How did this year’s celebrity sewers – Penny Lancaster, Natalie Cassidy, Johannes Radebe and Rosie Ramsey – fare with the challenges?
Well, I was particularly impressed with what they created for the made-to-measure challenge – the pop star-inspired fancy dress costume for New Year’s Eve. It's kind of amazing what they achieved. Some of them had practised ahead of the show, but how long did they practise for? If you’ve never sewn, a few hours on a sewing machine won’t make you an expert. I've been sewing for 50 years… do you know what I mean? So they did brilliantly on the made-to-measure.

What did they make?
They all had a personal reason for who they chose. Penny did Madonna’s look from the film Desperately Seeking Susan and Johannes did a jumpsuit for the guy who was in One Direction… Harry Styles. And Natalie chose Liam Gallagher. It was really fun. I loved how the models paraded down the catwalk as their characters, too. Rosie chose to do a Dolly Parton fancy dress. I had flashbacks to when I actually dressed as Dolly. At Swanky Modes (the fashion store I opened with friends in Camden in the 1970s), we all dressed up as Dolly Parton to go to the premiere of Andrew Logan's Alternative Miss World. We were all in silver and white with cowboy hats and holsters.

What about the pattern challenge?
The pattern challenge eased them in gently with a festive apron. Penny made one for her husband Rod and it was very rock ’n’ roll. I can't wait to see a picture of Rod Stewart in the apron. Do you know what? I saw Rod Stewart perform when he was in The Faces in the late 1960s. He was great.

And the transformation challenge?
It was to make a festive-themed outfit from old clothes. I really like the transformation challenge. It's about creativity. It’s about seeing a vision of something and putting it together. But I do think it’s hard because they've only got an hour-and-a-half. They’ve got to come up with something really quickly. I do think it'd be hard for me and Patrick, too, to tell you the truth. It is the time element that makes it difficult. If you had half a day to work out what to make, it would be easier.

You had your usual slightly surreal end of show entertainment, too…
LAUGHS Yes. Rosie channelled Dolly Parton by singing 9 to 5. She’s got a great voice. And Patrick, Sara and I dressed up as pop stars, too. It was hilarious. We like a bit of dressing up and dancing. Both Patrick and I danced with Johannes, too, during the show. When you've got a Strictly dancer in the sewing room, you’ve got to have a little turn about the floor. It has to be done. At the end of series wrap party, Patrick and I always dance. I've always liked dancing. I can remember learning the Gay Gordons at school when I was seven.

I hear from Johannes that he has a bit of a crush on Patrick…
Surprise, surprise. Hasn’t everyone? LAUGHS

Is there anybody you’d like to see in the next Christmas special?
Well, maybe Harry Styles would be amusing. Perhaps he’ll see the fancy dress Johannes made for him. He’s very into his fashion. The opera singer Nicky Spence – who was the coach on the Sky Arts series Anyone Can Sing – is a big fan of Sewing Bee. He’s hilarious. He doesn’t just sing opera, he sings pop, too. It would be different to have an opera singer on the show. Opera costumes would obviously be an influence.

Christmas isn't Christmas without… my Christmas tree. Isla – the daughter of one of my Swanky Modes friends – used to stay with me a lot and I started doing a tree with her when she was five. I’ve done one ever since. Nowadays, I have a tree dressing party. I get people to come round and help decorate the tree and we have a meal. I mean, my flat’s tiny, so I can only have six to eight people here, but it's a tradition. Though, in lockdown, of course, it didn’t happen. I have so many decorations – my brothers have brought me them from all over the world. And I've got two papier-mâché dolls I bought in Mexico. Isla made a fairy costume for them and, alternate years, we put a different one on the tree.

What about food?
I make Christmas cakes for friends – five of them – and put decorations on them. I started with a recipe, but I have changed it. I put in more fruit, so it’s really moist and I feed it with alcohol over the weeks. I cover them with apricot jam, marzipan and a soft icing made with lemon juice rather than just water. So we get sloshed on cake at Christmas. I love a bit of Christmas cake. I make a much smaller one for me.

It's lovely to make presents at Christmas. Do you sew any gifts?
I used to, every year, make something for my mother – necklaces or things like that. I can remember one year doing stockings and filling them with things I’d made for her and my dad. Then, one year, I was too busy, so I gave her a vase and she said to me: ‘At last, a real present.’ LAUGHS That was hilarious. I’ve still got some of the necklaces I made.

What are you doing this Christmas?
Well, every year, the family get together. I’ve got four siblings. Two of them are married and they've got children and there are grandchildren, so it's a really huge do. On Christmas Day, I do different things. I quite often go to friends’ houses. And sometimes I go to my brother’s house on the coast and I get a bit of sea air to help the digestion of all that Christmas food.

If you liked this, you might also like...

Meet all the celebrity contestents in the 2022 Christmas Sewing Bee

When is the 2022 Festive Special of Sewing Bee on TV?

Get into sewing with our FREE Sewing Bee magazine download