If you are reading this blog I would imagine that you are very likely to have watched Great British Sewing Bee. Am I right?
We all have our favourites, lets be honest. Its difficult not to as we identify with style and fabric choices they each make. My favourite from the last series, I must confess, was Jenniffer Taylor. I loved her garment choices, how she styled them and above all else, the lady loved her fabric!
I was interested to know about Jenni's life before Great British Sewing Bee, how she coped in the competition and, more importantly, where life has taken her since. I was delighted to catch up with her recently for a chat to find out more about Jenni, her #sewingrevolution and some very exciting plans for 2015.
I love that you started sewing by making your own wedding dress. It such a romantic start to your journey! How did you come to throw yourself into a very deep end of sewing?
"I honestly couldn’t find what I wanted. I had the perfect dress in mind but I just couldn’t find it anywhere. So me being me I decided I wanted to have a go at making it myself."
Your husband secretly applied for Great British Sewing Bee on your behalf. At what point did he come clean and let you know and how did you react?
After the application had been in the post for about a week, he confessed to me. I could tell he had been up to something and I was really quite worried at one point but then it all became clear. He had just signed me up to a BBC sewing programme! To say I could have killed him at the time was an understatement. Looking back now I'm so glad he did. He had a lot more faith in my sewing skills than I did, so I'm glad that he applied on my behalf as the Great British Sewing Bee and its viewers have helped me see that I am pretty good at this sewing lark!
With just a year’s experience of sewing, you and your sewing were watched and scrutinised by several million viewers each week on Great British Sewing Bee - how did that feel?
I'm not going to lie, I was petrified. I was worried about what Patrick and May would say. However Kirk had given me the best advice. He said treat this like the most intense sewing course you can ever go on. Learn from the feedback and learn from those around you. I tell you what; money cannot buy the sewing course I had! It was the best!"
Honestly: was Great British Sewing Bee exhausting?
It's two full days of sewing, it’s an intense environment not only because of the competition and time constraints but also from the lights and camera's. Your every little movement is being watched either by the cameras or the judges!
The prom dress you made in Episode 4 was gorgeous. If you had been competing in the final of Great British Sewing Bee what would your evening/ball gown have looked like?
Oh that’s a difficult one. I think it would have to be something unusual, but I think I would pull on my retro influences. I think it would be something geometric or psychedelic in design.
So how has life changed for you since Great British Sewing Bee?
I kind of feel like I’m living two lives at the moment as I still work my normal 9-5 job. However after work and at weekends I get to do what I really love which is sewing or teaching others to sew through my #sewingrevolution workshops. I cannot wait to really sink my teeth into sewing full time and things are about to get really exciting.
So tell us! What lies ahead for you in 2015?
The super exciting news is that the #sewingrevolution is now expanding into Live demonstrations! Create & Craft TV (Sky 674 freeview 36 Virgin 748 freesat 813) have dared to let me into their live studio where I will be doing my first show this Saturday (17th January). So keep an eye out for me at 2pm!
The other news is that I will be collaborating with a Midlands crafter, Neelam Meetcha, who is a leading gift wrapping expert. Together we are hoping to encourage the Midlands to get crafting and show that you don’t always have to go to London to take part in awesome workshops. To find out what we will be up to you will have to tune into the website as it is top secret at the moment! Sshhh! And my #sewingrevolution workshops will continue as well as my blog.
You are now teaching workshops and giving talks. Do you enjoy passing your skills and advice on to others?
I love it! Teaching is something that I have always wanted to do. I studied dance at University and I always loved performing but equally loved choreography and teaching people to dance. Sewing has become an extension of that dream.
You are really into upcycling and have made some fabulous pieces. Do you enjoy teaching people how to upcycle the most?
Upcycling is how I learned to sew. You cannot always afford to buy fabric but upcycling means that you don’t have to. I also hate throwing clothes away, so upcycling gives you the opportunity to revamp or reinvent old items/ garments, giving them a new lease of life.
As a viewer watching you, your love of print and pattern leapt from the screen, from your Moustache PJs to your gorgeous dress that you wore for the Final get together. Do you have a particular fabric style or designer that you favour?
