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Private Notes
The sewing competition returns for a seventh series and in week one the judges settle the contestants in with a trio of challenges based on everyday wardrobe staples - sleeveless blouses, t-shirts and dresses.
Week two is Summer Week on the sewing competition and the contestants are asked to create paperbag shorts, transform second-hand men's swimming gear into a woman's outfit worthy of sunset cocktails and finally make sun dresses.
For gent's classics week, the ten remaining sewers are asked to make baker boy caps, transform secondhand men's jackets and blazers into outfits for a woman and finally must create a casual utility jacket.
It is International Week on the sewing bee and the nine remaining sewers make Breton tops. transform sarongs into a new garment and for their final challenge take inspiration from the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
It's children's week in the sewing room and judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young's pattern challenge choice is a classic for any toddler's wardrobe - a romper suit. The transformation task sees the sewers turning an adult wetsuit into a kids' fancy dress costume, before they tackle a children's raincoat, remembering it must be fully waterproof but allow enough movement for jumping in muddy puddles.
The fashion industry is the biggest polluter of our planet next to oil, so The Great British Sewing Bee returns to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Week, with all the usual fabric in the haberdashery being replaced with charity shop clothes and soft-furnishings. Host Joe Lycett kicks the six remaining home sewers off with a pattern for a gentleman’s waistcoat using just second-hand clothes. In the Transformation Challenge, the sewers are tasked with changing items of army surplus into a stylish and wearable garment for a woman. Finally, the sewers are asked to use old jeans to create a Made to Measure dress. Jeans are one of the most polluting garments to manufacture, so to breathe a new lease of life into them, each sewer must create a new denim dress that fits their model perfectly. At the end, someone will win Garment of the Week, and a sixth sewer will be asked to leave the Sewing Bee.
Joe Lycett hosts as temperatures drop and winter hits the sewing room, with challenges themed around keeping warm and adding sparkle to the coldest months of the year.Patrick and Esme's Pattern Challenge this week is a man's flannel shirt. The sewers must create cuffs and collars, challenging both their construction technique and precise sewing skills.The sewers wrap up warm for the Transformation, turning old scarves into a new wearable garment in a mere 90 minutes.Finally, in the Made to Measure, they are asked to make a festive winter party dress. Working with tricky-to-handle fabrics, including velvets and sequins, each must create a perfect fit for their model. Who will cheer the judges' spirits and win Garment of the Week, and who will be sent out into the cold?
Joe Lycett hosts as the five remaining sewers tackle challenges inspired by music and the movies, taking on garments and techniques from the silver screen. First, they must follow a pattern like none they’ve encountered before, as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young ask them to make a dress inspired by Baby from Dirty Dancing. The techniques involved in creating the iconic dance dress include a tightly fitted bodice and perfect full circle skirt.
Next up, it’s the Transformation Challenge, and just like Julie Andrews's Maria in The Sound of Music, the sewers are asked to adapt old curtains into play clothes for children.
For their final challenge, the Made to Measure, the sewers take on the disco era with an outfit inspired by the movie Dreamgirls.
Joe Lycett hosts the semi-final, as the four remaining sewers go back in time to the 1940s. Attempting to revive both the glamorous and thrifty styles of the decade, they tackle its most elegant and innovative garments.
First up, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young challenge the sewers to make the decade’s most famous trousers, Oxford bags, perfect for dancing the jitterbug and swing, but tricky to make.
For the Transformation Challenge, it’s time to take a leap of faith, as the sewers are set a wartime task to turn old parachutes into glamorous dresses.
In the Made to Measure challenge, the sewers take on their final icon of 1940s fashion, Dior’s New Look. Characterised by an hourglass silhouette and involving masses of fabric, this style means each sewer must exaggerate their model’s figure to create the iconic shape.
The Great British Sewing Bee reaches its dramatic denouement, as the three finalists compete for the title of Britain’s best amateur sewer, taking on a trio of challenges for special occasions.
Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young start by challenging the sewers to make a little girl’s bridesmaid dress packed with complex elements including puff sleeves, a lined bodice and a bound buttonhole.
Next, it’s the sewers’ final chance to show off their instinct for design in the Transformation Challenge. They attempt to turn homeware items such as cushions, bead curtains and table cloths into dramatic and fun outfits fit to wear at a summer festival.
Lastly, for the most important Made to Measure challenge of the competition, the sewers attempt to construct and fit glamorous off-the-shoulder evening gowns for their models.
