The Great British Sewing Bee - episode 4 season 1 finale!

watch episode 1 here
watch episode 2 here
watch episode 3 here

Edit:For those who want to practice, here is a list of the Sewing Bee challenges:

A standard pattern in a standard size (without any adjustments)
- A-line skirt: 3,5 hours
- a pair of men's trousers: 4 hours
- child's dress (with shirring): 2,5 hours
- men's shirt: 4 hours
A self chosen pattern made for a model and adjusted to size:
- Made-for-measure dress: 7 hours
- Made-for-measure blouse: 6 hours
- Made-for-measure jacket:7,5 hours
- Made-for-measure evening dress: 8 hours

Lessons learned from the Sewing Bee

I watched the final episode of the Great British Sewing Bee yesterday.
I must say, I really liked the Sewing Bee series! Of course, the search for 'Britain's best home sewer' sounds unrealistic (especially when some contestants never inserted a zipper before or don't know in which direction the fly of a pair of men's pants should close) but it was so much fun to watch!

I loved that the jury talked for like 90% of the time very objective about the execution of the garments and there was no such thing as liking the chosen fabric, pattern or not. Though they mentioned if the choice of fabric wasn't right because of the fabric weight or patterns. But that was just what they observed. What you see is what you judge. There were no eccentric, theatrical contestants fighting all the time and picking on each other like in most reality series, no judges who try to 'strike a pose' and make the contestants cry. Everyone seemed to be very supportive. It was not about the 'show' but all about craftsmanship. I believe that watching the Sewing Bee make people thinking about why sewing your own clothes can be such a fulfilling hobby.

The winner is (not really surprisingly) Ann. Well, she deserves the best home seamstress award for sure! Amazing that she already was sewing in the 'make and mend' period! What she did so well during the episodes is working very precise and executing the tasks perfectly. She did take almost no risks but she new exactly what she could finish well within the given time frame. While everyone was aiming high, having trouble with finishing the garments in the right way or finishing at all, she did a great job on almost every item she made.

Watching the series made me think of my own sewing skills. Could I assemble an A-line skirt in one hour 3,5 hours or finish a pair of trousers in 8 hours 4 hours? Do I pay enough attention on seam finishing and top stitching? Could I make a jacket with the perfect details just like that? Here are the lessons I learned:

1. Work very, very neat! 
Start by measuring and cutting correctly and you are halfway there!
I personally hate tracing the patterns and cutting the fabric, but spending more time on that really pays off. (However I don't mind spending hours on seam finishing and everything else.)

2. Practice the perfect topstitching!
Don't we all started once by trying to sew straight lines on our grandma's sewing machine? Just try to make even, parallel rows. Seems so easy but it isn't. At the end of the day, a neat finish still gives a boost to your garment.

3. Practice difficult things like making a fly zipper.
Never using a fly zipper on your garments can't be an excuse! You never know when it comes handy...
watch episode 1 here
watch episode 2 here
watch episode 3 here
watch episode 4 here
Click here for a list of the Sewing Bee challenges.

Starting with finishing touches

There is some progress, at last! We've spent 4 days with finishing ceilings, painting doors laying floors. The weather finally turned sunny and summery and it was a joy to spend all those days in the new house and the huge (and quiet!) garden. There are still enough things that have to be done but I think we will be able to move in by the end of may!
(I'm still wearing BF's rather ugly workwear bib-trousers, but thankfully not for long anymore!)

The great British sewing bee - episode 3

Claudia Winkleman presents the semi-final. The four amateur sewers return to compete in three more challenges. Savile Row's Patrick Grant and sewing teacher May Martin set them a pattern for a child's dress which tests their ability to follow couture techniques on a miniature scale. In the alteration challenge they are asked to tailor a dress with precision and they create a made-to-measure jacket which must fit their model perfectly, after which one of them is asked to leave the Sewing Bee.



link to episode 1 here
link to episode 2 here

How to shorten a pair of jeans the right way - tutorial

This might be not an exciting post for someone who is used to do this on a regular basis but I'm sure beginners will appreciate it. And by the 'right way' I mean: as opposed to how my BF's mom does it. Scroll down for a picture...

I've read about this method somewhere in the early 90's  in a magazine. The idea was to cut the original hem off and reattach it again. I must say, didn't used for myself that much but I've found it really handy to shorten my BF's jeans this way. Sometimes it's hard to find the right width/length combination or you buy a pair of pretty jeans on sale with the wrong length.

