How has the final for the 2024 Great British Sewing Bee come around so quickly?
What a 10 weeks it has been – we’ve seen judges in Anna Wintour wigs, outfits made from cricket whites and show stopping lingerie-inspired bustier gowns.
The finals for the Bee are always spectacular, and this one was no different. The three finalists this year were Ailsa, Luke and Pascha, judged by Patrick Grant and Esme Young.
Episode 10 recap (the final!)
In this post I recap the tenth 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
The final pattern challenge of the series was a tricky one! The sewists had to make a pair of perfectly finished opera gloves. This was not going to be easy – beautiful satin gloves are slippery, and there are lots of tight angles to sew around (all while trying to finish them to an impeccable standard). It was the final, after all!
The transformation
The judges asked the contestants to create their last transformative outfit using only party decorations. Think paper plates, paper chains and party poppers. It felt like the perfect celebratory transformation for the final.
The made to measure
The final made to measure challenge is often a show stopper, but this one was delightful. The sewists had to drape their fabric, instead of cutting pattern pieces, which meant a completely unique and elevated series of designs – very haute couture! They invited a friend each to model for them, which added a lovely personal touch to the final fashion show of the series. Here’s what they each made:
Ailsa’s pleated waistcoat and kilt in her granddad’s MacLeod of Harris ancient tartan was beautiful. Her friend Thomas modelled her creation.
Luke’s mash-up mix of masc and femme, modelled by their friend Jake.
Pascha’s red carpet worthy pink taffeta ballgown, modelled by her friend Romy.
After a nail-biting final, the judges finally made their choice.
And the winner is…
Luke! They were so overjoyed to win, it was lovely to watch. Luke sewed well throughout the competition, but it was their expertly draped made to measure, and how creatively they’d blended the masculine and femme design elements that won Luke the trophy.
What next?
I can’t wait to see what this year’s sewists get up to! I’m going to do a couple of posts about what past contestants have been up to since their shows soon, so look out for that. Hopefully it’ll help fill the Bee shaped hole we’ll have in our hearts.
Congratulations again to Luke, and well done to all the lovely sewists who took part. We loved following along, and hope you did too.
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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