The Most Controversial Episode of the Great British Sewing Bee
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- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2024
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The Great British Sewing Bee is a competition show to find Britain's best amateur sewer. Today I'm talking about Season 9, Episode 4, the episode that received very light backlash for its use of crocheted blankets as fabric in a reduce, reuse, recycle challenge.
link to the chart I used for my kurtis conner? i hardly know her! vest: madeinthemomentshop.com/produ...
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00:00 intro and background
04:04 season 9 episode 4
04:51 first challenge: trousers not pants
11:33 second challenge: the transformation
13:24 third challenge: from warm to worn
17:01 the drama
19:39 final thoughts
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edited by Aidan Wells
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As someone who crochets, I’d much prefer my work be cut and sewn and given new life rather than sit collecting dust or thrown away. I made baby blankets and stuffed animals and the greatest compliment I could receive is a child using them until they’re ragged and falling apart, because that shows my work was loved and appreciated!
I'm a quilter & havexalways felt the same about my quilts. In fact dogs seem to looove homemade quilts & when one kidnaps a quilt I've made, I'm happy it's being loved 😂
❤
I just started crocheting, but I hope I develop the skill level for some of my projects to be cared for in that way, too. I would consider it a big compliment. Quality hand-made goods should ideally be loved and enjoyed, including being repurposed, not stored or thrown away.
@OfficerZ637 wtf. The only other thing I have heard that abbreviation for is child ....
I hope you don't mean that. Otherwise I don't have words that wouldn't get taken down.
@OfficerZ637you're disgusting, why do you keep commenting this on all of her videos. It's creepy and fucking weird man.
@@harukastorm4its a bot, they just say the same outrage-baity thing on dozens of replies. report for spamming or child abuse and move on, never give them attention
Do people not realise how many blankets of this type are around? My mum works in a charity shop in the UK, they get so many of them and they can’t sell them. After this episode of sewing bee they did actually manage to sell more than usual. Yeah, someone spent ages making it, but if it’s sitting in a charity shop, or even worse, in a cupboard slowly disintegrating, then it’s no better off that if someone buys it and turns it into a garment.
I may be posting this a lot, they bought them from etsy and ebay, not charity shops. All the contestants said the BBC lied about that and that they bought based on what they were planning to make.
@@SewingandCaringthat sucks :( where did you hear about it?
I'm genuinely kinda surprised by that. When I volunteered at age UK we weren't allowed to sell anything that was homemade. Something about having no way to verify that they're made with safe materials.
@@SewingandCaring got a source?
@@SewingandCaringWouldn’t that have been significantly more expensive?
As someone who’s just now picking up sewing so I can alter and mend my own clothes, I would 100% sew on an entire pocket without realizing it was obnoxiously large.💀
I was 14 when I first started sewing and my pockets were absolutely wild💀
NGL, I leave my pockets ridiculously sized because I love being able to carry a lot of stuff. 😂
Pocket should be big enough to hold my mobile, like my husband's are..
@OfficerZ637 👎🏼 get outta here troll
@OfficerZ637 i love cloud pointing too, but this video is better :D
I crochet, sew, and knit and thought the crochet blanket challenge was really clever. If it's at a thrift store obviously the original owner didn't care about it.
Or the person they gave it to
Or both the creator and the original owner are deceased...
Same, and I have cut up and reused (in addition to unraveling, of course) many of my own pieces that didn't end up getting enough use or were left way too large after I lost a bunch of weight.
When grandma died, my mom wanted grandma's blankets (think oversized doilies rather than granny squares), doilies etc turned into a sort of pavilion. So I made careful plans on arranging the different sized and shaped pieces and then I attached it all together with a combination of sewing and crochet, with crocheted channels for the frame. Total weight of material was about 14kg and in the end I had less than 150g of scraps (mainly worn edges and corners). It wasn't that my mom didn't appreciate the original items, it was that the homes of every single family member already had about 130% of all the crochet items they could ever need.
I have a literal sack of my husband's grandma's similar crochet items that I pulled off the "landfill pile" (aka, my local stores don't want them and no one wanted them on that side of the family either) in storage waiting for a similar use. Thing is, after mom passed the original canopy ended up with me, so I really don't need another one and I also got mom's stash of everything else. It's at the point I can't rescue any more family crafts, because I have absolutely nowhere to put them and I have more than I'm likely to ever use. 😅
So yeah, I always thought fabric was fabric no matter how it was created, and as such, should be freely used to fulfill needs. And people need to stop judging others for taking their relatives handmade items to thrift stores, their own homes are likely already fully saturated.
I heard they weren’t thrifted and that they bought them from ebay and Etsy
I saw a video where a woman dyed her own wedding dress red so she could get more use out of it and people were outraged🤦🏼♀️
She was like, “no I’m not going to keep it for a hypothetical daughter who probably wouldn’t want to wear it anyways and waste years of usable wear time on your ideas of what I should do with my own wedding dress. Now I get to wear it on dates with my husband.”🙌 people are wild.
I’m such a pack rat who has issues with altering my own stuff due to the nostalgia attached so I get it, but I’ve also got the perspective to realize that’s silly and see absolutely nothing wrong with taking something, even a meaningful piece, and altering it so it doesn’t go in the trash or sit in a dusty closet for years. I love seeing people turn doilies from an antique store into a dress, and crochet blankets into sweaters, I think it’s incredible. I also think people are really disconnected from the realities of thrifting, if something doesn’t sell it’s either getting tossed, ragged, or shipped over seas to be someone else’s problem, there is no magical happy ending that’s better than someone repurposing a piece and giving it new life and love.
