Sewing Inspired By Fashion Figures
Week 3’s Sewing Bee episode took a glamorous turn, with the contestants drawing inspiration from three legendary fashion figures: Diane von Furstenberg, Vivienne Westwood, and Gianni Versace.
It was a celebration of bold style, structured silhouettes, and lots of stretch fabric, and not all contestants were in their comfort zones.
The episode opened with a tribute to Diane von Furstenberg’s legendary wrap dress, a flattering, functional staple made in stretch jersey.
Contestants were asked to recreate the garment from scratch, adjusting for fit and drape while navigating the slippery, stretchy nature of knit fabrics.
This challenge wasn’t just about style, it was also a technical test. The dresses had to be hemmed using a coverstitch machine, which many contestants had never used before.
Coverstitch machines are brilliant for creating stretchy, professional-looking hems on knitwear, but they're notoriously expensive and often missing from the average home sewer’s toolkit.
If you don't have a coverstitch machine at home, you can mimic the look and stretch using a twin needle on your regular sewing machine:
- Thread both needles with separate top threads and sew from the right side, the result is two straight top lines with a stretchy zigzag underneath.
- Stabilise the hem with fusible interfacing for best results.
Things took a punk turn in the Transformation Challenge, as the contestants reworked existing garments into edgy outfits inspired by Vivienne Westwood, the Queen of rebellious fashion!
The final challenge of the week was inspired by the ultra-glamorous aesthetic of Versace.
Contestants were asked to create a made-to-measure outfit that screamed high-end, red-carpet confidence. This meant stretch fabrics, strong silhouettes, and a whole lot of attitude.
Many garments incorporated bias-cut jersey and needed smooth, elastic finishes that wouldn’t ripple or stretch out with wear.
Again, the importance of a clean hem came into play, with twin needles or coverstitch machines doing the heavy lifting.
Your finish makes all the difference. A twin-needle hem can take your project from “homemade” to “handmade” with a professional edge and if budget doesn't permit or you don't want an additional machine in your craft room, no coverstitch machine is required!
if you’d like some help sewing with jersey, why not sign up to one of Sewcialising’s ‘Sew with Stretch Workshops’.
Are you enjoying watching season 11 of the Sewing Bee? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
