Sewing Bee Style - Series 6, Episode 4

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...

This week things got active with Sports week! If you haven't watched this week's Sewing Bee episode yet, heads up - there's some spoilers below. This week saw the contestants tackle sports-related garments, including a tricky placket on rugby shirts and some very fashionable designs for the tennis court...

Sewing Bee Style - Series 6, Episode 4

Pattern Challenge

This week the Bee's kicked off with making rugby shirts! Whilst they may not seem so complicated, turns out a lot of them struggled with mixing stretch and woven fabrics, adding cuffs and worked hard trying to get the perfect placket! Stripes were very popular, so we thought we'd pick out some of our favourite stripes for you if you fancy giving it a go at home yourself...

(I couldn't find any rugby shirt patterns or even anything remotely similar, so I've tried to inspire you with some fabrics instead this week!)

Classic Stripes Black/White Double Knit Fabric

Mint/Silver Cotton Lurex Stripe Jersey Fabric

Stof of Denmark Mustard Stripe Avalana Jersey Fabric

Stof of Denmark Navy/Turquoise Mini Stripe Jersey Fabric

Tilly and the Buttons Wide Stripe Lilac Organic Cotton Jersey Fabric

Tilly and the Buttons Wide Stripe Multi Organic Cotton Jersey Fabric

Multi/White Stripe Jersey Cuffing Pack

Navy/White Stripe Jersey Cuffing Pack

Dark Teal Plain Tubular Ribbing Fabric

Stof of Denmark Baby Pink Avalana Ribbing Fabric

Navy Plain Tubular Ribbing Fabric

Black Plain Tubular Ribbing Fabric

Rugby Shirt Essentials

Cotton twill tape was an essential part of constructing the placket on the shirts - if you fancy trying a placket you'll need to use this or something similar to stabilise this area.

Transformation Challenge

This was a fun one! The contestants were challenged to turn lightweight waterproof jackets into onesies for kids. There were some great creations, including contrast stripes, nappy velcro sections and more!

If you'd love to make a little onesie, Simplicity have a few patterns which could be adapted to use waterproof fabric if you want.

Birds Navy Water Repellent Raincoating Fabric

Hearts Navy Water Repellent Raincoating Fabric

4mm Coloured Cotton Braid - Pink

4mm Coloured Cotton Braid - Sky Blue

Made to Measure Challenge

This challenge really let their style shine, with the chance to make any outfit that could be worn on a tennis court - from traditional all-white to a trendy racerback dress and shorts. There were some fab interpretations, with racerback dresses and more modern athletic wear proving popular with the Bee's...

If you want to recreate any of their looks, we've pulled out some similar fabrics and patterns for you to have a try!

Black Triangles Activewear Fabric

Pink/Black Melange Activewear Fabric

White Cotton Poplin Fabric

Black Slinky Ity Jersey Fabric

Plain White Cotton Jersey Fabric

Plain Black Cotton Jersey Fabric

Plain Fuchsia Pink Cotton Jersey Fabric

Petrol Blue Plain Cotton Jersey Fabric

Prym 38mm White Soft Waistband Elastic

Prym 38mm Pink Soft Waistband Elastic

Sportswear Essentials

As you're most likely going to be working with high-stretch fabrics for your sportswear, don't forget to get some Stretch needles and ball point pins! They will help you prevent piercing the fibres (which can create holes in the fabric in the long run) and stop skipped stitches and other stitching issues.

Clear elastic can also come in handy for stabilising seams!

I'll be honest... a lot of what they made in this episode is not really anything I'd make or wear myself. My active wardrobe consists more of gym-style clothing like leggings and tops. So I've popped a few more activewear sewing patterns and fabrics you can use below for those of you that want more standard designs to sew!