I think that was in large part snarking about the "innapropriateness" of the dress. Quite enjoyed how heated some people got over someone marrying in a nighty and then wanting to keep wearing it
I think you're talking about Immy from sustainablyvegan, it's so funny to me how outraged many people got, especially since it was a simple slip dress, not a huge ballgown or anything like that
My mom intentionally bought a red dress that could be altered into a top and skirt for her second wedding. She wanted something colorful, but also didn't want to spend so much money for a dress she's going to wear one time. And she also knew I highly wasn't going to ever wear an old wedding dress of hers because of size, style and if I'm even going to marry. So she got one that could be easily altered and has worn the two pieces as a set or matched with other clothes plenty of times. The intended one time wear only dress got years of usage! That's so much better than it sitting in the closet forever. I can't imagine people being so upset about something like this...
If something has particular memories I snip a bit of the fabric then re-use it.
Yes, those who sew are sewers. Not a tailor (cos they're official 😂😂😂)
I love the Sewing Bee! The first season was so satisfying, because the winner (spoiler) was someone who had been sewing for over 60 years and she did a lot of things like use tailors' tacks where the other contestants didn't consider doing that, and she was of an age where she was able to say, "I absolutely HATED 'make do and mend,'" which was a WWII reference, and I just loved that experience and knowledge is rewarded in some areas of reality TV.
Funny story: she was active in the same sewing forum as me! We interacted and everything lol.
@@lynnettevelez676 Oh, how cool! She was lovely!
I loved that series, that lady was to me the best sewer the series ever had.
She was lovely in that season! Wonder how is she now❤
@@natdomo Unfortunately, after a quick Google, I discovered that she died in 2019. She seemed a very classy lady.
I have seen quite a bit of “outrage” at people buying things from thrift stores and upcycling them. It’s so bizarre to me, especially as someone who works at a thrift store, bc if things sit on the shelf for so long a lot of the time they are just thrown out. It’s great that instead of buying brand new clothes (or furniture) people are giving a new life to these items and saving them from the landfill. Also idk who needs to hear this, but the 1960s-80s really weren’t that long ago and items from that time period are very abundant, so no need to pearl clutch about upcycling them either
The only thing that bugs me is when people buy perfectly good, even nice, plus size clothing when they’re very slim so they can make it fit them. There’s little enough good plus size clothing without that happening. Otherwise, I completely agree!
I'd honestly be much more interested in these types of content if they were much more explicitly asking "what are you about to throw out" and making stuff with that (EDIT: this mostly applies to people who just do it for content. If you're doing it for yourself then I don't actually think you need to ask that). I dislike when it feels like they're taking stuff away from people, like with plus size clothing etc, who have fewer options. Thrifting is good for slow fashion, but it is also a necessity for some who cannot afford to buy new, and I feel like they should get first dibs where possible.
@@jaybee4118 As a plus size person who struggles to find thrifted clothes that aren't 100% polyester (and designed for someone considerably older than me) I really thank you for this comment.
I'm currently losing weight, but still plus sized & I'm struggling to find new clothes that fit my new shape.
In the videos I've seen, most up-cyclers are also using the good stuff, that had a good chance at being sold to other people, who would have worn it as it is. But up-cyclers don't need the best clothes to up cycle. For example busted seams are way less of a problem for up-cyclers than most other customers. I would be curious if the up-cyclers really make a difference in how many t-shirts will get sold. If they also just buy the stuff that others would have happily bought.
I think the blankets are an exception in that, because they are harder to sell, than clothes
@@jaybee4118I agree
I always keep an eye out for handmade blankets when I'm at a thrift store, and the majority of the crocheted and knitted blankets I find are old acrylic yarn that is long past its cuddly stage. They've been washed and used to the point where they are scratchy, and that means they were well-loved for most of their life. If someone can find a way to make them usable again, I don't see a problem with that.
if they're lacy they're good as tablecloths or decoration in general
I much rather had a scratchy blanket on top of my clothes while sitting on the couch than wearing the scratchy fabric directly on my skin.
I don't see how making clothes would make the scratchiness less troublesome
probably because they are lined, so the yarn isn't actually against your skin. @@harukastorm4
@@harukastorm4 as a sweater
@@Reverend_Salem maybe it's a me thing, because I'm always way to warm. I don't really wear an underlayer under sweaters. But even if i imagine only having the scratchy surface on the outside of my clothes I still wouldn't want that, because throughout the day I would unconsciously touch and hate it.
I bought a quilted blanket from the charity shop and turned it into a coat, two pillow covers and 8 table mats. I’m sure some people would think it sacrilegious to do so but I paid my damn money and it’s a hell of a lot better then letting the quilt go to landfill.
That sounds like a creative storm -- what a great way to use that quilt!
@@TamarLitvot it was so much fun. I have some tiny scraps left that I’m figuring out what to do with. Better then going to waste.
@@thejaneymac6385
Too bad we can't post photos in these comments. I'd love to see what all the things you made look like.
I quilt, so I know how much work goes into them and would be happy that I have a blanket that was used in this way. The person who originally had it clearly wasn't using it
@@TinaTissue28 I admire quilters so much. The time and effort into quilting is something amazing.
WAIT, WHAT. THOSE LONG POCKETS. I'M SCREAMING. THEY'RE KIND OF A VIBE!! LIKE! OK! LET'S LET THE MAN COOK!!!