But, some pants are made extra long for a purpose. Why?
Especially designer jeans, but also cheaper, workwear jeans (like the one below) usually come with just one, standard length. The reason is that they produce only one length for one waist size, because they expect that you want to have perfectly fitted clothes an have the pants altered to your special measurements. If you pay a lot of money to buy those expensive designer jeans they always offer a service to alter it to your measurements. However, usually they won't do that with workwear...
Nowadays, we aren't used to that anymore, so ready-to-wear jeans fabricants offer one waist size in several lengths. The idea is: you just pick up the right length an go. If it fits approximately it should be good enough.
The good news: it's easy to fix!

So why don't we just chop off the hem of a pair of jeans?
- To sew a pair of jeans they use a thick thread, often in very special shades which you can't find on the market. There are probably similar colors but the thread would be too thin. And why would you bother to buy thread just to hem one pair of jeans anyway?
- Another reason is, especially with faded or distressed jeans the hem is often part of the design. They assemble the jeans first before adding design elements of fading or distressing the fabric. If you look at the jeans below on the left, you see that this finish can't be reproduced at home.



Below is what you definitely don't want to end up with!!!
There is one thing left, you need to 'recycle' the original hem somehow.


The method below is what works for me, it's quick and easy. Important is that the width of the original hem is about the same width as the new hem, so it works only for straight legged jeans. (And for children's trousers as well.)
I used white thread for the demonstration, but for a really neat finish I'd choose dark blue or other color similar to the color of the jeans.

1. Measure and mark the desired length you want to remove.
Fold the hems up like below. What you see of the wrong side of the fabric is 1/2 of the the total length you are going to remove (black line)

Important!
The original hem is going to be folded down at the end so it adds some extra length, but most of the time this is not that much.
If you have a wide hem or just want to work perfect, you could subtract the width of it from the total to-be-removed length first and then divide that amount by 2. (That would be then your black line below)

For example:
- want to shorten jeans total by 3 inches
- have an original hem that is 1/2 inches wide
That would be:
3 - 1/2 = 2 1/2   and then: 2 1/2 : 2 = 1 1/4
My folded wrong side (black line) would measure 1 1/4 inches



Press well. You could pin it as well, but for me pressing with steam works fine:


2. With a small stitch length (I use about 2.5) stitch as close as possible next to  the original hemline on the wrong side. Match the side seams carefully like below:
 

This is what it looks like from the right side:


3. Trim the excess fabric. I usually leave as much seam allowance as the original side seams use:
 

4. Finish the seam allowance. I use a wide zigzag stitch (length 1.0-1.5 and a width of 5, this is the max on my sewingmachine)
Repeat the same for the other hem.
 

5. Turn the hem back.  Press & steam well, with the seam allowance facing upwards on the inside:


6. I secure the inside along the side seams with a few stitches. I found this way it stays better in place and won't roll back when washed:
  

This is how the finished hemline will look like after you have recycled the original hem:
 

The Great British Sewing Bee - episode 2 (watch it here)

Yesss! Apparently there is someone, who manages to put the episodes on YouTube.
I shared the link to episode 1 here.

Episode 2 of 4
Claudia Winkleman hosts a series in which some of the country's best home sewers are tested on their sewing and dressmaking skills in order to be crowned best amateur sewer by judges May Martin of the Women's Institute and Savile Row's Patrick Grant.
In this edition, the six remaining contestants face three more challenges, including following a pattern for a pair of men's trousers. Tackling a fly fastening leaves most of the sewers baffled, but the second challenge - to add patch pockets to a high street skirt - produces some imaginative results.
Finally the sewers create a made-to-measure silk blouse for their model. The slippery fabric is too much for two competitors, and they are eliminated from the programme.

Actually sewed something! Boyfriend jeans refashion

before & after

Well, actually it was not really sewing something from scratch, but after watching the British Sewing Bee contest I felt like I had to sew something. Anything. So decided to refashion something for quick results.

Boyfriend jeans have been around for almost a year now. They look great with a short, fitted jacket and must-have heels or ankle boots for the cold days.
I prefer this year's 'new' version of the BF jeans: the 'slim' one. These look less baggy, like Jennifer Aniston's or Gwen Stefani's below.
According to my internet research these jeans are:
- slouchy yet feminine
- have a relaxed fit
- have tapered legs
(I don't prefer the distressed patches)
 

The tapered legs form a huge problem for someone with quite muscular calves like myself. Usually all those jeans that are sitting a bit comfortable around my calves (not even talking about a loose fit!) are quite saggy looking above the knees an certainly not fitting around the waist.

