Making 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…

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No Sweat! Xanthea becomes a fleecy top

I’ve just whipped up a fleecy top using the new zero waste Xanthea t-shirt pattern. The pattern comes with a long sleeve option. The Xanthea pattern is in my shop with 25% off for the next two weeks. If you’re thinking of making a fleecy top from a Xanthea pattern, here’s the ribbing measurements based…

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Making a scrap-busting heat bag

During the week I made a couple of heat bags designed for the neck and shoulders. I made them out of scraps. Wait a minute, don’t I only do zero waste? Why am I doing things with scraps? Yes, I do generate scraps, but now they’re all of the useable rectangular type. Typically they’re the…

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Xanthea in stripes

Xanthea in stripes worn by Liz

Thank you All, for your positive reception to the zero waste Xanthea t-shirt pattern last week. A couple of people asked to see what it looked like in striped fabric. If you’re reading this with a view to making a Xanthea in stripes, here’s some details… Here’s an exclusive excerpt from The Dressmaker’s Companion on…

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New Pattern: Xanthea Zero Waste T-shirt

Hi Everyone, I have a new pattern: introducing Xanthea, a zero waste t-shirt. It’s in my Etsy shop now; please enjoy 25% off for the next month. The Xanthea t-shirt comes in nineteen sizes, to fit a 86cm/34″ bust to a 177cm/70″. The fit is loose and slightly boxy. It’s designed for knit fabrics such…

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Making a zero waste bra

Last week I shared my bra-making exploits which led to trying to make a zero waste bra pattern. The prototype got worn this week. The fit was fine and the pattern works – Yay! There were some problems to report though: I used an elastic that was too rough next to the skin and I…

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Brrrr! A sundress in June

Sundress in June

Yep, it’s a bit chilly for sundress wearing here in southern Australia, but I made this dress as a Sew together for Summer Instagram sewing challenge. Obviously the theme works better for the Northern Hemisphere! The idea is to sew a sundress and post a photo using #sewtogetherforsummer. If you also use #s21entry, you could…

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Zero Waste Underpants

Zero Waste Underpants

Yep, on the weekend I made a pair of zero waste underpants. The pattern is by Zero Waste Wardrobe; it’s a free pattern that’s part of a personal design project by clothing and costume designer Saara Jolkkonen. The mission of the project is to provide a free (creative commons licensed) collection of zero waste patterns…

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Scrapbag confessions

Scrapbag confessions

This was going to be a post about my home sewing scrap bag, and the result of doing zero waste sewing, but it turned out I couldn’t really measure the effect because I didn’t start with a clean slate. To explain: at the beginning of 2020, after dallying with zero waste for several years, I…

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Free pattern: zero waste ruffle tank

Free pattern zero waste Ruffle tank

It’s been nearly a year since this blog offered a free pattern, so ladies and gentlemen, I give you the zero waste ruffle tank. The ruffle tank is a summer top in 15 sizes, and very simple to make. UPDATE: I’ve since made this top as a dress here. It suits lightweight fabrics such as…

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