It's not exactly a holiday this week for the sewers, as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young task them with creating garments based around a travel wardrobe.

It's a Sewing Bee first in the Pattern Challenge, when Sara Pascoe reveals they have to make a rucksack. This fiendishly tricky challenge involves battling complex strap construction, complete with metal hardware for adjustment. They must also add a lining to create a robust and stylish bag ready to hit the backtracking trail.

It's off to the seaside in the Transformation, when the sewers are challenged to sculpt windbreakers into emergency rainwear.

And staying in the sun, they attempt another Sewing Bee first with made- to-measure swimsuits. For some, their costume is designed for open-water swimming, for others it's strictly poolside posing. Who will make a splash, and who will take a nose dive and be the second sewer to leave the competition?

Taking on the fast fashion industry, the second most polluting industry in the world, Sara Pascoe welcomes back Reduce Reuse Recycle week. First, the sewers attempt a zero-waste pattern for a pair of trousers, which involves complex mathematical skills to work out how to create the pattern pieces without leaving a scrap of waste fabric.

In the Transformation Challenge, the sewers use up a mountain of waste tote bags to create a garment. They can combine several bags to transform them in just 90 minutes, making imaginative use of the different prints and straps.

Finally, the sewers have been asked to source second-hand crochet blankets to create a made-to-measure outfit. They need to ensure that while chopping up their blankets, they don't unravel before they are sewn into outfits.