Why I love the Sewing Bee and an introduction to our New Bees!

Official contestant images used for identification. The Great British Sewing Bee is a BBC/Love Productions programme.

🐝 Meet Your 2026 Sewing Bees! 🐝

It's time to study the form! Here’s a quick introduction to this year’s talented Bees! 😄

Whatever happens this season every single one of these contestants has achieved something remarkable by putting themselves forward and so that you know, you wouldn't get me in there for all the eggs in Sainsburys!

BEE KIND - ALWAYS

🧡 Adele (36)

📍 West Yorkshire | 👩‍🏫 Primary School Teacher

Loves bright colours, bold prints and leopard print. Restarted sewing in 2020 and now enjoys making matching outfits for the family. A marathon runner with a huge personality who even started a sewing club at school.

Bee Buzz: Colour lover with plenty of enthusiasm.

🌸 Angie (63)

📍 Warwickshire | 👩‍🏫 Retired Lecturer

Inspired by her mum and grandmother, Angie adores 1950s and 60s fashion. Sewing became her escape during lockdown, and she loves creating complete outfits with matching handbags and petticoats.

Bee Buzz: Vintage glamour with elegance and experience.

🖤 Anna (27)

📍 North Yorkshire | ☕ Barista & Waitress

Lives on a narrowboat and loves historical costume, corsetry and gothic-inspired fashion. She enjoys combining dramatic style with wearable garments.

Bee Buzz: The creative wildcard.

⚙️ Beth (24)

📍 Oxfordshire | 🎓 Engineering PhD Student

An engineer who loves problem-solving and bespoke garments. Beth adapts clothes to suit her scoliosis and believes sewing and engineering go hand in hand.

Bee Buzz: Technical brain with an eye for detail.

🌼 Dawn (64)

📍 London | 📚 Bookkeeper

Has been sewing since childhood and has a wardrobe that’s almost entirely handmade. Loves adding unusual details and believes clothes should feel as good as they look.

Bee Buzz: Decades of sewing experience.

🌈 Emma (45)

📍 Midlothian | 🎼 Classical Soprano

A colourful sewist who hasn’t bought clothes since rediscovering sewing. Loves bold garments and learned from her talented seamstress mum.

Bee Buzz: Bright, joyful and full of personality.

♻️ Heather (28)

📍 West Midlands | 📋 Project Manager

Passionate about modern style, deadstock fabrics and passing sewing skills on to the next generation. Sewing is both her creative outlet and her way to unwind.

Bee Buzz: Sustainable sewing champion.

👕 Lewis (29)

📍 East Sussex | 👨‍🏫 Primary School Teacher

A fan of classic workwear, natural fibres and repairing clothes rather than replacing them. Loves making costumes and teaching children to sew.

Bee Buzz: Practical craftsmanship.

💚 Minnie (30)

📍 Bedfordshire | 👩‍👧‍👦 Full-Time Mum

Originally from Beijing, Minnie creates beautifully fitted garments, traditional Chinese clothing and childrenswear. She rarely makes the same thing twice.

Bee Buzz: Precision and elegance.

💖 Rebecca (27)

📍 London | 📊 Chartered Actuary

Known for technical sewing, Victorian fashion and ambitious projects—including making her own wedding dress. Loves colourful workwear and fantasy-inspired sewing.

Bee Buzz: Highly technical and fearless.

🛠️ Sam (31)

📍 West Yorkshire | 🔧 Heating Engineer

Learned to sew just three years ago and already dreams of pattern drafting. Loves modern workwear and sewing on both industrial and domestic machines.

Bee Buzz: Creative chaos meets serious ambition.

👔 Tim (60)

📍 Suffolk | 🌿 Care Farm Director

A lifelong lover of sewing with a passion for thoughtful finishes and timeless style. Believes sewing is about connecting with people as much as making clothes.

Bee Buzz: Calm, classic and heartfelt.

Aways Behind the Bees!

Over the past three years, creating my weekly Sewing Bee Synopsis has become one of the highlights of my sewing year. Of course, I’ve loved chatting about the challenges, celebrating the contestants and sharing my thoughts on each episode, but it’s given me so much more than that. Watching sewists of all abilities push themselves outside their comfort zones has inspired me to do the same. It’s reinforced my belief that sewing isn’t about perfection – it’s about learning, growing and having the confidence to give something a go.

In many ways, the Sewing Bee has shaped the direction of my own sewing journey. It encouraged me to become a sewing coach, to create Sewcial Sparkle and Super Sparklers, and to champion sewing confidence above all else. Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone tackle a project they never thought they could make, supported by a welcoming and encouraging community. That, to me, is what the Sewing Bee has always been about.

💛 Why do I follow the Hive?

Looking back, it’s funny how one television programme quietly changed the direction of my life. Following the Sewing Bee inspired me to sew more, try new techniques, teach others, launch Sewcial Sparkle, create Super Sparklers and become an ambassador for sewing confidence.

I can sometimes hear Esme Young in my hear saying "What are you waiting for....just do it"

If someone watches one of my videos and decides to dust off their sewing machine, then that’s exactly what the Sewing Bee did for me.

📺 My Weekly Bee Synopsis

Every Thursday during the series I’ll be sharing my Sewing Bee Synopsis over on YouTube. It’s never about catching people out or criticising mistakes—it’s about celebrating creativity, admiring incredible sewing and cheering everyone on from my sofa.

Bee Spotting! 🐝📸

One of the unexpected joys of following the Sewing Bee has been meeting so many wonderful contestants over the years. Whether at sewing socials, The Stitch Festival or simply out and about in the sewing community, every Bee I’ve met has been generous with their time, encouraging and genuinely lovely.

These friendships remind me that behind every episode is a real person who had the courage to put themselves out there.

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Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to meet and get to know some of the wonderful people who’ve taken part in the Sewing Bee. They’re not just talented sewists – they’re kind, generous people who have put themselves out there, stepped well outside their comfort zones and inspired thousands of others to sew.

That is why I’ll always be behind the Bees. 🐝💛

And finally, to our brand-new Series 12 Bees…

Take a deep breath and enjoy every single stitch of the adventure ahead. You’ve already achieved something extraordinary by stepping into the Sewing Bee workroom, and nobody can ever take that away from you.

I hope you’re incredibly proud of yourselves. I know you’ve stitched your very best, and over the coming weeks I’ll be cheering every one of you on from my little Sparkly Studio. My pom-poms are well and truly dusted off!

Whatever happens, I hope you make lifelong friendships, grow in confidence, inspire thousands of people to get behind their sewing machines and never lose the joy that brought you to the Bee in the first place.

Sending every one of you so much love, luck and, of course, a little extra sparkle.

You’ve got this. ✨🐝

To every Bee… don’t forget to Sparkle. ✨ 💛