Milan AV-JC zero waste Karma Trench

#ZeroWasteDesign
I can sense a definite shift in tone in the sewing world: growing awareness of sustainability and sustainable initiatives, and with that, a heightened consideration of sustainable means and methods of creating. I started #sewingleftovers with the idea of transforming potential sewing waste into something wearable, but what if there wasn't actually any waste in the first place? The future of zero waste patterns is looking very bright - and I'd argue insanely fashionable - if Milan AV-JC are anything to go by. I had the pleasure of taking my first venture into the world of zero waste patterns with their Karma Trench. The following review is pretty epic, but in short, wow. Just WOW.

Milan AV-JC zero waste Karma Trench
I was recently contacted by Mylène L'Orguilloux, the French designer and pattern maker behind Milan AV-JC, who is on a mission to raise awareness of the topic of textile waste. Having previously worked in the fashion industry, Mylène has now turned her attentions to developing zero waste patterns and promoting the advantages of #ZeroWasteDesign to both the fashion industry and us home sewists. Her journey, realisations and eventual rebellion against industry standard practice is a fascinating read, this perhaps being my favourite take away:

'Being able to see the "zero waste" constraint as a source of creativity is ... a sustainable and innovative answer to the environmental disaster caused by the ... the fashion industry.'


I jumped at the chance to test Mylene's zero waste design philosophy in the form of her latest pattern, the Karma Trench. Whilst I pride myself on being able to see beyond the cover of a Big 4 envelope, I'm still a total sucker for great styling and fabric choices, so if you're not sold on the concept alone, let the beautiful Milan AV-JC sample garments and photography reel you in. There are currently 4 PDFs to choose from, available in both French and English.

Innovative ways of using every last scrap of fabric
I opted to print the A4 PDF, though the pattern comes with an A0 file if you'd rather get it copy-printed. The tiled pages essentially form a jigsaw of all the pattern pieces you need to make the trench and cover the width of the fabric, with just a little to spare down the side. Fears of blunting my fabric scissors from cutting through the paper quickly subsided, as the process was so fast! I was impressed with the creative use of every last bit of fabric within the pattern, from belt loops nestled into the armholes, to the little detail of a label holder buried in the back neckline.


The pattern has been developed with suede/faux suede in mind, specifically the variety that does not fray. I love the fabric used in the sample garments, which is linked in the fabric requirements, but I couldn't find a UK supplier of this or something similar. I settled on the 225g faux suede in 'terracotta' from Fabric Online. It's a seriously good imitation of the real thing and only £6.95p/m - there are loads of colours to choose from and I'd definitely buy it again - but it frayed a lot more than I'd hoped, which wasn't ideal, and led me to doing some tweaks that I'll talk about later.


Showing off the epic sleeve proportions
The skill level for making the trench is listed as 'easy' and it really is. The instructions are all contained within a high quality 15 and a half minute YouTube tutorial, which you can watch before buying the pattern if you want to assess the skills involved. I've never worked solely from a video tutorial before but I really enjoyed the experience of actually seeing how elements of the pattern come together before doing it myself.

The most unusual patch pockets

The pockets are made up of 4 rectangles of fabric and the tutorial encourages creativity in how you fold them to create the final design. I couldn't help but feel that mine were a little clunky when I made them, but they started to look better on the whole once the garment came together. I also thought they sat a bit low initially, but when the trench is belted up, they're just right.


The rest of the garment comes together very quickly, particularly as there are no seams or edges to finish. I came to realise that my fabric was going to fray way more than practical or 'trendy' and I wasn't so keen on the wrong side, which was exposed by the large lapels (the fabric used in the sample garments seems to be double-sided). Ironically, I actually had a good amount of leftover fabric as I had to purchase it in full metre units, rather than being able to buy the specified minimum length of 204cm required for the size 38.

Flashing my facings
The label holder taking pride of place on my added facing
I used this spare fabric to draft a simple facing for the back neckline and front opening of the trench, with quite a generous allowance for the lapels. I also created facings for the sleeves as I couldn't risk spoiling the amazing shape of them with a dodgy hem - they extend to the seam mid-way up the sleeve, where they're tacked in place. The curved hem probably suffered the most in my experiments in using non-suitable fabric. I overlocked it and turned it up to a narrow hem, which has left it looking a little flute-y, but I'd say that the overall damage-control has been a pretty good save.

Back view
Whilst it might defeat the point of a zero waste pattern to buy extra fabric, if you can't find a non-fraying fabric then making these adjustments would definitely be an option - it's improved the overall finish of my Karma Trench no end. In other fabric options, I'd be interested to see how this works in a medium weight boiled wool, similar to the Maker's Atelier Raw-edged Coat.



If you can't already tell from the sheer volume of pictures in this review, I absolutely love the finished thing. The sleeves are way more voluminous than I expected, but with the triangular point on the bottom, they just sort of work! I feel bold and fashion forward in my Karma Trench, and even better knowing that some of it's coolest and most unusual design features - the sleeves, the pockets - were formed as a direct result of working with all of the fabric. I'd definitely recommend the pattern to anyone looking to try something a bit different, in terms of both method and design!

