Sewing Bee series 7 episode 8 – wardrobe ideas

The Great British Sewing Bee is back on our screens every Wednesday evening! Next to the two judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young, the comedian Joe Lycett also returned to the show. Twelve amateur sewers will be fighting for the title of Sewing Bee of the year. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Andrew last week. And with only 5 contestants remaining, the theme for episode 8 was Music & Movies.

As always there were three challenges: for the technical challenge the contestants were asked to sew a fit and flare dress inspired by Dirty Dancing, for the second challenge they had to transform old curtains into a children’s outfit just like Maria in The Sound Of Music, and lastly they had to make a Dream Girls inspired disco dress to fit their models.

To keep you posted on all things Great British Sewing Bee we will share our pattern picks every week here on the blog, so you can re-create the fabulous ‘Bee’ looks for your own homemade wardrobe! You can also browse the whole collection of specially curated sewing bee patterns here.

Challenge 1: Sew a dress inspired by Baby from Dirty Dancing.

The pattern challenge of this week’s episode was sewing a dress that is inspired by Baby’s iconic Dirty Dancing dress. The contestants were asked to sew a dress with a tightly fitted bodice and a perfect full circle skirt. Are you inspired to make a fit and flare dress for yourself? You can find our pattern suggestions below.

Pattern: Vogue 8648.

Vogue 8648 comes with 6 different sleeve and style options so you can make it fit your handmade wardrobe. Go for version D, E, or F to re-create Baby’s swishy dress.

Pattern: Simplicity 8051.

This fit and flare Rockabilly dress features a fabulous full skirt and it comes in misses and plus sizes. Choose from a sweetheart neckline with thick straps that cross in the back, or go for a round neckline with cut-out opening at back.

Pattern: Vogue 8729.

Be the Belle of the ball in Vintage Vogue 8729. This is an original design from 1956 and it has a lined, close-fitting bodice, an underskirt, and a large bow at the back.

Pattern: Vogue 1422.

Vogue 1422 is a simple fit and flare dress that makes this pattern a great starting point for some pattern hacking. The dress is lined dress and has a fitted bodice, an underskirt, and invisible back zipper.

Challenge 3: Sew a 1970’s outfit inspired by the movie Dreamgirls.

In the final challenge of week eight, the contestants were asked to make a 1970’s disco outfit inspired by Dreamgirls. It was challenging because it had to fit the model’s body closely whilst using challenging fabrics such as sequins. Find some of our pattern suggestions below.