I liked the long pockets; so cool!
I think a long pocket needs to be flared to help reaching into it. It is a vibe tho!!
Imagine being able to fit a whole bottle in your booty pocket
I was gonna say, as someone who refuses to carry a bag around unless absolutely necessary (i just don’t like how weighed down they make me feel) those seem great! I keep literally everything I think I’ll need in my pockets. Add a zipper or button to the top to keep them closed and those things are perfect!
In regards to your suspicions about the judge's assessments being edited down your right, previous contestants have confirmed that they usually spend around 10 minutes per contestant going over the whole garment, top to bottom.
Contestants said it's really helpful as the judge's criticisms are always fair, nicely communicated and always paired with tips and tricks on how to prevent the mistakes and how to improve your sewing going forward.
That's actually really nice to know. I mean, I understand it's TV. They want drama there's only so much time etc, but it's nice to know that behind the scenes the stuff we don't get to see is actually helpful and kind to the contestant even if they don't air the clips that way.
That sounds really nice to have so much time and attention from the judges, to help you understand how to address any problems you might be having
I am British and I watch this with my mum sometimes, I was at home and My mum called me to get me to watch this episode because it was crochet. If you like this check out the great pottery throw down there’s a wonderful man on there that cries almost every episode and he’s wholesome AF
I adore Keith!! Best host ever
So underrated!!
Fun fact, I actually got an ad for pottery throwdown during this video.
ive never heard of that show but just knowing that this man cries abt ceramics every episode sold it to me
because me too, me too
@@melowlw8638 Please, go watch it, he's a gem and so is everyone else, they're all lovely
I've actually made a hobby of buying the most hideous, broken, and stained crochet blankets from thrift stores, washing them, and then unraveling them back into yarn. Sometimes I keep the yarn and make something new, sometimes I donate the yarn to this second hand shop that sells only second hand yarns and fabrics hoping someone else will make something out of it. Unraveling something really makes you realise how much work went into the project, but unraveling also gives the yarn a new chance, and I try to treat that yarn as something special because someone already poured dozens of hours into it.
That’s awesome! ❤
I want to shop at a store that only has used yarn and fabric!!!
Also, there's something satisfying about unravelling something and winding the yarn into skeins.
A friend of mine gave me a bag full of yarn that a former roommate left with her when she moved out and there was a half finished front panel of a knitted sweater inside. It's 100% wool, something I could barely afford otherwise and there were 8 more skeins of that yarn in that bag. For me it's a no-brainer that I'm going to unravel that piece sooner or later. It surely is a beautiful pattern with cables but it's neither my size nor my style and I can barely even knit to begin with. It makes no sense for me to keep it around and let it collect dust.
Haha, good on you! My Aunty Edna used to do the same and I kept the baby blankies she made for me out of them. However, I think one day the moths will get the best of them.
Kurtis Conner? I hardly know her!
Sewer? I hardly know her!
I WAS WOMDERING IF YHATS WHAT IT SAID
Living for this crossover
I've been staring at that thinking there's no way that it's not Kurtis Conner
Hey Emma, have you ever watched The Great Pottery Throw Down? That’s great because there’s a judge who is frequently overcome with emotion and starts crying over the beauty of the contestants’ pottery.
Bless Keith, he is too good for the world
He’s a darling isnt he? Such a great teacher and takes constructive criticism to art form level too!
This sounds amazing!!!!!
My cousin's wee girl calls him "the man who cries nicely", he's so sweet! The whole show is great, I love the other judge and the presenter too (who was Sister Michael on Derry Girls!) It's so interesting as well because of how different the pottery can look when it's been fired. It and Sewing Bee are just nice gentle competition shows, TBH I prefer them to Bake Off because Paul's an arsehole
I’ve been trying to get others to watch this show!! I love when someone’s work overwhelms him!
Emma pulled out a whole list of some of the most British sounding names I've ever heard and I'm not even 2 minutes into the video
Literally sounds like a list of parody names from family guy lmao
I'm british are they really THAT British 😂😂
@@tamsinhayhurst5899Yeah 😭😭 I'm sorry
And…? taking the piss are we..? Because chuck Chance , Mary Lou,Mary Beth Mary Anne etc dont scream american do they..…?
I learned to crochet when I was in highschool school and inherited all of my grandma's tools and yarn stash. In that stash were also unfinished blanket pieces crocheted by my uncle, who died when I was little. As I pulled those pieces out and contemplated finishing it, my brother said, "don't you dare!" He thought it was disrespectful to alter something made by someone who had passed. I told him I thought it was the greatest form of respect to finish what he started. I feel the same about altering blankets into outfits, if they're no longer being used as blankets. I've given quite a few knit/crochet gifts at this point in my life, and I'd rather they still continue on as something, rather than sit unused and unloved.
You are completely correct. Whoever started a project had absolutely no intention of it languishing in a box and the project/materials themselves should be used however the new owner sees fit. I think theres an entire Ravelry forum dedicated to helping people finish old projects.
It absolutely is. My Gran was making a quilt for my mother when she passed away, and her quilting circle finished it and sent it to my mom. It's one of her most beloved and prized possessions, and the idea that someone would have stopped that "out of respect" genuinely makes my heart hurt.
I've been asked to finish baby blankets for young children because the great grandmother passed and the grandmother didn't know how to crochet. Not disrespectful at all.
