I totally still have holiday sewing to do, but I had an urge to make this dress so I did that instead. I’d been wanting to try the Birgitta Helmerson zero waste gather dress for ages, and I made this one only using supplies from my stash! It’s my first time sewing a zero waste pattern, so I wanted to talk about the process.
If you aren’t familiar, a zero waste pattern produces…zero waste. You used up all of the length of fabric you have, and the pattern pieces are mostly created by tracing lines onto your fabric at specific measurements. This particular pattern has two small paper pattern pieces, but the rest are rectangles cut based on a cutting diagram. Since the goal is to use up the entire length of fabric with nothing leftover, the width of your fabric really impacts how it all works. It’s recommended that you use 53″ to 60″ wide fabric, however the Alexia Marcia Abegg cotton lawn that I used for this is only 44″ wide. That means that the bodice pieces in particular were significantly more narrow than they would’ve been with a wider fabric, and the finished garment fits much more closely to my body than it is meant to. I compared the cutting measurements to my bodice measurements and thought I could get away with it. I did get away with it, but had to adapt the dress according to the instructions for having a fuller bust (even though I don’t really) and left off the button that should have been in above the one at the waistline. The pattern is divided into two sizes, and I made Size 1 (I think it’s recommended for 34″-40″ bust). I have a cut of linen on the way to make another version because I really love this one, and I made sure to get one that was 54″+ wide so I could make a less fitted iteration of this dress.
In terms of the zero waste aspect, I’m really into a pattern that uses every last bit of fabric. To be honest, what I’m not super into is how boxy and oversized a lot of zero waste patterns can be. This is not that, but I’ve seen a lot of zero waste patterns that are not really my style. The other thing about the zero waste thing is that you are instructed to incorporate every offcut bit of fabric by using added design features. The gather dress has you take the little curved piece cut out of the neckline and sew it to the back neckline to create a little facing feature. It also has the triangles cut from the top center of the front bodice sewn on to the bottom of each side seam to create a little cover detail. I didn’t do either of these things. It felt fussy to me, and yes, I know the point is to use it all up to close the cycle. But I use every last bit of my scraps from sewing to stuff poufs and other pillows, so my practice is zero waste and I don’t feel like I’m defying the underlying principles of the pattern by using the little offcuts in different ways than instructed.
Because my fabric was narrower than expected and also not purchased specifically for this pattern, I had an awkward amount left at the end. I actually did end up using basically all of it up, because I couldn’t fit the correct pocket piece width on my 44″ wide fabric. I took the strip I had left and pieced it all together and ended up cutting my pockets out of that instead. It’s one of the pieces that you shouldn’t narrow a lot because your pockets could end up un-useably narrow. This means that the selvage is sneakily at the edge of one of my pockets (but not the other). As well, the selvage is intact inside the front button band of the dress, which I love. This particular selvage from the collection Sienna by Alexia Marcia Abegg (back before Ruby Star Society launched) says “sew to your heart’s content” along it! Having the selvage there meant there is no raw edge, so I didn’t bother folding it under when I stitched in the ditch. Getting that all lined up is always something I find irritating and hard to get exactly right, so it was nice to be able to skip that step.
As mentioned above, I’m definitely making another one of these dresses! I’m excited to have one that’s actually the width it’s supposed to be, and in linen to boot! This is one popular pattern that I’m happy to jump on the bandwagon for. The wide skirt means I can easily play/teach cello and bass in it, which is a top criteria for most of the clothes I make. Has anyone else made this pattern or other zero waste patterns? Tell me your thoughts!