Bold colourful prints have always struck a chord to me, which is why I love retro or vintage clothes. I'm not afraid to wear those bold prints or bright colours in clothing. Designer wise I'm loving Amy Butler and Valori Wells collections at the moment but to be honest I will get fabric from anywhere. I don’t really follow trends. I especially love going to charity or vintage shops and finding unlikely fabrics like bed linen. You'll be amazed of what you can make out of a double bed sheet!
That dress was stunning, the fabric amazing - is it only me that loves it or did it attract a lot of attention?
My retro dress for the final did cause quite a stir! A lot of people asked who the designer was, how much and where can they get it from? Well, of course it’s a Tailor Taylor garment. It’s a vintage pattern - Style 4278 from 1973 and the fabric was really cheap from my local Town Market. I think it was about £2.00 a metre and it’s a light cotton. Gutted that I haven't seen the fabric again since though. I do love a good find.
Have you got any fabric that you are saving for the perfect project or that is just too lovely to cut into?
I have about 4 metres of cool nautical fabric that I bought while on a fabric shopping trip with Chinelo in between filming dates for the Sewing Bee. It wasn’t very expensive but I just haven’t found the perfect pattern for it yet. I'm not very precious about fabric; I think upcycling has taught me not to be. So fabric doesn’t tend to lie around for very long before I've made something out of it.
It's a cold, rainy day, you've got your sewing machine in front of you, what are you most likely to make?
Oh anything, but I have recently got into quilting using the off cuts from other projects. I've just finished one in time for the winter and those rainy cold nights!
If you are stuck, where do you turn to for inspiration?
When I'm stuck for idea's clothing wise, it sounds strange but I actually look at our vinyl collection. Music is a huge inspiration to me and I love to look at the album covers. So whether it is the artwork on the album, the era, what they are wearing or the music itself, I would say that’s what I draw on.
Do you have a favourite go-to colour palette?
Crazy, bold colours.
Are you still sewing cheeky pockets?
Absolutely, you have to have a cheeky pocket somewhere.
Do you listen to anything when you are sewing?
Always, whether it is the radio or our vinyl collection. Kirk loves to make play lists as a practice run for his DJ sets so I like to listen to those. If I'm really lucky Kirk will even play guitar and sing a few songs for me while I'm sewing. He's very romantic.
You also sing in your band, Snooty Bobs. How is that going?
Very well thank you. We are just in the process of writing some new material and hopefully go into the studio to record an EP. We still do the occasional gig to try out the new material and I love performing on stage - it’s the best bit about being in a band. I really get to blow all the cobwebs off and shake my tambourine!
A lot of sewers dream of owning a shop, designing a range of dressmaking patterns or even a fabric range or maybe write a book. So with all this creativity in your life, what ambitions do you have for the future?
I would adore my own studio space so I can continue to run workshops. I have recently considered the idea of bespoke patterns but strangely I have had so many people ask me about writing a book. I had never considered it before but I the more I think about it, I would really like the opportunity to do that. May be an upcycling book, what do you think? (Fabric Magpie thinks that would be an excellent idea!)
Any final words of advice to anyone setting out on their sewing journey?
Don’t be afraid of the fabric! An unpicker is your best friend and always check that you have enough thread in the bobbin before topstitching. It's so annoying when you run out half way through!
How about anyone thinking of applying to Great British Sewing Bee?
GO FOR IT!!!
And just for fun I asked Jenni a few quick fire Q's ....
Tea or Coffee? Tea - Earl Grey.
Beer or Wine? Both
Biscuits or Cake? Cake - with Cream!
Radio 1 or Radio 2? BBC 6 radio
Hand sew or Machine sew? Machine
Sewing or Singing? Not fair!
Happy wishes? I hope that I keep inspiring people to sew #sewingrevolution
You can catch Jenni's #sewingrevolution on Create & Craft TV at 2pm on Saturday 17th January 2015 at 2pm (Sky 674 freeview 36 Virgin 748 freesat 813)
You can find a list of Jenni's up and coming #sewingrevolution workshops on her website.