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livingdeb(Start at 2:12 to skip the review/preview and intro. You still get to find out which three contestants made it right away.)
The three challenges for episode 4 were:
* to make a man's shirt from a pattern - it is a button-up shirt, but at least there is no placket* (the extra panel made for the buttons) and there are no cuffs
* to decorate a fabric handbag using only hand sewing and
* to create an evening gown (which they also called an evening dress)
*Thanks to Elevengirl for giving me that word!
Here are some of the topics covered:
* button stands - apparently what you have when you don't have a placket
* the yoke of a shirt (that part across the back at the top)
* tacking - aha! A technique for dealing with slippage! Actually sew the things lightly together by hand instead of pinning them in preparation for the machine sewing.
* inserting sleeves - "easing" the longer part against the short part
* collar construction - people apparently pick something at random like I do (I couldn't tell what Sandra was using, Anne uses blunt foreceps, they didn't show what Lauren used, but I do remember that Stuart used a chopstick)
* lining up buttons and button holes
* couching - taking a thick thread or yarn and sewing it in place over the fabric with a different, finer thread
* using multiple strands of a finer thread to make a thicker thread for more impact
* "bond-a-web" or iron-on webbing to attach things by melting something between them rather than by sewing them together
There was no how-to lesson or history this time.
We got to learn another fabric that's easy to work with, at least according to Anne: linen. I never would have guessed that, since it wrinkles so easily.
One odd thing was that everyone rolled up the sleeves on their shirts, and they didn't show the judges unrolling them and checking that they were actually hemmed.
I was glad to see that hand sewing was part of the competition. But the judges finally disappointed me when they said that Anne's green stitches were good. Yes, the tension was good, the stitch length was good, but the stitches were not very parallel to the couched thread at all.
It's hilarious that the people freaking out the most when they found out about the first day's challenges were the people who did the best.
It's stressful watching Lauren freak out again. In fact, I didn't enjoy the focus on how they all want to win. Of course they do. But it's not fun to watch them talk about it. And get stressed about it. And it's not fun to watch people being sad about each other's good news.
Fortunately, the third challenge had me smiling again. What they did with the models was brilliant.
I did miss having more contestants for the evening gown, though. Mark had had a lot of experience with super fancy things--what would he have done? Tilly did some awfully fancy things, too; I would have like to have seen what she would have done. And Stuart, desperate to make up for his lesser sewing skills via drama--would he have done something over-the-top like a train? Or something totally wacky, like an upstanding evil-queen sort of collar? Or something both wacky and stunning like some sort of matching headress or something Hunger-Games-esque? We don't get to know.
I don't know what an "evening dress is," but I was disappointed that there were only two evening gowns and the other person made a cocktail dress. Still, I liked all three of those dresses. Even the cocktail dress was really great on her model, and I do like lace.
I'm glad the winner liked the hideous statue thingy they gave her.
My favorite quote: "My new model's a very odd size." - attributed to Anne. About someone she turned out to know.
Another fun one: "Well, when the judges say it's about fit, I don't think they mean it." - Claudia's little joke.
**
One odd thing I realized is that the contestants don't get to wash their fabrics (except whatever they bring for the second day) before they sew. And there's no discussion of this at all in the show.
Also, it looked like they all had the same sewing machines (two each, somehow), so they weren't using their own machines, but they all seemed perfectly comfortable.
The judges claimed they want people to take risks, but in the end, that's not what was rewarded. The winner was the one who knew when to reduce her goals and knew which kind of shortcuts to take. Her approach on the bag was a perfect example of smart strategy--first do one thing that would be acceptable by itself. Then, if there's time, add another thing. Then if there's time, add more.
They wanted high-quality work, they wanted creative and difficult work, and they wanted it to be finished. The winner is the one who was willing to reduce the creativity and difficulty when necessary in order to achieve the other two goals. I preferred sacrificing the finish, but then that's a bias that clearly runs in my family!
The second season will be a bit different. They will have more contestants and more episodes. They'll probably get people who will do a better job in this environment. I hope they will still be as fun to watch and get to know. I suspect I won't enjoy it as much, but if possible, I do plan to watch it.
The three challenges for episode 4 were:
* to make a man's shirt from a pattern - it is a button-up shirt, but at least there is no placket* (the extra panel made for the buttons) and there are no cuffs
* to decorate a fabric handbag using only hand sewing and
* to create an evening gown (which they also called an evening dress)
*Thanks to Elevengirl for giving me that word!
