Until now, I’ve only watched from afar the increased interest of zero waste sewing patterns in the at-home sewing world.
Zero waste patterns are designed to use all of the available fabric, thereby generating no textile waste. They are also, generally, not physical patterns but instructions for how to draw/cut pattern pieces directly onto your fabric.
After having seen zero waste patterns cropping up more and more over the last few years, when my local craftstore had a book of zero waste sewing by Birgitta Helmersson, I was eager to dive in and give it a try. The book contains instructions for sewing 5 core block patterns, which can then be adapted into various other variations.
The key thing that is different about sewing from zero waste patterns is that it is the width/size of your piece of fabric which determined what the final size of the garment will be. This makes it more challenging to sew to your own size. The book does include information about how you can “adapt” the size of your fabric (e.g. sewing panels), but this will often mean that the project is no longer zero waste. It can also create seam lines in all kind of different places across your finished garment.
Zero Waste Shirt Dress
I decided to sew the shirt pattern from Birgitta Helmersson’s Zero Waste Patterns book.
As you can probably tell from my emphasis on the importance of size above, the fabric I had was much narrower than it needed to be to sew the shirt pattern up for my size.
I contemplated whether to add a panel in order to be able to sew my real size, but I really didn’t like the way that this would create extra seams across the back and the sleeves, due to the way the pattern pieces were cut out. So, noting the oversized aesthetic of many of these patterns, I just decided to sew it in the ‘proper’ size for the width of fabric I had.
It was definitely a “let’s just give it a go” kind of experiment for me.
Well, truth be told, I found the end result of the shirt too small and not very wearable. Which is unsurprising when I disregarded all the ‘rules’! And entirely my own fault.
So I decided I needed to modify it. I chopped off about six inches in length from the shirt to turn it into a bodice. Then, I added ties and a big gathered skirt. I chose to make the ties extra long, so that they could either be tied in the back or wrapped all the way around the front before being tied at the back.
And, just like that, my shirt became a shirt dress!
Zero Waste Sewing – Cons
As I stated, this was my first foray into zero waste sewing, so I am by no means an expert.
For me, there were a few things I didn’t love.
Above all, is the limited flexibility for sizing. It feels a bit like searching for a ‘unicorn’ to try to identify the right fabric which is the right width for the project you need. It is also clear that this is harder to do the more you veer towards a ‘plus sizes’ body type. The bigger the body, the wider the fabric needed. And they just don’t make that many wide fabrics.
As I said above, there is absolutely information available about how to “extend” the size of your fabric so you can sew for a bigger size. But, to me, it feels like if you have to start cobbling sections of fabric together, thereby, generating waste, you’re losing part of the point of trying to sew in this quite unique way.
The other thing I found, is that, while some of the solutions to making things zero waste were undoubtedly clever, I’m just not sure that they are really the best use of my time. For example, in a pants pattern, the little cut out shapes at the crotch are sewn together to create a patch pocket. It’s cute and novel. But do I really have the time and inclination to use 4 pieces of fabric to sew a patch pocket, thereby saving maybe 10cm of fabric?
I just don’t know, I feel that perhaps I just don’t have the patience required for this style of sewing.
Another thing that I don’t love about this shirt pattern specifically is the way that it bunches up around the underarm – especially at the back. This is likely due to the use of square shapes to ensure zero waste. But is it really going to make that much of a difference, if a tiny bit of waste is generated by shaving of some fabric to make the armscye curved and thereby better fitting? I kind of feel as though I am sacrificing fit for the sake of being zero waste. And I’m just not convinced that the small savings we make with this kind of thing are significant enough to justify it.
But, perhaps, I’m wrong.
It doesn’t help that I’m sewing from my stash here, so it again felt a little pointless as to why I was squeezing (and sacrificing) to fit the pattern into as small a space as possible, when I had nearly 2 metres of the fabric leftover in any event.
Which brings me back to the original point – that this kind of sewing is really about letting the available fabric guide the way forward.
Zero Waste Sewing – Pros
There were definitely things I enjoyed about sewing this pattern.
I found it a really valuable exercise to think about something I’ve been doing for nearly ten years in a totally different way. I can definitely see this kind of sewing becoming something of a supplement to my sewing arsenal. Something I can turn to when I have certain lengths of fabric that I don’t know what else to do with.
It also uses very small amounts of fabric. Which is kind of the point!
The shirt I originally sent out to make only required 90cm of fabric! Which is amazing!
