On a quest for zero waste jeans

Zero waste jeans fabric

An item which isn’t on my sewing bucket list (but should be) is to make a pair of zero waste jeans. What do I mean by zero waste jeans? I mean a pair of jeans cut using 100% of the fabric, with no scraps, offcuts or waste. The layout needs to fit neatly within the…

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The Aquascutum Suit, Part 2 1/2

The Aquascutum Suit

You can probably tell from the title of this post that I’m not finished with this suit yet.  I’m still not satisfied with the sleeves, however I think I’m nearly there. (Read about how I acquired this suit here, and what I did last week here). An Instagram friend asked me if there was a…

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The Aquascutum Suit, Part 2

The Aquascutum suit jacket

Remember the Aquascutum suit I found in a op shop?  Read about my bargain purchase here. The trousers fitted perfectly and I had plans to remodel the jacket.  I got as far as unpicking the sleeves and pinning in the body (and was reminded how hard it is to fit oneself). Then we had a…

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How to make zero-waste leggings

Zero waste leggings

Last week’s zero waste leggings are finished and I can happily report success!  In fact, I am very pleased with them. If you feel in the mood to sew something different, you might like to make yourself a pair.  Here’s the draft:     Fabric: The leggings require a stretch fabric that stretches in both…

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The challenge of zero-waste leggings

Zero waste leggings

Is it possible to design leggings that waste no fabric?  I have been turning this idea over in my head for some time; I do love a patternmaking challenge.  Read more about zero waste fashion here. Basic leggings typically only have one pattern piece, which makes zero waste impossible since the piece isn’t square.  The…

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The Aquascutum suit

The Aquascutum suit

  Have you seen this before?  It’s WW2 make-do and mend advice for women.  The idea is, while your man is away raiding the enemy, you raid his wardrobe and cut up his suit (so the poor man doesn’t have a suit when he returns).  For best results, match a large husband with a petite…

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Nailed it! Zero waste trousers with diamond gusset

Zero waste trousers with gusset

After the disappointment with my first attempt, I’ve triumphed!  (Visit my previous post so you know what I’m talking about.)  I had another go this week with this trousers idea, making them roomier.  They now have the perfect degree of pajama pant bagginess. UPDATE 13th March 2020: This pattern now has a new improved gusset…

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Zero Waste wrap skirt

Zero Waste wrap skirt front view

The 6-gore wrap skirt is my most popular post.  I wear the original blue peanut print wrap skirt regularly in summer and always get a comment. This week I revisited the the draft and made myself a new one.  It’s about 10cm longer, and 7 gore instead of 6.  With an odd number of gores,…

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The Jeans Recycling Challenge the final analysis

the-jeans-recycling-challenge-the-final-analysis-jeans

The Challenge: Transform a torn pair of jeans into something useful, re-using every part of the jeans.         The jeans recycling challenge is now finished.  I just couldn’t find a use for the final scraps; they were too scrappy.  They didn’t end up in the bin -I added them to a cushion…

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The Jeans Recycling Challenge the last leg

the-jeans-recycling-challenge-the-last-leg-all-the-scraps

The Jeans Recycling Challenge: Transform a torn pair of jeans into something useful, re-using every part of the jeans. The story so far…                           I haven’t quite finished the jeans recycling challenge yet.  I still have the slippers to sew, and some small…

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