Sewing Bee Season 10, Continued
In this iteration: my thoughts on episodes 2-4 of the Great British Sewing Bee S10.
Hey Matryoshkas,
Back in May, I wrote excitedly about the arrival of Season 10 of the Great British Sewing Bee, and shared my thoughts on episode one. I had the idea in mind that I might write an episode-by-episode review of sorts; not a review-review, but an informal collection of my thoughts as they arose. Quickly, I realised this would result in one of two things:
1) A series of very short blog posts, or
2) A lot of extra work for me.
Knowing I would already have plenty to write about for Letters in June, I decided against making a post for every episode of the season. But I still wanted to document my thoughts. This is the compromise I’ve landed on: a round-up, grouping episodes by threes. If you’re reading this with no intention of watching the show, you’re missing out on a lot – it’s a very good show. But this may give you a little taste of the Sewing Bee extravaganza.
The other perk of writing this piece is that it’s given me an excuse to lounge in bed and watch television – something I needed after a very hectic (but wonderful) trip to Edinburgh, which ended with me catching Covid on the way home (!!) (don’t worry, I’m okay). If you’re interested, you can read about my wonderful experience at the Fleurs de Villes exhibition here. I will be writing more about my travels in a future post, and I have an exciting book review in the works too, but for now, here are my thoughts on the GBSB episodes two to four. Spoilers ahead.
Episode Two: Sports Week
· As an indoorsy, asthmatic nerd who always got singled out in PE at school, I’m no big fan of sports. (I’ll watch Wimbledon in the summer for the drama, and I have been to exactly one women’s football match, which was admittedly fun. But playing sports myself? No, thank you. I’d rather sit on the sidelines with a parasol and a silly little beverage.) Subsequently, Sports Week is always my least favourite week of the Sewing Bee. This episode was made more bearable, however, by Kiell Smith-Bynoe’s antics, which Patrick & Esme gamely played along with. I also appreciated Pascha’s “Not Good At Any Sports” t-shirt.
· Not too long ago, Tiia VM wrote a great article titled Die, Sportswear! which I feel is well worth dropping here. The article is about more than sportswear – it’s about personal style, the different ways women’s and men’s style advice is handed out, and sticking to your guns when it comes to dressing – but it’s relevant enough to link, and Tiia’s meditations are always fantastic, so here it is.
· The transformation challenge this week – (always my favourite of the three challenges) – was fantastic. “As a drag queen, I eat avant-garde for breakfast,” Luke said, and their creation certainly ate. I loved all the textured looks the sewers concocted from the cricket whites they were given. Esme mentioned drawing inspiration for this challenge from the annual White Show at Central Saint Martins: “a celebrated annual project for which every first-year BA Fashion student creates a look from a piece of white fabric.” I really love how, through a stripping-back of colour, the students (and now, the sewers) must find ways to express themselves creatively through shape, texture and construction alone.
Episode Three: Holiday Week
· I mentioned in my episode one recap that I loved the dress Suzy wore. Yet again I couldn’t take my eyes off her outfit – a blue and white co-ord (which I believe she made herself) with the matching blue snake earrings that packed a real punch. I also appreciate Suzy’s continued commitment to thrifting for material, which she did in the made-to-measure challenge yet again.
· The pattern challenge this week was fun, and I like that it reused vintage tablecloths. It’s really nice to see that the use of second-hand and repurposed materials isn’t being confined to Reduce, Re-use and Recycle week. (Personally, I thought the judges were a little harsh on Suzy and Lauren for their use of contrast bias binding on their blouses’ necks. No, it wasn’t strictly what they’d asked for… but it was a design choice that looked really good!)
· The transformation challenge was fun, too, though I didn’t find any of the bags particularly showstopping. Pascha’s Duck Sack was cute. Don’s creation, I thought, looked a bit like a body bag. Yikes.
· Garment of the Week this week was well-deserved. I really loved the white pleated trousers Ailsa made, and would love to try making some myself, once I’ve gotten more confident with sewing.
Episode Four: Reduce, Re-use and Recycle Week
· Always my favourite week.
· I loved the pattern challenge this week, with its room for creativity in the arrangement of the fabric scraps beneath the quilted organza. (Though I do think it’s a little bit of a shame that the white organza they were given washed out the vibrancy of the fabric scraps’ colours. A pitfall of the trend, I suppose. If I were to make my own bag using this pattern, I would probably choose a different colour organza.) Pascha’s bag was my favourite, with its red hearts; it definitely deserved to come first place. I also liked the bag charm Luke added.
· I love how outspoken Patrick is being about textile waste this season. That little speech, in the preamble to the transformation challenge, about the amount of clothing that ends up in landfill? Chef’s kiss. More people need to know about the damage fast fashion is doing. (The transformation garments were also excellent.)
· I enjoyed Lauren’s commitment to pink this week, across all three challenges.
I’m excited to watch the rest of the season unfold. And delighted that I’ve managed to rope Lin from Out of the Bag into watching too!
Until next time,
Holly
The Doll House
I watched some of the older seasons and I have to say the standard of sewing has become so high! I also love that the contestants this season (and the season before this) are so creative.