- Last time... - Aha!
..it was Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Week.
These look a bit like poo bags.
Anna's 18th-century gown...
It's brilliant.
..took the crown.
CHEERING
Tim's knickers...
I'm just stretching everything!
..got him in a twist.
It's all over the place.
But it was Angie...
My bobbin's just ran out, that's the end of that.
..whose sewing room dreams...
Angie.
..ended up as scrap.
It's been so special. I feel really fortunate.
This time...
Hola, guapa!
..we celebrate Mexico...
- I've even got my little Frida Kahlo pin on. - Oh, nice!
..with a guest judge...
Wow. For me, this is a piece of art.
..a fiddly folkloric top...
Oh, shoot.
..a transformation that scares them rigid...
Oh!
..and a fiesta-inspired made-to-measure.
It's a party so it should look the part.
Who will win the carnival crown?
That was really good.
And for which sewer is the party over?
Sometimes you do the most idiotic things.
I don't.
MUSIC: The Great British Sewing Bee theme by Ian Livingstone
Mexico Week. Hola, guapa!
I do teach Spanish
to seven-year-olds so I can do the basics.
Uno, dos, tres... No! That's not even... Is it?
When I think of Mexico, I think of vivid colours
and just really vibrant scenes.
What does spring to mind? Margaritas!
Hola, mi amigos! Come forward.
Close your eyes.
I'm going to transport you to another land.
You're not cold and cranky in a converted mill in Yorkshire.
No, no.
LAUGHTER
That's not drizzle you hear.
That's somebody shaking you up a margarita...
..because you're in Mexico!
- Wow. - Do you feel it? Yes! THEY REPLY CHEERILY
So, this week's theme is Mexico -
a beautiful country rich in cultural heritage
and with a long history of fashion and textiles.
And joining our fabulous judges here is a special guest judge -
Erika Alvarez.
APPLAUSE
Erika Alvarez is a fashion entrepreneur
whose work showcases Mexican craftsmanship.
We have across 68 indigenous communities in Mexico
and plenty of colourful and beautiful designs
to share with the world.
Her collections blend traditional textiles with contemporary design.
The only way to impress is to be unique
and put soul in what you are doing.
Hello!
I'm Erika Alvarez. I'm very pleased to be here
to celebrate Mexican fashion and textiles this week.
Esme, what have you got for them?
Here we go.
- I'm going to keep it for myself. - Aw.
Wowzy.
So, we've given you a pattern for a Mexican folkloric top.
It's loose-fitting, and it's got ribbon and braid on it.
It's a simple top, so we are expecting beautiful decoration,
perfectly spaced and perfectly sewn.
The fabrics that you will be using today
are made by people in the Oaxaca region on a loom
from recycled cotton.
You've got 3½ hours. Vamos!
CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM
The sewers are limited to one length of Oaxacan fabric.
- Oh, I was going to go for that. - I'm sorry.
But they can choose however much trim they'd like to embellish it.
Is that too many? I don't want to be greedy here.
Grab it, take it, figure it out.
I've never worked with something as beautiful as this.
I can't stop touching it!
I wanted the beige
but I wasn't willing to have a scrap with Anna about it.
HE CHUCKLES
Essentially, the back and the front is just one piece
and it's folded with a hole for your head.
Simple patterns are quite scary
because they need to be really precisely done.
So, Erika, talk me through this top.
In Mexico, we have plenty of designs for this folkloric top.
In the communities that I work with,
the designs portray how they see the environment they are living.
So, apart from the ribbon on the top and the one on the bottom,
I'm looking to see the creativity inside this space.
On the pattern,
we have marked where the outside
of the outside ribbon needs to go,
which will then dictate where they put any subsequent ribbons.
- Because it's very simple, the sewing has to be accurate. - Yeah.
Everything is in parallel lines,
and if they're not, it'll be very obvious.
Is there anything else they need to consider?
They have to go round the corner.
They've got to mitre the nice, clean right angle.
We've also asked them to put the facing on
before they sew this last line of braid
and that is to secure the facing behind -
so it is important that they do it in the right order.
Well, I can't wait to see how they get on.
- Viva Mexico! - Oh! Viva Mexico!
It's really cool that it's hand-woven fabric.
It does make it feel much more special to work with.
Part of me's crying inside because it's so pretty,
I got cutting anxiety.
The Mexican folkloric top is made from two patterned pieces
and lengths of trim.
First, interfacing is fused to the neck-facing piece,
and then put to one side.
Next, the sewers position
their choice of outermost and innermost ribbons,
leaving space in between
to get creative with their own unique design.
Once happy with how they're arranged,
each ribbon is topstitched in place along all of its edges,
folding at each corner to create a neat mitre.
Before topstitching the innermost ribbon,
the neck hole is cut out,
and the facing is attached and turned through for a clean finish.
The final ribbon is then topstitched in place,
securing the facing behind.
The top is folded at the shoulders
and side seams are sewn up to the armhole.
Finally, the armholes and hem
are turned under and stitched
and the top is given a final press.
- Hello! - Hello.
You chose a nice colour.
It's, like, really open to put many colours as you want.
That's exactly what I was thinking.
I sort of wanted a neutral background,
and then I've gone for a variety of coloured ribbons.
Ooh. They are all different colour palettes
so it's a little bit... challenging, I guess.
- I cannot picture it well in my head. - I don't know if I can't either!
- Hopefully, it'll tie together on there... - Yeah.
- Let's hope so. - Yeah.
"Fuse interfacing to the facing piece."
Just making sure I've got the right side of the interfacing down
to make sure that the glue is definitely
going to go on the fabric and not my iron.
It's amazing, actually, to think of the people who sat and made this.
It's a real handmade fabric.
I feel like I just really want to do it justice.
I don't want it to come all the way to England and then get butchered.
Oh, shoot.
Oh, I'm having a bit of a nightmare with this.
I put my iron on too hot, melted my interfacing.
