I was really happy to see The Great British Sewing Bee back on our screens this week having recently completed a ten week dressmaking course, and now being in the middle of another term. The programme didn’t disappoint; ten new contestants of varying personalities, sewing experience and creative styles; three different sewing tasks; three types of common fabric: cotton, wool and silk.

Task one: a simple sleeveless, round-neck top in cotton / Task two: repurposing an ankle-length woollen skirt / Task three: making a made-to-measure silk nightie.

It’s amazing how many skills and techniques were covered by those three tasks in week one. Here are just a few that I jotted down:

1. – Choosing the right fabric for the type of garment
2. – Understanding how to treat / work with different fabrics
3. – Measuring models and transferring measurements to patterns
4. – Accurately marking, pinning and cutting out patterns
5. – Matching fabric patterns (especially where it meets in the middle of a garment)
6. – Adding darts / understanding body contours
7. – Hand stitching (ladder stitch, etc.)
8. – Understitching (e.g. necklines)
9. – Rolling hems
10. – Applying trims (e.g. lace)
11. – Adding drama/impact
12. – Following instructions and mManaging your time!

What have I missed out? Next week I’m sure the BBC will up the difficulty level. SCH