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Judges

Meet the judges, May Martin from the Women's Institute and Savile Row's Patrick Grant, who will scrutinise our sewers' every stitch as they look out for puckering seam lines and perfect top stitching.

May

May trained at St Osyth’s college - a teacher’s training college that specialized in needlework courses and home economics.

She began her career teaching in secondary schools and then taught adults.

May has been teaching sewing for over 40 years. She has been teaching at Denman College (Women's Institute Academy) since 1995, where she specialises in garment making and home accessories.

Patrick

Patrick bought the Savile Row tailors Norton and Sons in 2005, which also included E Tautz & Sons, the ready to wear menswear brand. Norton and Sons was established in 1821, it has provided suits for royal households and presidents, as well as iconic, well-dressed gentlemen like Cary Grant and Winston Churchill.

The tailors was in serious decline but since buying the business Patrick has increased the customer base from about 20 customers to several hundred, tripling the number of suits made.

In 2010 he won the Menswear Designer award at the British Fashion award for his work on E Tautz.

Patrick has no formal training in tailoring having started his career in science and engineering. He is however surrounded by the best hand sewers in the world and in continuous contact with the garments of an incredibly high standard. His passion and aesthetic have been responsible for putting Norton and Sons back on the map.

Clips

  • Find out more about the sewers taking part in the third series of The Great British Sewing Bee.

  • Great British Sewing Bee Judge May Martin shares some of her simple tips including how to take up jeans and how to alter a neckline.