| FILMING | 27th/28th September 2019 |
| AIR DATE | 3rd June 2020 |
| CHALLENGE | Made to Measure – 80’s Cocktail Dress |
| PATTERN USED | Self-drafted, inspired by the Alexis Carrington Barbie doll |
| MATERIALS USED | Bodice and Skirt – Gold Satin Foil Fabric Peplum and Sleeves – Gold Crushed Lame |
| TIME ALLOWED | 5.5 Hours |
I was really excited for this challenge. I had drafted my own pattern to match the dress of the Alexis Carrington doll I had, which was a gift from a friend. I had practiced at home and it all went well. I didn’t think anything would go wrong! I really wanted this to be one of my best makes.
I started with the bodice, but when I fitted it, it was way too small. I was sure that I had measured everything correctly. It occurred to me however that the fabric I used at home had some stretch to it. This was a different fabric as the practice fabric was out of stock, and it had no stretch! I knew I could fix this, I’ll just recut the two back panels again, and it will be fine, not too much time lost. I managed to get it to fit, phew, now onto the skirt.
“It’s a disaster” – Me
“You still got a gold dress with a big peplum” – Patrick
I got the skirt made, fitted that and again it was too small! How did I get my measurements so wrong! We broke for lunch, and after explaining to Terese what had happened, she suggested that I add a godet in the back of the skirt to give me that extra bit of width that I needed. Genius!
I went back to the sewing room with a bit more determination, cutting a godet from the fabric I had for the sleeves and adding it in. It worked, and didn’t look too bad. Thank you Terese! Right onto the sleeves. The sleeves were one long flounce that got sewn in and around the arm hole a couple of times. The time was running out, I felt the pressure, and I sewed them in incorrectly. It was a disaster! I couldn’t afford any more mistakes and this was a massive clanger! I think this is the first time someone had swore on Sewing Bee and had to be beeped out!
I couldn’t concentrate anymore, I needed to get out of there and get some fresh air and try to take stock of what had happened. I slowly and calmly walked out of the sewing room. The Daily Express described it as storming out, but then you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the newspapers! Patrick was really supportive and gave me the encouragement that I needed. I just had to finish the dress and make sure my model had something to wear, which I did, even though the sewing was probably one of the worst things I had ever done. From a distance though it looked OK. If I hadn’t won the pattern challenge, I would have been a goner this week, thank god for 80’s power jackets and Terese for giving me the idea of inserting a godet!
“You had a few problems….I’m absolutely amazed how well you dealt with it.” – Esme
