Great British Sewing Bee competitor Matthew Dummigan, a teaching assistant at Wittering Primary School, hopes to create costumes for Ru Paul’s Drag Race

A teaching assistant hopes his appearance on a television show will lead to a career designing costumes for drag queens.

Matthew Dummigan was eliminated from The Great British Sewing Bee during the fourth round of the competition.

The 30-year-old struggled with Reduce, Recycle Reuse Week which saw the sewers attempt to make a pair of zero-waste trousers, turn tote bags into something new and create a made-to-measure outfit from second-hand crocheted blankets.

BBC viewers watched on Wednesday evening last week as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young chose Matthew to leave the sewing room.

He said: “I’m disappointed to be going but actually surprised as well. I thought I’d be out in week two!

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“I know that I’m not technically brilliant but I can get by. I love the fact that I was able to be free.

“The thing that makes me feel proud the most is staying true to who I am. I think it’s really important to have representation of people, especially for kids these days. They need to see ‘otherness’ and there’s nothing more ‘other’ than this little weirdo.”

Matthew, who works at Wittering Primary School, was described by the judges as the boldest and one of the most creative sewers, but they said his execution let him down while making a dress out of crocheted blankets in week four of the competition.

His flamboyant creations – both those he wore during filming and those he made for the challenges – made him stand out from the crowd.

Matthew said: “I do get a lot of positive comments about the garments I make and wear. It’s great to hear and I love taking ownership of what I make and how I style it.

“I also get a lot of strange looks and negative comments from people on the streets and I’m okay with it. I’d rather disrupt your image of what a ‘boy’ should wear and leave an impression, than plod along going unnoticed.

“You can’t make change without a little disruption.”

Matthew was taught to sew by his nan when he was young. She was a tailoress and he says he still feels connected to her when he sews, keeping her tailoring certificate above his sewing space at home.

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He makes many of his own clothes along with items for his family.

Matthew said: “I do feel like I’ve progressed as a sewer. I’ve learnt new skills and learnt to not overthink things. Meeting these fabulous sewers really opened my eyes to tackling difficult situations from a different angle.

“I’ve recently been asked to design and make costumes for a local drag queen which is perfect for me as that’s exactly what I want to do. My dream is to have a garment walk down the runway on Ru Paul’s Drag Race.”

The Great British Sewing Bee continues on BBC1 at 9am on Wednesdays and on BBC iPlayer.