I was so pleased that Luke won, but my partner and I agreed that it was a little deflating that none of them finished their Made to Measures to a standard that you'd expect from a final, and I was really surprised they were asked to drape! It seemed like something that warranted at least an extra 30 minutes to the given amount of time. I personally loved the idea of Ailsa's Made to Measure but agree the bodice/chest piece was a bit weird, it didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. I was listening to a podcast recapping the show (you can tell I've really reached a milestone in my fandom) and the hosts says that Patrick Grant said in an interview that the challenges are tested by an in-house team as well as ex-sewing bee contestants to determine how much time is needed, which was interesting to me. I wonder the consistent criticism about time will play into next season.
I really liked the pattern challenges for eps 9 and 10, I thought they were suitably challenging and also fascinating to learn about as a viewer. The tie challenge was also great, Luke's one was so good!
I also read the article you linked... I think where it really annoys me is when it compares Sewing Bee to any of the more "fashion" driven shows. Sewing Bee isn't about becoming a fashion designer or having "fashion sense", whatever that means, and it's what makes it refreshing -- people doing something they love, being themselves, instead of striving to join a broken, unsustainable fashion industry. The magic of the show for me is how it manages to be wildly engaging despite having such low, and unassuming stakes.
I quite liked that they were asked to drape - that was an exciting challenge - though in tandem with the issues they've been having this year getting the sewers to finish on time, it did strike me as quite a gamble! I really do wonder what was going on behind the scenes this year, because it's the first time the timings have caused problems like this. (At least, that I recall.)
What was the podcast? I might have to give it a listen! I'm delighted that you've become such a fan of the show as well. It's honestly so wholesome, and it's encouraged a lot of people to pick up sewing since it started - especially during the pandemic - which is amazing. I like too that, while it pays tribute to fashion culture in places, it's about homemade clothes and not a capital F fashion show.
I was so pleased that Luke won, but my partner and I agreed that it was a little deflating that none of them finished their Made to Measures to a standard that you'd expect from a final, and I was really surprised they were asked to drape! It seemed like something that warranted at least an extra 30 minutes to the given amount of time. I personally loved the idea of Ailsa's Made to Measure but agree the bodice/chest piece was a bit weird, it didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. I was listening to a podcast recapping the show (you can tell I've really reached a milestone in my fandom) and the hosts says that Patrick Grant said in an interview that the challenges are tested by an in-house team as well as ex-sewing bee contestants to determine how much time is needed, which was interesting to me. I wonder the consistent criticism about time will play into next season.
I really liked the pattern challenges for eps 9 and 10, I thought they were suitably challenging and also fascinating to learn about as a viewer. The tie challenge was also great, Luke's one was so good!
I also read the article you linked... I think where it really annoys me is when it compares Sewing Bee to any of the more "fashion" driven shows. Sewing Bee isn't about becoming a fashion designer or having "fashion sense", whatever that means, and it's what makes it refreshing -- people doing something they love, being themselves, instead of striving to join a broken, unsustainable fashion industry. The magic of the show for me is how it manages to be wildly engaging despite having such low, and unassuming stakes.
I quite liked that they were asked to drape - that was an exciting challenge - though in tandem with the issues they've been having this year getting the sewers to finish on time, it did strike me as quite a gamble! I really do wonder what was going on behind the scenes this year, because it's the first time the timings have caused problems like this. (At least, that I recall.)
What was the podcast? I might have to give it a listen! I'm delighted that you've become such a fan of the show as well. It's honestly so wholesome, and it's encouraged a lot of people to pick up sewing since it started - especially during the pandemic - which is amazing. I like too that, while it pays tribute to fashion culture in places, it's about homemade clothes and not a capital F fashion show.