I also quite like some of the features of the shirt. The collar, for example, turned out much better that I would have imagined it could.
All in all, I found this quite interesting but I’m not sure if it’s for me. I’m not sure that I have the patience, both in terms of sewing technique, and in how to wait until the right fabric with perfect dimensions come along.
But the overall lesson, of how we can think about making our sewing process more sustainable and less waste producing is a great one. And anything that helps us focus on this is important in itself.
I can see myself returning to try another zero waste pattern in the future, even if, given my size and body type, it does not seem really feasible as a replacement for regular sewing patterns.
What about you? Have you tried out the zero waste sewing trend? How have you found it? Perhaps I’m just being lazy and impatient and I really need to just get on board…
While I admire your willingness to try ZWS, it’s not for me. I think there are many other (non-sewing) ways to be less wasteful and more mindful that are more impactful, and a single home sewist using up every inch of a fabric cut isn’t doing much, if anything. The harm to the planet and underpaid workers has already been done with the fabric manufacturing process. Large scale fast fashion sellers are doing much more damage than a home sewist tossing off a few leftover scraps into the rubbish bin.
That said, your dress turned out very pretty, and it was interesting to read your takes on the process.
Thanks for sharing your honest take on this! I’ve tried ZWS with mixed success. I agree that it’s fine if you’re trying to use up a short length of fabric (ideally something with good drape unless you like a very boxy look). I’ve made a few ZW shirts that have been great. But then I tried the ZW jacket from the ZW patterns book, and the heavier fabric made it so bulky and uncomfortable it was unwearable. It’s now in the scrap bin for reinvention as a bag or something. Definitely a fail in terms of ZW! I find some aspects of the process ingenious, but others, like not trimming back bulky seams, using every scrap for the sake of it, a bit unnecessary. I’m curious to try a bias ZW top/dress though (using Liz Hayward’s approach, like making bias binding) – much less fabric hungry than traditional methods.
I’m conscious of my fabric waste and have started saving my scraps to create patchwork style bags, pot holders and other gift items. I haven’t seen any zero waste clothes patterns I like either!
While I am happy to minimise my use of fabric by careful cutting (fold fabric where i need to rather than bang centre, sleeves on cross grain, adding a yoke etc.) ZWS works by having you wear all the fabric and that isn’t something I crave. I often have to grade across sizes – if I don’t then my upper half is swamped by the size needed at the hip. So not for me either.
That is exactly my feeling! Oftentimes, “waste” is saved by putting an unnecessary amount of fabric on our bodies in the form of lots of ease. It makes me think of overstuffing ourselves to clean our plates, in the name of not wasting food.
Even worse is when it’s detrimental to the fit, as Beck mentioned about the armscye. Ultimately the biggest waste is making clothes that we don’t often have the desire to wear (although all maybe all those squares would make it easier to reincarnate).
That said, Beck, I love how your dress turned out!
Your dress in the end is quite a nice simple summer dress. I agree that there is a certain nitpickiness in the BH zero waste patterns that can be avoided and which then makes them very usable. I ignore the parts where you use cut outs from a neckline for example to make a semi circle ‘facing’ which does diddly squat but use up the fabric for the principle of zero waste’s sake. For me that’s more of a waste than keeping the scrap and using it to test when I change tension or rethread. A wee bit of trimming to shape at the armscye to avoid the whole dress not being worn? Also more sensible. So, I think these are great patterns to help us think more about how we use what we have, but not to be taken to the extremes of using every single bit of fabric just for the sake of claiming no waste. Adapt as you see fit! I also like the look of loose boxy garments so for me they are a win.
If I was tiny or tall and slender, I may give zero waste sewing a go. Since I am not and the fact that boxy styles do not suit me, then it’s a ‘no thanks’ from me, unless, maybe, fabric manufacturers begin making wider fabrics. If they did, would we have the space in our homes to make this manageable? I was interested to read of your experience, thank you.
Your dress does not look like a zero waste project, and that’s a compliment 🙂 There is one low-waste pattern that I am impressed with, and that’s Leeloo. It’s by a very small indie designer on Etsy, and there are makes on Instagram under #leeloomade. The designer is the_sew_sew on Instagram. Well worth checking out, even if you don’t end up making it, because at least to me it’s one of the few low-waste designs that actually has some design to it.
Oh thanks! I’ll check it out!!!
That one is intriguing! I wonder how it would be with shirred side panels. I’m a person who prefers fairly generous darts/shaping, but that might do the trick.