Meet the Queen Alexandra Hospital consultant in tonight's final of the BBC's The Great British Sewing Bee
A CONSULTANT, who swapped her stethoscope for a sewing machine for the chance to show her love for vintage fashion, will be in the final of a TV show this evening.
Clare Bradley, a respiratory consultant at Queen Alexandra Hospital, is one of the three finalists in this year’s Great British Sewing Bee.
The BBC One show has seen 12 competitors complete a variety of challenges to test their skills by judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant, whilst presenter Joe Lycett adds a comedic commentary.
Clare has made the final, which airs tonight at 9pm, alongside TV supervisor Matt Gage and jewellery designer Nicole Akong, both from London.
In the semi-final, the sewers were tasked with recreating Marliyn Monroe's iconic white dress, using junk to make a sci-fi inspired outfit and design a 1920s flapper dress.Clare, who was taught to sew by her mother and enjoys making vintage-style clothes, won garment of the week with her sci-fi dress.
The 37-year-old said: ‘I definitely owe most of my sewing knowledge to my mum, who taught me how to use a sewing machine, how to follow a pattern, and lots of techniques like inserting zips.
‘She made several party dresses or bridesmaids’ dresses for me when I was a child, and even then I enjoyed the process of going out and poring over the pattern catalogues and fabrics with her.
‘I only started sewing regularly in the last seven or eight years. I have a particular pattern for a set of late 1930s blouses and wide-legged trousers which I have made at least four times in different fabrics.’
Clare’s collegues and fans of the show have shown their support for her on social media.
One fan said: ‘Clare is consistently brilliant, with strong design ethos.’
Anothe added: ‘Clare is so creative and she smashed that challenge love her unique style. Clare to win!!!’
Speaking about why she went on the show, Clare added: ‘It’s easy to sit at home wincing at basic mistakes people make under time pressure on telly, but I thought - if I didn’t go for it now, I’d always wonder whether I could have done it.
‘While it was nice to get positive comments from the [judges], I was a harsher judge on myself for not living up to my own standards. Joe, on the other hand, was a hilarious distraction, with various ridiculous comments and outfits. Just don’t ask him to find a matching button for you, unless you like a gamble.’
Tune in to watch Clare in the Great British Sewing Bee tonight at 9pm on BBC1.
Good Luck Clare!