Great British Sewing Bee 2025 - Week 7 - Art Week

Only six contestants left now on this year’s Great British Sewing Bee!  It's one of the only TV programmes that I watch live these days and it always seems to go so quickly!!

Great British Sewing Bee 2025 - Week 7 - Pattern Challenge

This week was Art Week and we were introduced to the Grayson Perry inspired dress which the contestants had to sew in 4.5 hours.  They were asked to choose fabric which showed their own identity and individuality which gave each of them the opportunity to shine.

I have to admit that this style of dress is not really something that I would wear but it was still interesting to see the contestants get stuck into all of the different sewing techniques that the pattern required.  I particularly liked the construction of the puff sleeves where the lining was shorter than the outer fabric which gave it that ‘puffy’ look and did look a bit like a shower cap until it was attached to the main dress!

Several of the contestants were commenting on how much time the collar took to make with a frill (with a pin hem / rolled hem) all around the edge and some struggled to get it to meet nicely on the centre front neckline.  There was a lot of gathering to do on the skirt, collar frill and the sleeves; a neckline facing, a button at the centre back.

There was a lot of work to do and many of them had to rush and take short cuts due to the time constraints and not produce the kind of finishing they would hope to be able to do.  This is one of the main areas I would struggle with as a contestant!  I love to do lots of details but I’m a perfectionist, so would hate to be forced into not giving my best!

I thought the judges were extra picky this week commenting on side seams not meeting, being able to see gathering stitches and more but I suppose as the weeks of the competition roll on, we are getting to the point where everything needs to be spot on.

Great British Sewing Bee 2025 – Week 7 - Transformation Challenge

In the Transformation Challenge everyone had to select some old painters clothes – complete with paint spattered all over them and re-create them into some kind of  asymmetric garment.  They were asked to specifically think about where to place the paint marks and had 90 minutes to do it.   Gaynor said that her instincts would be to run away from this challenge and I didn’t blame her!  I would be exactly the same, so I was very impressed by Orla’s assymetrical skirt – such great creativity and skill and I really wouldn’t be surprised if we see Orla in the final!

Great British Sewing Bee 2025 – Week 7 – Made to Measure

For the final challenge of this week, the six sewers had to make an outfit inspired by the Pop Art Movement in five hours.  The Judges  said they needed to recognise that the individual garments are inspired by Pop Art, so it was important to bring creativity to their projects.  Orla had created some of her own fabric using prints of her own lips.  Kit made his dress out of paper, Caz did some great quilting and Yasmin took on not one garment but two with a white shift dress and a Pop Art inspired overcoat. 

This challenge did remind me a lot of my art GCSE, I remember recreating Pop Art pieces in my classroom but whether I could translate those into wearable garments in my sewing room is a different matter!