'Crochet takes so long to and how dare ppl cut into it to make something different! *bobbin lace and fabric looming girlies giving bombastic side eye while still working*
IMO making blankets into outfits is the least controversial upcycling one could do. A lot of the original crochet work is preserved. (Also, once it’s in the thrift store any use is better than no use. It’s not like they asked someone to borrow a blanket and then cut it up.)
I would like to ask the people who have a problem with people cutting up handmade blankets/clothes from the thrift store how many of these items they buy. Like... if no one buys them, they're just getting thrown out. Isn't it so much better that someone makes something new and usable from them? I've made a couple of blankets and I'm working on one now. I would be so happy if years down the line someone makes that into a jacket or skirt or whatever.
i have actually seen some of the same people who complain about this posting online all proud of themselves about how they "rescued" stacks and stacks of old crocheted blankets or quilts from the thrift store and it's like....so they're going to rot away in your closet instead of being repurposed into something wearable or - shocker i know - bought by a low income person who could actually use a cheap warm blanket? and that's better somehow?
I've seen a lot of people hate on upcyclers for using blankets/quilts from the thrift stores in their work, but I rarely see anyone talking about actually getting their household blankets from the thrift store. If upcycling is what gets them used, that's a good thing.
I know a lot of people who specifically won’t buy linens second hand at all… literally the baskets of blankets at goodwill (etc) are usually FULL of of old blankets, most of which obviously took a huge amount of work. I think the people who complain about this are coming from a reasonable place, but being unreasonable about it
I'm an Aussie and the show is on a streaming service here called Binge. I ADORE this show, I also adore The Great Pottery Throwdown. British competition shows like these are all so wholesome and cute and everyone is so sweet and helpful and kind toward each other.
I agree! These are the only "reality" shows I can stand to watch because they're not yelling and being objectively cruel to each other. It's so nice to see the contestants care about one another ❤️
Handmade: Britans best woodworker, same vibe but wood working from chanel 4. There is also a jewelry one but heared mixed reactions about it.
Crochet blankets are one of the things I find most often in thrift stores when looking for fabric, absolutely wild to think they shouldn't be repurposed.
You'd enjoy The Great Pottery Throw Down on UK's Channel 4. One of the hosts, Keith, cries at most of the creations....he's adorable.
Keith crying over a urinal is peak television
I came to the comments to recommend this too 😂
They aren’t devaluing the work for the blanket, just giving it new life by making it into something new. If this blanket wasn’t being used as a blanket then it’s perfectly fine to reuse them as something else that might get more used
OMG the crochet garments are def my fave! As a crocheter myself, I'm also not offended by them giving the pieces a second life!
For sure. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I've spent days and weeks to make someone something that they said they wanted, but then proceeded to store it and never wear or use it. I'd much prefer that they modify it to fit their tastes better instead of just storing it forever.
I love how British competition shows are so wholesome and friendly and the contestants build a community and help each other and cry when someone has to leave. Meanwhile on the US competition shows contestants just want to murder each other 😅😅
It really depends on the show! I think Big Brother is WAY more popular in the UK. And the UK version of Ru Paul's Drag Race is just as bitchy as the US one.
I'm from the UK so mostly watch gentle British competition shows, but occasionally I'll stick on Cupcake Wars or something and it'll be like "This cake is disgusting! Now make 500 in 2 hours themed around the Boston Tea Party!"
And the Canadian versions are some strange combination of the two, but definitely lean more to the British kindness.
I couldn't watch the rest of the video after that heart wrenching rendition of "Donald Where's Your Troosers" 😢 beautiful
putting my Masters degree in opera to good use here.
😂
I think of all the quilts and crochet blankets that sit in the stores, closets, attics, and in the land fills and if they were transformed into clothes then they would have lived another lifetime. It’s really weird to me that people are angry about this concept… we don’t all need 100s of blankets
I love the Great British Sewing Bee, especially because it isn’t very dramatic! They really try to have a varied bunch of participants, so you end up with really interesting people like the young woman who had learned traditional African tailoring skills from her mum or grandma but had never had to work with a pattern before; the retired army officer who designed and sewed a wedding dress for his driver while they were on a peacekeeping mission in the Balkans; and one of my all time favourites, a lovely Deaf lady whose sign name for Patrick referenced the way he made her heart flutter! It’s great seeing how the contestants help each other out, as well. If you get a chance to see any of the celebrity episodes that raised money for charity or celebrated a special occasion like Christmas or New Year, those are also wonderful. Some of the contestants on those have only ever had a 10 minute crash course on how to use a sewing machine, but they give the challenges a jolly good try and come up with some pretty innovative solutions when they get stuck!
I also love that you regularly get queer contestants and they're often Drag Queens who make their own costumes!
You just gave me a new show to watch. Many of the contestants reminded me of my classmates I had in Fashion School. And the thing about the judges making a big deal out of tiny unnoticeable things is so normal, most of my professors only allowed 1/16th of an inch to be off and that was considered a generous amount. Sewers are insane perfectionists.
(Edit I changed it from 1/8th to 1/16th after a reply made me go over my old notes)
Yes! I was taught to sew by my Nana. She was such a perfectionist that she ripped out almost every stitch I sewed. I hate sewing garments.