Right. We're just going to patch it. It's fine. Everything's fine.
- Hola! - Hola, Sophie.
- Have you been to Mexico? - I haven't been to Mexico.
- To be honest, I can't really afford the sun cream. - Right!
I'd need that much sun cream for all my family.
- What factor do you wear? - Factor 50. - I do. - And all my kids.
I think that's just wise, in't it? You keep safe.
Now, we are starting to do the trims and the braids, I think.
With trims in all sorts of thicknesses and colours on offer...
Pink, blue, pink, blue. Yes.
..the sewers must decide how to arrange them
for the strongest visual impact.
I've managed to pick ones that are all of slightly different width,
so I think maybe we're going to go chunky, and work our way down.
So, I'll do one of this because if you do a really wide one,
you're going to have to put the others really tight and narrow.
- Hello! - Good morning. - Good morning, good morning.
You've gone with all quite
- thin ones, haven't you? - Yeah.
Have you any idea how to accommodate all the ribbons?
I will be going from thin to thick,
or going from thin to thick, thin to thick.
You haven't really got any thick, though.
That's slightly thicker.
- That's what you're calling the thicker one. OK. - OK...
You need to think, do you prefer more plain or more crowded?
Just placing my teal and gold ribbons on.
They're all quite jazzy - it being Mexico.
As the sewers change the direction of their trim...
It's just about turning 90 degrees twice,
so you end up with a 45-degree fold.
..they need to form mitred corners for an elegant finish.
A mitre in carpentry looks really nice
because they go together at a 90.
But with fabric, there's so much wiggle and movement,
that makes it a little bit harder.
I did my trim before and it didn't work out very well,
so I'm trying to make sure I get this right.
The instructions say to pin. And, as you can see, I am not pinning.
Oh, look at that. I've managed to pattern match my little ribbon join.
Oh.
Now, that, sadly, does not look right. But there we go. Ugh.
It's gone pretty well.
I've pinned all the outer edge. Looks pretty good.
Once decided on the layout of their ribbons,
the sewers can start attaching them.
I'm just sewing on my first ribbon.
I am so nervous, my arm hurts.
My corners look really neat. So far, so good.
- Hola! - Hello. - Are you excited for Mexico Week? - I am, yeah.
- I've even got my little Frida Kahlo pin on. - Oh, nice!
Oh... She's not Mexican, though, is she?
- Yeah. Frida Kahlo. - She is Mexican? - Yeah, yeah.
- I thought she was Nicaraguan, actually. - Oh? Was she?
- No, she was Mexican. - Oh, no, she is Mexican!
I've got one layer of trim attached.
So, now, I have to do this all over again.
You're halfway through!
Okey-dokey.
I'm just putting my second ribbon on.
It's quite a stretchy fabric, like the lace, but I think it looks nice.
I just need to make sure that the gap between the two ribbons
stays constant.
Oh, God.
Some of my spacing is not,
like, millimetre perfect.
Maybe I should have pinned.
So, you've had a look around now.
They're all very creative, aren't they?
Yeah. Different perspective, different taste.
The folkloric top is what they're making today.
But what are the other Mexican outfits?
So, this is a huipil -
a sacred garment usually worn by women in Mexico and Central America.
This one is from Yucatan.
Here we have a huipil from Oaxaca.
Just the people that belongs to those communities
have the right to create them.
And the names of the garments, they are also sacred.
This is a huipil - this is not a blouse or a kaftan.
So, what's the difference between the folkloric top and the huipil?
A folkloric top is their own interpretation,
using their own creativity
of a blouse that can represent the Mexican culture.
- So, I wait to see. - Yeah. Exciting.
Una hora!
- Jeepers! - One hour left.
I'm happy with the ribbons.
I now need to cut out the neck hole
and attach the facing.
A well-sown facing creates a neat, stable neckline.
I'm going to stitch around,
and then I'm going to sort of fold it inside,
and that means you won't have any visible raw edges.
The facing needs to be added before the last ribbon
for the ribbon to secure it inside.
So, I've sewn all my ribbons.
I'm just about to do my facing.
Uh-oh.
I think I've done this wrong.
Have you?
Yes. I've put my neckline ribbon on already,
so that's going to be tricky.
Aye-yi-yi!
MINNIE SIGHS
How are you getting on?
- Uh, not great. - What do you mean, not great?
MINNIE CHUCKLES AWKWARDLY
- I did the neckline ribbon before I put the facing on. - Oh...
- You shouldn't have told me. - I know!
I'm just stitching on my last row of ribbon.
It's just a little bit wobbly.
- Have you been to Mexico? - I haven't. I like the food.
Where's the best place you've been?
There's a few in Brighton that I quite like. Um...
Sorry, no, I don't mean Mexican restaurants!
Oh, I thought... What are you on about?
- I mean, where's the best place you've travelled to? - Oh, travelled
- in general! - But if Brighton to a Mexican restaurant
is as far as you've gone...
- Yeah, that is pretty much it. - ..that's quite bleak, isn't it?
That is bleak.
The innermost one is meant to sit 5mm from the neckline edge,
but there's about a centimetre available.
SHE GIGGLES NERVOUSLY
So I'm thinking I might just make this trim really narrow
and use the snippet that's coming off!
So it's going to be really tricky to sew.
Treinta minutos!
That's 30 minutes.
I'm glad she translated it then.
Side seams and armholes.
Match the side seams, and stitch.
You sew down the sides,
and then you cut a little notch for the armholes.
OK.
I think I'm happy, but it's hard to tell until it's done
and you can step away and look from it.
But I've had no disasters.
"Topstitch just under 1cm from the edge."
But that'll cut into your ribbon.
- Does that cut into your ribbon, Anna? - No.
Oh...just me, then!
I don't think I've sewn it particularly beautifully,
to be honest.
We have a tunic, and it just needs a hem and a press.
Oh, no. I think I have cocked up my ribbons.
Mine is far closer together,
whereas everyone else's seems down to the waist.
