Anna, who is part of St Leonard’s Hospice’s retail team, wowed the judges during yesterday’s BBC show, taking the competition to a “completely different level” with her creativity and technical skill.
The episode was themed around Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and featured three sustainability-focused challenges.
Recommended reading:
In the technical task, contestants were given three hours to sew a set of three knickers from recycled T-shirts.
While Anna’s set, which included a pair of mint green, printed olive green and striped knickers showed promise, judge Esme Young felt they didn’t quite work together as a set and noted inconsistencies in sizing.
Anna placed sixth in the round.
However, it was in the transformation challenge—where contestants turn waste materials into wearable garments—that Anna truly shone.
She designed a form-fitting green dress, completely backless, with exposed seams and a dramatic criss-cross rope detail.
Commenting on this, Anna said: “I think the bold rope will work, and I want the train of the dress to be cut low.”
‘It’s just super cool’
Judge Patrick Grant was full of praise for the bold design.
He said: “I absolutely love that heavy rope at the back. The red and grey colouring of it lifts the whole dress.
“It’s just super cool.”
Anna won first place for the transformation challenge and was thrilled with the feedback.
She said: “I’m really happy with my design.
“I am so happy that the judges picked up on the ideas and themes that went into it.”
Anna (far right) has made it into week four of the prestigious competition (Image: BBC/Love Productions/Neil Sherwood))
The final challenge of the episode was to create a made-to-measure outfit with an environmental message.
Anna printed her fabric using Himalayan Balsam, an invasive species, by treating the cloth and then hammering the flowers onto it to transfer the dye.
She turned the fabric into an Indian calico dress, a style once popular in the 1880s and later banned because it was considered a threat to the local wool trade.
Anna said: “This type of dress was very popular in the 1880s, but it was banned because it was considered a threat to the local wool trade.”
Her model wore the dress on the catwalk, and the judges were deeply impressed.
‘One of the best things I have seen on Sewing Bee’
Mr Grant said: “The fit of the dress is phenomenal. Anna took the whole thing to a completely different level.
“I cannot remember seeing something so extraordinarily beautiful.
“It was so incredibly well thought out and it moved me to tears.
“It’s one of the best things I have seen on Sewing Bee.”
Esme also praised the design, saying that she loved the drapes in the dress and the fact that Anna made it.
Patrick added: “It is an absolute joy to behold”.
Anna’s Indian calico creation was named Garment of the Week, securing her position as one of the favourites in the competition.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login