Nine amateur sewers return hoping to show judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young that they can make beautiful clothes on a miniature scale. First, the sewers must carefully follow a pattern to make a babygrow from stretch cotton jersey - but who will get the gusset and poppers in the right place and who will end up going off-piste?

Next, the sewers must show they can handle slippery satin and chiffon, by totally transforming an adult bridesmaid dress into a wearable garment for a boy or a girl. For the final challenge, real children replace the mannequins as the sewers strive to create perfectly fitted woollen capes, knowing the judges will scrutinise every cut and stitch before deciding who deserves to stay and who must bid farewell to the Sewing Bee.

It is 'international week' as Patrick and Esme set the seven remaining sewers the challenge of tackling techniques and garment styles from other cultures and continents.

First up, they face a fiendishly hard-to-follow pattern for a Chinese Qipao-style top. This complex garment has an asymmetrical neckline, fiddly zip insertion and is made in a fabric that frays - not a challenge for the faint-hearted.

After battling with brocade, things don't get any easier on the fabric front as, for their alteration challenge, they are tasked with transforming saris. By repurposing yards and yards of beautifully draped, embroidered georgette, the sewers have just 90 minutes to create totally new, wearable items of clothing with a distinctly eastern flavour.

Finally, for the 'made to measure' challenge, the judges take the sewers to an entirely new continent - Africa. Using vividly patterned wax print fabric, they attempt to create West African inspired dresses. Figure hugging garments that demand impeccable fitting skills and an understanding of how this robust printed cotton can be used to create a dramatic, accentuated silhouette.