A postman from Bude has made it to the final of the Great British Sewing Bee. 

Day to day, Tony R, as he is referred to in the program, works as a postman in Bude, however, for the past eight weeks, he has been wowing the nation with his unique sewing style, as part of the BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee competition.

The show, which is now airing its fifth week, hopes to find the best sewers and seamstresses in the country and Tony is hoping to show the judges what he’s made of with his 90’s inspired fashion. 

When he’s not enjoying the Cornish coast, delivering post, skateboarding along the promenade, or whizzing down the country lanes on one of his many bikes, Tony can be found sitting behind his sewing machine making everything from cycling gear to 90’s skater fashion. 

“I am a self-taught sewer, everything I’ve learned, I’ve either figured out myself through trial and error or as a last resort, gleaned from the internet,” Tony explained. “I started sewing in 2019 after reigniting my attempts at crafting (knitting and crocheting) after a few years off. I initially started making project bags to put my yarn in and then went from there.

“What I love about sewing is the process of breaking something down into smaller bits to achieve greater things, and of course the fact you get something tangible at the end!

“Walking into the sewing room for the first time was utter madness, I’m a big fan of the show and to be actually there with 11 other sewers was incredible,” said Tony. “Knowing what could be coming up in the first week, I was terrified of the transformation challenge as I think this is my weakest area. I was however really excited to show my made-to-measure as I think this sets the tone of who you are as a sewer.”

Across the last eight weeks, Tony’s sewing skills have been put to the test, from creating a children’s dragon dressing gown to tailoring a high-fashion outfit fit for the catwalk. However, with his sewing machine primed and patterns pinned, Tony has flown through the competition, taking on every challenge which is thrown his way. 

Now, Tony has reached his last challenge, as he is one of three sewers to make it into this year’s final. Tony, Asmaa, and Mia will take to the sewing room one more time, putting their tailoring to the test, to find out who is this year’s Great British Sewing Bee Champion. 

You can watch the final on BBC One next Wednesday (July 26) or you can see all of Tony’s journey on BBC IPlayer.