Great British Sewing Bee fans waited patiently for the start of Series 11, which began airing on July 15th, 2025, nearly 2 months later than last year! But let’s all agree it was well worth the wait. This is the Fabrics Galore GBSB Series 11 Round Up with our favourite moments and highlights to remind ourselves why we love it so much.
This year, we also include the fantastic feedback after each episode from the Fabrics Galore Gang on social.
As in previous years, twelve talented home sewers competed in a series of creative challenges to impress judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant. This season, previous host Sara Pascoe was welcomed back after her maternity leave during last year’s series.
In our traditional end of series round-up blog we have selected our favourite makes from each episode and matched it with a pattern and one of our fabrics, in case you have been inspired by the Sewing Bee to give any of the challenges a go (without the stress of a time limit to contend with!)
Image Credit: Love Productions
GBSB Series 11 Contestants
- Saffie: a lecturer from London with a lifelong love of sewing (eliminated in week 2).
- Peter: a senior construction manager from Devon who grew up making dance costumes for his siblings (eliminated in week 2).
- Glendora: a bus driver, quilter and upholsterer from Luton (left in week 3 due to illness).
- Novello: a business owner and magistrate who has been sewing since the age of 5 (eliminated in week 4).
- Jess: a head of communications in London rekindled her love of sewing in lockdown (eliminated in week 5).
- Dan: a stage performer from Durham who loves making his own costumes (eliminated in week 6).
- Stuart: a premises manager and enthusiastic hat maker from Herefordshire (eliminated in week 7).
- Gaynor: a retired office manager from Port Talbot now teaching her granddaughter to sew (eliminated Week 8).
- Kit: Surrey born but now living and working in Manchester, loves transforming awful fabrics into something beautiful. (eliminated in week 9)
The 3 Finalists:
- Orla: the youngest contestant at 19, a student at Edinburgh University who loves recycling the unconventional.
- Caz: recently retired from running her family’s print business in Nottingham she loves technical sewing.
- Yasmin: R&D Scientist from Gateshead, taught to sew by her late father, a passionate make-do-and-mender.
Image Credit: Love Productions
Sewing Bee Weekly Challenges and Highlights
Episode 1: Shape Week
- Right from the first episode, the Contestants showed their sewing credentials making a Tie front blouse in the pattern challenge, a circle skirt in the transformation challenge, and a made to measure pleated dress.
Fabrics Galore's social media gang were delighted to see a return to traditional sewing skills, LOVED the made to measures and were relieved that no-one went home!
The Tie Front Blouse Pattern
Tilly & The Buttons Nell Pattern and Cotton Poplin Pink Stripe Cherry Pie
Episode 2: Activewear Week
- The pattern challenge was a 7-panel cap
- The transformation challenge was turning vintage cycling jerseys into a party outfit
- The made to measure challenge was an athleisure outfit which could be worn out
Our Instagram audience mostly thought it was the right contestants who went home but they really hated the cap challenge and didn't think they'd be making one anytime soon!
Simplicity Sports Bra and Leggings and Fabrics Galore Sportswear Polyester Fonda
Episode 3: Design Icons Week
- The pattern challenge asked contestants to make a Diane von Fürstenberg iconic wrap dress.
- The transformation challenge was to turn old tartan blankets into a Vivienne Westwood inspired outfit.
- The made to measure challenge was to create a Versace inspired dress.
Our audience particularly loved the Diane V F Wrap Dress challenge with many of them having made similar themselves.
Vogue Vintage Wrap Dress Pattern and Green Geometric Stems Jersey
Episode 4: Korea Week
- Joined by special judge Korean fashion designer Eudon Choi, contestants were tasked to make a traditional Korean short jacket and dress called a Jeogori.
- The transformation challenge was to turn Tae Kwon Do clothes into an outfit.
- The made to measure challenge was to make a garment based on the Korean cheollik jacket.
Our social media audience loved Korean Week and thought that Caz's garment of the week was out of this world - we have to agree!
