| FILMING | 30th/31st August 2019 |
| AIR DATE | 22nd April 2020 |
| CHALLENGE | Pattern Challenge – Wrap Skirt |
| TIME ALLOWED | 3.5 Hours |
| POSITION | 8th out of 12 |
It was an early start on the first morning of filming. Time for a hearty breakfast to give me the energy for a full day of sewing. While having breakfast, we were all mic’ed up by the sound crew and then we were off for our first vox-pop (from the latin phrase Vox populi or voice of the people). We were asked a variety of questions like what are you excited about? how are you feeling? are you nervous? Of course I am!
We all then headed to the cafe in Tanner Street Park to film the ‘breakfast’ shots with croissants and pastries, these were then moved aside and replaced with sandwiches and we filmed the ‘lunch’ shots. We all became experts in nodding, smiling and giving pensive expressions by the end of this.
And so onto the studio at Tanner Street, where we had access to ‘the flat’, an area where we could relax, have a cup of tea and eat our delicious meals from the catering van.
We finally gathered ourselves at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the sewing room. We were shown on a diagram what workstation we would be at and tried to remember and not forget in the excitement! This was the biggest Bee ever, with 12 contestants and 10 episodes so we were crammed into the room.
Finally, the moment had come. We waited for our cue and then ‘action’ we walked up the stairs and into the famous sewing room. We started exploring the room, the haberdashery and our workstations. It was nice to discover that we all had a selection of snacks and sweets under our desks, no doubt to give us the energy to get us through the day! Once we had all settled and got over the excitement, it was down to business and the first challenge…
“There’s one single thread holding the button on” – Patrick
Gathered at the front, cameras on us, Joe, Patrick and Esme entered the room for the first time, and this was also the first time we had met them. Esme clutching a handful of patterns passed them over to be handed out. OK, I thought, a wrap skirt, not too tricky for a first challenge, should ease us into things nicely. I’ve sewn skirts before, so I had a fair bit of confidence with this one. What I wasn’t too sure about was the camera being stuck in my face as soon as something goes wrong. As soon as you quietly say to yourself ‘oh s**t’, a camera pops up from nowhere. Of course you’re all mic’ed up and the studio gallery can hear you, and as soon as the director here’s something going wrong the camera is sent your way.
I chose a yellow cotton floral fabric, which I felt had a good weight for a skirt. I also thought it would probably be easier to sew and press than some of the other fabrics that were available. The only issue I really had was with the rouleau loops. I’ve never made them before, and trying to turn this thin piece of fabric out, turned out to be problematic. I asked the woman in front of me, I couldn’t remember her name, was it Ali or Fiona? My mind went blank. But it was Fiona, and I did eventually remember everyone’s name! Fiona was great and helped me with the rouleau loop tool.
This was of course the first time I had met Joe, Patrick and Esme and they periodically came around to see how we were getting on. It’s all a blur now, that first meeting, but I’m sure I nervously said something!
I was running out of time and hurried to sew on the button. It was a big blue one, not the best choice to match the fabric. Despite the design having blue, I found it quite silly. But with only five minutes left, I had to make do.
The judging felt like it took forever. Standing in the heat with the other contestants, we waited for our turn. My creation wasn’t perfect, but it was done just in time. I ended up in 8th place out of 12, not too bad for my first challenge. Now it was time for a cup of tea and lunch before facing my biggest fear, the transformation challenge.