We catch up with Jade Earley, the Sewing Bee’s youngest finalist, who wowed us and the judges with her fabulous creations. She talks tulle, alterations and how her swimming training prepared her to sew under pressure!

Age is no obstacle!
“I felt a bit overwhelmed being the youngest contestant, but thanks to my swimming training and the techniques that I learned to stay calm before a big race, I was able to keep my cool which helped a lot. I think my age hindered me in that I wasn’t as experienced as the other contestants, but the benefit was that I could bring modern ideas to the Sewing Bee.”

From swimming to sewing
“I miss my swimming [Jade originally trained to be an Olympic swimmer until she injured her knee]. Brighton swimming club was my family and I was there for six years, training every night. However it teaches you to be disciplined and work hard, so it’s certainly helped to set me up for life. I will be making more active wear, that’s for sure!”

Mastering those alterations
“My sewing demons on the show were the alteration challenges, which were very hard! It was so difficult to take a garment and turn it into something else within the allocated time. But I conquered them in the end and when I made it to the final I felt so proud of myself.”

Sixties chic
“I really enjoyed the made to measure challenges as they gave me the chance to show people what I can do, but sewing to a time limit and still getting perfect results is hard! I loved all of the garments I made, but if I had to pick one as my favourite, it would be my ‘60s jacket. It was such a simple pattern but I was determined to pattern match and get the fit perfect. To hear Patrick say it was exceptional was just amazing, and I’ve since made one for my sister!”

Firm friends
“I love Joyce, she used to meet me at the train station and really looked after me during filming. We’ve stayed in touch and I’m going to see her very soon. It would be great if we could have our own TV show together, we would be like the Ab Fab ladies! I also got on well with Claudia, she is a truly amazing lady and we had such a laugh. When she said ‘Smash it!’ to me in the final episode, she sounded so much like my mum!”

Sewing essentials
“I am the queen of tulle, I’m going to buy myself a crown to wear when I am working with it! I could not live without my unpicker, it is a critical tool for any sewer. I’ve got some amazing projects in the pipeline and I’ve been sewing mini versions of my Sewing Bee makes for my little sister. I also make bandannas for my dogs as they love to dress up!”

Patrick is such a doll!
“A lady in Brighton made me a really cute set of Sewing Bee rag dolls, featuring me, Claudia, Esme and Claudia! I am having a small cabinet made for them as they are so precious and they will have pride of place on my bedroom wall.”

For more of our interview with Jade, check out our September issue, on sale 29th July!

Take advantage of our reader offer and buy two GBSB books, Fashion With Fabric and Sew Your Own Wardrobe, for just £20 (plus £5 UK postage) while stocks last! Call 01795 414 964 (Offer is subject to availability, orders must be received by 10th September 2016).