Were you a fan of the Great British Sewing Bee on TV? The series has been brought to life thanks to The Great British Sewing Bee LIVE. This is an event for anyone with a love of dressmaking, textiles, fashion and tailoring whatever level.

The show hosts hundreds of workshops, demonstrations, fashion galleries, catwalk shows, drop in clinics and a celebrity super theatre, as well as over 200 of exhibitors selling specialist dressmaking and textile supplies.

You can spend a day re-stocking your material stash, learning to sew, master the art of dressmaking, see the judges and contestants from the TV programme plus so much more.

We are exceptionally pleased to support this event and also support our graduate talent by having our own stand at this exhibition. You can find Adele Catchpole, 22, from Acklam in Middlesbrough and 21-year-old Shannon Garland, from Brotton on our stand showcasing their work, alongside Katt Mudd from our Student Recruitment Team.

Both students graduated from the university-level campus in Hartlepool in July, with Adele now pursuing a career as a freelance designer in illustration and surface design and Shannon developing her costume design talents with Seaham-based bridal company, House of Mooshki.

Adele and Shannon gained first class honours in  Textiles and Surface Design and  Costume Interpretation with Design respectively. The talented design duo will be displaying their talents on the CCAD exhibitor stand at the show with their costumes created as part of their degree.

Specialising in hand rendered illustration and embroidery, Adele’s collection is based around the concept of the psychobiology of plants, with vibrant colours featuring in her range of psychedelic clothing.

Adele, who has featured as an artist with leading UK jewellery designer Tatty Devine and collaborated with international independent fashion magazine, Sunday Girl, is excited about exhibiting at the show.

She said: “I watched the Great British Sewing Bee on TV and loved the show, so I was honoured to be put forward by CCAD to represent the college in the live event this year and I’m really looking forward to seeing my collection on the stand.

“I will be networking with other designers and hope to make contacts with fashion bloggers and industry professionals. As well as my collection I will be showing my sketchbooks and portfolios, and I hope there will be opportunities to take on more commission work from the show.”

Adele has participated in a number of international trade shows during and after her studies to sell her designs and build on her network of contacts, including New Designers in London, Premiere Vision Designs in Paris and Surtex in New York.  She has also collaborated on lead screen printing workshops and a number of embroidery, print and illustration projects, with more exhibitions in place for next year.

The young designer has also commissioned to create paintings and products such as pet portraits, handmade notebooks, jewellery and re-worked vintage garments and is involved in prop and costume making for community art projects and events.

Adele added: “I am working towards developing my bespoke fashion and gift-based products which I sell online and at craft events, creating pieces from my home studio which I hope to expand into a bigger space.

Also displaying a range of designs from her degree show, including ladies tweed jackets and a bridal collection, Shannon said: “I have never been to the Great Sewing Bee event before but I do follow the TV series and I am proud that CCAD want to feature my work on display to such a wide audience. As a graduate and designer in the creative industry it is vital to be at national event such as these.”

Shannon has also gained a great deal of experience from attending industry shows during her degree, both at Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week and White Gallery London trade fairs with House of Mooshki for its Grace Philips range, where she is employed as a designer.

She added: “I am really enjoying my job at House of Mooshki and it has allowed me to learn so much and grow in confidence in many aspects of the bridal industry. I’m going to New York next month with for New York Bridal Fashion Week which I’m now super excited about!”

The Great British Sewing Bee Live is on until Sunday 24th September at the Excel Centre in London.