The Great British Sewing Bee graced our screens once again this summer airing from July 15 2025, to September 16 2025. But this time one of the Edinburgh College of Art’s (ECA) own students entered the Leeds Studio. Órla Ní Eadhra, joined the 11th season of the show as the youngest competitor (aged 19 at the time of filming), wowing viewers with her incredible skills and infectiously friendly personality. Winning the ‘Garment of the Week’ as early as Week Two of the show for a stunning athleisure set, Órla showcased incredible skills and an ability to thrive under pressure. Being a university student whilst practising, filming and travelling for the show sounded like a huge challenge, and we were eager to hear from Órla herself about the experience.
Sitting down in the ECA cafe, we were immediately struck by Órla’s warm and friendly nature. Órla had an interesting route to the Sewing Bee, explaining to us that this was actually her third time applying, almost making it onto the series when she was 17. Having been surrounded by craft from a young age, Órla recalled her mum making fun halloween costumes for her and her sibling, but mentioned how sewing wasn’t something she had seen. In High School she took National Five in textiles and, with one other student, had to beg her teacher to be allowed to take a Higher in Fashion. She described being given a family member’s old sewing machine, but having bought her first proper sewing machine with her own money showing her ambition and self-motivation. Órla talked about her own experience of watching The Sewing Bee, saying how she wanted to do the challenges. It wasn’t that she saw herself being a tv contestant, but instead she was interested in thinking what she’d do when put under the time pressure and told to create. Telling us a funny story of being an hour late to her prom because she was busy sewing her dress right up to the deadline, it was clear she fit the bill for the show perfectly.
Órla started telling us about the extensive interview process to get on the show, explaining how contestants had to sit down with a psychologist to determine their suitability for TV thinking through the potential for negative backlash, as is the unfortunate reality of the social media age. This led us onto talking about the positive effects social media had for Órla, who told us about being recognised by viewers and getting to talk to people about her experiences. I was interested to hear about the kinds of opportunities she had following her success on the show, and she told me about a range of exciting events spanning from Stitch Fest in London, to being commissioned to make halloween costumes, to being the celebrity appearance for her Grannies podiatrists Fun Run this Christmas in Inverness. Overall, she emphasised that having now built a thriving social media presence she feels able to continue to do what she loves, mentioning how for creatives an online presence is crucial.
Finally we spoke about what was next for Órla, who continues her degree in Performance Costume at the ECA. She’s currently loving the course and hopes to one day enter the costume designing industry seeing herself making theatre costumes or perhaps designing for drag queens. She told us how she hopes to combine her interest in languages (having previously studied German and Norwegian before swapping to study at the ECA) with costume design, especially wanting to inspire other Gaelic speakers, like herself, to do what they love. Coming from Inverness, Órla is keen to emphasise her Scottishness, and encourages other young people to step into the arts world and not be discouraged by not feeling like they are artsy enough at the point of applying. She reminded us that this is what arts degrees are for, and that they will help you get to where you want to be. Reflecting on her own artistic journey, she described the sewing shop in her home town where she got her fabrics from and learnt many key skills. Tragically this community space burnt down on the same day she found out she’d be on The Sewing Bee, but this sewing community are still her biggest supporters to this day, echoing a warmth and kindness many of us find in those who share our passions and interests. Órla’s time on Sewing Bee and her success prior to this, including being named the winner for London at the Junk Kouture World Final in Abu Dhabi (2022), show her hard working nature and really demonstrate that you don’t have to come from a big city to make a name for yourself in the creative industries.
We wish Órla luck for her bright and promising future and look forward to seeing what she does next.
Photo provided by Órla Ní Eadhra for The Student