Great British Sewing Bee – Sustainable Style Book & Pattern Review

So, exciting news, I’ve launched a YouTube channel 😱 My very first video is about the new Great British Sewing Bee book launched in conjunction with the new series which started last week, 22nd of April 2020. I also review the pattern that I sewed from it too. I will put some brief information here too, as I think it’s useful to refer back to, but here is the link to the video.

The Book

The book is aimed at confident home sewers, therefore, it’s not a ‘how to sew book’ as it assumes that you can do the very basics with some methods highlighted as ‘Special Techniques’, such as fly zips or shirring. The book covers both series 5 & 6 of the Great British Sewing Bee & contains 27 projects. There are 5 double sided A0 patterns sheets, that are nested, so tracing will be required, (you can download them though for printing either at home or a printshop).

There are13 different patterns plus some variations of those patterns, some upcycling projects & projects where patterns aren’t required. 4 of the patterns were featured in the last series namely; The Pussy Bow Blouse, The Wiggle Dress, Mens Trousers & a Man’s Linen Jacket, so maybe we can expect some of the remaining ones to be featured in the upcoming episodes.

The Patterns

Pictured below are the projects which have a pattern. So you have a vintage inspired coat, with the option of making it collared or collarless. Beneath that is a long sleeved blouse, with a shirring panel which would make fitting a little bit simpler, this is a variation of the Summer dress which is short sleeved. The Pussy bow blouse from last series. There is a halter neck dress, which is backless & aimed at improving makers. The men’s trousers have a straight legged or flared option.

There is a sleep set with elasticated waistband & rouleau loops which can be made in knit or woven. There’s a variation to make this into a romper suit. The mans linen jacket & lovely wiggle dress from last series. The wrap skirt has a variation to make it shorter & from offcuts & remnants. The bomber jacket is unisex & has the option to make it shorter & has the potential for colour blocking & finally a jumpsuit with patch pockets & buttons down the front which can be worn with or without a belt plus a cropped version.

Transformation Projects

As the subtitle suggests the focus of this book is on sustainability, so along with the usual information about what kit is required & sizing, there is a section which covers the different kinds of fabrics & how we can make more informed choices about the fabrics & haberdashery that we choose. There are sections discussing the impact of how we care for our handmade wardrobe through laundering & mending.

In & amongst the projects with patterns are some other projects; some that have been inspired by the programme & others that are a little simpler, perhaps to encourage beginners as well as using up scraps & remnants, such as an apron, a tailor’s ham, a pinafore skirt made from some corduroy trousers & dress made from a tablecloth. There is also a mans shirt refashion that has information about natural dying.

Thoughts

Overall, I am pleased that I bought this book. There are several projects in here that I would be happy to make & I love that the focus is on sustainability. I think that if you are already interested in sewing sustainably then there is probably nothing that you don’t already know or practice in here. However, I think that with the current situation, there are potentially going to be a lot of people who are new to sewing that will get a lot from this book, so a good middle ground.

The Midi Dress

I thought I’d try the Midi Dress to start with. I loved that although it was big & floaty & reminiscent of the 70’s, it had a bit of waist definition which is important to me. Fabric suggestions are: viscose, bamboo silk, crepe/crepe de chine, cotton lawn, chambray, georgette or light linen. I’d picked up this polyester crepe fabric from a sewing meet-up last year & had kept pulling it out wanting to use it in a project as I thought it went well with the garments that I’d made for the Great Module Sewalong. I had just enough for the Midi dress, around 3 yards, so the decision was made. I appreciate that poly crepe isn’t the most sustainable choice but I am offsetting that against the fact that it was unwanted fabric, potentially going to landfill.

Sizing

The size chart is at the beginning of the book, with the finished measurements, fabric requirements & suggestions at the beginning of each project. My measurements currently are 37″ bust , 32′” waist & 40″ hips & I’m 5’8″. The women’s patterns are drafted for people 5’5″ – 5’7″ tall & a B cup. (I love that height & cup information is included, it’s so useful). According to the chart I was a size 12, (just) at the bust & between 14 & 16 at the waist, I decided to chance the 14 at the waist as grading out 2 sizes can be too much.

Sewing Up

I found the instructions to be easy to follow in the main. I did encounter a problem with the shoulder seams not meeting. The back shoulder seam was nearly an inch wider than the front. I’d already cut, interfaced, sewn & overlocked my neck facing, so I took the contentious decision to slice off the extra from the armsyce. I know that can make fitting in the sleeve difficult but I did measure first before I did any lopping off & knew that there was enough ease in the sleeve head to get away with it – phew! 😅

There is a lot of gathering in this dress, if you don’t enjoy gathering, then maybe think twice before starting. The bottom edge of the front & back bodice, bottom of the sleeves & each tier of the skirt panels are all gathered. (I also had to use gathers to ease in the sleeve into the armsyce, which it doesn’t say in the instructions). I find the technique suggested, with 2 rows of gathering stitches, a fiddly job, with less than satisfying results, especially on long pieces, to get it even. But I have a solution, for the longer skirt panels, at least! I use elastic, probably not quicker but I feel that it gives a more even gather. I will try to put together a tutorial of how I do it but in the meantime, here is a link to the technique from Deer & Doe. (I just use normal elastic & cut it out, it works just as well).

I was a bit lazy & rather than trace off the skirt pieces, I took the measurements. Unfortunately, I got height & width confused & didn’t realise until after I’d inserted the elastic & sewn it to the bottom panel, so had unpick it all, which wasn’t fun!. The result is that my dress isn’t quite midi, it’s around 4″ inches shorter than it should have been, which is ok, as I don’t, particularly like that length on me & would probably ended up taking it up. But interstingly mine looks around a similar length to the one in the book, which means with the model is 6′ or it has also been shortened!

Finally, after having fun with the seam ripper, I couldn’t find a suitable sized zip in the correct colour & size. After trying on the bodice, I knew that it was going to be big enough, I took a chance & sewed up the whole of the back seam & it fit over my head just fine without. I do this on a regular basis if I can, especially with a V neck. Probably not everyone can get away with it, I guess it depends on your bust size. In fact it was a little too loose on me & I ended taking another 3/8″ out of the back seam.

Final Thoughts

Other than the issue with the shoulder seam & it coming out a bit bigger than expected I like the pattern. It would be lovely in a viscose or a white lightweight linen for summer, not that I can wear white, as I’m a mucky pup & would have food & or dog prints down it within half an hour of getting dressed but one can dream can’t one!

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Have you bought the new GBSB book? What are your thoughts & have you made anything from it yet, have I tempted you to make the midi dress or the maxi version? Let me know below.

Until next time

Sam xx