The Great British Sewing Bee is back and just in time to give us a little bit of joy on our screens during what is the strangest time I have ever lived through.
We don’t have a favourite to win yet but Ali is a friend so obviously we are biased and rooting for her every episode. She also happens to be incredibly talented it so I think it could be a safe bet. Ali is a paramedic from West Yorkshire and you can follow her on Instagram @thimbers
Last week we met our contestants and saw some great and some questionable makes, we loved having Patrick and Esme back in our living room imparting their wisdom and advise. And sold out of the Sew Over It Betty Dress as a result of the tea dresses everyone was making. We still have Sew Over It’s gorgeous 1940’s tea dress in stock and on sale if you are pining for some vintage flair. We think it would be absolutely stunning in this poppy print cotton lawn and perfect for any VE day celebration…
This week the contestants tackled Palazzo Pants, reinventing towelling and men’s beach shirts, there were of course hijinks and Joe Lycett managed not to do too much damage to anyone’s garment. If you are looking to make something similar to the contestants we have pulled out some of our favourite patterns to share with you.
THE PALAZZO PANT
Oh, how I love a wide-leg pant, the pattern they used on GBSB featured a waistband, an invisible back seam with a pocket… The Pallazo has stood the fashion test of time, trousers for women rose to popularity in the ’30s and ’40s because they made movement easy and women were joining the workforce in a way they never had before. The pant was championed by fashion houses, actresses and everyday women, in the 1970s the legs got wider, the silhouette more extreme and the Palazzo was born.
The Daisy Pant from Style Arc is a simple pattern in a wide range of sizes with a wide leg and feature pockets big enough to pop your sunglasses and suncream in. the elastic waists make them the perfect pant for lounging and exploring. We think they would look wonderful in lightweight linen such as this enzyme-washed linen for a truly chilled-out look.
The Florence from Liberty Patterns is too beautiful to not mention, drawing inspiration from the liberty fashion archive this pattern puts a contemporary twist on an old favourite. Florence Palazzo Suit creates a tie-front top with either long or short sleeves, paired with wide-leg palazzo pants or shorts – a versatile and fluid modern silhouette infused with ‘70s-inflected cool. Making it in Cotton Lawn is a gorgeous but obvious choice, we love the look of this one and think it would work so well for a really striking fun but feminine look. Just making the pants in this azure lotus flower print would be the perfect pant for riding an elephant. I would love to make this pattern in a soft light velvet to wear to all my autumn-winter events, but maybe its too soon to be thinking about that…
MEN’S BEACH SHIRT
Men’s tailoring gets a bad rep with people always mentioning how hard it can be. I’m pretty sure it’s half all the talk that makes it so daunting. the other half really half is attaching the collar. The origin of Aloha shirts can be traced to the 1920s or the early 1930s, when the Honolulu-based dry goods store “Musa-Shiya the Shirtmaker” under the proprietorship of Kōichirō Miyamoto, started making shirts out of colourful Japanese prints. They come in and out of fashion but are always tongue in cheek.
The All-State Shirt from Merchant and Mills offers a great relaxed fit and is perfect for wearing open over a tee or fastened up for full effect. We would love to see it in Flamboyance of Flamingos for a really fashionable shirt that still hints at the aesthetic of the classic Hawaiian shirt. Or if you are feeling brave this silly llama print called The Wool Givers for something that will let you into any ugly shirt party.
THE GREAT BRITISH SEWING BUNNY
Week 1 – UpCycling
We announced our spin-off of the sewing bee last Thursday, Luna Lapins Great British Sewing Bunny to our wonderful Facebook group Luna Lapins Little World last week with the arrival of our very own Patrick and Esme ( Patrick Grant even commented on our Instagram post!!!). We challenged all our contestants to upcycle Luna a new garment from something the found in their homes. There is no prize, just the joy of community in a time we could really use each other. People used everything from vintage table cloths, to rubber gloves, on ingenious lady even used the top of a sponge to make a highly textured vest! Somewhere real works of art (Abby Harris!) and others were full of good humour!
Here is a video of all the entries with the judges, Patrick and Esme plus Iris Stocks William and Matilda. A huge thank you to Iris who is our guest judge and as always has done a brilliant job.
Our joint winners for the week are
ROSIE HIRST
Rosie made her white Luna a perfectly stitched dress complete with the collar out of a Christmas napkin, we loved how she used the edging of the fabric to make a really beautiful skirted dress, and look how wonderfully executed it is! I would wear this dress!
CAROLINE GREAVES
Caroline made an apron dress complete with a pocket full of cleaning supplier and headband out of a j cloth! but it was the gloves that really got us! Hilariously creative and what a good use of trim!
We have been absolutely thrilled with the response and its heartwarming to see people come together to share creativity and good fun.