Zero waste win!
Thank you Mylène for letting me try this pattern and totally new kind of making experience. Is zero waste pattern design the future? I'm not sure, but I'm definitely open to trying more patterns like this, and I do hope that pattern companies will at least begin to adopt a 'reduced waste' focus, providing more creative lay plans and more precise fabric requirements.

These projects being zero waste are to some extent dependent on being able to buy fabric in very specific lengths, as I found with my Trench. The only online fabric shop I'm currently aware of that lets you do this is Stoff & Stil, but if you have any other recommendations for my future zero waste adventures, please leave them in the comments below!

You can read more about the Milan AV-JC project here

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Sewing Leftovers: Reeta Shirts

#sewingleftovers
I have a trio of totally game changing shirts to show you today, all made and worn aplenty during (Me Made) May - if you caught my round up posts then you'll have already seen them pop up a number of times. As ever, I realised my desperate lack of tops early on in the month, so whipped up my first cropped hack of the Named Clothing Reeta Shirt Dress with some #sewingleftovers. Then came another, also in leftovers, and finally a third version in fabric bought from Stoff & Stil on a recent trip to Berlin. It's a really easy, quick and versatile hack, and a new-to-me wardrobe staple.
Reeta Shirt in white crepe
Reeta Shirt in leftover suiting fabric from a recent project

Fabric: The white one is made of a leftover crepe/poly mix that's been in my stash for years and the black pinstripe version is a cheap suiting poly/viscose

 Original garment made: The white fabric is leftover from a failed attempt at making something for someone else, and the pinstripe is leftover from my absolute fave M7661 trousers (I was given lots extra as it has a few faults to it)!

Leftover fabric amount: Just over 1m in both fabrics (this hack takes about 1m)

Sewing Leftovers make: Named Clothing Reeta Midi Shirt Dress, hacked into a cropped shirt

Leftovers-wise what did I learn?: Skip details to save on fabric - I left out the pockets and turn up on the sleeves. The back yoke can be cut as 2 separate pieces rather than on the fold if you're restricted by the length of your leftovers (I actually did this by accident for one of mine and it turned out fine)! I also learnt the great joy that having matching separates can bring to your life/wardrobe (scroll down for more on that)!

About the make:

White crepe Reeta with corduroy Landers
Funnily enough, I don't like my Reeta Shirt Dress and I hardly ever wear it. It's a combination of the length, sleeves and waist gathering that just don't sit quite right with me, which is pretty disappointing as it seems to look great on everyone else! After seeing a Reeta Shirt hack by @craftwerking, I was inspired to make more use of the pattern, and I'm really pleased that I've finally found a way to make the Reeta work for me!


My pattern was already cut out at a size 42 so I stuck with this. I could have downsized, but I opted to keep it bigger for a sort of boxy, oversized fit. To make it shirt length, I cut the pattern 3" below the waistline (marked out for the waist casing/gathering on the dress). Once hemmed, this is a pretty good length for me - let's say a 'gentle crop' - which can be worn loose or tucked in without too much bulk, depending on the mood/outfit. 

Back view of the white crepe version
Losing the length was obviously the big fabric saver for these shirts, but simplifying the sleeves also helped. I really dislike the longish turn up sleeves on my Reeta Dress - so much so that I recently cut them off to try and make it more wearable. The turn up is quite bulky when made in anything other than lightweight fabric, so it wouldn't have really worked with my mid-weight leftovers either. I cut the sleeves as long as I could, and hemmed them much shorter after trying on the nearly finished garment. I now know that I prefer the sleeves pretty short, so this should help to minimise waste at the point of cutting for future versions!

The original version worn over a Nettie top, with Landers and Doc sandals
Finally, I skipped the pockets as they're just too fussy for me, particularly on a boxy cropped shirt. Each finished shirt took around 1 metre of fabric, and could probably do it in slightly less with some thoughtful pattern tetris.

*I got a tripod, hence the funny angles of these pics!
If I find a pattern that I really like, I'll make repeat versions of it quite quickly. Perhaps this is down to the pattern being fresh in memory when I'm out fabric shopping. I've tried to limit my fabric shopping and concentrate more on my stash and leftovers recently, but as these two Reeta Shirts worked out so well (in cheap leftovers), I decided it was fine to treat myself to this beautiful Stoff & Stil wiggle print cotton for version 3.

Version 3, in wiggle print cotton
Worn with a particularly bold pair of B6178 culottes
And finally, I wanted to show you my favourite way of wearing my original Reeta Shirt hack - and the real reason that I made this shirt in leftovers. I've always wanted matching separates, but never had either the right length of fabric or motivation to make it happen. I'm over the moon that I've finally managed it with my matching Reeta Shirt and M7661 trousers. I guess I'm biased, but I think they make THE BEST faux jumpsuit around!

