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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Zero waste with hand woven fabric

Ashford spiral skirt

Last year I had a very special sewing experience: I got to sew hand woven fabric for the first time. The fabric was woven by Tracy of Knit-Spin-Weave, our local yarn shop. You may remember she made a zero waste bolero in hand woven fabric for the Zero Waste Sewing blog tour. I dropped in…

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Making Holly McQuillan’s zero waste spiral trousers

Holly McQuillans spiral trousers

In the world of zero waste pattern cutting, Holly McQuillan’s spiral trousers are considered a must-do/bucket list pattern. These unusual trousers have been on my mind for some time, but I didn’t feel brave enough to try them until I saw Sue Stoney’s blog post on them and saw Holly demonstrate how they’re constructed at…

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New pattern: The Compact Backpack (zero waste)

The Compact Backpack

Hi Everyone, I have a new zero waste pattern: The Compact Backpack. It’s in my little Etsy shop now; please enjoy 25% off during February. The Compact Backpack is compact in two ways: Firstly, the pattern pieces fit exactly into a 105cm/41⅜” x 64cm/25¼” rectangle with zero waste. And, if you make the backpack in…

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Yay! It’s finished! Introducing the Sawyer Hoodie

zero waste Sawyer hoodie

Hey, it’s finally done! A new zero waste pattern. Thanks for reading each week as the project unfolded. The pattern is now in my shop – please enjoy 25% off until the end of September. The Sawyer hoodie comes in 12 sizes, from an 87cm/34″ bust/chest to a 142cm/56″. Making multiple sizes has has been…

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