Great British Sewing Bee SSn 8: Episode 9

Semi Final - Turning Japanese - Kimonos, Sashiko, Origami, and a first in the history of the Bee

Oh my goodness how did we get to the semi final so quickly!!

Can we not just have three seasons of the Bee every year...Pleeeese!! 

​Whilst I wait for a reply to that question form Patrick and Esme I can at least review this weeks amazing semi final.
​

This week the theme looked to the East with a Japanese influence for all for the challenges.  The pattern making challenge was a kimono inspired pattern that Esme had collaborated on with her friend the Japanese designer Wakako Kshimoto.  This was not a straightforward make by any means, indeed the fabric length required was probably more than my fabric stash laid end to end (OK I may be exaggerating just a bit but you get the idea!!).  Patrick and Esme suggested that the Bee's should use a contrast lining, something that Debra chose to ignore at her peril.  This the resulted this particular pattern challenge becoming Debra's nemesis, with it being somewhat unwieldy at the bagging out stage and her not producing her usual high standard of sewing.   
​ 

All  the other Bee's took heed of the advice, although still with varying degrees of success.  Brogan forgot to leave a hole in her seam for bagging out meaning she had to unpick which left her short on time and unable to stitch up the seam to finish the garment.  Her lining was also a little too short resulting in her hem not hanging evenly or neatly. Man Yee had a similar problem with her lining and although her garment looked pretty well made overall the collar did stand a bit proud of where it should have sat.  

​So it was Annie who triumphed in this challenge with her very well  made Kimono. 

​Patrick and Esme were full of praise as not only had Annie successfully bagged out her garment , she had also incorporated a split contrast lining winning her extra brownie points and first place.

​The transformation challenge was a little different from usual this week with the contestants being asked to mend/ patch denim clothes by using the Japanese decorative method of hand stitching Sashiko.  

This seemed to cause a bit of confusion for some of the sewists.  Whether they had not heard of this form of hand-stitching before, or whether it was not well enough explained but some of the resulting transformations were not really sashiko.  Just for clarity wikipedia describes Sashiko as is a type of traditional Japanese embroidery or stitching used for the decorative and/or functional reinforcement of cloth and clothing.  
​

Rather than reinforcing the holes on her denim skirt Brogan chose to make them bigger by cutting them to star shapes and patching them.  She also attached some gathered ribbon to maybe make them look like shooting stars.  She did do a little Sashiko around the pocket but not really as part of reinforcing the areas.  Debra also adopted a similar technique to Brogan with patches and machine sewing,  Whilst she had arguably incorporated a little more hand stitched embroidery than Brogan it still failed to meet the specific brief of the challenge.  
​

Annie used some Ankara fabric to patch her denim jacket with which looked great.  Unfortunately for Annie though she too was a bit lacking in the use of the Sashiko hand- stitching technique for this challenge.  

It was Man Yee who employed the most effective and colorful hand-stitching with her rainbow and clouds.  She also gave further not to Japan with the her sun risking from the skirt pocket.  I really thought her decoration on her finished garment was fun and eye-catching and she deservedly won this challenge. ​

The final challenge was the made to measure with a bit of a twist, or rather a fold, this week, as the contestants were asked to make an origami dress.  Annie and Man Yee were in reasonably strong positions going into this weeks final challenge, whilst Brogan and Debra needed to up their game.  However this was the semi final and anything could happen at this stage of the competition.  
​

Annie chose to make a dress inspired by the first piece of origami she had made as a child, a red rabbit.  Fortunately this inspiration did not lead to a full on Easter bunny costume but a rather chic looking  pink taffeta number. Man Yee took the origami inspiration to a whole new level creating a patchwork origami crane for the front of her shift dress.  The bird design was so wide it almost took flight coming down the runway.  
​

Brogan chose to add shape and sculpture to her dress design by using a neoprene fabric and creating waves flowers from the bouncy fabric.  However I was left questioning, as were others in our Stitch Sewcial group chat where this actually fulfilled the origami brief, although Brogan maintained it was origami inspired.  I did however result in an amazing dress, with Brogan's trademark flounciness (is that even a word?) and colour combination of pink and red. 
​

Debra's inspiration came not from an origami shape but from Mount Fiji and Japanese cherry blossom trees.  the back and sleeves of her whit structured dress were made form one piece of fabric whilst she folded over 100 origami flowers in gradients of blue, pink and red which beautifully adorned the hem of her dress. 
​

​However, it was Annie's super pointy folding on her stunning taffeta dress that earned her garment of the week and a place in next week's final. Whilst there wan't a rabbit in sight there was a red origami bird that perched itself on the models head! 

As I said earlier anything can happen in the Sewing Bee semi final and after Man Yee going into this challenge in a reasonably good position, her dress didn't keep her there.  She found herself, with Brogan in the bottom two and with an anxious wait for Sara to announce who was going home this week. ​ ​

She found herself, with Brogan in the bottom two and with an anxious wait for Sara to announce who was going home this week. ​ 

​As I said earlier anything can happen in the Sewing Bee semi final and after Man Yee going into this challenge in a reasonably good position, her dress didn't keep her there.  She found herself, with Brogan in the bottom two and with an anxious wait for Sara to announce who was going home this week. ​ Again anything can happen, as with Sara looking quite tearful as she began her announcement she declared that the judges had decided that no-one was going home this week...yes it will be all four Bees who go through to next week's final. 
​

If I was pushed I would say that maybe Brogan should have left the sewing room this week.  She didn't do particularity well in the first to challenges, and for me her dress didn't quite hit the origami brief.  But that said this is the first time in the history of the sewing bee that there will have been four finalists.  As always the wonderful Fold Line have a done a round-up of similar patterns to those used in this weeks episode.

Whilst I really don't want this series to end I predict that whatever happens it is going to be a super exciting final.  ​Don't forget to join us for our final Sewing Bee chat in for this series in Stitch Sewcial next week.  Right, now I'm off to see if Patrick and Esme have replied to my request for three series a year.......🤞🤞🤞