I've completely got it wrong.
Ten minutes left!
Awoogah!
I'm just trying to bodge that neck hole
to pretend that I didn't do it wrong.
Nothing's wrong here. Nothing to see, nothing to see.
I'm just going to press it now.
Busy unpicking this little corner.
But it's not massively wrong - it's just been ironed incorrectly.
Sometimes you do the most idiotic things.
I don't.
I'm sure you don't, darling.
"Uno" minuto!
Argh...
Get your mannequins dressed!
Got threads everywh... Oh, no.
In a bit of a tangle here.
Just got to trim that off.
I'm not super pleased with it.
I know that my ribbons aren't mathematically quite right.
Wow, that's so cute.
I'm just gutted.
It is what it is.
Tiempo arriba!
Needles up, sewers!
Love it.
I've got it finished. So...phew.
- It's not sewn accurately at all. - No, neither is mine.
MUSIC: Marimar by Thalia
# Marima, au! Costenita soy... #
Nine Mexican folkloric tops made in just 3½ hours.
So, judges, what do you think?
Very emotional to see Mexico here.
Yeah, they look terrific...
..from here!
LAUGHTER
# Siempre manda el amor. #
To me, it looks really Mexican.
Mixing the black with the plain make it look more folkloric.
The quality of the construction is really first rate.
The spacing between braids looks really even.
Beautiful, sharp mitring.
Slightly imperfect at that corner but I'm being very, very nitpicky.
You have sewn it really nicely.
Your corners, particularly on the narrower ribbons,
are nicely mitred.
Beautiful, neat, straight lines.
Lovely, even spacing.
The facing's put in pretty well.
But these narrow ones sort of disappear.
Maybe you could have used a thicker one to give more shape.
I think it's a cracking combination.
I mean, it does look very traditional folk.
I like that you've done four lines because it's giving it more impact.
Did you freehand these?
Yeah. I find when I pin, it's less accurate than when I just sew.
There are a couple of bits where the spacing has gone a little bit awry.
But super-neat facing. Beautiful corners.
These kind of ribbon that you chose -
for me, is like my kind of combination.
But you were meant to make the ribbon lower.
Yeah. I realised at the very end that I'd miss my line altogether.
You've sewn it really, really nicely.
The neckline,
all of your corners are really nice and neat.
It just is missing a pretty crucial section that we'd asked for,
and so we have to kind of mark you down for that.
This knitted braid with the base fabric is really beautiful.
But it was quite stretchy, so quite tricky to sew.
Yeah. I don't like some details.
This ribbon is a little bit wrinkled, maybe.
- But I think, in general, it's a good combination of colours. - Thank you.
The thickness of the ribbons matches.
You've put the facing in well.
The application of this top ribbon, it's odd!
It's just a bit agricultural-looking.
Yeah, I really like it.
Oh, yay.
You managed to make it glamorous.
The balance between the thick one, medium and a really thin one -
it's perfect.
Where was this one from?
It's the same, actually, as the other one, but I trimmed it down.
That's what I thought.
It's very nicely made, actually.
Great spacing with that first row around the neck.
Beautiful straight lines.
You've absolutely nailed the corners.
- Spot-on. - Thank you.
I don't know what you've done here
but you've got this tape right on the edge of the neck hole.
I did read the instruction but I should have left
the neck tape after the facing.
- All right. - I was going to pretend it didn't happen. - Well...
..you pretend all you like!
It's a shame.
And, actually,
I'd like you to have a thicker ribbon,
because these are very subtle.
I mean, there's a catalogue of errors.
You've marked the line, but then you've sewn your tape
on the wrong side of the line.
That means you've got no room at the side seam,
you've got no room at the armhole.
Didn't you put this on first?
Yeah, I did the same as Minnie. You've got no gap.
I just think it's a big shame that this is too low.
- Yeah. - And that you sewed this before you put the facing on.
C'est la vie.
SOPHIE: The judges will now rank the folkloric tops from last to first.
In ninth place, it's Tim.
One mistake led to another mistake.
One of those we're going to chalk off to experience.
Eighth place is for Minnie
because the ribbon was put first before the facing.
Heather is in seventh place.
Adele in sixth.
Lewis fifth.
Rebecca fourth.
And Emma is third.
Second place...
..is Anna.
I really, really like the mix of colours.
- Very artistic. - Thank you.
So, in first place is Beth.
APPLAUSE
- You did a really good job. - Thank you.
So I just came first, which is pretty cool!
I feel like, up to this point,
it's been quite bridesmaid territory for me -
which is a great role. I mean, like, who doesn't want to be a bridesmaid?
But I'm really happy to have come first in this one.
I was just gutted because I really liked the top.
And then as soon as I looked around, and I was like,
something's off.
And then I clocked it, and I was like, oh!
Frankly, I've had better days at the office.
An error just got compounded, and I knew I'd made it.
But we're not going to dwell on it -
we're going to move onwards and upwards.
MARIACHI FANFARE ENDING
Now it's time for the Transformation Challenge,
where you take something old and unwanted
and turn it into something nuevo y fantastico.
So, Patrick, what are you going to have them do?
We're hoping to see something slick.
- ALL: - Oh!
We're giving you manteles de hule - or oilskin tablecloths.
We use manteles de hule in Mexico for indoors and outdoors tables.
This stuff is pretty stiff,
so we want you to use the structure to create a sculptural garment.
You can take one tablecloth each.
You're allowed fastenings but you can't take any decorative trim.
What we want is the tablecloth to do the talking.
So, the judges can't be here for this,
so they'll be bobbing off to bash a pinata.
Adios!
You have an hour and a half. Your time starts...now.
Oh...
They are big, aren't they?
Ooh. Should I go for something different? No, I like this one.
I've never made anything out of a tablecloth before,
let alone an oilskin tablecloth!
I really need this challenge to go very well.
Yeah. Transformation does not come easy to me at all.
