The Great British Sewing Bee Series 10: Episode Seven

It may have been a day later than expected but Lingerie Week on The Great British Sewing Bee was worth the wait. Kiell promised to keep it ‘brief’ and we will too!

First up was the pattern challenge featuring satin pyjama blouses with contrasting flat piping and five buttons. The sewers had just over three hours and had to make their own piping - rather them than us! They were using two different luxurious fabrics, one for the main garment and one for the edging. Some of the sewists chose bold prints and we got a lesson in colour theory with Luke advising Marcus on matching tone.

The piping certainly proved an intricate challenge for many sewers with Ailsa tackling the technique for the first time. The blouses also required perfectly spaced buttons and buttonholes and there was some discussion whether the buttons should be right over left or left over right, which did catch out a couple of our sewers.

Did you know that we have our own pyjama blouse pattern on the Sew HQ Shop? Amanda Walker’s Polly Pyjama top comes with matching shorts and is available to buy today.

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Shapewear was the subject of this week’s transformation! The contestants could choose two pieces of shapewear from a selection of bodysuits, thigh shapers and control pants. This was then combined with 2m of stretchy lace from the haberdashery in different colours.

Patrick described shapewear as the 21st century equivalent of a corset, but the finished pieces were certainly a far cry from their constricting origins!

Can we also take a moment to admire how glam Suzy looked this week!

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Last up, it was bustier dresses. A bustier traditionally includes underwire and boning, which creates the structure, and it had to be incorporated cohesively into the dress design. Naturally, the fit was a really important part of the challenge. It was the Made to Measure after all!

There were some really bold, statement ideas ranging from Suzy’s colourful patchwork design to Marcus’s My Chemical Romance inspired make. Alex made things harder for herself by creating an inside-out dress.

Boning dates back to the 16th century. Baleen from a whale’s mouth was originally used, but today it is plastic – Ailsa even used cable ties.

We saw that it’s not easy to create the perfect fit on another person’s body, but there really were some impressive looking garments.
Which was your favourite?

Images: BBC/Love Productions

PLEASE NOTE, EPISODES 8 AND 9 ARE ALSO AIRING ON THE WEDNESDAY