The Great British Sewing Bee
The Great British Sewing Bee: Back to Basics
The BBC1 primetime series, The Great British Sewing Bee, is set to return to the nation's screens in Spring 2024.
The companion book to the tenth series of this flagship BBC1 show, The Great British Sewing Bee: Back to Basics, accompanies sewers at all levels on their creative journey.
Back to Basics brings the magic of The Great British Sewing Bee to your home showcasing the show’s favourite patterns for every style you can imagine.
Featuring the very garments from the latest show, alongside much-loved favourites from over the years, from showstoppers to wardrobe staples, this book is packed with expert advice and helpful tips for dressmaking. From simple tees to stand-out clothing, aspiring crafters will have everything they need to create the perfect outfit for any occasion.
Including a collection of 25 garments and accessories for women (UK sizes 8–22) and 4 garments for men (UK sizes XS to XL) from series 10, plus a wealth of sewing techniques, tips, and tricks, Back to Basics is more than a project book; it is also an indispensable reference that will elevate your sewing to a professional level.
The Great British Sewing Bee: Made to Measure
Take a fitting masterclass from the team behind The Great British Sewing Bee.
From adjusting patterns to altering ready-made garments, learn how to personalise your makes to suit your style with this go-to guide. Starting with the basics, learn how to measure yourself and grade between sizes before moving onto pattern adjustments including darts, bust, bum, back, bicep and mobility adjustments.
Discover the art of preparing and fitting a toile to create a custom fit for your body, with expert tips from the world of couture and costume making. Featuring a section with advice on altering clothes you already own, you'll also be able to inject a new lease of life into ready-made garments that don't fit quite right.
This book is an indispensable reference for skilled sewers that will show you how to get a perfect fit to create that professional finish.
The Great British Sewing Bee: The Skills
- Activity: Sewing and dressmaking
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Includes: Five chapters covering fabrics, garment details, specialist techniques and embellishments
- Instructional support: Step-by-step guidance with illustrations
- Techniques: Pattern matching and adaptation, fastenings, pockets, collars, linings, boning, swimwear, underwear and decorative finishes
More about the book
Building on the foundations covered in The Great British Sewing Bee: The Techniques, this book explores how core sewing skills can be developed and applied with greater precision and creativity.
Learn how to prepare and pattern-match fabric, then work with materials including wool, stretch fabrics, silk, lace, sequins and leather. Garment-making guidance covers fastenings, pockets, cuffs and collars, facings and linings, alongside ways to adapt and alter patterns for a more individual fit and finish.
The book also introduces specialist dressmaking techniques, including working on the bias, special hemming methods, lace inserts, swing catches and boning, as well as approaches to making swimwear and underwear. A final section on decoration and embellishment covers details including lace-trimmed edges, bobble-trimmed and scalloped hems, and fabric bows.
More sewing books for developing your dressmaking skills
If you're looking for books similar to The Great British Sewing Bee: The Skills, these books also focus on developing practical dressmaking knowledge, with approaches ranging from foundational techniques to garment construction and fitting.
- The Great British Sewing Bee: The Techniques by The Great British Sewing Bee: The closest companion to The Skills, covering the foundations of sewing and dressmaking that this book builds upon, including using a sewing machine, understanding paper patterns, working with fabrics and achieving a good finish.
- Ahead of the Curve by Jenny Rushmore: Another skills-focused dressmaking book combining practical garment construction with guidance on fit, fitting techniques and adapting clothes to the body.
- Sew Your Own Scandi Wardrobe by Oda Stormoen and Kristin Vaag: Shares the focus on learning dressmaking through constructing clothes, using patterns and instructions to guide the reader through garment projects, with a stronger emphasis on creating a Scandi-style wardrobe.
The Great British Sewing Bee: The Techniques
- Skill level: Beginner
- Learning focus: Sewing and dressmaking techniques
- Includes: Guidance on sewing machines, fabrics, patterns, garment construction and fitting
- Instructional support: Step-by-step instructions with an image for each step
- Techniques: Seams, zips, facings, collars, shirring, bias binding, hemming and decorative finishes
More about the book
Starting with the fundamentals, the book explains what you need in a basic sewing kit and how to get to grips with your sewing machine, including threading and tension. It introduces different types of woven, knit and luxury fabrics and explains how to choose the right fabric for what you want to make.
From there, it breaks down the process of working with a sewing pattern, including understanding the pattern itself, lay plans, pinning and cutting. Garment-construction guidance covers techniques including seams, zips, facings, collars, shirring and bias binding, alongside finishing skills such as tacking, hand stitching, hemming, piping and appliqué.
