Beth Eames, 24, studied engineering at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, before completing a DPhil in Mechanical Engineering. She recently began working as a mechanical engineering consultant in the health technology sector.
Finalists Anna, Emma, Beth of The BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee, 2026 (Image: BBC/Love Productions/Neil Sherwood)
After weeks of challenges, she and the two other contestants, Anna and Emma, were faced with battling it out to the final stitch during the final on Tuesday evening.
The final trio crafted a cummerbund and bow tie, transformed gala table décor into a beach party outfit and produced a made-to-measure outfit fit for the Met Gala with a metamorphosis theme.
For the final challenge, Dr Eames took inspiration from the Brothers Grimm tale, Rumpelstiltskin, centred on a young woman who is able to spin straw into gold.
Judges and finalists of The Great British Sewing Bee – Patrick Grant, Anna, Emma, Beth, Esme Young (Image: BBC/Love Productions/Neil Sherwood)
Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young were thrown by her “phenomenal made-to-measure” design, which “hit the brief” and “fit [the model] beautifully”.
However, it was 27-year-old Anna from York in North Yorkshire who was crowned triumphant in the 12th series after a successful sewing bee gala final week. She also won the Garment of the Week title three times during the contest.
The judges described her outfit, inspired by the lifecycle of a damselfly, as “incredibly elevated”, and as if the model “was emerging from this shell”.
Anna, 27 from York, winner of the Great British Sewing Bee, 2026 (Image: BBC/Love Productions/Neil Sherwood)
Anna said: “I can’t think of words to say that aren’t just screaming. If I could think of myself applying for the show, and then see myself now – oh my gosh, I am going to cry.
“I never saw this coming, and I have learned so much and met so many amazing people. It’s just so incredible!.
“Throughout the whole experience, I feel I have grown so much as a sewer. I have made things I never even dreamed I was capable of making. I really feel like I could sew anything now, or at the very least give it a good go.”
One of the final sewers, Beth Eames, 24, from Oxfordshire, of The BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee, 2026 (Image: BBC/Love Productions/Neil Sherwood)
In the semi-final, Dr Eames earned praise for a green plant-based leather biker jacket, with the judges highlighting the quality of her topstitching and sleeve insertion.
She first discovered a love of sewing as a teenager and has spoken previously about adapting clothes to suit her needs while living with scoliosis.
In a post celebrating her achievement on Facebook, St Hilda’s College said the Sewing Bee had been “an unforgettable experience”, teaching her about sewing, television production and performing under pressure.
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