Zero waste project 7: self-drafted knit dress

Zero waste project n° 7: a fitted knit dress!

I just made this one up based on my own body measurements (82cm/32” bust, 66cm/26” waist, 98cm/38” hips, 157cm/5’1 height). I had this cool knit fabric in my tiny stash, but unfortunately couldn’t find any stretch zero waste dress patterns. So I set myself a challenge and invented one! (See last photo) ⚠️ It has errors, I’ll post a corrected diagram in my stories.

I used exactly 1 meter of this fabric, across the whole width. It has a faux wrap bodice, gathers at the shoulders, a flared knee-length skirt (yes I’m short), and pockets. I did make a few cutting errors because I drew my diagram for fabric that’s identical on both sides – but this fabric is printed on one side, so some of my triangles weren’t mirrored. I did manage to hack them into something cute and wearable while keeping it entirely zero waste and not using any extra fabric. I’ll make another one with corrected triangles later, maybe with a waistband to keep the wrap bodice more stable.

It’s quite floaty and I can’t stop spinning in it 😆 (See the short video of me swishing) I think I’ll be wearing this dress a lot when summer comes around.

Have you tried DIYing your own made-to-measure patterns? Before this I’d only ever drafted a panties and underwire bra pattern (by following instructions), so this is my first DIY. I’m just a beginner sewist but an OK hacker I think 😆

#zerowastesewing #zerowastefashion #sustainablesewing @zwdo_collective #diydress #diypattern