Depending on the garment ⅛" off is very generous 😂 It can add up to like 2 or 3 inches in circumference added or subtracted in paneled garments like corsets so quickly. For relaxed styles with lots of ease and few panels I'll give myself a tolerance of like ¼ sometimes, but for corsets I'm so picky with my seams
@JInuOneSix I went over my old notes and I found it was actually 1/16th in room for error. But even that can throw off panel work like you mentioned. I still make all my patterns w/o seam allowance and add it on the fabric to be more accurate.
@@jaelynecollard5058 Me too! I love having sewing lines to be as accurate as I can. Sewing really is such a fiddly art form.
My brilliant GCE Needlework teacher in the 1960's used to say that the attention to detail is what turns homemade garments into handmade! Now in my 70's, her words still haunt me!
the rowdy applause for the trouser pattern pieces is so fucking funny i dont know why
I'm just imagining that someone made their friend a blanket and see it being reused in a sewing show, that would be real drama
5:05 I heard that as zero waist, and took a while to make sense of it. Went back and the subtitles agree though they get with the program faster than I did.
It saddens me when someone upcycles a crochet blanket in a method that I know won't last but when executed properly the blankets are given a beautiful new life
I totally agree with you that reusing the crocheted blankets was just fine. I always feel sad when I see a pile of handknit or hand crocheted throws in a thrift store. For this contest, some of the design elements of the throws were being incorporated into something new which definitely honors the creators. And like you, I've unravelled sweaters from thrift stores because... why not??
As someone who once sewed, her finger to her project with the sewing machine, and when felt the initial pain pushed her foot hard on the pedal, making it go faster. Anybody that can sell even if it’s to put on a button has my full and utter respect
Ouch! I'm sorry that happened.
Im a woodworker and i find pieces of work that once were gorgeous, but have since been neglected, and i love taking a piece and working with it into something new
My Nana used to unravel old sweaters she bought to make them into new sweaters for us grandkids!!
It’s a tale as old as time
She grew up in Malta during WWII, you used what you had and reused it or anything that came from it. Not let it sit around forever ❤
My favorite things about British competition shows! No cash prize, contestants being nice to each other, and nice judges.
The Great Pottery Throwdown is also a really great one. Super wholesome. The main judge cries all the time from how beautiful everyone’s stuff is. Highly recommend
The lack of cash prizes is due to the BBC being publicly funded not having the money to hand out lol. I agree that it improves shows tho
the way i didnt process a single word of the first 4 mins of the vid bc i was desperately trying to work out if your sweater vest really did say "kurtis conner?" if i was imagining it 😭😭
I bought a little crocheted belt at good will once and upcycled it. Into a little shawl, vest thing. It had a tag and was made in china, which is sad, because it means the person who crocheted it was most definitely not paid well for it.
It was made of 8 or 9 blue, multilayered, two-toned flowers. Two of the outermost petals on each side of each flower were crocheted into the next in the line and the tension of being a belt was forcing the flowers to curl up and lose their shape.
I studied the pattern, then undid the petals until it came free from the next in the line then recrocheted the petals I pulled out.
Then I put a border of some similar texture and weight black yarn from frogging a big chunky knit cowl I got at the same time. (I actually unraveled it, then unplied the yarn to get alot of single ply yarn the same weight as the blue belt.) Then I crocheted the peices together into a little shawl. The way its put together now the flowers have more even tension all around and they lay nice and flat and can really shine.
Since Emma mentioned that the way they cut the fabric isn't necessary for home sewers since we don't create as much waste by have bits of fabric left over. I want give a tip to help with what little waste you DO make. Saw this tip forever again and I will do it forever. If you have bits of scrap (that are unusable in other smaller patterns) and that you'd normally throw out. Don't. Save those bits of scrap. When you have a good bit of them lay them out on your cutting mat and cover over them with a rotary blade over and over till it's practically shredded. Then put those shredded bits in a place where you can collect them (I put mine in a drawer of one of my plastic storage drawers). Then when you are making something that requires stuffing add a few handfuls of those shredded fabric bits. It is soft and it helps the thing not go flat as quickly as it will if you JUST have it stuff with polyfil. It's a great way to not throw out small bits of scraps and still use them.
As someone who crochets and who has made several blankets....I'm all for the premise there! I love finding things at thrift stores that, if they aren't in the best shape, I can frog and repurpose the yarn into something else. Like you said, if they're at the seconhand shops, their original owners no longer have use of the item and I think it's fine to repurpose it in some other way.
That reminds of the lady, who I see all the the time on instagram. She buys old table cloths with cross stitching on them and turns them into clothing and people are so mad about it, because someone stithed it with a lot of had work. I'm just blown away, because I understand that it was a lot of work, but if it just sits around and collects dust or will be trashed otherwise, give it a new lif. I always encourage and understand the urgee to preserve, but all those things will be killed by time anyways, so they can have as much use as possible before they disintegrate lol
I love Great British Sewing Bee! I reccommend season 2. Great dynamic between the contestants and fun challenges.
I don't mind people repurposing my make or handmades in general. Getting them second hand was a great way to do it.
i crochet myself, and while i haven't done a blanket, i have made something just as large (a poncho that goes down to my knees) and if any of my projects ended up in a thrift store i'd hope they'd get used any way they can be. that includes being cut up and sewn back together into something new. that's infinitely preferable to having the fiber rot away in a landfill somewhere.
