Sewing Bee is back for another series, and we are so happy! Each week we'll be bringing you a review of the episode plus some inspiration if you felt inspired to get sewing by the challenges in the episode...
We got all the holiday vibes from holiday week with tropical trousers, hawaiian shirts and fun beach wear too. Take a peek at our inspiration from this week's projects!
Sewing Bee Style - Series 6, Episode 2
Pattern Challenge
Week 2 saw the contestants tackle a trendy summer favourite - palazzo pants. Whilst we love a pair of these flattering trousers, there were some trickier techniques the Bees had to tackle here, invisible zips and re-inforced waistbands mainly! They came up with some gorgeous holiday-inspired designs though which we'd happily recreate ourselves.
Take a look at our pattern picks below to make your own (including a few more beginner-friendly patterns too)....
Fabric Suggestions: cotton or linen blends, viscose and crepe are perfect for this style of trouser! Look for light to medium weight fabrics, ideally with a bit of drape - viscose and viscose blends will give your trousers a lovely hang on the leg. For beginners, try a more forgiving fabric like cotton lawn that is a touch easier to sew with but still creates the right shape for the trouser.
Inspired by the Bee's choices:
Tropical Leaves Linen Viscose Fabric
Green Stripe Linen Viscose Fabric
Teal Floral Garden Printed Viscose Fabric
Tropic Brights Printed Viscose Fabric
Yellow Multi Diamond Crepe de Chine Fabric
Leopards Printed Linen Viscose Fabric
Transformation Challenge
This was a fun one this week, and one I thought you might be more likely to tackle at home for once! The Bees had to make a women's garment out of old beach towels, which meant lots of interesting takes - some more practical than others! There were some great ideas for wearable beach wear, for which we've included some similar sewing patterns below if any of the styles took your fancy.
Made-to-Measure Challenge
Made to measure couldn't have gotten any more British this week, with the contestants making holiday shirts - think Brits abroad for this challenge! There were quite a few "hawaiian" style prints involved, which let's face it, brings a real sense of holiday into our homes at a time when we don't get to enjoy them!
Recreate your own version of the Bee's creations with some easy patterns and fun fabric choices inspired by their makes:
Fabric Suggestions: The most successful shirts of the evening were those made from cotton or cotton blends - it's offers just the right amount of structure while still offering a lighter touch to the weight. Opt for 100% cottons, cotton lawn, cotton poplin or even cotton/linen mixes. For a lighter weight shirt you could also use viscose, but bear in mind it's a little more slippery!
One of the Bees tried to use jersey - we wouldn't recommend it for a shirt as the stretch takes out any structure, but we have popped our fave hawaiain inspired jersey at the end for a bit of fun!
Riley Blake Novelty of the Month Llamas - 100% Cotton Fabric
Tiny Toucans Printed Linen Viscose Fabric
In the Beginning Mini Tropicals Surfboards - 100% Cotton Fabric
Pastel Palms Printed Viscose Fabric
Tilda Bird Pond Anemone Night - 100% Cotton Fabric
Stof of Denmark Mini Palms Cotton Jersey Fabric
Handy Helpers
Achieve a neat finish when you sew your zips on garments like the palazzo trousers with this adjustable zipper/piping foot that fits most low shank machines (check your machine manual for compatibility).
Turn your shirt collars out and ease the corners in a breeze, with a seam gauge/point turning tool! This handy gadget from hemline helps you achieve cool, crisp collars for a professional finish.
