Sewing Bee 2026

I think the brief was confusing because old photos from Studio 54 shows it wasn’t all about sequins and glitter. There were plain couture dresses; costumes worn by celebrities such at Bianca Jagger, Diana Ross, Alana Hamilton, Farrah Fawcett etc so Rebecca did meet the brief.

But I think what the judges were really after was the flamboyant over-the-top look of Abba, Earth Wind and Fire and others of that era. My favourite was Emma’s outfit which looked fabulous on her model especially the beret.

I usually dislike the transformation challenge but this week’s was very good especially the punk trio. I thought the more country-inspired trio was going to win as Patrick said each of the outfits had more individual character but I suspect Adele’s poorly sewn skirt let the group down. That or Esme had the final say and she likes a bit of punk.

Hard to predict who is going to win this. Anna has the edge for original design imo but, as we know, one bad week or round can change fortunes.

Gingster

What don’t I get about this programme. I tried again last night to see if I would enjoy it more.
It’s soooo boring 🥱. The things they make are awful. Patrick loves himself, and Esme 😤.well, no comment and the new presenter , no better than the ones that went before. Why is she there!
I lasted 10 minutes and turned over for The Dog House.

Clearly not for you.

Oh, poor Rebecca was so upset.

I don’t think she expected it to be her.

To be honest, I thought it might be Anna, but am sure Patrick wants her to stay in.

Rebecca made too many errors today, and I thought her outfits were both a bit twee - I think she was the right choice to go.

I think the right person went. Rebecca made a lot of mistakes that let the garment down.

What is Rebecca's health problem? I must have missed that.

I don't think Rebecca saw that coming.
She was very defensive of the comments made on her jacket.

I thought Emma might go but Rebecca's outfit was twee, i agree

They are all very skilled sewers but Rebecca really lacked flair in her designs. The amazing accuracy of the white piping on the little jacket made the hemline wobble look worse.

I think the right person went this week. What were her health problems?
She certainly didn’t expect that!

I think she mentioned health problems you couldn’t see when the series started.

Can’t recall what they were though.

Calendargirl

I think she mentioned health problems you couldn’t see when the series started.

Can’t recall what they were though.

She has chronic invisible stomach pain.

www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/bbc-sewing-bee-star-tearfully-34553527

I thought Emma would go because the back of her dress was poorly sewn and I think Emma expected to go as well.
I can't remember a Sewing Bee where the standard of sewing is so close between the final few.
I had no idea that poor Rebecca has health issues. I liked her. Her transformation challenge where she made a dress from the Primary school coloured ginghams was typically Rebecca.

Perhaps it was just me who thought Rebecca's made to measure was very Jane Austen? There were flaws, though, unfortunately, but not as many as in Emma's.

I was surprised Rebecca went not Emma but it was a very close call.

I think the judges have a clear idea who they expect to reach the final.

I think Beth is very consistent, not as ‘flashy’ as Anna, (don’t mean that unkindly), but very reserved and skilful.

Emma and Heather, hmm, I thought Heather would be the weakest this week, but no.

Emma got through more on personality than sewing this week.

Emma beat Rebecca on all three challenges last night though, so she was a shoe in to stay, given (I think) that the judges only use the three challenges of the day to judge people on, not their previous efforts.

I'm afraid I couldn't take to Rebecca - something about her manner put my back up! Technically she is good but her style is very dated. The remaining 4 are very evenly matched.

What a fabulous series this is with some excellent sewing skills.

I think Beth's JA inspired dress could be garment of the series. I love her sewing although I do think Patrick and Esme are wowed by Anna's creations too.

I totally agree with you Eddie Rebecca was the only one I didn’t take to at all, for what reason I don’t know, but she got on my nerves I think she was more me, me, me than the others. I like all the others I actually loved the black dress Anna made, she’s very talented
The right one went home

I too found it hard to take to Rebecca ... I felt I was being lectured at!
But she is a good seamstress ... just did not come out on top on that particular day.

Gingster

What don’t I get about this programme. I tried again last night to see if I would enjoy it more.
It’s soooo boring 🥱. The things they make are awful. Patrick loves himself, and Esme 😤.well, no comment and the new presenter , no better than the ones that went before. Why is she there!
I lasted 10 minutes and turned over for The Dog House.

I wondered why I had never heard of 'The Dog House' then I discovered it was all about dogs. It is not necessarily obvious.

All that schmalz and cheap emotion.

I run a needlecraft group and we are all of the same mind about this show. We learn nothing from it; none of us would be seen dead in any of the garments they make; the camerawork and musak are positively schizophrenic and as for the so called pointless comedienne...she's so unfunny she makes us want to cry.
If only the BBC would take a lesson from Sky Arts and create some craft programmes that are educational, informative and entertaining.

I take it you don’t like it then Specki4eyes ! best you don’t watch it and leave it to those of us who do enjoy it then you can stick to your ‘educational informative and entertaining programmes’ good job they are around for you
🥱

specki4eyes

I run a needlecraft group and we are all of the same mind about this show. We learn nothing from it; none of us would be seen dead in any of the garments they make; the camerawork and musak are positively schizophrenic and as for the so called pointless comedienne...she's so unfunny she makes us want to cry.
If only the BBC would take a lesson from Sky Arts and create some craft programmes that are educational, informative and entertaining.

Yes, but. Do all the worthy sewing programmes on Sky Arts get as many viewers as the Sewing Bee? Are they as entertaining?

You and your group are also watching the progamme from a pedagogical view, not an entertainment view. Would you watch Masterchef in order to learn to cook or Top Gear if you wanted to learn to drive? I doubt it The Sky programmes and Sewing Bee are doing 2 entirely different things, and you cannot compare them.

Sewing Bee has changed and adapted over the years to meet its audience and increase the number of viewers. To begin with its aim was to star the country's best home sewers but after the first couple of years, sewers were queuing to be on it, but the better the sewers, the harder the tasks got so that the contestants had very little time to interact with the camera and compere and the finished garments, although often technical masterpieces were very uninteresting.

So, I seem to remember, the programme had a year off and came back with the concentration on having a diverse range of contestants, even though their sewing skills, though excellent were not necessarily professional level. Personally, I think it makes for a much more entertaining prgramme

As for the clothes they make, if none of your class would wear any of the clothes made on the programme, what on earth do they wear? The range of clothes that have been made over the programmed is wide and diverse, I would agree that the makeover round is pretty dire. It has only once in my memory produced a wearable garment.

But both the pattern round and final round often produce very wearable clothes. In my time I would have undoubtedly have worn some of the Regency heroine dresses made last week. In fact I have a photograph of myself at my graduation ball some 60 years ago wearing a long evening dress very similar to most of those on show last week, which I had made myself.

I agree with M0nica.

Programmes such as The Sewing Bee, Masterchef (we rarely watch that) are pure entertainment and they do stretch the boundaries. The time constrictions are part of the concept, in an educational craft programme there would be no competitive time limits.

We don't need to learn how to make garments from eg supermarket bags because we're never going to do that but it is funny and often surprising to see the results.

It's a competition, not an educational programme.