The Great British Sewing Bee

I was pretty excited when I found out there was going to be a new sewing show, along the lines of The Great British Bake Off. I wasn’t entirely sure how the format would translate, but I think it worked well and I, for one, wasn’t disappointed.

During the first episode, I had this nagging feeling that I knew one of the contestants from somewhere and I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Then it came to me. I recognised Tilly from her blog banner. I had read a few posts from her excellent Learn to Sew series and filed them away, under useful, to share at a later date.

I have read a few comments around the internet, saying that the garments made were not impressive enough. I wonder if they have ever tried to make an A line skirt in 3 hours? I don’t think I could work under such pressure. Lauren made her own bias binding in that time and added a pretty contrast facing to her plain skirt and a trim around the hem. Hers was my favourite. Although the prize for coolest fabric has to go to Jane for that retro car design, made by Benartex.

It was interesting to see how differently the contestants approached the alteration challenge. There was a wide variety of finished tops. Again Lauren’s was my favourite, although I liked Tilly’s idea of a Peter Pan collar.

The final challenge was a made to measure day dress and I loved the fabric that Stuart chose for his. A striking Amy Butler print. My Gran would have commented on his pattern matching though!

Lauren made a Macaron dress from a Colette pattern (I have my eye on the Crepe) and Tilly impressively drafted her own. Mark has very little experience of zips, as he makes mostly 18th Century styled Steampunk clothing, yet he produced a wonderful dress that fitted his model well. I held my breath for Michelle. She took a big risk with her wrap dress and sadly it didn’t pay off for her. I loved seeing Ann take all those measurements before she started, just as my Gran would have done, when making clothes for us and her many satisfied customers over the years.

Tilly and Lauren talk about their experiences during the first show, on their blogs. Both posts have photographs of the trial run dresses they made, without the pressures of the competition. Definitely worth a look.

Perhaps some folk were expecting to see ball gowns and bridal wear, but a simple piece well executed can show off a person’s skills (or lack of) just as easily, in my humble opinion. I’m looking forward to the next instalment (here’s a sneak peek), my only criticism would be, there aren’t enough episodes in this series!

I’ll be tuning in tomorrow night at 8pm. Will you?

PS If you want a closer look at the laundry bag, they showed how to make, then the full instructions can be found here.