Meet the Highly Commended Makers: Sarah Dodgy

Over the next few weeks, we promised, we’ll be getting you inspired all over again with the winners of our Highly Commended award which was part of The Great British Sewing Bee Sew Along.

Last but certainly not least on the blog is the amazing Sarah (@sarahdodgy) who wowed us every week with her very intricate makes. Her International Week make really caught the eye of Sewing Bee winner and alum, Charlotte and Catherine is the lucky winner of Janome 9300DX Overlocker from the lovely people over at Janome UK.

Tell us a bit about your sewing journey?

I’ve always sewn, ever since I was little making clothes for my Sindy doll (showing my age!). My mum always made my clothes when I was little so there were loads of off cuts, you could also get scrap bags from the many fabric shops and stalls around in those days and I’d course my granny’s button box.

I have a love hate relationship with making clothes for myself, I find it so much easier to make clothes for other people than myself. However, the Great British Sewing Bee and delving into the world of other sewists on Instagram totally inspired me to have another go.

Tell us about your winning make and what inspired you?

I really enjoyed the challenges set by Sewisfaction each week, it gave a purpose and starting point to begin and finish a sewing project each week. The most challenging week was when I tried to figure out ‘Origami’ sewing, phew, not sure I’d do it again.

What was your highlight from The Great British Sewing Bee?

The most interesting week was the sustainability challenge. I really enjoyed hacking up old jeans,  using the resulting pieces, buttons, zips etc to create something wearable. It was like a jigsaw puzzle to fit the pieces together and frustrating when I didn’t have enough of the bits I wanted to use. It took a bit of thinking through and designing on the hoof but the resulting dress looked great. I enjoy making clothes using vintage patterns, old buttons, bits of lace etc, in this throw away society I do think everything deserves a chance to be ‘re-loved’!

What’s next in your sewing pile?

My latest challenge is a wedding dress for a friend’s daughter. It’s made from a beautiful heavy silk crepe with pearl beading……..I’ll post a picture after the wedding, can’t give anything away before the big day!

For more about the delightful Sarah, follow her on Instagram – @sarahdodgy

Did you enjoy reading this? Make sure you head to the blog to check out our other highly commended winners.