Zero Waste Dress Workshop – Make a dress without wasting a scrap of fabric!

Did you know that on average, 15% of fabric is wasted every time a garment is made?

One way to eliminate this is to design clothes that are “zero waste”, where the sewing pattern uses all the fabric and nothing is thrown away. Offset Warehouse have put together this simple zero waste dress pattern and have kindly agreed that we can make it together at a workshop.

A V neck and V backed belted dress with drawstring shoulders and pockets, works well in woven or jersey fabric, with an element of softness and drape and is versatile and wearable for work, nights out or casual dependant on your fabric choice.

Creating this dress, helps us to have a new way of thinking about creating garments and reducing textile waste which is a massive source of landfill!

Learn how to think about fabric differently and make this brilliant dress using 100% of your fabric.

I had just 3g waste from making my dress and I only had this much because my fabric frayed so much.

You can buy your fabric from wherever you choose, but in line with the ethos of zero waste and reducing your impact on the planet, I would like to recommend The Offset Warehouse.  They sell ethically sourced fabrics that benefit the people who make them, who handle them or the planet. They have some beautiful organic cotton jerseys as well as fabulous woven choices too and I am so tempted by the Grey and Peach Paint Modal Silk Jersey.

The key to getting an effective zero waste dress is fitting all the pieces together like a jigsaw with no gaps, working from your body measurements as a starting point.

So you can make something more personal that you will love, fabric is not included for this workshop.

Fabric Requirements:

Getting the correct length of fabric will make getting a zero waste garment much easier. The length of your fabric will dictate the length of your dress.

If your fabric is 150cm (60”) wide, you will need 2x your finished dress length + seam allowance + hem allowance. I purchased 2m of 60” wide fabric to make my sample, but I’m only 5’2” and my finished dress is knee length.

If your fabric is 115cm (45”) wide, you will need 2x your finished dress length + seam allowance + hem allowance + approx 25cm.

Fabric Suggestions:

Any woven or knitted fabric with a good amount of drape.

The workshop will be on Saturday 20^th October, from 10am-3.30pm at a (TBC) Bawtry venue.

Janome 525s Sewing machines will be provided for you to use as well as sewing tools, but if you can bring a ruler along that will help.

The workshop is £55 for the day and £15 deposit secures your place. The balance is payable in cash or by card on the day.

Click here for more info or to book.

If you have any questions, please ask.

Alison xx

PS. If you want to see more, check out these amazing Zero Waste Dresses from The Creative Curator Blog.