Great British Sewing Bee 2025 - Week 9 - 1920s Week

Semi final week on the Great British Sewing Bee 2025!  The series is going by so quickly!  Only Caz, Kit, Yasmin and Orla left fighting it out to be crowned Sewing Bee 2025 and this week it was 1920s week.  I love the music and dresses from this era, so I was looking forward to the episode.

Great British Sewing Bee  2025 – Pattern Challenge – Plus Fours!

The pattern challenge this week was to create a pair of Plus Fours – trousers that end four inches below the knee.  We were told that this type of trouser was a staple part of outfits for outdoor pursuits back in the 20s and the sewers had a selection of nice wool fabrics to choose from.  The pattern had so many different elements to it – pockets, pleats, cuffs, straps, buckles, a fly zip, darts, vents, a button and buttonhole….it was a miracle that they got through it in the time allowed.  As I have come to expect from her now, Orla produced a beautiful pair of trousers and the judges could barely fault them.  Kit told the judges he could sew the project without any instructions but his fabric choice didn’t help his final garment. 

If you fancy sewing up your own pair here are a couple of patterns from Etsy you might want to consider:

• Mens Sports Knickerbockers / Plus Fours....

• https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/639661738/mens-sports-knickerbockers-or-plus-fours?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=plus+fours+sewing+pattern&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&sts=1&dd=1&nob=1&content_source=7b1e1b97-a35a-471f-b11f-38f4dbe6ad1a%253Aec984aa3c880f6f0b096e0368999f2b99855c49e&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=7b1e1b97-a35a-471f-b11f-38f4dbe6ad1a%3Aec984aa3c880f6f0b096e0368999f2b99855c49e

• 1920s-30s Knickerbockers or Plus Fours pattern....

• https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/498904237/rh1325-downloadable-1920s-30s?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=plus+fours+sewing+pattern&ref=sr_gallery-1-4&dd=1&nob=1&content_source=7b1e1b97-a35a-471f-b11f-38f4dbe6ad1a%253A43c76286c045eb4ad649c4f5f76d0ccc11b59e0f&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=7b1e1b97-a35a-471f-b11f-38f4dbe6ad1a%3A43c76286c045eb4ad649c4f5f76d0ccc11b59e0f

Great British Sewing Bee 2025 – Week 9 – Transformation Challenge

This week’s transformation challenge was all about polo shirts and the contestants had 90 minutes to re-create a colour blocked garment of their choice.  The judges particularly wanted them to think carefully about the placement and combination of colours and how they were placed around the body.  Orla produced a top with a lot of swirls appliqued on the front and back and Kit showed off his knowledge of Esmee’s fashion career by producing a version of her Amorphous dress.

Great British Sewing Bee 2025 – Week 9 – Made to Measure

The penultimate made to measure challenge of the series was to create a garment for a very specific event in the 1920s. The sewers had the opportunity to practice it at home first which seems a luxury for them.  I was hoping for some ‘Downton – like’ dresses and they didn’t disappoint.  Caz made a lovely gold ‘release day’ dress which I could have seen Edith from Downton Abbey in.  Orla’s garment was based on a celebration of the flapper vote.  Kit did a self drafted dress in purple hues and Yasmin’s creation was a sailor type dress with a lesbian nightclub as the inspiration.

I won’t give away who is in the last three but I can’t wait for next week’s final!