GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE 2023 – SEWING PATTERNS S9 EP10
The Great British Sewing Bee S9, 10 – The Final,Mia, Patrick Grant, Asmaa, Sara Pascoe, Tony, Esme Young, © Love Productions, James Stack.
It’s the FINAL of series 9!
In the final of The Great British Sewing Bee series 9, the three last contestants are challenged with making a Victorians-style evening dress, upcycling female party wear into men’s red-carpet attire and a made-to-measure Met Gala-worth ‘two-in-one’ dress to fit a model. For episode ten we have put our detective hats on to discover the sewing patterns from independent designers and commercial pattern houses used in Sewing Bee TV show. The patterns below are all matches or inspired by the designs used in the tenth episode of the Great British Sewing bee series 9. If you haven’t already seen our ultimate guide to the Sewing Bee do take a look.
The theme was ‘extravagant garments’ and all three remaining contestants had to make three garments. The challenges included making a glamorous Victorian-style evening dress with delicate fabrics, upcycling female party wear into a men’s red-carpet outfit inspired by celebrities and a made-to-measure Met Gala-worth ‘two-in-one’ dress to fit a model. Take a look at our sewing pattern suggestions below, we’ve tried to find the exact patterns used but where we haven’t been able to we have plenty of suggestions so that you can recreate these looks at home for your handmade wardrobe.
If you want to chat about the episode and the challenges then do join us each week in our Facebook group event.
Sewing Bee: Pattern Picks
Pattern Challenge 1: Victoriana-style evening dress
The first challenge of the tenth episode was to make a glamorous Victoriana-style evening dress in a delicate fabric. The dress comprised of a puff sleeve with double frill cuff and skirt with single frill hem. Here are some patterns you could try at home.
The Peony Dress is the dress you have been missing from your wardrobe. Made in a silk or pretty viscose crepe, it’s the perfect special occasion dress, or made in a linen or babycord you can dress it down for daytime. The pattern also includes a fantastic couture technique to add shoulder puffs to your dress. The waist seam sits about 1 cm above the natural waist, and the skirt gently skims over the hips. The Peony Dress is not designed to be closely fitted, but there are darts on the front and back of the bodice and skirt so you can easily adjust the fit to your liking. Both Views A and B have a sleeve frill. View A also has a skirt frill that falls just above the ankle, while View B finishes mid-thigh with no frill.
Sizing: UK 6 – 30 (approx. UK 6 – 28, based on our standardised size chart). Please also check the designer’s size chart and finished garment measurements. Available in the shop: Yes, PDF or PDF + printed copy shop pattern.
Transformation Challenge 2: female party wear into a men’s red-carpet outfit
In the upcycling challenge contestants had to upcycle female party wear into a fantastic men’s red-carpet outfit. Specific patterns weren’t used for these tasks as contestants had to create a garment from existing materials in a fixed time so it’s a bit tricky for us to make sewing pattern suggestions based on these design ideas.
Made-To-Measure Challenge 3: Met Gala-worth ‘two-in-one’ dress
In the last challenge of the final, all the contestants had to sew a made-to-measure Met Gala dress. These were complex makes where several pattern hacks had to be included to allow for the big reveal at the end. Below we have suggested similar patterns to the versions used but modifications would need to be made to create an exact replicas version.
Mia’s Little Black Dress
Features: Velcro, straps and sweetheart neckline.
Pattern: Simplicity S9291. Close-fitting dress has front princess seams on bodice, back zipper, adjustable straps with ring & slider & skirt variations.
Sizing: A5 (6-8-10-12-14), E5 (14-16-18-20-22), which is approx. UK sizes A5 (4/6 – 10), E5 (10 – 18/20). based on our standardised size chart. Available in the shop: Yes, paper pattern.
Mia’s Pink Glitter Gown
Features: full length skirt with gathered waist and diamanté straps.
Pattern: Vikisews Iris Dress. Iris is a dress with a close-fitting bodice and voluminous skirt. It features a shaped empire waist seam. The centre part of the back bodice is shirred. The dress has adjustable spaghetti straps. There is a flounce at the bottom of the skirt. Iris is below mid-calf length.
Sizing: 34 – 52 (approx. UK 6 – 20, based on our standardised size chart). Available in the shop: Yes, paper pattern.
Tony’s Puffball Dress
Features: Button mechanism, pleats and elastic channel.
Pattern: McCalls M6706. These skirts have a waistband, pleats and side hook and eye and zipper closing. Narrow hem. C: Shaped back hemline (wrong side shows). B, E: Bands. The included petticoat has an elastic waist and ruffle.
Sizing: A5 (6-8-10-12-14), E5 (14-16-18-20-22), approx. UK sizes A5 (4/6 – 10), E5 (10 – 18/20). Please check the size chart. Available in the shop: Yes, paper pattern.
Tony’s Psychedelic Fishtail Dress
Features: Reveal version had a fishtail skirt.
Pattern: McCalls M8038. These evening or special occasion dresses have a fitted bodice with a back zip fastening. A: Deep-plunge back. B: Sleeveless, small fish-tail hem. C: Full-length sleeves, small fish-tail hem.
Sizing: B5 (8-10-12-14-16), RR (18W-20W-22W-24W), approx. UK sizes B5 (6 – 12), RR (14/16 – 20/22). Please check the size charts and finished garment measurements. Available in the shop: Yes, paper pattern.
Asmaa’s Blue Shift Dress
Features: Jersey fabric with snap fasteners and a draped bodice.
Pattern: The Maker’s Atelier Ultimate Pencil Skirt. Create the ultimate pencil skirt, whether in stretch or woven fabric. This pattern includes the pattern pieces and instructions for both. The stretch version is very easy to make, whereas the non-stretch version requires some sewing knowledge.
Sizing: 8 – 18 (approx. UK 8 – 16/18, based on our standardised size chart). Please also check the designer’s size chart and finished garment measurements. Available in the shop: Yes, PDF or PDF + printed copy shop.
Asmaa’s Emerald Gown with bow
Features: Glitter fabric, satin bow and gathered skirt.
Pattern: Vogue Patterns V1102. This below mid-knee dress has a close-fitting, self lined, sleeveless bodice with back tie ends to hold it in place, flared skirt, raised waistline and back zipper. Note: No provision made for above waist adjustment.
Sizing: AA (6-8-10-12), EE (14-16-18-20), approx. UK sizes AA (4/6 – 8), EE (10 – 16). Please check the size chart and finished garment measurements. Available in the shop: Yes, paper pattern.
