‘Sewing Bee was like one crazy holiday’

The Scottish finalist of the 2025 Great British Sewing Bee has described her time on the show as being like “one crazy holiday”.

Órla Ní Eadhra, a student from Inverness, was the youngest competitor in the 11th season of the BBC reality show after entering the Sewing Room when she was 19.

Now 20, Órla said she had loved every moment of the competition – which names Britain’s best amateur sewer – and hoped she might inspire other young people to take up crafts.

She said: “Everyone was so lovely, and filming was so much fun – it felt like being on one crazy holiday. It was so much fun.”

Spoiler alert: This article reveals who has won The Great British Sewing Bee 2025.

In Tuesday night’s grand finale, Órla was joined by fellow finalists Caz, 60, from Staffordshire, and Yasmin Proctor-Kent, 30, from Gateshead.

The judges, Patrick Grant and Esme Young, set three challenges to test their skills for one final time following weeks of fierce competition.

First up, the finalists tackled a complex bias cut slip dress. Precision was key – one mistake in fabric cutting could cost them the chance to continue.

Next, was the Transformation Challenge, where the sewers had to show their creativity by making garments using sheer fabric.

The final task involved the masterful art of trompe l’oeil – creating illusions with fabric to fit their chosen friend or family member.

The judges said this technique, often seen on fashion show runways, tricks the eye into seeing something unexpected.

Caz triumphed in the end to be named The Great British Sewing Bee 2025 winner.

Órla said her goal from the start of the show had been just to reach the final.

She said her confidence grew each week after her “crazier and crazier” designs made it past the judges.

“No one told me to stop,” she said.

The Gaelic speaker and former Inverness Royal Academy pupil told BBC Naidheachdan: “I think I was really lucky.

“I never got that intense anxiety feeling that you are about to go out.”

Órla started sewing when she was about 15, but said she could not put her finger on what got her started in the craft.

When she was still at school, she honed her skills by trying to recreate costumes she saw on the Eurovision song contest.

She said: “I don’t really know how I became so passionate about sewing.

“It just started developing more and more like any hobby and I loved the fact I could chose one day to be more methodical with it and follow instructions.”

Órla added: “I really hope it inspires some younger people to get into sewing.”

The University of Edinburgh student is studying performance costumes after switching from fashion. She had originally gone to university to study German.

Meanwhile, Órla is giving some thought to post-Sewing Bee creations.

She said: “I think I need to up my Halloween costume game, I always have elaborate ideas for them and run out of time.

“My best Halloween costumes were always the ones that my mum would make with me and my sibling when we were much younger – often made with just a glue gun and some felt!”