The Great British Sewing Bee: Fashion with Fabric

The popular BBC2 series The Great British Sewing Bee returns for a third series early in 2015. Presented by Claudia Winkleman, and judged by May Martin and Patrick Grant, the programme will once again bring sewing into our living rooms. And, if you are inspired by what you see on the screen, accompanying the series will be a stylish and practical book, The Great British Sewing Bee: Fashion With Fabric, with all you need to get started with dressmaking, and dozens of project ideas for you to make at home.

Fashion with Fabric will show you that with a few basic skills, a bit of persistence, practise and patience, and a lot of passion, anyone can make their own unique clothes. The book focuses on why fabric choice is such an important part of any dressmaking project. By changing the fabric each time you can make a garment seasonal and personal to suit your own taste and style. Each chapter is based around a type of fabric from beginner-friendly cotton to challenging leather and lace, with plenty of tips and tricks from the experts for getting better results. It will also show you how to create your own variations on designs by mixing and combining pattern pieces.

With more than 75 photographs and over 300 illustrations to aid understanding, the book will guide you through the whole dressmaking process from getting started to adding those all important finishing touches. It gives you the basic kit you will need to begin with a glossary of common terms, hand-sewing skills, machine techniques, and how to choose fabrics. There are also easy-to-follow instructions for using patterns, pinning and cutting, how to finish seams and add trims.
Many of the garments contained in the book appear in the show, and include stylish Capri trousers, a 1950s summer dress, a traditional woollen tartan kilt, and an adaptable child’s fancy dress outfit. Whether you are new to dressmaking, or have been inspired to pick up the needle again after some time, Fashion with Fabric is the perfect book for you whatever your skill level.

Claire-Louise Hardie is the sewing producer for The Great British Sewing Bee. She is an experienced theatrical costumier and runs a sewing school in North London for aspiring seamstresses and crafters.