Last spring Alison Smith was one of 2.7 million viewers who tuned in to watch 81-year-old grandmother Ann Rowley win the first series of BBC's The Great British Sewing Bee, a contest to find the ...

Sewing queen Alison Smith is behind the new store. She was awarded an MBE for her services to dressmaking and corsetry back in 1993 - the first MBE awarded for dressmaking.

"It's no surprise that homemaking activities have seen a resurgence with the economy in the doldrums," says Alison Smith, an author and dressmaking teacher (schoolofsewing.co.uk). "Sewing is an ...

Sewing queen Alison Smith is behind the new store. She was awarded an MBE for her services to dressmaking and corsetry back in 1993 - the first MBE awarded for dressmaking.