The Great British Sewing Bee Series 4 started a few weeks ago and it is just the tits, you guys. It's on BBC2 so the only way I've found to watch it in the states is on Youtube. The audio is kind of weird and the video is oddly framed like part of the screen looks lopped off at times but if you can get past the presentation the content is pretty fab.
The concept is similar to Project Runway but radically different in execution. Each episode is themed. Contestants work to create three garments per episode: a simple challenge where they all make the same thing to test a skill and using a pattern (nice to see others struggle with pattern directions like I do sometimes), the redo challenge where they make something new from an existing garment, and the big challenge where they make something that they have practiced before at home.
Did you get that? They know what their last garment is going to be and they practice it at home! This show is miles away from the cloistered, high stress, no sleep environment of Project Runway. The challenges are timed and therefore inherently stressful but this show isn't about cutthroat competition. It's about finding "Britain's Best Home Sewer" so the competition is friendly and they even help each other.
The best thing about the challenges is they are things that I've also struggled with in my sewing. Some challenges are created to test certain skills like applying bias binding or matching stripes. It's basic but also easy to mess up as demonstrated by some of the contestants. It makes me feel a little better to see other people struggle with their sewing skills too LOL.
The host, Claudia Winkleman, keeps things light. At first I was like this lady is so obnoxious, I wanna see more Patrick! But she grew on me, and I like the way she relates to the contestants and judges, cracking jokes and basically keeping things from getting too serious. Her style is like a mod witch which I also like LOL.
Speaking of Patrick...Right from season one, I've been enamored with Patrick and so have some of the contestants. I don't remember what season it was but I'm pretty sure an older lady made a joke about his luscious bum once and it was fabulous. He's one of the judges and with his Savile Row background I sometimes wonder if he feels like the show is a bit beneath him, but he is never condescending and always kind with his constructive criticism.
The new addition to the show, Esme Young, is just amazing. Her bob haircut is amazing. Her glasses are amazing. Her style of straight cut shift dresses and bold jewelry is amazing. Like Patrick, she is kind with her criticism. It's kind of hard to explain why I like her so much. I think it's the combo of all of her style choices that make her such an individual and I really admire a person who can express herself through her style choices. Also, we don't get alot of positive representations of mature women embracing aging and celebrating it. I see in her style and presentation a rejection of the popular culture's fascination with youth and trends. (And that's something I think alot about since I'm a year away from 40). She is just the best and I hope she sticks around for the next season.
Oh yeah and there are contestants. The contestants are hard to talk about because I don't remember much about them and they are kind of just broad representations of real people. The teen who made her prom dresses, the mom who's sewed for years, the stay-at-home dad, the young professional married woman. The show will profile one of them occasionally and leak out tidbits about their lives to make them a little less flat (which I love btw, one of them sings when she sews! <3). The main thing about each contestant is that they are just so darn likeable and it doesn't bother me at all. All of them are quick to laugh at themselves and seem to really enjoy the process of making their garments, working with each other and being on the show. I hope that all of this enjoyment is genuine but if it's not don't tell me!
Maybe it's a testament to the warm, cozy almost anti-competitive nature of the show where they end competitions with a cuppa and a biscuit that I don't really care who wins. I'm there for the journey like they seem to be.
The show airs on Monday nights on BBC2 and is usually available on Youtube by Tuesday evening. Episode 4 aired last week so episode 5 should be coming up this Monday. It's super fun! And I hear there is an American version in the works. I hope it retains the same charm as it's British counterpart.
