It also felt disconnected, we didn’t get to really know and see her, to feel any emotions. It was just a light collection of memories. My siblings would help me if I got into terrible debt but I’ve never had loads of money. I have had enough money to survive.”

Esme mentored and taught designer Ashish until he became a professional fashion designer. Following his success, she worked on his London Fashion Week collections, cutting patterns and creating the shape of the designs, making the toiles and doing the fittings.As a teenager, I’d make outfits for nights out. To begin with, they were quite dreadfully made. The clothes were awfully finished, with no facings, but I felt very proud of them. My mother made things, too. In fact, I’ve still got her sewing machine. It’s one of those old ones – not with a treadle, but with a handle you turned.” In the last series of Sewing Bee, the contestants were tasked with recreating Swanky Modes' iconic Amorphous dress, which was showcased on the silver screen in the 1980s, and is currently at the V&A. Whilst Young's life has been interesting (working on film dressmaking, cool!), there is nothing stand out to make this an amazing memoir. I was born in 1949. My father was a pilot during the war and got shot down, which meant he returned to England and had to stay in hospital for two years. When I was born, he insisted I was named Emma after and old friend who had shown him kindness – even though my mother wanted to call me Caroline. When I was 19 and at St Martins, my name was called out as ‘Esme Young’ – I have no idea where it came – and when I said I went by Emma, my tutor seemed baffled that I would want to be known as Emma when my name was Esme, so that was the moment things changed. I didn't understand any of the sewing bits but then I love watching Sewing Bee because watching people being creative is really what it's all about.

Her eye is drawn by all kinds of objects. She also collects animal skeletons and has the skulls of a boar, goat and sheep. Perhaps her next jewellery project might embrace this interest. It was a wild time. By day, she was creating garments and at night she rode her motorbike to parties dressed in a leopard-skin catsuit. Still, money was tight so Esme lived in a squat. She loved the experience. Taking place next April as the perfect way to blow away the cobwebs on a short break with like-minded Prima readers, our three-day trip is set to be a fabulously crafty escape. One of the best sewing courses Bath has to offer During an exclusive and intimate talk from Esme, you'll not only learn about her life, but also get to ask her questions about the Sewing Bee, what goes on behind the scenes and tips for sewing at home. A cosy stay in a country-chic hotel David Bailey photographed one collection and Vogue featured Brigitte Nielsen wearing a Swanky Modes lycra two-piece in the mid-1980s.More recently, Esme has released a memoir titled Behind the Seams: My Life in Creativity, Friendship and Adventure. In 1972, she formed the fashion house Swanky Modes with three other designers. They had a shop in Camden and made one-off designs to measure. I don’t find it hugely difficult being a judge on the show – it’s not dissimilar to the appraisal process you do as a teacher, and I can spot when things aren’t quite working. The most important things are the silhouette and the fabric you choose to work with. The correct fabric is what counts – not just quality – because you need it to do what you want it to. I also look at sewing technique. I know first-hand that the only way to learn is often through mistakes.” Chapter Eight: The Future Of Fashion Esme is forthright in her opinions but never unkind to contestants. “I have a reaction to things and I’ll say how I feel about them, good or bad,” she says.