Episode 5: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Week
- Pattern challenge: zero waste workwear jacket.
- Transformation challenge: rescued festival tent to festival outfit.
- Made to Measure: Family Occasion Outfit inspired by the WW2 Make do and mend campaign.
Birgitta Helmersson Unisex ZW Workwear Jacket and Pre-washed cotton denim fabric in dark blue
Episode 6: Kids Week
- The judges were joined by fashion designer Victoria Jenkins, a specialist in adaptive clothing.
- Pattern challenge: make adaptive dungarees.
- Transformation challenge: turn maternity wear into playwear
- Made to Measure: a children’s outfit representing what they wanted to be when they grow up.
Our eagle-eyed staff member, Issy, spotted our burgundy floral needlecord being used in the dungarees pattern challenge. Everyone was sad to see Dan go.
Burgundy Floral Needlecord Fabric - Seventies Bunch
Episode 7: Art Week
· Pattern Challenge: Grayson Perry inspired dress
· Transformation Challenge: turn paint spattered clothing into an asymmetric garment
· Made to Measure: a garment inspired by the Pop Art movement.
GBSB fans at Fabrics Galore loved the creativity of the challenges and especially Kit's made to measure dress inspired by Pop Art made out of crepe paper - he really needed a lot of interfacing to give it structure but it totally worked out for him - we are impressed.
Episode 8: Movie Week
· Pattern Challenge: recreating the jacket worn by Tippi Hendren in Alfred Hitchcock’s film The Birds
· Transformation Challenge: turn red cinema curtains into glamorous outfits fit for a Hollywood party.
· Made to Measure: design an outfit inspired by a character from a horror movie.
Our audience at Fabrics Galore were united on 2 things: yes, you should really iron your patterns and no, they have never made anything out of curtains! There was a lot of confusion about whether the made-to-measure should have been a fancy dress costume and whether Kit's creation was truly a made to measure....but 2 garments of the week was definitely a bonus...
Episode 9: the semi-final: 1920s Week
- Pattern challenge: the final 4 sewers were challenged to create stylish and practical Plus Fours, an iconic garment worn by men engaging in outdoor pursuits in the 1920s.
- Transformation challenge: transform polo shirts (invented by tennis legend Lacoste) into modern colour block garments.
- Made to Measure: create an outfit suitable for a 1920s party.
This was the week where we discovered that Plus Fours are so called because they were designed to be four inches longer than traditional knickerbockers extending four inches below the knee. Who knew?! And it was proof that even the favourites to win can have a bad week when we said goodbye to the ever creative Kit. The Fabrics Galore gang were united in their admiration for Yasmin's outstanding sailor dress.
Episode 10 – The Final!
The Finalists were given their ultimate challenges in Week 10:
Pattern Challenge: the challenge was to make the notoriously difficult bias cut slip dress with unforgiving spaghetti straps.
Sewing Patterns by Masin Sicily Slip Dress
The Transformation Challenge: Tasked the finalists to make garments from multiple sheer pieces of clothing.
The Made To Measure: the challenge here was to create a Trompe l'Oeil garment for a friend or family member creating a fabric illusion revealing something surprising - which produced some of the most impressive sewing we have seen all series, especially given the time constraints!
The 3 finalists produced some win-worthy garments but Patrick and Esme crowned Caz the winner as the judges were blown away by her "flair and beautiful technique."
FG's followers thought that Caz was a worthy winner, a real series favourite who secured her win with an out of this world Made to Measure inspired by her own open heart surgery. But Yasmin and Orla made it a really really close final with Yasmin making an incredibly elegant orange tailored dress, and Orla pushing the boundaries of sewing and engineering with her made to measure.
Our Thoughts on the Sewing Bee Series 11
This season once again celebrated the imagination and talent of the Bee’s contestants, with fresh challenges each week to inspire us at home. From bold makes to clever techniques, there truly was something for every stitcher to enjoy. We’ve loved sharing our top pattern picks with you, hearing your feedback on our socials and we can’t wait to see what the Sewing Bee brings us next year!