There is also dedicated guidance on fitting and making alterations, helping readers understand how to adjust garments for a better fit. More explanatory sections are divided into manageable topics, while practical techniques are demonstrated through step-by-step instructions and accompanying images.
More books for learning to sew
If you're looking for books similar to The Great British Sewing Bee: The Techniques, these books also teach practical sewing and dressmaking skills, with approaches ranging from beginner garment-making to more specialised pattern construction.
- Tilly and the Buttons: Learn to Sew by Tilly Walnes: Like The Techniques, this is an accessible guide to essential sewing and dressmaking skills, covering sewing machines, fabrics, patterns, garment construction, shaping, fastenings and finishes through step-by-step instruction. Tilly Walnes also appeared on the first series of The Great British Sewing Bee.
- Sew Simple by Tammy Johal: Also focused on beginner-friendly sewing and dressmaking, this book covers fabric selection, reading and using patterns, stitches and garment-making. Its inclusion of garment projects provides another route for putting the techniques into practice.
- Building the Pattern by Laura Huhta and Saara Huhta: Shares the focus on patterns, garment construction and developing practical sewing skills, but takes a more specialist approach to pattern work, extending further into one of the core areas introduced in The Techniques.
The Great British Sewing Bee: Sustainable Style
The BBC primetime series, The Great British Sewing Bee, is back.
The companion book to the sixth series of this flagship BBC show, The Great British Sewing Bee: Sustainable Style accompanies sewers at all levels on their creative journey to reduce, reuse and recycle – ultimately creating their own considered closet.
Starting with the essentials, sewers will learn how to maintain and care for their sewing machine, find out the secrets to using an overlocker (and what to do if you don’t have one) and the key to pattern matching. With a guide that demystifies the fitting process, and with expert sewing tips on making alterations, you’ll be able to choose from 27 projects, for both women and men, that will ease you into the world of sustainable sewing.
For burgeoning dressmakers, this book showcases a vast array of sustainable and natural fabrics, reveals how to breathe life into old garments and entices the would-be sewer to dress handmade. Interspersed with sustainable tips, from advice on keeping an eco-friendly sewing space and how to better care for your garments, to guidance on recycling old clothes, using up fabric scraps and making repairs, this book is an indispensable reference to a more considered approach to sewing, that will encourage you to create long-lasting projects to cherish.
With womenswear sizes ranging from 8 to 22 and menswear sizes ranging from XS to XL, along with five downloadable pattern sheets, expert sewers Caroline Akselson and Alexandra Bruce cover everything you need to build your sewing repertoire and grow in confidence as you sew yourself sustainable.
The Great British Sewing Bee: Sew Your Own Wardrobe
After the resounding triumph of the first The Great British Sewing Bee series and tie-in book, here is the fabulous follow-up to excite the appetites of Britain's burgeoning sewers.
At the heart of this new book is a fantastic selection of projects, with a core collection of wardrobe essentials, from a pencil skirt through an easy T-shirt top to a wrap dress so that the sewer can build up a capsule wardrobe. The tempting range of projects reflects the breadth of the TV challenges and includes menswear (such as a shirt and trousers), a selection of designs for babies and small children (such as a fur onesie, dungarees and a little dress) and with more retro and glamorous garments (such as a prom dress and a 60s-style coat). The book will also include 5 full-size pattern sheets with dress sizes ranging from 8-18, in response to feedback from our readers.
With a bright fashion-led selection of colours and patterns, inspiring photography, and the emphasis on the creative elements of choosing fabric and trimmings and fitting garments to your own measurements for the perfect finish, this will be the essential purchase for everyone who bought the first book, and all who watch the new series.
The Great British Sewing Bee
The Great British Sewing Book will do for sewing what The Great British Bake Off has done for baking.
Brought to you by the same production company, the TV series will be looking for the nation's best amateur sewer. The Great British Sewing Book will provide amateur sewers everywhere with all the technical knowhow and inspiring projects they need to produce a core collection of 25 fabulous garments and homewares.
From a child's sundress and a swinging circular skirt to unisex pyjama trousers, a tea dress and a waistcoat, the garments offer something for both sexes and all ages. The homewares and accessories include aprons, bags, cushions and window dressings. In addition to this core collection, 4 winning designs from the series are also included: a simple daytime dress, a child's party dress, a jacket and an evening dress - all with complete instructions and full-size patterns. Capturing the creative energy of the series, the book will also celebrate the rich heritage of sewing and give timely advice on recycling and customising existing pieces.
Lavishly illustrated throughout, the photography reflects the atmosphere of the series, shows all the finished garments and includes full step-by-step shots to accompany the instructions.