During the second episode of the new series of The Great British Sewing Bee, contestant Beth shared a personal connection to the adaptive clothing challenge. The 24-year-old Oxfordshire PhD student revealed that her father's motorbike accident influenced her design.
Beth said: "The adaptive side of it is really great because it's quite a personal thing for me. My dad broke his neck in a motorbike accident. Very luckily, he's still with us but he can't feel with his hands. I've used really big buttons with quite large button holes so he can do them himself."
Personal health challenges
Beth also discussed designing garments for her own needs, stating: "I have scoliosis which is the curvature of the spine, and so being able to make dresses or tops that celebrate my back from all the lifting I do is quite an empowering thing. Without sewing that wouldn't be possible for me."
New series details
The beloved BBC contest has returned for its 12th series, with Esme Young and Patrick Grant as judges and comedian Sophie Willan as host, replacing Sara Pascoe. The 11 remaining amateur sewers tackled three challenges in the episode, including the Pattern Challenge that required incorporating adaptive features into a top.
After being announced as part of the new series, Beth shared on social media: "The Great British Sewing Bee, unpicked! From pretending to do a pattern challenge with my mum and grandma on my 12th birthday (we made tote bags), to this... little me would be pretty gassed and my mum, terrified." She added: "I’ve honestly made friends for life from this so I can’t wait for you to meet them and see everything we’ve made!!"
The Great British Sewing Bee airs Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