So I turned to my BF's closet and pulled out a pair of quite expensive Versace jeans which were hidden there for about 7 years. (He used to spend money on  stuff like that before we met) In a slightly 'disturbed' moment (and much to my horror) he took the jeans to his mom to have the legs shortened and after chopping the bottom parts of she hemmed them with a plain, thin grey thread!!!
I mean, first of all, everybody knows that is not the way you should shorten a pair of jeans, and especially not such an overexpensive pair!

 

Besides that, the thread used on these pair of jeans has a very distinctive golden sheen to it which can't be reproduced without cutting and reattaching the original hem. Not only is the original hem stitched with the right thread but it is often distressed together with the jeans, so you won't destroy the original design by cutting the hem off.
Read my tutorial of how to do it the right way here!

 Anyway, after I told BF that his jeans were in my opinion ruined, I've never seen him wearing those jeans (not once!). Because since then he gained some weight I know for sure he is not going to wear them in the future either.
Much to my luck, those jeans are just about the 'right' size and fit to become my (first) pair of boyfriend jeans!

Actually, the fit around the thighs and above that is just roomy enough, especially when worn with the must have accessory, a belt:
 

All I needed to do is to slightly taper the legs to make them sit comfortably but not overly loose around my calves. the destroyed hemline wasn't an issue since these jeans are worn with rolled up cuffs:

On top is a pair of Levi's 'bold curve' jeans. There is more room for the hips and thighs and below that it is tapered. It fits just right around my calves, without much room, so I choose to make the boyfriend jeans slightly wider along the leg line. I only took some fabric out of the outer seam which is not topstitched and straightened the curved line of the Levi's pair.
To avoid bulkiness I finished the bottom edge by a simple zigzag stitch.

 

And here are the 'after' pics:

Great British Sewing Bee - episode 2 tonight on BBC2!

For all who have BBC 2, episode 2 of the Great British Sewing Bee contest airs tonight at 21.00 Central European Time! (GMT/UTC 20.00)
Trousers an slippery silk? I want to know everything about!

Episode 2 of 4
Claudia Winkleman hosts a series in which some of the country's best home sewers are tested on their sewing and dressmaking skills in order to be crowned best amateur sewer by judges May Martin of the Women's Institute and Savile Row's Patrick Grant.
In this edition, the six remaining contestants face three more challenges, including following a pattern for a pair of men's trousers. Tackling a fly fastening leaves most of the sewers baffled, but the second challenge - to add patch pockets to a high street skirt - produces some imaginative results.
Finally the sewers create a made-to-measure silk blouse for their model. The slippery fabric is too much for two competitors, and they are eliminated from the programme.

Update

Really, not much is happening right now and I feel guilty about it. We have a potential buyer for our old house, but the price is subject of a discussion. My BF has landed at the point of just sell it at any reasonable price, while I'm busy to figure out the details on how to play it right so at the end of the ay we lose the house and not gain any financial trouble. Pfff...
The constant thinking makes me tired and I feel like I'm not doing much with my free time either. Except cleaning the house and working my way through a huge pile of clothes that need to be washed and ironed. Boring, huh? I just keep thinking, like the past few days I could have make a muslin for the Alma blouse or could have finish some painting jobs or done tons of other USEFUL things in the new house but I just didn't feel like.
Yesterday was the first sunny day in weeks, so I took my running shoes out of the closet and went for a 7.5 km run. It was good and it made me feel better about myself. No matter how much I hate it but due to a period of low levels thyroid hormones I still can't get rid of the extra pounds and as a result I can't fit in all of my clothes. Of course, I guess, this is one of the reasons why I'm not starting any new sewing projects right now.
Anyway, this week is a new week, there are new chances! Getting ready to finish some walls today and to get rid of even more dust (which somehow just keep coming back...)

In the meanwhile I watch things on the tv and wonder why they don't have series like this here? The British home, cooking and craft series are top!
Here there is a lot of explanation of basic sewing terms, a bit of history and it just makes you want to sew perfect, with an eye for details. Worth of watching! Hopefully the next episodes will land on youTube as well!