May Martin

May Martin
May Martin
Born	1955 or 1956 (age 70–71)
Occupations	sewing teacher; television judge
Known for	The Great British Sewing Bee

May Martin (born 1955 or 1956) is an English sewing teacher and a former judge on the BBC television programme The Great British Sewing Bee for series one to three, 2013–15.

Early life and education

Martin attended St Osyth's College to train as a teacher.

Career

Martin teaches sewing in adult education at Peter Symonds College in Hampshire, and taught dressmaking for the Women's Institute at Denman College. When she joined the Great British Sewing Bee, she had been teaching sewing for over forty years.

Martin was asked by the makers of The Great British Sewing Bee to audition as a judge for the first series, which was broadcast in 2013. She left the programme after the third series. She writes a column for the magazine Sew, starting in 2015.

Personal life

Martin lives in Awbridge, near Romsey in Hampshire.

Books

May Martin's Sewing Bible: 40 years of tips and tricks on how to make your own fashion, home furnishings & crafts (2014, HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0007573042)
Foreword and practical tips in The Great British Sewing Bee: Sew Your Own Wardrobe, by Tessa Evelegh (2014, Quadrille Publishing, ISBN 978-1849494144

References

1 2 "Interview with May Martin - The Queen of the Sewing Bee". FindCourses. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
↑ Wollaston, Sam (3 April 2013). "The Great British Sewing Bee; Crossing England in a Punt: River of Dreams – TV review". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
↑ Bennett, Claire (3 April 2013). "The Great British Sewing Bee: Episode 1". Tatler. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
1 2 Corless, Blathnaid (9 June 2021). "What happened to the previous host and judge of the Great British Sewing Bee". My London. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
1 2 3 "The Great British Sewing Bee, Series 1". BBC. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
↑ Newall, Sally (6 February 2015). "The Great British Sewing Bee, TV Review: This is Bake Off with needles and thread". The Independent. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
↑ Saunders, Sally. "A sewing machine is a power tool after all". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
1 2 3 "Seamstress lands a job on TV". Daily Echo. 3 April 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
1 2 Bussmann, Kate (18 February 2014). "Behind the scenes of Great British Sewing Bee". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
↑ "Behind the scenes at The Great British Sewing Bee". Sew. March 2015. p. 19.
↑ Rooney, Richard (2 February 2019). "The craft event that's saving our stores". The Courier. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
↑ "Meet the Queen Bee of sewing". Hampshire Chronicle. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[f579-1] 1 2 "Interview with May Martin - The Queen of the Sewing Bee". FindCourses. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[a655-2] Wollaston, Sam (3 April 2013). "The Great British Sewing Bee; Crossing England in a Punt: River of Dreams – TV review". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[a305-3] Bennett, Claire (3 April 2013). "The Great British Sewing Bee: Episode 1". Tatler. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[y390-4] 1 2 Corless, Blathnaid (9 June 2021). "What happened to the previous host and judge of the Great British Sewing Bee". My London. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[p069-5] 1 2 3 "The Great British Sewing Bee, Series 1". BBC. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[l914-6] Newall, Sally (6 February 2015). "The Great British Sewing Bee, TV Review: This is Bake Off with needles and thread". The Independent. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[j441-7] Saunders, Sally. "A sewing machine is a power tool after all". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[u521-8] 1 2 3 "Seamstress lands a job on TV". Daily Echo. 3 April 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[r251-9] 1 2 Bussmann, Kate (18 February 2014). "Behind the scenes of Great British Sewing Bee". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[10] "Behind the scenes at The Great British Sewing Bee". Sew. March 2015. p. 19.

[d329-11] Rooney, Richard (2 February 2019). "The craft event that's saving our stores". The Courier. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

[y502-12] "Meet the Queen Bee of sewing". Hampshire Chronicle. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2026.