Sewing Fever

In this iteration: my thoughts on S10E1 of the Great British Sewing Bee.

Hey Matryoshkas,

May has been an interesting month for dressing up. We’re now firmly starting to edge into Hot Summer Territory here in the UK, which – unfortunately – means that 80% of my go-to outfits are out of commission. (If you’re reading this from a country where the summers get much hotter: first of all, you have my condolences. But before you laugh at Britain’s low tolerance for heat, please consider that historically, the UK does not get weather like we’ve been getting over the last few summers. We have no infrastructure in place to manage it. Most older buildings are designed to trap heat inside, and while some commercial locations have aircon, quite a few still don’t. Almost none of our residential buildings are air-conditioned, either.)

In the throes of this weather – which I know is only going to get worse as true summer sets in – I’m realising one item my wardrobe lacks is a reliable, basic summer dress that doesn’t trap the heat. Something I can throw on without thinking about it. I have staple dresses for autumn, winter, and spring – but currently I’m languishing without. Now a mad part of me is wrestling with the temptation to order fabric online and make my own. Why?

Last night marked the start of an annual Watching Event in my household – the first episode of Season 10 of the Great British Sewing Bee.

It’s always a delight when Sewing Bee season rolls around. My parents and I watch it religiously, and for the hour of its run-time we all become pernickety judges, even though – of the three of us – only my mum has actually sewn a proper garment. (“Oh no, look at the bumps in that seam!” I might exclaim at the TV, confidently for someone who has never seamed anything in her life. Or, “What are you doing, sir?! Those fabrics are completely different weights! It’s going to ruin the drape!”)

As always, watching the show has awoken in me the longing to start making my own clothes. I wrote at the start of the year about my intentions to start sewing more actively in 2024; unfortunately, these plans were hampered early-on by a sudden onslaught of severe chronic pain, which I’m only just starting to get under control. Maybe now – as I improve – I’ll find the opportunity to start on some of those projects. If anything’s going to motivate me, it’s this.

Now, my thoughts on Episode One:

o   Much as I will miss Sara Pascoe (and still miss Joe Lycett), I’m so-far enjoying having Kiell Smith-Bynoe as the show’s new host. He made a great debut in 2023’s Christmas special and I like the vibe he brings to the sewing room.

o   The new sewers – from what we’ve seen of them so far – seem like a delightful bunch. I particularly loved the dress Suzy wore for the episode (which I believe she made herself); it reminded me, with its sculptural sleeves, of some of the costumes Jodie Comer wore as Villanelle in Killing Eve.

o   I was a little shocked that none of the sewers were able to finish the pattern challenge. Most years, there are one or two slower sewers in the bunch, but I’m not sure there’s ever been a challenge everyone failed to complete. It makes me think the onus is more on the designers of the challenge, for underestimating the time this project can realistically be completed in. I wonder, did they test it before the contestants gave it their shot?

o   I think Luke’s made-to-measure dress should’ve gotten garment of the week. But I may be biased, because I didn’t like the print on the duvet cover Suzy used. (It was still a very good dress, though!)

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On the subject of the Sewing Bee, I recently read this Guardian article interviewing judge Patrick Grant on the state of fast fashion. It was illuminating – and quite vindicating, honestly – to hear him speaking out about what a nightmare the industry has become. “Fashion is now a $3tn industry that’s mostly just pumping out absolute crap at a tiny price,” he says – and he’s completely right. More importantly: “In the process, we’ve binned five and a half million jobs making these things well, and it’s absolutely killed communities.”

Well said, Patrick – and I commend the Sewing Bee on the work it does to encourage people at home to take up sewing. I eagerly await the rest of Season 10. (To those reading this post… would any of you be interested if I did an episode-by-episode review?)

Until next time,

Holly

The Doll House