New Sewing Bee Series to start this week ...

"Bagging out" (the phrase) is used a lot these days. I think it may have come from the bag-making world (surprisingly big) originally. I did hear an American call it "birthing" as you pull the bottom of the sewn piece from the inside, through the neck of the sewn pieces but I really, really don't like that one.

I have to agree with vegansrock about the pace from start to finish. It gives a false idea of how long things take - and how most home stitchers like to sew.

Casdon

Yes paper bag style shorts and trousers are very popular with twenty and thirty somethings PippaZ, they are quite flattering I think, my daughter has some. I actually liked the winning shorts tonight better than the dresses. Boden have them, lots of choice.

I agree, the right person left, although there are a few other candidates for the next few weeks.

That explains a lot Casdon Thank you. I really liked the shorts "challenge".

I think they have to show an all-around ability to win so some competitors will start to unravel as we go on.

I don’t enjoy the transformation challenge, most of the finished articles look like nothing anyone would wear.

Am already predicting how far some will go in the competition.

Yes I’ve heard of paper bag waists but I have worked in fashion. Bagging out” is a term used for the way of finishing where the seams are enclosed as opposed to turning a hem for example. It’s good if these sorts of programmes teach and inspire people to get sewing, but they do give the impression that you can knock out a fully finished ball gown in a couple of hours, when in reality they don’t give enough time to do anything properly.

Paperbag shorts new to me as well, fine if you are tall and willowy, but not for the vertically challenged!

I don't really enjoy the invention pieces recycling bit, why can't they just choose lengths from a roll to put together, the 'creations' are not wearable. I did think the sun dresses at the end were beautiful.

I hadn't heard of it either

I think the middle challenge is just a way to test their creativity- it hasn’t much to do with sewing!

A term I heard for the first time on last series is “bagging out”. I always just say “turn inside out”. Is this a new term to anyone else?

Paper bag trousers were very popular a couple of years ago, my granddaughter had a few pairs, H&M had lots of them.

The shorts and dresses were fine but what was that middle challenge all about?
Who thought that one up - no-one would make anything like that in RL.

No. I'd not heard of paper bag shorts either, PippaZ but I quite liked them.

Has anyone heard of paper bag shorts before this? I can see they could be very flattering.
pippaZ I was talking this over with my husband, we had these years ago but we didn’t call them that.
It is the same with the “buffet dresses”, just a dress surly. I first saw paper bag shorts when I got a free pattern from a website.
I wonder if they will do the equally bizarrely named “pillowcase”top or dress.
It’s a great series so far.

I m disappointed with this series it’s not holding me so much and I think it’s tired, we could all write the script why they all have to follow exactly the same format is just lazy programming They all have two experts and a comedian and and follows exactly the same format and it’s all lost it’s excitement because it’s so predictable
No I ve never heard of paper bag shorts either pippa I think they made that up ? I think j some of the things they make are pretty awful those items made from swimming shorts was such a mish mash
I ll keep watching though in hopes

Yes paper bag style shorts and trousers are very popular with twenty and thirty somethings PippaZ, they are quite flattering I think, my daughter has some. I actually liked the winning shorts tonight better than the dresses. Boden have them, lots of choice.

I agree, the right person left, although there are a few other candidates for the next few weeks.

Has anyone heard of paper bag shorts before this? I can see they could be very flattering.

Sad to see someone leave as always but I do think it was the right choice as was the dress that won this week. So much pressure though.

I think it is a very much a tight rope the television production companies face between ensuring contestants have a high enough skill in the craft for people to appreciate the skill and for the programme to be properly competitive an interesting enough range of contestants to provide colour and variety.

It also happened with Come Dine with Me. It started out with keen cooks who enjoyed entertaining at home, but by the end it was full of exhibitionist who could barely make toast but just wanted to be on the telly. It just turned into a freak show.

A couple of unusual or quirky contestants is fine, but when they take over the whole premise of the show gets lost.

I thought the Sewing Bee was starting to go a bit too far down that road last year, but they seem to have reined back a bit this year.

The same thing happened with the cooking programme Monica. It started with really good home cooks (about 100 years ago ) and now they all want to be chefs and the pressure is what makes the programme.

It's a shame they don't make room for both. One to learn from and one to enjoy as entertainment.

Actually, I thought Sewing Bee became very boring when they concentrated on 'ordinary' people, who were very good sewers. It resulted in the tasks they were given getting more and more complicated and the sewers just concentrating, heads down, on the job and, to my mind it got very boring.

The current crew, seem to me to be fairly representative of the people on the streets in the town centres of any of our big cities or university towns - London, Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, where something like 75% of the population live

It is only country bumpkins, like me, and others, who see this group of people as being 'not like people I see around here', although I love the diversity of this group.

Beswitched

I enjoy this programme but I wish they wouldn't put quite so many 'I'm mad I am' types into the mix. In the earlier series the majority of the contenders were just ordinary people who were brilliant sewers and it really added to both the quality of the sewing and the relatability of the participants.

I agree with this to a certain extent. I know ‘ordinary’ people who are just good amateur sewers might seem a bit boring, but as with the cookery programmes, it now seems all about certain types.

There’s nearly always a student doctor or a consultant, one or two arty theatricals, gay men who are often really skilled and creative sewers, a ‘blokey’ chap who has taken up sewing for his family, and a few mums.

An interview with the first person to leave the Sewing Bee

I loved the light coloured buffet dress made by older lady (jean) I’d have worn that like a shot.

I’m a fan of sewing bee and pottery thriwdown but was really disappointed i the jewellery one with misquoted title.
I love jewellery (don’t really win any!) but it was very boring,

I enjoy this programme but I wish they wouldn't put quite so many 'I'm mad I am' types into the mix. In the earlier series the majority of the contenders were just ordinary people who were brilliant sewers and it really added to both the quality of the sewing and the relatability of the participants.

I can't sew for toffee but I do like this programme a lot. I laughed out loud along with Patrick (oh sigh!) and Esme but I did think that Joe Lycett's high-camp innuendos were unnecessary; we all know he's gay but we don't need constant reminders. That said, he's very sweet to the contestants and is clearly a likeable person.

I love it too and I found Esme and Patrick’s laughter at a couple of the outfits very infectious, they are both lovely people. I am warming to Joe as well.

I can barely thread a needle but I love Sewing Bee. This week's episode really cheered me up after a particularly stressful day. Patrick and Esme are brilliant judges - and had me crying with laughter over the pussy teashirt dress. Joe just gets better and funnier.
I also watched All That Glitters this week - a jewellery-making competition. The judges were cold and over-critical and the presenter, Katherine Ryan, was just unfunny and unpleasant. So different to Sewing Bee which is always gentle and kind.