Carrickfergus soprano Emma puts her skills to the test in the latest series of The Great British Sewing Bee

Originally from Carrickfergus and now living in Scotland with her husband of 18 years Robin, who is a piano teacher, and their two children, Lucas and Orla, Emma Morwood is already proving her skills, taking the top spot in the first episode of the new series.

A trained classical singer, Emma is a soprano who has performed all over the world, including locally with the Ulster Orchestra.

When she’s not performing in operas and concerts, Emma will be at her sewing machine, as since she picked up sewing again in 2023, she hasn’t bought a single piece of clothing.

Her style is bold, colourful and full of life, reflecting her personality, you’ll never catch her in black.

She enjoys open water swimming all year round, even breaking the ice to get in! And she used that passion in her first ‘made to measure’ creation on the show by making a swimsuit and trousers to be worn on her ‘ideal summer’s day’, which proved to be a huge hit with the judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young.

Emma learned to sew as a child from her mum, a gifted seamstress who could turn five metres of fabric into a stunning dress in an afternoon, before wearing it to a dinner dance that same night.

"I sewed a few things as a teenager,” Emma explained. “My mum was really good at sewing and showed me the ropes.

"I used to hand sew little stuffed toys and I made two prom dresses for myself when I was about 15.

"Then I didn’t sew anything for ages until lockdown, when I made loads of face coverings. I started making those using donated fabrics, but when I realised that all my singing work had disappeared, I started making them to order.

“My friend Lesley encouraged me to restart sewing in 2023, and gave me some patterns and fabric. I love it because you can create unique items of clothing."

Emma loves to make jumpsuits and dresses but admits her least favourite fabric to work with is definitely velvet.

Her creations catch the eye of everyone she sees and are already proving popular with Sewing Bee judges and viewers.

"I get loads of compliments from friends and strangers for some of my more colourful outfits,” she said. “I’m a bit naughty because I love to admit to having made it.

"I don’t think we should play down our creativity. I’m always one to dish out a compliment if I think someone looks good - even just walking down the street. It’s lovely to give and receive compliments.”

Emma was delighted, if a little nervous, to appear on the show but she has loved the experience, although keeping it quiet from friends and family proved to be a challenge.

"It has been tricky to keep it a secret, to be honest,” she admitted. “Some of my closest friends didn’t know I was doing it. And my mum didn’t either!

"I didn’t want the pressure at the time - people asking how it was going. I told my kids, but didn’t allow them to tell any of their friends.”

During the filming of the show the contestants formed a close bond, which Emma was grateful to have.

"We are a close little hive of Bees, I think,” she continued.

"This is a truly unique experience to share with 11 other people, and I feel very lucky with the bunch I was in with.

"We joked that it was trauma bonding, but really we had lots of laughs, and some tears, along the way. I’ve definitely made pals for life.

“When we first walked into the room, it felt so surreal.

"It didn’t quite ever feel like the sewing bee room, to be honest - it’s bigger, and there are more people around, with camera operators, sound team, etc.

"It didn’t feel like Sewing Bee until you saw it on the jib monitor, and I’d see something like Heather’s beautiful hands and think ‘wowzers, that’s the Sewing Bee. This is Sewing Bee!’

"I was definitely fearing the transformation challenge. I have aphantasia which means I can’t picture things in my imagination very well, so I find it hard to tell what something might look like when it’s made. So the transformation challenges were going to definitely stretch my creativity.”

Emma was delighted to get her final creation finished on the first week. This year for the first time, the contestants had to make an outfit for themselves rather than for a model. And they even had to strut their stuff on the catwalk to show it off for the judges.

"My best moment was getting my ‘Made to Measure’ finished in the time,” Emma said. “It was by the skin of my teeth and Beth helped by threading a needle for me.

"My worst moment was possibly walking the catwalk. Even as a performer, I found that a tricky thing to do because I wasn’t playing a role - I had to be myself and parade something I had made. I’d never had something I’d made put under so much scrutiny before.”

Despite her concerns Emma’s outfit proved to be a huge hit with the judges, being named as ‘Outfit of the Week’.

Viewers can catch Emma in action on The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC One on Tuesdays at 8pm and catch up on the BBC iPlayer.