Love that dropped the "hand ceramed" easter egg in the ad read 😆
Glad to be watching this 7 seconds after it’s uploaded. 😂
Same 😂 i've been binging her videos for the last few days 😅
oh, dang, i would have never guessed that that's what the drama was !! i honestly thought it was gonna be the inclusion of crochet at all that bothered people; i.e., that people were bothered that those who knew crochet had an "unfair" advantage, given that this is a sewing contest.
flipping old blankets is a time-honored tradition! giving an old piece new life is good !! if people are bothered, i would highly encourage them to go watch michelle jasek's recent video, "a no-crochet, crochet project" ^.^
enjoyed this ep a lot !! you are a fashion icon btw !!!
I got into the discussion of using used crochet items for clothing. I'm mainly a seamstress, but I love and do many things in the fiber world. I do embordiery, beadwork, I love making laces, and crocheting pieces, and more recently making my own yarn. I understand how much work goes into everything.
I'm currently working on my wedding dress. It's a late victorian style (black), I'm making an Irish lace top. I'm making the yards and yards of lace for the over skirt and well as the underskirts. When it's done, I will probably have 6+ months' worth of work on my dress (though I've given myself 2 years). I also plan to wear these pieces for a long time, not just that day (I history bound). I don't expect my child will want to wear it, or use it when I'm gone, that's fine I got my joy out of it. I wouldn't be mad if they got rid of it and someone else took it and cut it up to make it something they love either. At least it's still getting used and not in a landfill.
I remember my mother unravelling jumpers she had knitted to knit us new ones when we outgrew them. I also have inherited lots of fancywork from my grandmother and her numerous sisters. I have absolutely NO use for 12 dozen embroidered napkins, but I might be inspired to transfer the embroidered motifs onto something else. I have even less idea what to do with lacy dressing table and chair covers! So people reusing previously crafted stuff is just sensible imo
I worked in a care home and one of the ladies spent all day knitting and unravelling because she was low on wool. Just enjoying keeping her fingers busy.
Emma talking about how low stress this show is when the emotional distress it caused me as a child was so bad I had to stop watching it. I would cry every time someone I liked left😭
Oh no, another Emma In The Moment-video 😍 time to whip out my knitting-project!!
oh no! enjoy! :)
I'm curious what percentage of her audience knit/crochet. I don't, I'm just here for the drama!
So excited you're covering this!!! Absolutely loved this season. As a Brit I need to say, your RP accent was pretty accurate 😂 and your lil rendition of 'Donald Where's Your Troosers' was iconic af
*cries in knowing esme in real life as a tutor* - but for real she's an incredible pattern cutter and tutor, she is so respected in the business; even if I have seen her make my friends cry.
On the actual topic of the video - those that don't sell in charity/thrift shops will be exported to place likes Kantamanto Market in Ghana where clothing and textile waste has destroyed local textile industry and the local environment. As a knitwear designer I understand the emotions in seeing something someone put a lot of time and energy being cut up. However, the impact that is caused by it being shipped it abroad as waste is a more important issue that needs attention.
i actually laughed so hard at the pockets segment and "mr. long pockets" i had to pause the video
i burst out laughing i was not expecting them to be THAT long
7:16 Lady: You got a trick curve!! 😧 What are you gonna do??? 😵💫 Go slowly??? 🥵
Man: I’m gonna go very slowly 😐
God I need to watch this show
I love all the lil treats you jam-pack into these. Your videos are like jelly-doughnuts that I get to feast upon with my eyes and ears. 10/10.
I found this show a few years ago and after growing up on Project Runway this is so nice and calm and wholesome in comparison, although I will always remember Michael Kors describing a dress as "toilet paper in the wind".
I think the crochet blanket challenge was really lovely! It gives something that was once handcrafted and loved new life, rather than it being thrown away.
Oh, I really love this show, but sadly they broadcasted it in my country (Hungary) till season 4 or 5 I think. A light-hearted little competition, whith no screaming matches like in most US shows, no petty, annoying drama. And the judges always try to highlight the positive stuff in every garment the contestants make. :D
And also FYI, there is a same kind of show like this but with pottery. It's called The Great Pottery Throw Down. Mind you, I don't know anything about pottery, but it's soo fun to watch that show too.
There was a wife of an employee where I worked that donated a crocheted king size blanket to be bid on for a charity event. The highest bid was $5 ,one of the ladies that was running the event who also crochets added to the bid to bring it up to $50 because she was ashamed to have to tell the lady the piece had went for $5.
Always better to reuse than let something end up in the landfill or mothballed in a closet! I honestly don't understand why it's controversial to cut up a crocheted blanket that's already been donated to create something new and usable to the new owner. I've seen the same argument against using thrifted quilts. But every time I thrift I see loads of blankets that sadly people aren't buying or just aren't in the best shape for their original use.
I'm not *against* repurposing the blankets but I kinda understand why people get upset. I like to keep my possessions nice so I take good care of them. Something in me always cringes *super hard* when someone cuts up or repurposes almost anything lol even if it turns out cool. Like I have repainted My Little Ponys into other cool ponies (My Little Apocalypse Pony anyone?) but there's something about it that *feels* like your damaging history or something. My SO welds and they specialize in using old rusty tools in their sculptures and people LOVE it. But I can't help but cringe a bit when my SO uses a vintage tool or something rare or cuts them up. I have NO IDEA why I'm like this and I would never discourage someone from repurposing something especially if they got it from a thrift store but it just feels so destructive somehow even though something new (and useful) is being created.
With the crocheted blankets being upcycled, I think the baby blanket mentioned is the only one I was concerned about as a crocheter. Usually those are super sentimental.
