Posts by lizhaywood
New Pattern: Petrea Dress and Blouse
Hi Everyone, I have a new pattern. Introducing Petrea, a dress and blouse. The pattern is in my Etsy shop now – please enjoy 25% off for the next month. This pattern comes in twenty sizes, to fit an 81cm/32″ bust to a 178cm/70″. The dress is zero waste and has generous in-seam pockets, and…
Read MoreLiterally, Wearing a Square
Curiosity overcame me during the week, and I tried out the square-shaped top I had in my sketchbook, originally from Pinterest. I was very interested to see what it would look like on a body. For fabric, I had some striped soft double-knit that Mum gave me. The stripes are narrow on one side and…
Read MoreChanging a Silhouette with Unexpected Armholes
I came across this little drawing in my sketchbook, while I was looking for something else. It’s a drawing of a top I saw on Pinterest ages ago: The neckline is on one side and the sleeves are in asymmetrical positions. I imagine it’s in knit fabric with ribbing arms and waist. There’s no picture…
Read MoreHaywood’s Hierarchy of Mending and Clothes Use
In acknowledgement of #MendingMarch, here’s a flowchart I whipped up reflecting my thoughts on mending and how textiles should pass through a household. Cheers!
Read MoreHow I came to write the Zero Waste Sewing book
Last week, the Zero Waste Sewing book turned 3. Many thanks if you’ve bought a copy or borrowed one from the library. I hope you enjoyed reading and making things from it. I thought you might be interested in how I came to write this book… Back in 2016, I happened to read about zero…
Read MorePresenting the Zero Waste Bra Pattern
Here’s the pattern for the zero waste bra I’ve been working on. The previous posts about this project are: June 2021 when I thought I could make a bra; this led to a zero waste bra in one size but I put the project aside; then I picked it up again some weeks ago; last…
Read MoreLet the Bra Making Commence
This week, the story continues with the zero waste bra pattern I dug out of the zw archives for another whirl. My teen asked me to have another try making her a zero waste bra, so I’ve revisited the pattern. I’ve been on hold with this project until now because the bra haberdashery I ordered…
Read MoreRevisiting the Zero Waste Bra
It brought a certain joy to my heart when my teenage daughter asked if I could have another stab at making her a zero waste bra. Challenge accepted! It’s been 18 months since I attempted a zero waste bra. (See the two blog posts on this: the first one, and the second one with the…
Read More3 Buttonhole Woes (and how to fix them)
It’s feeling like Buttonhole Week here at the Haywood Homestead – I’m working on three projects at once, all which need buttonholes and I must have sewn well over 60. My “everyday drive” sewing machine is a 1964 Singer that doesn’t make buttonholes, in spite of having an array of embroidery stitches. I make buttonholes…
Read MoreZero Waste and Fabric Economy
Sometimes I hear the throwaway line: zero waste patterns often use more fabric than regular patterns. Maybe that’s the person’s experience (or they’re repeating something they’ve heard), however, my own observations show the opposite. Actually, I didn’t notice just how economical zero waste patterns could be until I’d made lots. Sometimes the fabric savings are…
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