Here are some of the topics covered:
* button stands - apparently what you have when you don't have a placket
* the yoke of a shirt (that part across the back at the top)
* tacking - aha! A technique for dealing with slippage! Actually sew the things lightly together by hand instead of pinning them in preparation for the machine sewing.
* inserting sleeves - "easing" the longer part against the short part
* collar construction - people apparently pick something at random like I do (I couldn't tell what Sandra was using, Anne uses blunt foreceps, they didn't show what Lauren used, but I do remember that Stuart used a chopstick)
* lining up buttons and button holes
* couching - taking a thick thread or yarn and sewing it in place over the fabric with a different, finer thread
* using multiple strands of a finer thread to make a thicker thread for more impact
* "bond-a-web" or iron-on webbing to attach things by melting something between them rather than by sewing them together
There was no how-to lesson or history this time.
We got to learn another fabric that's easy to work with, at least according to Anne: linen. I never would have guessed that, since it wrinkles so easily.
One odd thing was that everyone rolled up the sleeves on their shirts, and they didn't show the judges unrolling them and checking that they were actually hemmed.
I was glad to see that hand sewing was part of the competition. But the judges finally disappointed me when they said that Anne's green stitches were good. Yes, the tension was good, the stitch length was good, but the stitches were not very parallel to the couched thread at all.
It's hilarious that the people freaking out the most when they found out about the first day's challenges were the people who did the best.
It's stressful watching Lauren freak out again. In fact, I didn't enjoy the focus on how they all want to win. Of course they do. But it's not fun to watch them talk about it. And get stressed about it. And it's not fun to watch people being sad about each other's good news.
Fortunately, the third challenge had me smiling again. What they did with the models was brilliant.
I did miss having more contestants for the evening gown, though. Mark had had a lot of experience with super fancy things--what would he have done? Tilly did some awfully fancy things, too; I would have like to have seen what she would have done. And Stuart, desperate to make up for his lesser sewing skills via drama--would he have done something over-the-top like a train? Or something totally wacky, like an upstanding evil-queen sort of collar? Or something both wacky and stunning like some sort of matching headress or something Hunger-Games-esque? We don't get to know.
I don't know what an "evening dress is," but I was disappointed that there were only two evening gowns and the other person made a cocktail dress. Still, I liked all three of those dresses. Even the cocktail dress was really great on her model, and I do like lace.
I'm glad the winner liked the hideous statue thingy they gave her.
My favorite quote: "My new model's a very odd size." - attributed to Anne. About someone she turned out to know.
Another fun one: "Well, when the judges say it's about fit, I don't think they mean it." - Claudia's little joke.
**
One odd thing I realized is that the contestants don't get to wash their fabrics (except whatever they bring for the second day) before they sew. And there's no discussion of this at all in the show.
Also, it looked like they all had the same sewing machines (two each, somehow), so they weren't using their own machines, but they all seemed perfectly comfortable.
The judges claimed they want people to take risks, but in the end, that's not what was rewarded. The winner was the one who knew when to reduce her goals and knew which kind of shortcuts to take. Her approach on the bag was a perfect example of smart strategy--first do one thing that would be acceptable by itself. Then, if there's time, add another thing. Then if there's time, add more.
They wanted high-quality work, they wanted creative and difficult work, and they wanted it to be finished. The winner is the one who was willing to reduce the creativity and difficulty when necessary in order to achieve the other two goals. I preferred sacrificing the finish, but then that's a bias that clearly runs in my family!
The second season will be a bit different. They will have more contestants and more episodes. They'll probably get people who will do a better job in this environment. I hope they will still be as fun to watch and get to know. I suspect I won't enjoy it as much, but if possible, I do plan to watch it.
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no subject
on 2014-02-25 02:17 am (UTC)BTW, thanks for including links to all the episodes. I wasn't able to find the finale on DailyMotion directly.
no subject
on 2014-02-25 02:25 am (UTC)Yes, the right winner and likeable, too. Thanks for making me laugh on the "crappy statue" comment!
(I always found the episodes by opening one and then seeing the other ones listed underneath as other programs I might be interested in.)
no subject
on 2014-02-25 02:33 am (UTC)no subject
on 2014-02-25 02:35 am (UTC)