I've got some nice tablecloths from my mum and dad's house.
One of them my dad acquired from the reception area of a hotel.
And on the way home in the car, my mum was saying,
"That tablecloth was so beautiful. I love that tablecloth."
And my dad went, "This tablecloth?"
# Si, senor! #
So, a manteles de hule?
It's really traditional.
Last time I saw one was in my grandma's place,
so it's quite funny to see now what they are going to create.
I'm really excited to see what they come up with
because it's so sculptural.
It can stand up on its own.
They can use this fabric to make some amazing shapes.
Imagine if they gather it, it would be...phew!
- They could gather it, pleat it, they can fold it. - Yes.
It probably will be quite difficult to sew, actually.
We've said they can't use any other decorative trim
but they could use the pattern to create the effect of decoration.
Yeah. They need to think what it looks at the front, the back,
and what it looks at the sides.
- It really needs to be something that takes our attention, I guess. - Yes.
Well, this challenge is going to be...no picnic!
It's very stiff, like, you know, I can put it up
and it's not going to really fall down that much.
Oopsie-daisies!
Mm-hm...
So, my idea is to make a dress
that's almost like a slinky, by piling circles together.
I just quite like the circles and I feel like
I can use them in an interesting way.
I think I'm going to make a skirt.
Could be a top. It's just got to be, like, big.
I'm going to try it with pleats and puffed out.
I do like a puffy sleeve. It is very me.
When life gives you oranges on a tablecloth,
try and botch together a coat.
Hello.
- You seem quite jolly. - Yeah. I mean...
- Is it just a facade? - I feel like I'm at a point with these now
where you've just got to do some sewing.
- Sort of jolly nihilism? - Exactly. Yeah.
- I enjoy jolly nihilism. - Yeah.
- It can lead to some pretty good nights out. - Yeah, yeah!
I saw the fabric and instantly thought parka, the Gallaghers,
because I just thought waterproof jacket,
like, a big circle kind of shape.
And then maybe, like, a really boxy hood.
I want to make a gown.
I want to add ruffles.
I quite like the brief because
there's lots of different directions you could take it.
Yeah. But, obviously, the direction is always going to be pink.
- Yes, I went pink. - Yes.
So I've created this sort of fan shape.
- Ooh, nice. - So that's going to be the bodice.
- And I feel like that's pretty sculptural. - Oh, gorgeous, yes!
I've decided to make a bodice in the shape of a kind of fan.
Well, I'm putting in a zip.
I thought I'd just make a kind of basic top
and covering in as much 3D fans as I can.
A battle of the fans!
If they've got fans on it, so have I!
Hola, guapa!
What have you had a few guapos in your time?
- That's my husband there. - Oh, he's lovely.
- Yeah, he's guapo. - Yeah, he's very handsome.
He was a piano player.
I'd love to play an instrument.
- Do you sing? - I can beatbox.
SHE BEATBOXES
- I got a bit overexcited. - I mean, that was really good.
- Was it? - Yeah, that was really good. - Says the musician!
SHE BEATBOXES A FINALE
Sewers, you're halfway through!
Oh...
It's looking pretty sculptural so far.
Those are my top two circles.
I'm going for redemption on the hoods.
Huge.
It's a very tricky fabric. It's hard to fold it.
I don't know if it'll gather very well.
Ooh. Maybe it could be quite fun if the shapes were actually
attached with a zip.
It's funny how we've both gone for fans.
Well, we both had the same thought.
It's structural fabric, how do you get strength?
Yeah, how do you get strength?
There's room enough, I think, for multiple "fannage"!
The colour's fab, isn't it?
- It goes well with your dress, doesn't it? - I'm Mexican themed.
I can't sew, but I can bring a little bit of Mexican energy.
ADELE SIGHS
What is it, Adele?
It's a puffy-sleeve thing, but it doesn't fit.
So, I've picked out some colours from the tablecloth for the zips.
I didn't know that this was in my brain, but apparently it is!
Added my sleeve, so it's looking more structural now.
We've got the circular, we've got the boxy.
I'm making a very, very quick pair of panniers.
They wanted sculptural.
It was too small, so I've put, like, a lace thing on the back.
But I need just to put some sort of peplum on the bottom.
The judges, um, are probably looking for
something a bit more sculptural than what I've done.
Sewers, you've got 15 minutes!
SHE EXHALES
Please tell me that's enough now.
My strategy is to sew as many fans on until we run out of time.
I really like the round shapes, so that's why I've kind of got
these random little round patches.
I've now attached the circular sleeve straps.
Yeah, that looks really cool.
I'm still doing a hood, but I'm going to do it as a square,
so in the way I've done the shoulders.
I'm trying for the peplum.
So it's all one great big ruffle.
Oh, it's going to be such a joy to sew!
You've got five minutes!
Pfft!
I'm wondering whether, like, I could make, like, a little beret.
It has definitely evolved from a bodice.
I thought I'd try and use up this triangle that I'd already made
and make some kind of a bag.
Oh, I can't work out how to sew that. Ah, bother it.
The tablecloth is doing a lot of talking.
ZIP RATTLES
Come on...breathe in.
Can I get this on the mannequin?
CLATTERING
So sorry!
"Uno" minutos!
I'm just going to tie it on.
Oh, panic, panic, panic!
It's definitely giving shower cap because of the material.
It's certainly structured.
I'm trying to thread this, but I keep shaking.
Needles up, sewers, that's your time.
HE CHUCKLES HOARSELY
Bring your mannequins forward
and muddle them up a little bit.
Ooh, look at all the fans!
They're going to be well impressed with these, I think.
They're certainly sculptural.
MUSIC: Viva Mexico
# Soy pura mexicana Nacida en este suelo
# En esta hermosa tierra Que es mi linda nacion... #
Nine manteles de hule transformed into sculptural silhouettes
in just 90 minutes.
And the judges don't know whose is whose.
It's definitely a fiesta.
