When I first started learning about Zero Waste Design about a week ago, I was super psyched to start experimenting.

It seemed pretty difficult and intense, though.

Guess what?

It is!

I spent most of my day trying to make a basic tank.

Hit the flip to see 5 hiccups I encountered:


1....Making a 2-dimensional material 3-dimensional without cutting is near impossible.

I'm used to cutting and draping as I go. I tried not to cut and only use darts. It is insanely difficult. I've resorted to conservative and careful cutting. I also save every extra bit I cut.

2.....I have to approach draping completely differently. 

I'm used to draping one side of the dress form, if it's a symmetric garment, and just directing the cutter to cut 2 or cut on the fold. With Zero Waste Design, I need to see exactly how much fabric the garment takes up so I've found myself draping the entire body in muslin. I've started draping half and copying the other half over but I've never draped a symmetric body entirely on the dress form.....until now.

3.....Every single piece counts.

Every tiny piece that I cut off the main body has to fit into the whole garment eventually. I've learned it's best to know where the little pieces are going. Because they have to go somewhere. On the floor is no longer an option.

4.....The biggest risk is the garment looking like a craft project.

I realized this when I started cutting and pinning stuff everywhere. I stepped back and was like, "Whoa!" The extra pieces still need to look like piece of a garment and piece of a whole unit, not separate entities.

5.....It still needs to look cute and wearable and versatile, if it's going to sell.

No matter how much time I put into this, I need to make it look cute or no-one is going to want to wear it. It's not just a statement in Zero Waste Design that's going to sit in a museum. It needs to be wearable and fun.

So I now have tiny pieces of muslin pinned on the top of my dress form. Here's hoping I find somewhere cute to put them sometime soon.

Wish me luck!

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