what they wanted to be when they were young. Gaynor’s garment was simple but it was beautifully sewn. She met the brief as described so I was shocked to hear Patrick suggest she was in danger of being eliminated.

Series by series, I am growing increasingly tired of the emphasis on “creativity” (which is often code for weird and unwearable) and speed over good sewing.

I long for return to series one when the fabulous Ann won it. She was never very adventurous but her planning and sewing were meticulous.

For all the programme (especially Grant) bangs on about sustainability and waste it seems to think nothing of perfectly good clothes being chopped up to make rushed, silly things that are only fit the bin.

I much preferred BBC Northern Ireland’s A Stitch Through Time in 2023. No silliness, just grown-up, thoughful design and sewing.

All in all, I think Sewing Bee has been reduced to just another of the many gameshows that the BBC seems obsessed with. Bring back May Martin.

Yes to all of that!

I enjoyed this week's. It reminded of the time I cut up two of my maternity smocks and made a dress for my daughter. (Smocks! Shows how long ago that was!)

Just been looking back on the original series - very interesting.

The transformation task involved transforming an existing garment, rather than ripping apart other garments to create a new one, and thus being left with lots of wastage. Better idea I think. I am not keen on that challenge as it stands.

Kit might be a good sewer and expressive in his designs , but he looks an awful mess in the clothes he wears

I have reached episode two of series two in my trip down memory lane. That was the point at which the transformation challenge became a "let's wreck a few garments" and create lots of waste game, rather than altering a single garment!

I do like sewing bee but I wish they would use models that represent real people. Love to see size 20-32 5' 2" models . And dress them so any lumps and bumps not shown.

Men with beer bellies and no bum and skinny legs or very tall men with long arms and legs.

My grandsons are tall and slim but have long arms and legs so clothes are to big round there bodies . Their dad is 6'5" and slim so has problems getting clothes . Size 14 feet .

Love them to have disabled people some in wheelchairs some with walking disabilities.

I used to be size 32 5' 2" now size 16 and lost inch in high . I am disabled and because of the way I walk my left hip is wasted . Have baggy saggy skin after loosing 7st still overweight for my hight but wear colours and patterns and wear wide legged trousers. Plus my clothes are all pull on . I can still do up my bra and zips on coats but that's it . Small buttons and any weird fastenings I can't do .

Even when in the final the contestants friends or family are slimish.

I did sent an email to BBC but never had a reply.

They have had disabled models. One model has only one leg

Whiff
people in wheelchairs Can you imagine the health&safety issues involved when the person making the garment has to measure and fit the garment when the have had no handling training?

They have Whiff a lady with one leg, another with vitiligo,
There was a chap who was probably trans I think they did have a wheelchair model a couple of years ago

Sorry they weren’t all disabilities just showing that inclusiveness is considered

And dress them so any lumps and bumps not shown.

That does need darts and more tailoring which means taking more time.

I've always thought very slim models are used in the fashion world so that designers don't have to bother with clever darts etc.

I thought the models are all 'real people'. They may not be representative of all grans in size but they probably represent a lot of grans. I'm 69, 5ft 9in and size 12/14 and I am a very real person. I have my problems with fitting clothes too - long body, long legs, small waist, big hips...

Maybe they need to do an episode where they are explicitly designing something for older people, like a wedding outfit or a summer dress for their gran or something.

I really enjoy Sewing Bee, despite the fact that I was absolutely useless at creating anything wearable when I was at school. I think the sewers are so inventive and talented and I wish I could produce such unique garments.

I like Sarah Pascoe too but feel that her ditsy sense of humour isn't quite right for this programme.

Disabled people walking or in wheelchairs are not health hazards and people in wheelchairs don't need handling. Many of my disabled friends with all disabilities live independent lives without carers . Many have jobs . Couple teach able-bodied people about treating disabled people as any employee.
Disability doesn't mean incapable.
I live my life independently without carers .

But able bodied people forget they can become disabled at anytime in their lives.

Vitiligo is not a disability it's a skin condition. But people with it can be any colour .

Kit helping the others with the Hitchcock jacket - bless him

I think Gaynor could have sewn everything perfectly this week and Esmé would still have found a way to get rid of her.
She is probably the best at sewing but perhaps more slow than the others and not so outrageous in some of her choices.

Chardy

Kit helping the others with the Hitchcock jacket - bless him

Yes, he is a sweetie.
I think he'll win!

I've just found a FB page for the Great British Sewing Bee - it makes for interesting reading and some of the comments about Esmé echo mine.

Allira

Chardy

Kit helping the others with the Hitchcock jacket - bless him

Yes, he is a sweetie.
I think he'll win!

But his made-to-measure was not at all skilful and didn't deserve to share garment of the week.
No sewing or measuring skills really needed for that.

Gaynor once again did not meet the brief and she lost me when she said that she couldnt make something scary. Her sewing was lovely but she didn't really step out of her comfort zone and that is what the judges are looking for.

Gaynor is lovely, but I’m sure she knew that her time was up. There are a number of people on this time who both sew beautifully and have creativity, and being an excellent sewer just wasn’t enough. It is getting interesting I think, there are some really strong contenders.

I think it’s time for Esme to go. She’s not objective with her criticisms and clearly has favourites. She makes disparaging comments about garments, based purely on her own taste. She clearly didn’t like Gaynor.

I do like Esme but last night she seemed to be finding fault with Gaynor in an unkind way. She doesn't have the artistic flair of the others but she can make beautiful clothes.

Orla should have won Garment of the Week imo. Kit went off track with the top stitching but they seem to like him whatever he does.

Eloethan

I really enjoy Sewing Bee, despite the fact that I was absolutely useless at creating anything wearable when I was at school. I think the sewers are so inventive and talented and I wish I could produce such unique garments.

I like Sarah Pascoe too but feel that her ditsy sense of humour isn't quite right for this programme.

Each to her own! I can’t stand Sarah Pascoe. She is beyond irritating!

Millie22

I do like Esme but last night she seemed to be finding fault with Gaynor in an unkind way. She doesn't have the artistic flair of the others but she can make beautiful clothes.

Orla should have won Garment of the Week imo. Kit went off track with the top stitching but they seem to like him whatever he does.

The final brief was Made to Measure, wasn't it?

Gaynor's outfit fitted the brief of made to measure because it fitted the model perfectly and deserved more praise rather than the dismissive remarks from Esmé about a slightly wavy seam as well, that echoed the waves in the sea. Esmé clearly did not understand what a Mari-morgan is.

Kit's, although more scary, was most definitely not made to measure.