- # Viva Mexico - Viva! - Viva Mexico - Viva... #
Wow. Right. OK.
They've used the stiffness of the oil cloth
to really dramatic effect.
I'm a bit intrigued by this.
Do you think it would be comfortable?
Maybe the sleeves are too tight.
I'm not sure if it will be my favourite piece
just because it looks really like a balloon.
This person's really had fun.
I like the matching hat.
And I really like these circles so they can cover the back.
It's super sculptural.
The whole thing, I think, hangs together really nicely.
We have quite a famous sweet called a flying saucer
in exactly this shape,
and it reminds me of that, as well, in a nice way.
They've picked out the colours of the fruits
and matched those with the colours of the zips.
I really like that you can remove these things.
- We could take this off. - Yeah. - It's a scarf.
This is fabulous.
I love the front. It's all pleated.
You've got this beautiful sunray coming out of the centre.
And then we've got this lovely kickout, and it is super sculptural.
It's my kind of dress.
Maybe next time that I visit my grandma, wear this!
It looks a little bit like a raincoat.
I really like the back.
I think these sleeves are hilarious
and they echo the hood.
It's really clever.
I'm going to say I'm quite a big FAN of it!
GIGGLING
It reminds me like an umbrella.
It's definitely like a sculpture.
Maybe with more balance.
I wish they'd put another fan on the back.
Well, we've got more fans.
Actually, the front of the bodice is really nicely engineered.
The shape of the skirt is good, too.
The whole outfit feels very wearable.
I like the little fan here.
But maybe if they could add another one here.
We have a rain jacket -
which seems like quite a sensible use
of this waterproof tablecloth -
with an absolutely enormous hood.
It's a piece that everyone could wear,
especially in England.
Whilst the hood is pretty dramatic, I think there could have been
a more interesting use of the stiffness of the fabric.
Wow. I really like the size of the big ruffles.
I think the ruffle echoes the dahlias.
It feels kind of petal-like.
The whole thing really looks fantastically well considered.
I think it's got really big drama.
SOPHIE: The judges will now rank the garments from bottom to top.
These are all very, very good, and you can all be very pleased.
Ninth place is...
..the raining jacket with the oranges.
Lewis...
..you missed the part of the sculptural rule.
In eighth place is
the yellow top with the puffy sleeves.
Adele.
It wasn't as sculptural as the others.
SOPHIE: In seventh place is Tim. Emma is sixth.
Heather fifth, Anna fourth,
and Beth is third.
In second place is the orange one, Minnie.
We really, really liked it.
Thank you.
Which means, in first place,
is the extraordinary pink gingham dress
with the sunray-pleated bodice.
APPLAUSE
Rebecca, it was both fabulously sculptural,
very, very wearable, and very dramatic.
- It's absolutely a triumph. Well done. - Thank you.
I...can't believe how well that went.
Pink is definitely my lucky colour.
I'm going to keep sewing with it until I can sew no more.
I'm really gutted, actually.
I really liked my outfit.
But I'm trying not to let it affect my confidence
and go in tomorrow with my head held high.
I've kind of been in this position before,
thinking I am 100% going home,
and then, my made-to-measure seems to have gone quite well.
So, yeah, I've just got to sort of hope it comes off.
# ..Los corazones! #
# La cucaracha, la cucaracha
# Ya no puedo caminar... #
SOPHIE: For the final challenge of Mexico Week,
the models are back to spice things up.
I've got to smash it out of the park today.
I'm just going to, yeah, make sure I nail it.
We need to have fun, and work quick.
Welcome back, sewers.
Today, it's the Made-To-Measure Challenge.
The judges would like you to make an outfit
for a Mexican festival,
and there's loads of festivals throughout the year in Mexico,
from the Guelaguetza, to the Dia De Los Muertos.
You've got five hours.
Your time starts...now.
- Vamos! - OK, let's get to this.
The sewers have practised their Mexican festival outfits at home.
Can I just do your arm length?
Now they need to perfectly fit their designs to their models.
75½.
I'm very excited. There's so many festivals and outfits
that we could have gone with.
I really wanted to do the Festival of the Radishes,
but I thought my model wouldn't be best pleased
if I dressed her up in radish!
So, Erika, there's lots of festivals in Mexico.
- What's your favourite? - Day Of The Dead
because it's the day when our beloved ones that have passed away
come back to visit us.
So what have you specifically asked them to do?
Choose a festival, and then make a costume
that looks and feels like something that would be worn on that day.
They may need to simplify it -
I suspect some of these costumes may take weeks or months to create.
What do you think they might find tricky?
Well, some of these outfits will have a lot of embellishments.
Putting the ribbon on, and all the gathering -
that could take them hours.
I think that's going to be the challenge,
just to make it feel outstanding,
because the original ones are outstanding.
I think I'm going to going to end up drowning in red fabric.
Yeah. It's beautiful, though.
I think festivals should be about colour, should be about dressing up.
It's a party, so it should look the part.
Hi. What are you creating?
I chose the Festival of St Cecilia.
- OK. - Because I actually met my husband
in St Cecilia's Hall in Edinburgh.
- Aw! - Yeah. I love it,
so I've made a kind of a zapateado.
Well, zapateado is a dance. I love zapateado.
Emma hopes to dance her way to victory with her zapateado outfit.
It's decorated with yellow and orange ribbons
and treble clef trim to honour the patron saint of music.
Saint Cecilia also was burned for being a Christian.
- That's why I've chosen the orange and the yellow fieriness. - OK.
Maybe one day you can lend me the dress to dance.
- Maybe you could teach me to dance. - Yes!
Whilst Emma's inspired by a musical martyr...
Look at my lace. It's got little treble clefs.
..Minnie's drawn to the origins of her Mexican festival outfit.
The dress is called the China Poblana.
I did a bit of research.
It was said a South Asian princess was abducted to Mexico.
Her personal style merged with Mexico's traditional style.
And here comes the China Poblana dress!
