Great British Sewing Bee 2026

[LIZS]

Back on 14th July at 8pm

I've just watched it and my mind has immediately gone blank for the names, but this wasn't the worst re-use and recycle week.
I live a few miles from where the Sewing Bee is filmed, and I've seen adverts for the scrap place https://scrapstuff.co.uk/ I've always walked quickly past as I knew that I would indulge so much that I'd never fit it all in the car!
I loved Sophie's dress.

Anna's dress didn't look finished to me. Unless it was supposed to be unhemmed.

I preferred the one made out of bags.

Why was it OK for Anna to have an unfinished hem when others were pulled up on unfinished hems / necklines? I thought the dress made from the bags for life was really brilliant- amazing she was able to create something so beautiful from such difficult material.

@Nara2k - think it is the Zadie Jumpsuit by Paper Theory.

Am I imagining it or is Esme saying less and Patrick saying more ?

I'm surprised Anna didn't make bloomers instead of knickers.

She was weak last week, as well, but the dress she was wearing was lovely so she obviously doesn't cope with the pressure.

Because Anna's dress was a complex dress that fitted beautifully and just needed hemming.

In contrast, the patchwork dress was a very poor fit (and much more simple, once the patchwork was done) and needed hemming plus arm hole and neck facings.

Anna got away with it because she's being set up to win. I'm not a fan of her style. Plus the story her dress was supposed to tell wasn't obvious unless explained.

the story her dress was supposed to tell wasn't obvious unless explained.

You could say that for many of them.

I liked the jumpsuit. I think making something wearable and high quality that will last years and be worn a lot is better for the planet than making a gimicky costume that will only be worn on the show.

I don’t think you are imagining it. I think Esme has had her day.

Just checking in late as usual! I’m crap with names but the ‘wacky’ lady with bleached hair and glasses who is very good - what was her M2M? Mind has gone blank. I like Anna a lot, and the lass making her own wedding dress. There are maybe 3 who could win it at the moment.

I bought the culottes pattern that won GOTW last week. Wish me luck!

It was the jump suit with two patterns - one on the front and the other on the back. It illustrated the destruction of the seas and wasn’t too dissimilar to the outfit she was wearing herself! Patrick said the ‘bad’ side was almost too nice.

Thats very unfair, she is very skilled and the dress was beautiful.

I’m glad to see Patrick still has a soul …

At one point I wondered if he and Esme had 🥩 because he seemed to be deliberately disagreeing with her - but of course they’re allowed to disagree and I suspect what I saw was a result of editing decisions. Given Esme’s vast experience it does seem a pity she doesn’t get to do anything more than point out wonky knicker elastic. I wish she could be afforded a more ‘expert’ role on the show.

Surely by now Anna has been taken on by a major fashion house?

I felt sorry for Beth - in any other week her Bag For Life dress would have win GOTW.

Anna's was stunning and the message was bang on. The Calico laws were in place for best part of 100 years to protect British industry from being overwhelmed but we do bugger all about wildlife being overwhelmed by invasive species because we don't value the environment the way we value money.

It was beautifully constructed and well thought through, with a great deal of prep work.

Angie's mistake was not to make her patchwork fabric ahead of time like previous sewers.

That’s probably why I’ve blocked it from my memory - I can’t abide clothing with more than one pattern.

Any idea what the pattern was for the beige jumpsuit? I loved it but I’d have probably done it in green just to reinforce the message.

I think both guys could be in trouble next week.

Rebecca's outfit was great. But suggesting Anna's was less wearable and not high quality just doesn't make sense.

We'll find out in the credits at the end. She definitely should.

I asked that too @MyGhastIsFlabbered

Angie was the oldest of those remaining, I think? So now the age range is even narrower.

It’s a shame, because older sewers often possess skills and references that the younger ones don’t.

This year I’m unusually eager to discover what they’ve all gone on to do after taking part in the show. Aside from Anna, Beth is also noticeably talented - I wonder if she joined the show to explore ways of combining specific elements of garment making with her engineering research. And I’m longing to see Rebecca’s wedding dress.

Anna is incredibly talented I think. Super creative and a natural sewer who will only get better with time. She has her 'style' but is aware that for Sewing Bee it has to adapt so doesn't force through her quirkier design ideas just for the sake of it. (Thinking of past sewers and their ubiquitous bondage straps or animal prints etc.)

The RRR main task this series was better thought out by the producers and gave the sewers the option of creating a garment that focused on an ecological theme and/or used recycled materials.

Beth's garment was actually beautiful but probably a bit uncomfortable to wear for any length of time I suspect!

Right person went last night. The patchwork dress was a good idea but very poorly executed compared with the others and with the made to measure which they practice in advance there is no excuse for underestimating how long the patchwork will take.

Knickers was a great challenge - something that most people won't have made before so a good test in making something unfamiliar and being consistent. I did remark to DH that knickers made out of old t-shirts would be so comfy and he gave me a very odd look.

I do think the message of reduce, reuse, recycle gets lost a bit in the upcycling challenge when many of the sewists come up with garments which nobody would ever wear in a million years - a top with shuttlecock romeo and juliet on the back? Straight in the bin after judging. Would be better to ask them to make a practical bag, or something you could really wear rather than focusing on creativity only.

I didn’t mention Anna’s costume in my comment. I was thinking more of some others like the fishing one but maybe the net layer is removable as the underlying dress looked OK