Reducing “fashion miles” – the distance a garment and its component parts travel through the supply chain – is also on the sewists’ agenda. The starting point for the newly opened Mend Assembly in Totnes, Devon – a two‑storey centre offering a makers’ space, dressmaking workshops, repairs and upcycling – was “clothing localism”, says its co-founder, Joss Whipple. Choosing a zero waste sewing pattern is a great way to reduce waste, save money, and contribute to a more sustainable future. I hope this has inspired you, and next time you're planning a sewing project, consider giving a zero waste pattern a try. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy the challenge and the results! Zero waste patterns design out the waste. It takes longer to make a pattern this way but it’s very rewarding. The pattern’s curved lines nest into each other, with the concave parts matching the convex ones. My early experiments with zero-waste patterns included zero-waste jeans, shorts, leggings, pajama bottoms, a wrap skirt, and more. I got better as I went along. The more zero-waste patterns I made, the more my brain seemed to switch into the puzzle-solving mode to think of solutions. I’ve since tried out other designers’ patterns for scrubs, underpants, bras, and trousers. I hadn’t thought things like underpants were possible to make zero waste until this year! Whether you're staying home or traveling, there's a way to bring along a product you made that allows you to use it again anytime. All you need to do is clean these things after using and they're like brand new!

When talking about sustainability in the fashion industry (and, by extension, in home sewing), one of the concepts that comes up often is zero-waste design (or sewing patterns). It’s a very interesting approach, that looks at the pattern cutting process in a completely different way, resulting in shapes that are functional, simple looking, but also very cleverly assembled at the same time. I’m not decrying ‘zero waste’ as a promotional tool for wiser fabric choices, better pattern design and more awareness of the issue of fast fashion and landfill. I think as Sewers we should be aware of all of this and more. We should be reusing our failed attempts, repurposing our older clothes and generally not buying so much. Fabric, just as much as fast fashion, is a terrible lure….I know it’s effects.

Sewing Bee: Pattern Picks

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I am going to focus on the home sewist rather than commercial garment design as that is the target audience for this post, and examine the concept of creating clothing that is both useful and environmentally sustainable. Changes to Agreement. We reserve the right to change any of the terms of this Agreement or any Specifications or Guidelines governing the Service at any time in our sole discretion. All changes will be effective upon posting to the Service. However, for all changes to this Agreement, excluding Specifications and Guidelines, we will post a notice of change for thirty (30) days. You are responsible for reviewing the notice and any applicable changes. YOUR CONTINUED USE OF THIS SERVICE FOLLOWING OUR POSTING OF ANY CHANGES WILL CONSTITUTE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF SUCH CHANGES. When making a zero waste pattern, it’s important not to have set ideas or expectations about what the outcome will be (as I discovered making zero waste jeans). It’s by doing and seeing what emerges that brings the design direction. There is an added benefit of discovering interesting new design details and silhouettes which you might not have otherwise. Serendipity – making fortunate discoveries by accident – plays an important part in zero waste patternmaking.

For d’Angelo, a self‑confessed “mile-a-minute person”, sewing is “the only way I can slow down and give my body a space to chill”. Morrow, who has made half of the clothing she owns, says: “It feels so empowering to have crafted from scratch an extension of who you are.” For Azmi, it is about the morale boost that comes with perfecting the fit. “I’m 5ft 2in [1.57 metres], so usually clothes are too long or the shoulders are not right. Now I can tailor them exactly as I want them, or match them to a hijab, or make longer sleeves. I feel more confident when something fits well.” The obvious benefit of zero waste patterns is, of course, no scraps. At the beginning of 2020, I decided I would only make zero waste patterns from now on. The following year I reviewed how much scrap fabric I was generating. In fact, I was still creating scraps, but they were all of the rectangular useable type. They were the ends of pieces of fabric I already had or where I’d bought fabric online and had to buy in quarter-meter increments. Remnants are only waste if we don’t use them, but these are all very useable. Using a Zero Waste Sewing Pattern I thought I would talk about how I make a zero waste pattern and show you an example from the book.

A garment which is zero waste is designed in a different way to regular garments. Normally, the process starts with a fashion sketch, it’s interpreted into a pattern by a patternmaker, then the pattern pieces are laid out on the fabric in the most economical way (and cut out). With a zero waste garment, the design, pattern and layout are all made at the same time. The designing happens as the pattern and layout develop. The design reveals itself when the pattern is complete. Can you see how different this is to how we normally design? It’s using patternmaking as the design tool.Once you have your head round how zero waste works, the book by Rissanen, T., &McQuillan, H.(2016).Zero Waste Fashion Design.London; New York: Fairchild Books, becomes much more usable. My Pattern Project dress takes a painstaking four hours to sew, although a professional could make it in an hour. The experience gives me a new appreciation of the skilled stitchwork of millions of unthanked garment workers around the world. “The more you make for yourself, the more you realise the time and effort it takes to make things – and how cheap things are on the high street, compared with how long it takes,” says Azmi. “The value people place on fashion has been diminished because of cost.” The value people place on fashion has been diminished because of cost Atia Azmi Sizing: 0 – 34 (approx. UK 6 – 34, based on our standardised size chart). Available in the shop: PDF or PDF + printed copy shop.

I blush when I think about how much waste I’ve created in my career. Typically, there’s 15 percent fabric waste in clothing manufacturing, but sometimes there’s more. Designs with fewer large pattern pieces tend to create more waste because there are fewer little pieces to fill in the gaps. Larger sizes also create more waste for the same reason. The responsibility to dispose of the fabric scraps belongs to the factory, not the brand they’re making for. Most fabric waste ends up in landfills, some are burned, and a little is recycled. Worldwide, there are millions of square meters of fabric being wasted daily. Additionally, it’s estimated that 60 percent of the waste is synthetic (that is, forms of plastic). Patternmaking Considerations Based on using a fabric that is 145cm / 57 inches wide. You can make this top larger or smaller by choosing a fabric with a wider or narrower width. A zero waste pattern uses 100% of the fabric, with no scraps or waste. The pattern pieces fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle within the width of the fabric.

Reusable Sewing Projects for Cleaning

I love to see all your projects. Do comment below, or tag me in your makes on social media. Find me at Zero Waste Daniel - based in NYC, Daniel uses pre-consumer waste from the garment industry to craft his clothes and accessories that promise to send nothing to the landfill. But remember - zero waste is never zero - so any "zero waste fashion" option is creating some sort of waste or environmental impact. Imperfect system, imperfect answers. Still, there are definitely ways to drastically reduce the impact fast fashion and excessive consumption has on the planet. Haywood, E. M. (2002) Zero Waste Sewing, 16 projects to make, wear and enjoy, Australia: Cooatalaa Press