Minnie's Independence Day outfit
echoes the colours
of the Mexican flag
with a green and red
flip sequins skirt
and a white blouse accented with
Mexican-style embroidered fabric.
I'm honestly quivering inside cutting into this.
I just want to do this justice.
Right. Top section.
I'm just cutting out the pieces for my floral yoke blouse.
I've got six bodice panels, puff sleeves,
and also a collar.
There's lots of elements to this bodice.
If you turn around for me.
I am making a Jalisco ribbon dress
for a Mexican Independence Day folk dance.
I love to dance, so I feel like a dress made for dancing
seemed like a really cool, cool thing to me.
The bodice of Anna's dress
is sewn with princess seams
and fastened with an invisible zip
at the back.
The dress' double-circle skirt
and neckline are decorated
with rows of different-coloured
ribbon and lace trim.
It seems very difficult, even for five hours.
I'm modifying it slightly in that they're traditionally floor length,
but I'm making it like a mini version
- just so there's a bit less hemline. - OK.
Sewing all that ribbon on could be a problem.
I'm just going to have to do it really quickly, I think.
- Yes, you are. - Yeah.
I'm trying to race ahead and finish my top
because I've got loads of trim to put on at the end.
When I pin the yoke on my model, it looks a little bit small,
so I just added 1cm on the yoke.
Hopefully, it won't come back and bite me.
So, what's going on here?
It's the Fiesta De Grande De Enero
and I'm making a Chiapaneca's dress
to celebrate women and femininity and strength.
This is great for the gingernuts!
Adele's take on the Chiapaneca dress
is made up of a gathered skirt,
decorated in rust-coloured lace
and rainbow trim,
and a ruffled off-shoulder top.
Being off the shoulder, I thought it was quite sexy.
I thought Esme likes sexy things, doesn't she?
- Yes, and we're all trying to constantly appease Esme. - Yeah.
I'm not with these, though. She's not happy about that.
Me and Heather are making very similar.
I think we've got the same festival.
But our actual outfits are very different.
- Yeah, ours are different. - So I think it'll be really nice.
- And our fabrics are different. - Yeah.
I've gone for various different prints.
There's, like, pink in them all.
So, hopefully, the judges will think it's cohesive
and I've packed in as much colour as possible.
Also to celebrate the Fiesta Grande De Enero,
Heather's version of the Chiapaneca
dress is a top and a skirt
made from four gathered tiers
of different floral fabrics.
So, you're not putting decoration on?
No, I am one of the very few with no ribbons or trims. No.
I've gone for lots and lots of gathering.
And why did you choose that celebration?
It really reminded me of Harvest Festival
which was one of my favourite things at school.
It's also celebrated in January, and my birthday's in January.
Maybe you can wear it for your birthday, I mean...
- Yeah! - ..it looks beautiful.
It'll probably be raining or snowing for my birthday,
so maybe with a big thick coat and some thermals underneath!
Whilst Heather hopes her fabric combination
comes up smelling of roses...
I'm excited to see how the florals actually go all together.
..Tim's also looking to impress with his flower arrangement.
I've got a really colourful jacket with this fabulous fabric
and I'm pattern-matching down the middle
so it matches across the buttons,
which just means I need to get everything well lined up.
What festival is this outfit for?
The Tlaxcala Festival.
The carnival features male dancers called huehues.
- Huehues, yeah. - Huehues.
They wear the most amazing costumes.
They've got a big, colourful cape
and they've got a massive headdress of feathers.
The jacket takes its inspiration from that cape.
And then we've got feathers on the collar.
Tim's version of the huehues'
costume is a feast for the eyes,
with a feather trim around
the neck of his jacket,
white fringe under the arms,
and white pom poms sewn into the
side seams of his velvet trousers.
It sounds a bit Liberace!
- Yeah, Patrick, you know me... - Like, it's got everything.
- ..it's camp as Christmas, darling! - Yeah.
- Quite a lot to do. - It's a lot to do. Yes. - Yeah.
I cannot imagine how it is going to be, the result,
but it sounds exciting.
Whilst Tim makes his outfit from top to bottom,
Lewis has opted for a different approach.
So, I've got to make trousers first, then I will make the shirt.
Tell us about the festival outfit.
It's like a male dancer's guayabera shirt,
some white trousers, and a big red neck scarf.
Based on the Veracruz Carnival -
they do something called the burning of the bad humour.
- All the dad jokes go in a fire... - Yes! That sort of thing.
..so they get consigned to history.
Where I live, we have a big festival
where we burn big effigies of people.
- And I thought, well, that's great, I'll go for that one, then. - OK.
For his dancer's outfit,
Lewis is making drawstring trousers
and a guayabera-style shirt
with broderie anglaise inserts,
a collar and cuffs.
The outfit is completed
with a red neckerchief.
I've got a lot to do, so
I just really, really don't want to run out of time
to make my shirt well.
Whilst the festival outfits need to look celebratory,
the details still demand precision.
I am adding this trim on my blouse.
It's very fiddly.
It's all embroidered, so the embroidery is quite kind of
lumpy and jumpy.
I've got to gather the sleeve onto the cuff,
as well as onto the bodice.
So, a lovely little sleeve.
It's got these really dramatic gathers,
so it should give a nice, like, billowy sort of poofy shape.
Oh, it's cute.
Ooh. I'm struggling a bit.
I find the drawstring hole quite hard to do.
It's a bit of lack of experience on my part
and it's just put me behind.
You're halfway through!
My top is done-done now.
With upper halves complete...
It sits quite nicely over your front.
..the sewers can turn their attention
to the lower part of their outfit.
The skirt is where the magic happens.
They have loads and loads of movement and fabric and ruffles.
So much fabric!
Traditionally, these skirts can be in any colour
as long as it's bright and sunny,
so I went for this lovely sort of sky blue.
Rebecca's satin skirt
will be decorated with trim
and paired with a gathered blouse.
