Thomas makes the cut to take TV sewing title

Thomas Irwin was chosen as the winner of the inaugural title following a tense final with another local designer, Matthew Tanner from Castlerock.

Thomas, 21, from Kilrea, is a Textile Art, Design and Fashion graduate from Ulster University who specialises in sustainable fashion for men.

Four talented designers faced a total of eight testing challenges during the BBC NI series. Each week the designers drew inspiration from the Ulster Scots pioneers who helped shape the global textiles industry.

Through technical and design-led challenges, the finalists uncovered the story of Northern Ireland’s rich textiles heritage and its legacy today.

Designers Katie Larmour and Una Rodden were the judges who decided who would win the prize in ‘A Stitch Through Time’.

Firstly, Thomas and Matthew were tasked with creating a linen waistcoat lined with satin in their final technical challenge.

In their second challenge of the ifnal, the men were tasked with creating a design based on Ulster’s most iconic textile - linen.

Thomas, who took his inspiration from the styles of the 60s and 70s, chose to use a psychedelic linen pattern to create a bold jumpsuit. Thomas admitted that he was “excited and nervous” in equal measure taking on the task.

He added that he used the psychedelic material to give the impression of a rainbow.

“Because when rainbows are used they are normally used in terms of ‘hope’ and that’s what the linen industry brought.”

Winning the overall title, Thomas said he “wasn’t expecting it at all.”

The Kilrea man said that he actually expected to leave the competition after week two but put what he had learned from the previous weeks into practice to reach the final.

‘A Stitch Through Time’ is still available to watch on the BBC’s streaming platform iplayer.