Lauren at Elbe textiles is a massive fan of sustainable sewing, and she has a wonderful free tutorial how to make a zero waste robe – find it here. From my own zero waste experiments, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at just how economical zero waste patterns can be. I’ve found they all use less fabric, often significantly less. When we use don’t waste any fabric, we get the full use of what we do have. Caroline : Okay. Bag.uettes recently released the Zero Waste Wave Bags pattern which includes large, medium, and small zero waste bags. The top edge has a really cool wave to it which is a unique detail I haven’t really seen in zero waste. Um, but it makes so much sense and it’s so cool. I also think that zero waste design can be an awesome intellectual challenge. It’s a very different way of looking at shapes and it does become creative problem solving at its best. Hernest’s zero waste clothes are made by a family-owned and female-run operation in Portugal (SM Senra) and the accessories are made by a social enterprise in Canada (The Cutting Edge).

An easy way to learn to self draft your own patterns : Working this way will help you to start building a toolbox of skills, and you will learn an alternative method of self drafting your own sewing patterns, which are super easy for beginners to understand. Rissanen first became interested in the idea in 1999, when he wrote an undergraduate thesis that focused on the French designer Madeleine Vionnet, who later influenced Issey Miyake, John Galliano, and Claire McCardell. Vionnet’s innovative use of the bias properties of fabric, in which she considered both the width of the fabric and the grain, and her use of geometric shapes such as rectangles and quarter circles, led Rissanen to believe that it might be possible to design garments without wasting any fabric. “I think she ‘listened’ to the grain of the fabric more deeply than most designers, and that is what inspired me about her work,” says Rissanen. All clothing is made in Tunisia by Yousstex International, an ethical manufacturer that uses innovative eco-friendly production methods.I have knitted garments like the one below. It is very easy to do on a knitting machine for example and looks quite striking in a drapey fabric. This would be a very simple way to get started on zero waste without committing much more than a rectangle of fabric and it could be sewn or knitted which is a bonus. There are some thoughts on this design at https://lizhaywood.com.au/the-hug-me-tight-experiment/. Caroline : Yes, and thank you to our amazing podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening. We will talk to you next week. When you sew your own clothing, you control fit, print, silhouette, pattern, and yes, even the amount of waste you produce. Even adapting one or two zero-waste design principles can decrease the scraps generated by sewing. The resulting garments are versatile items of clothing that flatter a multitude of body shapes without generating any textile wastage. At the end of the day a lot of the zero waste patterns give you a very modular design of garment once sewn, but with minimal waste or no waste of fabric whatsoever. For example, the white tie front top in the book Zero Waste Sewing is cut from a mere 112cm x 112cm of fabric for up to a size 16/42″ bust (and will also fit a 46″ bust, just with less ease). In another example, I’m doing a long sleeve blouse at the moment and I think I can do it in 160cm x 112cm. These are significant fabric savings which make zero waste worth pursuing in the interests of using less of our resources in the first place.

Helen : Yeah, and I think an important part of this is having your stash in a place that’s accessible and maybe even visual, on display, so you can see it, and you can be inspired by it and be reminded of all the lovely things you have. I used to keep my fabric in tote bins under my desk, and they were basically hidden away. And so it was really easy to buy new things when you’ve forgotten completely about all the stuff that you have. Don’t even get me started on the mending pile. I mean, why start a new project when you have 18 things to mend, but hey, that happens right? She sought to maximize design excellence while minimizing the amount of work involved. Her designs used the fewest seams or cuts possible, and she played with volume, shape, and fit by manipulating fabric and working with grainlines. Where other designers might use darts or curved pattern pieces, she frequently twisted bias-cut rectangles or half-circles at various spots in the bodice or waist to cinch in fullness while adding a decorative element. In this way, she laid the groundwork for much of the zero-waste design of the twenty-first century. As well as her book of patterns, you can also find several Birgitta Helmersson zero waste sewing patterns online for sale. TheBirgitta Helmersson patterns includeSewing can be an expensive hobby, but it is a great skill to have if you wish to live frugally. One of my favourite things to do is reuse old sheets or bedding covers to make new clothing. And in this instance it is great to use patterns that can use the whole of the fabric and not leave any waste at all. The magic happens in the brand’s own factory in northwest India, where workers experience healthy and safe working conditions and are paid fair trade wages. With an extended sizing collection outside their regular XS-XL range, Whimsey + Row is one of the best places to find plus size zero waste clothing.