The outfit is worn to dance
the chilena de Pinotepa Nacional
at Guelaguetza, a festival
celebrating the indigenous cultures
of the state of Oaxaca.
I used to be a competitive ballroom dancer.
- There you go. - Saw it!
Um... So I really wanted to do something inspired by Mexican dance.
The man represents a rooster, and a woman represents the hen.
I might do you a little performance, see if I can become the hen!
For the sewers to achieve a celebratory silhouette,
the skirts need even gathers to create fullness.
I've got four different tiers. There's a lot of gathering.
Big ruffles is not something that I normally make for myself,
so this is definitely new territory for me.
The dress is worn during the escaramuza charra.
It's almost like dressage, but in teams.
The idea is that it would be able to sit over the horse
as the women are riding horseback.
Beth's ruffle dress takes
inspiration from El Dia Del Charro,
a festival celebrating
Mexico's tradition of horsemanship.
The bodice features
embroidered flowers,
whilst pink and green ribbon
decorate the voluminous skirt.
I think you are choosing a good combination of colours.
Yeah, I like pink and red.
- No, brown. Pink and brown. - Brown!
You're learning quickly!
A pair of trousers. There you go.
So I'm going to faff about trying to make a shirt now.
The length looks good.
With the shells of their outfits sewn...
Right. OK. Trim.
..the sewers can start applying their embellishments.
I'm putting on my bling.
Got a blue, yellow and a green.
It is a case of getting as much excitement on there as possible.
I have no time to think. I have no time to panic.
I just have to get metres and metres and metres of lace on.
Rather than applying three lots of ribbon,
one wider ribbon, and then one narrow ribbon on top.
Oh, no. Yes, I knew that would happen.
The fringes have come out of the edge.
It's important that it's all inside and doesn't get caught.
Each colour of this...
It's because St Cecilia was burned for being a Christian.
She was burned?
I mean, they would have burned us back in the day.
- I know, we would have been absolutely burnt. - Absolutely.
Some people you meet and you think you'd be great to get drunk with,
- and you'd have been burnt at the stake. - Absolutely.
You've got one hour! Tienes una hora!
That's a good effort. The feather trim on the collar.
Get the trousers started.
I have got to get a significant shifty on.
I do you think time is going to be tight, and I'm thinking,
do we do three tiers, do we do four?
Just marking out the placement for my last row of lace.
I've got the orange ones on. I need to put the rainbow ones on.
Yeah, reasonably happy with that.
I'm hoping when I put the zip in, they kind of match up.
How are you getting on?
I had a bit of a mare
and snagged up one of the holes
for my drawstring.
It's just put me behind, to be honest.
So, is this the shirt?
So, I've panelled my broderie on.
But, yeah, it's quite tight to make a whole shirt!
It's trouser time!
And this fabric moves so much.
Tim, I think he is just finishing the bottom part.
The trousers are still flat, in pieces.
You know, it's about now that I think,
why did I choose stretch velvet?
To sew, it's really difficult.
Putting my cuffs on now.
I wish I was doing this about an hour ago.
Lewis is doing a whole white outfit, and this red tie.
- Making a pair of trousers AND a shirt... - Yeah.
- It's a long time. - ..it takes a while.
- But he's not even sure he's going to finish. - Oh.
I need to do all of my buttonholes still, and make a neck scarf.
Yeah. Not ideal.
Finished the third tier of the skirt.
Ideally, I wanted four, but I don't think I'm going to have time
if I want to be able to finish the hems of everything.
Heather's looks great, actually.
All three tiers are in different fabrics.
She still has to hem each one.
Well, that could take a while.
MACHINE WHIRRING
I wish it could go even faster!
You've got half an hour left!
I'm really throwing this together.
I need to do a waist sash.
Does it have a belt, Beth?
It has a green ribbon that I'll tie right at the end.
So this is my neck trimming. I want this V to meet in the middle.
It's just important to try to get a nice, clean point.
The ribbon pretty much lines up across my zip there.
There's no time to pin.
I'm just literally going to whack some trim on.
Just drowning in skirt.
Ugh, see, I thought I was nearly finished
and there's just more and more and more!
I wasn't going to put a bottom one on, but I might.
I am just overlocking the third tier,
and then all the hems will be done.
I might try and go for the last tier.
I'm putting the last frill on. I went for it.
I'm going to try.
The trousers are trousering OK. I haven't had a fitting yet,
so I could discover some horrendous errors.
You're very good at putting patterns together, aren't you?
It was a long time in the fabric shop, like, this one and this one?
This one and this one?
The lady in the fabric shop thought I was a little bit crazy.
Eccentric.
Oh...this fabric just moves around so much.
Come on, come on, come on!
Oh, in they come!
I'm just about to put the embroidery on.
Literally need to close up the other side of all of this.
I think it might be a bit too much.
I'm trying to lob in a buttonhole as quick as I can.
I'm a bit scared of these buttonholes.
I'm just trying to add a few stitches.
Yeah, I'm doing it!
- One minute! - Nearly there. - Get your models dressed.
There's not much I can do now.
OK. We have the layers.
It's got one button,
which I've actually heard is a traditional Mexican style.
You need to dive in.
Nice.
Oh. Wow.
The moment of truth!
I don't know how to do a proper bow.
That's your time! Needles up!
I can't believe I got that last tier on.
Ah, I've just not finished at all.
It's missing the red neckerchief.
I'm feeling like I want a nice cold pint of beer!
Or a margarita!
GIGGLING
# Me nace del corazon
# Decirle que usted es mi vida
# Que no se vivir sin usted... #
Nine outfits for a Mexican festival made-to-measure in just five hours.
# Pero es que no aguanto mas
# Este amor me calcina
# Me nace del corazon. #
Beth, I think the shape of this dress is fabulous.
The whole thing feels really well proportioned.
I also really like the consideration of the flowers -
you haven't mirrored them.
I like it, it looks really high couture.
The ribbons here, it's, like, really elegant.
