Zero Waste Patterns

[Lemon Syllabub]

I know other people on TSP have made / are in the process of making / want to make ZW garments so thought it might me nice to start a thread.

I’ve been looking at Birgitta Helmersson’s blog which has some interesting tutorials on how to sew her patterns.

I’d like to make view 1 and view 3 of this pattern

I’ve put on it my list of things I’d like to sew in 2024.   

[Tamnymore]

Useful blog link @Lemon Syllabub  I'll certainly have a go at more ZW patterns. It would help if I finished the one I've already cut out (and put away on a far corner of the sewing room). That's a nice pattern you have chosen.

I have the Birgitta Helmersson's book and have ordered another ZW book. There's a ZW dress pattern in the last issue if Tauko which I have. It's a pdf with pattern pieces rather than just a set of instructions. It's a nice design with less of boxy look than many of the standard ZW patterns.

Is it me or are individual ZW patterns really quite expensive? I appreciate that professional design goes into these and designers have to make a living but £14 or so for a set of instructions feels like a lot. A Style Arc pattern would generally work out cheaper, quite a lot cheaper if there's a sale on. Maybe I'm being mean!

[So Chic]

I haven't been very inspired by any of the ZW patterns as they all seem to be baggy, shapeless, and not very flattering but   perhaps they look better when made up.

[Bodgeitandscarper]

Call me cynical, but I think these "zero waste" patterns actually use just the same length of fabric, but with no left over bits of fabric as they are cut square instead of with shaping to actually make them fit.
So really, they use more "square footage" of fabric than a simple conventional pattern.

[Acorn]

My thoughts exactly, @Bodgeitandscarper - it doesn't make any difference environmentally whether the fabric goes into an item or not.  Ultimately it will all end up as waste (when the item wears out).  Much more use to make sure you use the fabric as efficiently as possible (which I expect most of us do anyway) and minimise waste that way.

[Tamnymore]

I think you can use a fair bit less fabric for your outfit if you use a ZW pattern. I've been looking at the blog of Liz Haywood who designed the Optimatium.dress for Tauko 9. She has done some measurements, somewhere on the blog, and reckons there's quite a bit of fabric saving to be made. Of course you have to like the pattern in the first place! No point in saving lots of fabric if you hate the result.

In terms of waste some of the problem may be to do with overproduction of fabrics and the fashion for deadstock fabrics. Sarah at Simple Life Fabrics (who won't stock  deadstock herself)  has links to various blogs about deadstock and deliberate overproduction  I admit to getting much more wary of deadstock as on a number of occasions I've received fabric which clearly isn't what the supplier says it is and no one knows how it was produced and what it's made from.

[Kad]

I agree @Acorn @So Chic and @Bodgeitandscarper , years ago as a size 8 I'd have been able to wear boxy square-cut items, but now that I'm no longer underweight quite the opposite I need more shape to my clothes.

 Perhaps a better improvement to fabric usage would be for patterns to have more accurate fabric requirements for the unaltered garment. I'm often able to add considerable length to sleeves/leg length/ neck to waist,  I'm 6' tall, without needing to buy extra fabric. Sewists of 'standard' stature must end up with a fair amount of excess fabric for each garment.

[Ouryve]

I do like a boxy garment but find that a bit of shaping is needed to make that boxy garment hang right on me without looking like a sack, whether that's darts of pleats or just a few subtle curves.


That extra fabric incorporated into the garment still needs washing and ironing and, if it contributes to making the garment fit less well than if it had been cut off, then it's still wasted fabric, IMO.


I have Yorkshire blood so I naturally use fabric as sparingly as i can get away with, anyhow 

[So Chic]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is a bit sceptical about ZW patterns.  I've always found that most pattern companies tend to over-state the amount of fabric required.  Also if one buys fabric on line it's usually sold in half-metres so one buys more than needed so defeating the object of ZW. 

[Lemon Syllabub]

OOOh this is interesting.
I'd expected nice photos of super sewing. Not an actual discussion on the merits of ZW

@Bodgeitandscarper and @Acorn I do agree with you in that most people who sew are probably very careful in how they cut out fabric and probably use the leftovers for bags, quilts, toys or toy stuffing. And also, if they're anything like me they're probably so invested in what they sew they're reluctant to throw it out so it'll be a long time before any of our lovelies end up in landfill!!! 

On the previous chat on @smurf44 's diary I mentioned that during WW2 the government introduced 'austerity regulations' which limited things like the size of lapels or number of pockets. Also as clothes were rationed they introduced a quality standard mark to show the clothing was hard wearing and would last. Effective ways to reduce fabric consumption.

@Tamnymore I think if the designer has deliberately tried to use less fabric then this is also a good thing. I hadn't realised about deadstock being a problem. I thought by buying/using it we were reducing waste. This is definitely something I'll think twice about in the future.

I still want to try a zero waste pattern. As much for the novelty factor as the environmental element.  I think for lounging around the house some of the tops look really comfy. 

@So Chic I think some ZW patterns probably look better than others. I also think the amount of drape in the fabric is crucial!

If / when I get round to making a ZW top I'll post a photo so you can have a good laugh smile approvingly. 

@Ouryve Nowt wrong with Yorkshire blood.

[Tamnymore]

Definitely worth having a go @Lemon Syllabub
 I'll try anything once. 

It's interesting what you say about the WW2 effort to use less fabric. So women were encouraged to have narrow, shorter skirts. Then after the war skirts went wide. Indeed when you look at vintage patterns you can see the ones that originated in the USA in the war era as they don't appear to be nearly so bothered about wasting fabric.
The current ZW trend with wide gathered skirts across the whole fabric width is the opposite of the WW2 ethos where presumably you would get two pencil skirts in the same width! An interesting discussion anyway.

[Ohsewsimple]

This is the jacket that was featured in Threads some time ago and I thought it was interesting how it was cut.

http://zerofabricwastefashion.blogspot.com/2009/09/hoodie-attempt-to-explain.html

[Lemon Syllabub]

 I'll try anything once. 

Me too. So long as it's legal and doesn't scare the horses!!! 

[Lemon Syllabub]

This is the jacket that was featured in Threads some time ago and I thought it was interesting how it was cut.

http://zerofabricwastefashion.blogspot.com/2009/09/hoodie-attempt-to-explain.html

I think ZW is a really interesting concept.

[Acorn]

That is an interesting pattern - it looks as though it may be cut to minimise the amount of fabric needed rather than just using everything.  I'd like to see a front-on picture of it on a real person though!