It was the quarter final this week on the Great British Sewing Bee. I can’t believe we’re at the 8th episode already!
The sewists spent Diva week drawing inspiration from their favourite stars, ranging from Mariah Carey to Elton John.
When I heard Diva week was coming, I instantly thought of previous Bee winner Annie’s David Bowie inspired make.
Her blue made to measure has stayed in my mind over the last couple of years, and I couldn’t wait to see what the contestants would design this year.
Haven’t seen it yet? You can catch up on BBC iPlayer whenever it suits you, and tune in for Episode 9 at 9pm on Wednesday 17th July on BBC 1.
Episode 8 recap
This post is a recap of the eighth 2024 episode – there are spoilers underneath, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know what happened last week!
The pattern challenge
In this week’s pattern challenge the judges took inspiration from ultimate diva Tina Turner, and asked the sewists to recreate her iconic fringed dress.
The transformation challenge
This week’s transformation involved transforming second-hand animal print clothing into a new garment. Like every transformation, we always see some interesting creations!
The made to measure
In the final challenge for diva week, the sewists had to create a made-to-measure stage outfit to fit a real-life model. The makes this week were particularly impressive. The sewists really took on the brief and made impactful constructions fit for a show-stopping performance. Here’s Pacha’s make, which featured a contrasting skirt frame structure. It reminded me of the skirt frames worn underneath dresses in period clothing:
Luke’s made to measure won garment of the week – it was quite an elaborate construction, and the judges were impressed with how creative he’d been. It certainly had the diva impact!
Alex went home this week after making a couple of mistakes. She has done so well throughout the competition, though, and I’m sure she has many exciting opportunities ahead.
What’s happening next?
Tune in on Wednesday 17th July for the semi-final, where the judges are setting a series of challenges inspired by three icons: Balenciaga, Gaultier and Chanel.
Ready to start your sewing journey?
The Sewing Bee has made sewing accessible, and inspired the nation to start creating their own wardrobe. Seeing the contestants experimenting with different fabrics and styles is a lovely way to think about how you might tackle your own projects.
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