But this one looks a little bit last minute.
That will just make it more luxurious.
The sewing is exemplary. It's just the ribbon.
# Paloma negra, paloma negra
# Donde andaras... #
I like the style of the skirt
and the evenness between the ribbon and the lace.
It looks pretty good.
The top is just missing a little bit more of shape.
Something with more fit will look much better.
But I think you've done well,
and you've done a lot of sewing that's really neat and tidy.
MARIACHI MUSIC
For me, it's a really unique piece.
You are, like, portraying the Mexican culture,
and also a personal story.
I just really like the way that you've played with the ribbon.
This is the patron saint of music.
I love that you've found musical lace.
But the middle piece looks like it's going to one side.
It looks very well considered.
Just some of the sewing is slightly on the wonk.
ROMANTIC LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC
I love that you've used sequins.
And I love this embroidery.
Of course, it gives this Mexican vibe.
I do think, because this embroidered fabric is quite stiff,
and you've bound the edges,
it is sitting a bit proud.
You should have taken a bit out of the shoulder,
but I think it's great.
I love the sequins. I'm going to...
# Me gustas mucho
# Me gustas mucho tu. #
I love the colours.
They feel very much on point for festival attire.
And you have applied miles of ribbon.
You've obviously gone a little bit rapido around the bottom...
- Yeah. - ..and it is having a bit of a wobble.
But on the top, your invisible zip
goes through all sorts of layers of ribbon,
which must have been tricky.
I really like how you manage the short version,
but I don't understand the length.
I think it needed one more tier.
- You know, your length, or floor length. - Yeah.
MARIACHI TRUMPET FANFARE OPENING
Wow.
For me, this is a piece of art.
There's a lot of creativity here.
I really like this fabric.
You've matched this very nicely.
You've got six buttons down the front.
You've managed all of these different elements
actually really pretty well.
But the crotch is too high.
Look at this drape.
I think it has a unique spirit about it that I've never seen before,
- so well done. - Thank you.
# Sabes... #
From a distance, the whole thing actually really works.
It's well made.
The gathers are good, and it bounces.
I'm not sure about the colours that are kind of a rainbow.
I think it looks a little bit overcrowded.
I think I probably agree with Erika.
These are a bit bright.
But, in general, I think it's a nice shape of dress.
LATIN DANCE MUSIC
I don't know how you managed to coordinate all the colours.
You've really thought about using all these different prints
and it's very nicely made.
I'm so pleased that you put the fourth tier on.
So am I.
It's so easy watching Kit come down the runway.
It moved so nicely.
It's the type of representation of a Mexican woman
that I would like to portray.
I just think it's great.
Thank you so much.
# Para bailar la bamba
# Para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia
# Una poca de gracia... #
The original costume has a red thing on the neck.
But then, I saw that you added on the belt.
Did you plan it this way or it was just lack of time?
I didn't manage to finish the shirt.
The neck scarf was the thing I'd left to the end.
I like that you've got the broderie anglaise here.
I think that's great.
You've not done a bad job, but you've only got one button.
Making shirts and trousers takes ages.
You've given yourself way too much to do in the time.
But hats off to you for aiming for something so complicated.
It's a bit disappointing. I really wanted to do a good job of that
and bit off more than I could chew.
I was really shocked by the comments.
I was a little bit choked up. I got a bit teary.
Hearing Erika say it was a piece of art was amazing.
Yeah. Really great.
It was the...best thing. Yeah.
I always think I've not done enough.
I'm really praying that I have because
I'm desperate to get through to next week.
That's the end of Mexico Week.
And I think we all just want to say thank you so much,
Erika, you've been amazing.
Now, it's time for Garment Of The Week.
Our Garment Of The Week is...
..Heather!
Oh!
Thank you.
It absolutely encapsulates the spirit
of the best of Mexico's tradition and the festivals.
We absolutely loved it. Well done.
I'm very excited to tell my mum, she's going to be chuffed!
Unfortunately, we've come to that time again
where someone has to go home.
And this week, the person going home is...
..Lewis.
You've been fabulous, and we'll all miss you a lot.
You've been brilliant.
APPLAUSE
Firm handshakes all round, firm handshakes, firm handshakes.
Well done. Very nice.
- Do we not get a firm handshake? - No, no. I'll give you a hug, Patrick.
- Ah! - That'd be lovely.
I'm really, really happy with how far I've got.
I think it was absolutely, you know, my time to go.
- Aw. - Cheers, Sophie.
Coming on here has been a really good way
to show that you can do something completely out of your comfort zone
and learn lots, and have a fun time.
- Will you give me a hug? - Of course, of course.
I'll miss Lewis just because
there's something really hilarious about him.
- Can I ask you something? - Yeah.
Do I dye...? No, I don't dye my hair!
LAUGHTER
I'm...!
THEY CONGRATULATE EACH OTHER
I think, for Heather, it all just came together beautifully.
When I saw it walk down the catwalk,
it felt of that Mexican festival world
but it also felt contemporary.
It was everything that I was hoping to see from this challenge.
Come here! You did it!
I'm so proud.
I just appreciate all the heart that they put into all the garments.
And I feel so lucky to have this chance to share the Mexican culture.
PHONE RINGS
- Hello? - I won Garment Of The Week!
- Oh, my God, no! - I know! - Oh, my God, I'm so proud.
- Oh, well done, darling. - Thank you.
- I can't believe it. - No, darling, - I - can.
This is where you're going to shine,
- I told you you're going to do this. - Thank you.
Next time...
That's incredible.
..it's Sports Week.
# Duh-duh-duh! #
The sewers make a splash with the pattern...
I love that.
..turn surf sails into a two-piece...
Oh...I'm so sorry. Did I attack you?
..and make embroidered bowling shirts.
Wow.
Who's heading for a strike?
This is one of the best things I've ever seen in here.
- And whose effort... - No!
..will end up in the gutter?
I've got glue stuck on my shirt. I'm in disbelief.