The new series of the Sewing Bee has arrived! Episode 1 aired on Tuesday night, and brought Esme Young, Patrick Grant and Sara Pascoe back to our screens, along with twelve new contestants.
Have a look at our previous post for more details about the Bee and this year’s contestants.
Don’t read on if you haven’t watched Episode 1 yet!
I love to follow along the episodes with weekly recaps and pattern suggestions, so don’t read on if you don’t want to see what happened in the first episode of this year’s series.
If you’re new to the Bee (and what a treat you have in store!) each episode is split into three challenges centred around a particular theme, this week’s being ‘shape’.
The pattern challenge
The sewists were tasked with creating a tie-front blouse, all following the same pattern. It’s a chance to bring a pattern to life through fabric choice, as well as demonstrate their sewing skills. The judges were looking for volume, with gathers and a peplum shape.
Tie blouses and tops have been increasingly popular over the last few years – here’s one pattern in case you’d like to make something similar!
The transformation
The transformation is almost the opposite of the pattern challenge. Instead of testing the ability of the sewists to follow instructions, this challenge looks for pure imagination and daring. This week, they were presented with simple circle skirts which they needed to transform into entirely new garments. It’s always fun to see the ideas come to life, along with the improvisations that happen along the way.
The made to measure
The made to measure looks at the sewists’ ability to fit a pattern to a model, and make any necessary adjustments. The sewists had five hours to create a dress featuring structural pleats.
I love the range of designs you can end up with in this challenge – all from the same prompt of pleats. There were beautifully geometric sleeves, elegantly pleated dresses, and easy everyday wear. We start to see more of the sewists’ personalities coming out, hinting at the creativity and fun to come.
My personal favourite was Orla’s black and white geometric dress, with central bodice pleats in the form of a diamond, and beautifully structures sleeves.
What’s happening next week?
Tune in at 9pm on Tuesday 22nd July to see the second episode of the Bee, where the sewists create activewear. There’ll be sports caps, a cycling kit transformation and an ‘athleisure’ made to measure challenge.
Want to sew along with the Bee?
The Sewing Bee always inspires people to start creating their own wardrobe. Seeing the contestants experimenting with different fabrics and styles is a lovely way to think about how you might tackle your own projects.
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