Zero Waste Fashion
Presenting 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 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…
Read MoreThe Wardrobe and the Zero Waste Archive
On a whim, I cleaned out my wardrobe yesterday. Actually, what happened was, I pulled out a garment to wear and saw an insect (not a moth) crawling on it. That galvanized me into action! I confess I own a large number of clothes. Most are homemade, with a sprinkling of op shop and RTW.…
Read MoreZero Waste Toys
A short post of thoughts on toys… One of the nice things about having children in your life is going to toy shops to choose presents, or making toys at home. Or even showing children the toys from your own childhood that you kept. Some months ago I was challenged to try making a zero…
Read MoreMaking Mompei trousers
Weaver Kaz Madigan of the Curiousweaver studio alerted me to a free pattern on her website for making mompei trousers, a traditional Japanese pattern. The pattern was originally published in Curious Weaver mag 25 years ago and is ideal for narrow widths of handwoven fabric. A Japanese friend said her grandma used to wear them.…
Read MoreSummiting Mt Kiabi
Yay! I finished it! Or rather, them. It’s been a slow but fun process constructing Zero Waste Design Online’s Kiabi windbreaker (read the first post where I started this project). Last week I decided to make two separate windbreakers rather than one double-layer reversible one, and this week I finished them. How much time did…
Read MoreThe Kiabi windbreaker: change of plans
Serious sewing has begun on the Kiabi windbreaker, a zero waste pattern which you can read about in last week’s post. I’m in familiar sewing territory with this project, because I used to work in a factory that made similar things. Don’t envy me; it was during The Great Parachute Tracksuit Era, circa early 1990s.…
Read MoreMaking a zero waste Kiabi windbreaker
The Kiabi windbreaker is a gender-neutral zero waste pattern originally developed by French brand Kiabi in collaboration with Mylène L’Orguilloux, co-founder of Zero Waste Design Online Collective . It’s been adapted into a pattern that can be sewn at home. The pattern is available here. Here’s a short video showing the design process (4:23min) The…
Read More