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Great British Sewing Bee – What Are They Up To?

By Tamlyn. As another wonderful series of The Great British Sewing Bee has recently come to end, and a previous Bee has contributed the luxury fabric to this August’s box, it seemed the perfect opportunity to take a look back and see what some of the previous contestants are up to now.

Many ‘Bees’ returned to their lives as they were before the show, but a number of others grasped the opportunity to pursue a career within the world of sewing – let’s find out about a few of them:

Series 1, way back in 2013, has perhaps contributed some of the most prominent members of the sewing community to this date. Tilly Walnes runs one of the most well known independent sewing pattern companies (Tilly and the Buttons) and, through her amazing beginner friendly patterns as well as online workshops and books, is responsible for teaching and encouraging thousands of people to sew. 

Stuart Hillard has built a reputation as one of the UK’s leading quilt designers and home decor experts. He has well over 100 published patterns to his name, is a regular writer in multiple magazines and presents on television in both the UK and USA. He is also a fabric and yarn designer – is there no end to his talents?

Lauren Guthrie, a finalist in the first series, went on to open ‘Guthrie & Ghani’ in Moseley Village, Birmingham. This renovation project had actually begun before the Bee was filmed, but I wonder if Lauren realised just how successful it would become? With a sewing studio upstairs, where an amazing array of workshops and retreats are held, as well as a beautiful shop downstairs stocking stunning fabrics, haberdashery and patterns, Guthrie & Ghani is an absolute gem of a space. They also ship worldwide, so you can enjoy shopping even if you can’t visit in person. 

Charlotte Newland, the winner of Series 4, has a range of gorgeous quilt patterns available to purchase, as well as being an expert sewing tutor at multiple locations around the country. Her knowledge of fit is particularly impressive and she even delivered a fabulous jeans making workshop at SewHayleyJane HQ for some lucky prize winners!

Also a star of Series 4 was Rumana, who produces inspirational content on both instagram and her blog under the name ‘The Little Pomegranate’. She has released a couple of free sewing patterns, with the Sabina Skirt being especially popular within the sewing community (it’s beginner friendly, simple to sew, stylish and has a fabulous size range!) Rumana has also received the ultimate accolade in having a sewing pattern, the By Hand London Rumana coat, named after her. 

A semi-finalist in Series 5, and described as ‘One of the most talented and consistent sewers ever to take part’, Jen Hogg has since gone on to run a successful business called ‘Jenerates’, selling unique and innovative sewing tools such as seam circles and an extremely popular silicone hemmer. Jen has even contributed ‘mini’ versions of her fabulous products to past SewHayleyJane boxes. Jen also runs sewing retreats along with Victoria, of Little Rosy Cheeks fame (Check out ‘Gather Scotland’ for more details). 

It was actually Mark Francis’ husband, Clive, who entered him on to series 6 of the Sewing Bee, but Mark has since gone on to forge a fantastic career as a sewing pattern designer, guest designer on Sewing Street and Ambassador for the well known sewing businesses including Juki and Vlieseline. Check out ‘sewmarkfrancis.com’ to shop his wonderful range of patterns. Also worth checking out is the amazing ‘Boys Sew Too’ movement, founded by Mark’s husband, Clive, with the aim to ‘encourage, support and show everyone that sewing is a life skill for all and that means boys too!’

If you’re a sewing enthusiast looking to escape your daily routine and immerse yourself in a sewing retreat at a luxurious setting, then Gill from Series 8 has you covered. Known on instagram as ‘The One Armed Sewist’, Gill loves making her own clothes and has made a career out of sharing her passion with others and helping people to ‘connect, socialise, have fun and sew in a relaxed atmosphere’. Check out her website, ‘sewingwithgill.co.uk’ for more details of her sewing retreats, social sewing days, workshops and lessons.

One of the guest hosts on Gill’s wonderful ‘Sewing Escapes’ is Series 9 Bee, Vicki Reid. As well as hosting social sewing days and workshops, Vicki produces inspirational content on her instagram page, @whatvickimade and is a champion for body positivity and using sewing as a tool to support body confidence. Recently, Vicki has showcased her artistic talents by producing a range of ‘eclectic, bold and colourful’ fabric and haberdashery, which you can find at ‘whatvickimade.com’ 

We are looking forward to seeing what the most recent batch of bee’s will get up to in the coming months!