Get the new Great British Sewing Bee book worth £30 when you subscribe to Simply Sewing magazine
In the mood for some spooky stitching? Explore our Halloween sewing patterns to find a creepy project to stitch!
The Great British Sewing Bee 2025 came to a close last night with contestant Caz winning the title of Britain’s best amateur sewist. She clinched the title with her incredible open-heart surgery dress, but the finale was also a beautiful celebration of queer identity thanks to the other two finalists, Orla and Yasmin.
19-year-old Orla from Inverness touched the general public and the queer community with her pleated Pride-inspired dress, which celebrated her sibling Ró’s non-binary identity. Her gothic black dress hid secret rainbows which could only be seen from certain angles.
Orla explained that her Pillars of Colour dress shows everyone that ‘no matter if they have a facade of being unhappy and dark, there’s always room for people to be excited and joyful about life’.
The dress was then modelled by her sibling Ró, who took to the catwalk to show Patrick and Esme the incredible optical illusion. When asked by Judge Esme Young if they’d wear it, they replied: ‘Absolutely! To a Eurovision party!’
In our family we have a lot to do with queer culture and rainbows are a little bit queer! – Orla
Orla’s dress celebrated the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community, while Yasmin and her fiancé were beautiful examples of queer love. Yasmin’s fiancé modelled her dress, offering support from the wings while Yasmin struggled to finish her optical illusion dress!
It was a brilliant finale with three heart-warming, personal stories creating three mind-boggling trompe d’oeil dresses. We can’t wait to see what all three finalists create next…
Catch up with the finale of the Sewing Bee
Head over to our guide to The Great British Sewing Bee, where we break down each episode, sharing our favourite moments and makes.