That aside, knitting and crocheting is all about hand making fabric. And rather than seeing sweatshops abuse the craft, I'm glad the fabrics were treated with care and love by the designers.
Well, if they’re in a charity or second hand shop it kind of suggests someone didn’t feel sentimental about it. I think the sentimental value is assumed to be a lot bigger than it actually is, especially when it’s people who were babies in the 70s and 80s. Most of us had about 6 of those blankets, so unless one became a favourite of the kid for some reason, they were just a utility.
@@jaybee4118 It turns out that they were not bought in charity shops, they'd bought them from etsy and ebay, which yeh.
No but Baggy Trousers is such an iconic banger here in the UK! It has a dance that all dads are taught at birth 🕺
As a crocheter myself, i actually love the combination of sewing with crochet, not to mention how this show highlighted how cool and beautiful crochet work can be. Thanks for showing this!
There is one sewing bee episode where they turn sleeping bags into children’s costumes! It’s the second challenge but I can’t remember the season. I highly recommend that challenge!!
Season Five ❤
NOOOOOOOO! Please can we have sewer back. A sewer is one who sews and always has been until only recently. (Yes, a sewer is also where sewage runs.) I have been a sewer since 1959. Please don’t dismiss us old sewers just because someone turned their nose up at the other definition. Sewist also dismisses the terms seamstress and dressmaker, proud skills and professions. But it seems that tailors and quilters haven’t become sewists, thank heavens. Thank you for allowing an old lady a rant. 😂. Keep up the good work.
I'm a younger person who's used the term sewer for some time and didn't really hear the term sewist used around me until recently!
❤
I’m also a young person and think the word sewist sounds silly.
Is sewist an American term? I certainly don’t think it’s in common use in the U.K. The word is sewer.
I think Sewist took off in the early days of Blogging and I think just because of the way it looks on the page, not because of the spoken word itself. People wanted a gender-neutral word for someone that sews that doesn't conjure up thoughts of plumbing when looking at it on a page. I never felt it was a slight to people that want to be referred to as a seamstress or dressmaker, just another option to choose to self-identify;-) It's not my favorite, but I can understand how it came to be so popular.
PSA for those not in the UK: there is also a great pottery throwdown! The judge cries every episode and it’s one of the best things on tv
I love the Great British Sewing Bee. It's one of those quirky programmes that we British do so well. The contestants are always lovely people and although they are all obviously there to win, they help each other and there is no rivalry at all. Some other tv shows where there is outright nastiness could learn a thing or two. I knit and I crochet but this show inspired me to revive my sewing skills again.
Season 2 of the sewing bee is the best one, that's the one I'd encourage people to watch if nothing else (but watch it all, it's great). It has the best contestants and the best variety of projects I think ....it's what personally got me into sewing and now I'm 10 years on still sewing.
I LOVE the great British sewing bee!! Been watching with my mum for a few years now. I’d also recommend the great Australian bake-off and the great pottery throw down which can make me cry because one of the judges just loves the art of pottery so much and feels the works that he’s been known to tear up. Love love love this genre of competition shows rather than typical American style ones
If someone received the blanket as a gift, I think I would also feel a bit pained watching them cut it up into an outfit. But if you bought it at a thrift store, you're clearly not wasting the creator's efforts. You are using it
sewing bee is probably my favourite show ever! i watch every season when it comes out, and the format is great: 1st challenge to test technique, 2nd challenge for creativity, and 3rd for general ability and proficiency in both! it makes it feel really balanced and as the show progresses you get to the contestants develop their skills in all areas.
a great example of this in season 9 was asmaa, she is such a precise sewer! (definitely her surgery skills ngl, and the fact that she primarily made lingerie) but it was great to watch her get steadily more creative in the transformation challenges.
my favourite contestants in season 9 were probably tony r and mia, but season 9 was a great season with amazing contestants.
if i had to reccomend a season it would probably be the one that happened in lockdown (i forgot the number) the contestants all had great chemistry because they were all living with each other for the course of show to prevent contamination.
it definitely made the eliminations much more interesting and emotional!
I really enjoyed this reuse of blankets, and when I got together with my crafting friends, we were all talking about it, and how well the outfits came out. There is also The Great Pottery Throw Down, new season is happening now.
I buy blankets & yarn from thrift stores. It gives it new life! I love finding old "brand new" skeins & thinking of whose shelf it's been sitting on for years and now I'm finally going to use it for a project & give it purpose.
At a local thrift I found old skeins from Kmart in 80's they still had their $1.37 price tag on them. I really like the Orlon acrylic style & I can only seem to find it in thrifting.
I’ve been watching sewing bee since the first series aired when I was a kid and it’s honestly one of my favourite shows of all time and I look forward to it every year. That being said, the crochet challenge was so hard to watch, to the point where my family were making fun of me cringing every time one of them cut a blanket. And the woman who used her kid’s baby blanket… that just made me sad.
I’m British and I absolutely love sewing bee, I do also enjoy watching Patrick. I’ve never missed an episode.But what I really like about sewing bee is that although it’s a competition the sewers do help each other out. If you start from season 1 you’ll notice that it has a different format to latter seasons.
Crochet makes a FABRIC. Just because someone created a fabric and called it a blanket, that doesn’t mean that blanket can’t then become something else. Double crochet is not sacred, it’s a practical stitch with a functional purpose.
