Great British Sewing Bee 2026

[LIZS]

Back on 14th July at 8pm

I'm fed up with the transformation challenge destroying perfectly good, new items. They bang on about sustainability and then do this. They should actually buy stuff from charity shops etc for this aspect. At least they'd be contributing and upcycling.

It did happen in earlier series (I rewatched the first 3 series recently).
I agree it would be good to bring it back.

Absolutely @Wrenbirdwren. I’m not a seamstress and can barely follow the show’s rapid computer aided illustrations of how a pattern is to be put together - but I’m hugely interested in the craft of working with fabric and thread. So I’d love it if each making involved discussion of actual skills. I always want Patrick and Esme to stop and give some actual advice as they’re wandering around (though I guess that would be inimical to the competitive format). But they could chat to the presenter about specific technical issues while the competitors are busy.

It’s the one thing that could really elevate the whole experience for me as a viewer.

I would also like that but the programme has becomr more popular since they stopped. The first female judge May Martin (?) was the embodiment of my school textiles teacher but maybe most viewers don't want that. It's a numbers game.

I thought the jacket was the most creative and answered the brief. I guess the trousers weren't up to scratch so the judges couldn't give it to Tim. It was a shame he didn't have enough time.

I'd be up for mini-segments on the ins and outs of a particular construct or coping with a tricky fabric etc. Doesn't need to be every episode just when it's particularly relevant. I think it can be aimed a viewers with some sewing experience but clear enough not to put novice sewers off.

I quite liked May, I think Esme is a bit acerbic at times

The fabric was also gorgeous.

I’d want the skills segment every week - with some flexibility around which part of the episode it concerns itself with.

Neither did I.
Very mismatched.
I thought it was rather unremarkable and I feel bad criticising it because Heather seems nice.
I loved the pink dress that won the recycling section.
Some of the patterns and flowers in Mexican week were absolutely stunning.

The fringed jacket was good but those trousers were awful and let the outfit down. It's a programme based on sewing skills.

I understood it as the festival is like harvest festival, which she liked; and the festival is in January which is another reason to like it as she’s a January birthday.

kind of a Sewing Bee version of It Takes Two but focussed on sewing skils?

(the knack to stretchy fabric? stay stitching, for the most part)

I like that idea. This dates me (to put it mildly) but when I was at school and starting to get interested in sewing, there was a woman called Ann Ladbury who had a sewing programme on TV. There’s a tiny clip (just over a minute) of her on the iPlayer presenting 'Weekend Wardrobe', where they set out to show you how to make outfits that you could whip up in a weekend….even a coat. I used to love watching things like that. Proper technical stuff.

Watching now but the first thing I thought was Patrick sounds very bunged up.

I thought the same about last week's bag-for-life dress.

I really liked Heather’s dress. It was lovely to see her get garment of the week.

The transformation challenge irritates me when it's based on something totally unrealistic like making structured stuff out of oilcloth that no-one would ever wear. Really the only sensible garment out of the whole lot was the raincoat. Straight recycling of used materials makes much more sense.

Just caught up.

Glad Heather got GOTW… I think the style was very Mexican. Agree with a poster further upthread that it’s surprising nobody did ‘Day of the Dead’ as their theme: that was the first thing that came to my mind!

The transformation challenge: I actually thought that Lewis’s item was the only really wearable piece! He made a waterproof jacket… Not very exciting, perhaps: but who earth is gonna wear a plastic coated dress? You’ll be sweating your bits off. The majority of the sewers made pieces that looked fantastic but were completely unwearable. An absolute waste of base materials. At least Lewis’s item would have been wearable and useful. I guess the idea is more about the design than the practicality.

having said that: I did think that he was the right person to go this week.

Cross posted!

Completely agree: those plastic dresses were not wearable. The raincoat was. And he came last…

That is because Lewis' raincoat did not fit the brief, which was that it should be sculptural. You may not like the brief, but sewers will obviously be penalised for not following it. Rebecca's dress was stunning and sculptural.

They should do a spin off where they show tips and techniques and allow viewers to buy patterns

But that would deplete the energy of the main show even more, surely?

Maybe think of it more as art rather than a wearable item. Is the use of paint and other materials to create art wasteful? Just a thought.

I think nobody chose the Day of the Dead as there are motifs and fabrics everywhere now so it has become a bit of a cliche (not in Mexico obviously). I'm glad none of them chose that.