Not gonna lie for the first chunk of this video I forgot it was about craft drama and just thought you were talking about an episode you enjoyed
Sewing Bee is one of my favourite “reality” competition shows…Asmah’s creations were amazing. You have another 9 seasons to get through and it’s a roller coaster! And yes Patrick is a dream…Saville row tailor and not bad on the eyes to boot…and his chemistry as a judge with Esme is much better than with May
Wait people are mad that we are reusing yarn and crochet items as eco crafters?? If you unravel a sweater and never use the yarn, then yeah that is wasteful. But if you turn an item from something no one wears/uses into something you can love and use for many years… I think thats a great way to give a piece new life and new purpose, nothing new was bought and nothing old was wasted, I think thats great
I laughed so hard at Emma holding Marmite and beans during the ad 😂😂
Thank you so much for mentioning that amateur sewers need not worry themselves about scrap fabric waste. I haven’t actually gotten into sewing yet in practice, but I’m building a knowledge bank to work on and a primary goal/roadblock for my practice lies in the sustainability of it all. Throwing in the line keeps me from being paranoid and afraid of starting
Try to remember that part of the sustainability of making your own clothes is cutting back on the human labor exploitation that happens in the fashion industry. It’s not just in the textile!
Besides you can keep your scraps and use them as pocket linings, to make small repairs to the garment, quilts, or even shredded into a kind of stuffing (albeit a very dense and “firm” kind).
You don’t have to do any of these things and you’re still much less wasteful than fast fashion!! But I enjoy finding fun uses for the little pieces left over. ❤
Just don't carelessly cut the fabrics. Planning ahead, figured how to lay the pattern without creating a lots of scraps. (I mean try to leave the leftover fabric mostly intact, not in a bunch of little pieces. Got it? English isn't my first language and I feel like I can explain well enough)
I hated the zero waste patterns that says it's easy "just gather!!". I hated puffy stuffs. If I did that kind of garment. I would never wear it. So I would rather create some scraps better than make a gather zero waste garment I'll never wear.
as a british person who watches sewing bee i have too many things to comment about this video but for now i will say that it made me giggle very much so thank you
The sewing bee is soemthing me and my mum watch together I remember this challenge haha. I specifically love you pointing out the fun music because a lot of it is like niche 70s and 80s stuff and pretty much every episode my mum goes “whoever’s picking the music must be the same age as me” (we have been watching the show as it airs since the first episode so I have heard it a lot haha) but the thematic choose of music are fun!!
My thing with the crochet blankets is -- how do we know they weren't made specifically for this challenge? They could have hired people to make them for the show, even tho it is recycled themed. Shows need to be efficient and something like this challenge means you need to be fair with the blankets; same size yarn, same size blanket, same stitch, etc. Itis just as likely that they made it for the show as it is for them to look at thrift stores for them.
I'm kinda new to crochet but I see a lot of people use crochet blankets or unfinished crochet projects and see them together to make a new blanket or clothing or bags, etc. A large part of crochet/sewing for me is enjoyment but also slowing down my consumption of poorly made products. Reusing unused but still decent material is a phenomenal way to do this and it can be much cheaper than buying new fabric/yarn.
The winner of the first series, Ann Rowley, was a knitter - AnnR on Ravelry. Also crocheted.
"Do you always talk to yourself?"
"...Yeah, don't we all, really?"
i love sewing bee! we call in clothes bake off in our house lol. the seasons with joe lycett hosting are my fav, but for some reason series 7 is very near and dear to my heart
i like the long pockets. lol. I think it could hold my switch!
time too get into those WIPs, since you've uploaded 😅 also, im only a few minutes in and I already love the editing ❤
It's such a new idea that items are meant for one thing, and I think people forget that. Quilts were often made of scrap pieces, and many still are.
Genuinely, part of why finding extant garments is so hard, is because the items people used would get repurposed into something new. Making fabric used to be a very difficult process, so you didn't waste it. That's all that's happening here.
I've been watching the Sewing Bee since series 1, I'm a huge fan and it got me sewing. I love Patrick, he's great and has softened up a lot since series 1, and Esme is a much better judge than May was, she reminds me of Edna Mode from the Incredibles 😅 I found it very painful to watch them cut the blankets up as a crocheter, but there were some great garments made. You might want to check out some more British competition shows if you like this, like The Great Pottery Throw Down or Britain's Best Woodworker (both channel 4).
I agree re: Patrick’s personality coming out from season two onwards ❤
TV Licensing when they realise people in the US are watching BBC without a license (but their magic detector vans cant reach america): 😮😤
This isn't the controversy that popped into my mind when I think GBSB, but then I remembered you're a knitter/crocheter. The big one I remember is Brogan (from the previous season). Social media was crucifying her. She made a stunning dress that didn't fit the brief, and they didn't eliminate her.
Yes - Brogan's non-elimination was the controversy that I thought of as well!
I can understand the horror (*the horror!*) but the one that made me eep was when you said that someone brought in their own blanket that had been given to them. Beyond that yeah it’s sad but it’s good that a lot of them understood crochet enough to respect how they were made and work with the construction of the original piece, and a lot of the results looked like they could have been made that way intentionally the first time around.
We don't live in a museum. Modifying objects to fit in your home amongst your possessions is a part of life and the history of the object. Years from now, those sweaters made from upcycled blankets will be beloved for their story of metamorphosis, but in the present we see it as a value-distroying betrayal.
"This is one of my grandmother's cardigans. She made it out of a thrifted blanket someone else's grandmother must've made. Isn't it cool? I wear it to the shop on cold days".