Reeta/M7661 faux jumpsuit
Reeta/M7661 faux jumpsuit
The cropped hack of the Named Clothing Reeta goes with pretty much everything. Though each shirt carries a slightly different quality - the white version is a bit more boxy as the fabric is thicker, the wiggle one is lighter and more summer-y - they all serve the purpose of filling a huge wardrobe gap. I couldn't recommend this simple hack more, particularly if you can squeeze it out of your #sewingleftovers.

Which version is your favourite?

Check out #sewingleftovers on Instagram for loads more inspiration!
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Sewing Leftovers: Ida Clutch Bag

#sewingleftovers
Thanks to everyone who's embraced Sewing Leftovers so far! The inspiration pool is growing rapidly and as a result, I think I have more ideas than leftovers at the minute (if only I had more time)! My personal leftover sewing has been coming along very slowly, but mindfully, making only the things I need, slotted in between other projects. My last few big projects didn't even generate any leftovers and part of me wonders if I'm making a subconscious transition into the world of buying the correct yardage... we'll see how that goes.

Ida Clutch
In the first in a series of inspiration posts, I looked at some ideas for using leftover pleather, particularly with bag making in mind. I always say I'm not much of a bag maker, but I have made a fair few Retro Rucksacks and I have a box full of hardware from a slightly too enthusiastic leap into leather work - an ambition/dream that I never quite fulfilled - so it makes sense to incorporate these bits into sewing projects where possible.

Minimal fabric requirements for the Ida

Fabric: Deep red textured faux-leather from Samuel Taylors, Leeds (though this in 'wine' from Minerva looks v similar), plus leftover printed cotton for the lining.

Original garment made: Ready to Sew Juliette Skirt

Leftover fabric amount: Not lots, but a decent chunk actually, considering the Juliette Skirt can be made from just 1m (a fine Leftovers project in itself)!

Sewing Leftovers make: A slightly modified Ida Clutch (FREE pattern by Kylie and the Machine)

Leftovers-wise what did I learn? You can get away with some weird and wonderful pattern placement on most pleathers. I could have definitely scaled up the pattern with the amount of fabric I had and might even be able to squeeze another Ida out of my leftovers' leftovers, or failing that, at least a micro version. I'm going to have a play with the printer scaling...


About the make:

I made 4 Ida Clutch bags for gifts at Christmas, but still hadn't got around to making one for myself. The pattern really is a quick and hugely satisfying make. The instructions are all online and heavy with photographs to guide you through each step, which helps the maker to feel super comfortable with bag sewing - even if it's not really their 'bag'.

Strap hack
I made a slightly hacked version so my Ida could be converted to a super wearable cross-body bag, and I'm really pleased with the outcome. I skipped the press stud fastening and basted tabs with small D rings to my outer (positioning shown on the picture above) before sewing the whole clutch together. I had some offcut strips of suede that were the perfect width and weight for a bag strap, so I riveted these to bag clips to make my detachable handle.

Strap/rivet detail
I left a little extra room for seam allowance at the top and bottom of the zip, meaning it was easier for my machine foot to pass along side the zip when stitching the bag together. I'd definitely do this again as this version (and particularly the zip) has turned out to be my best yet!

What else does it go with?
Out in Berlin on May Day!
Can you believe my giant purse fits in it?!
Whilst this Ida obviously matches my Juliette Skirt, I think it goes with pretty much anything. It accompanied me on a trip to Berlin and round a festival last week, and is the perfect size for fitting all of my essentials (including my monster-size purse)! Also, I NEVER thought I'd say this, but after the trip to Berlin, I think I need a bum bag in my life - literally all the cool kids had one. The Fennel Fanny Pack is  high up on my #sewingleftovers radar.

Whenever I have the leftovers and hardware spare, I'll be making more Ida's - whether they're gifted or kept for myself is another question...!


Speaking of gifting! Have you seen that @cottonreelstudio and @jenlegg4 are running the #ogdenidaswap? The True Bias Ogden Cami and the Kylie and the Machine Ida Clutch are two perfectly suited patterns for #sewingleftovers and the exchange is a great way to try them both out whilst giving/receiving a beautiful gift at the same time! For full details, a discount code for the Ogden and to sign up, head here!

Happy #sewingleftovers everyone! Be sure to use and check the hashtag for inspiration!
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Sewing, Sustainability and Shwopping

Papercut Patterns
What do you do with your me made clothes at the end of their life?

Installation in London showing how many clothes go to landfill every 5 minutes
Textile waste is a huge problem, which is worsening with growing levels of consumption. I think we can make more of an effort to minimise the damage done - it's said that approximately 10,000 pieces of clothing go to landfills every 5 minutes in the UK - and sewing your own clothes is a great place to start. My clothing choices are much more considered since I've been making garments for myself - 'can I make this in time for a special occasion? how much wear will I get out of this? will the style/fabric/finish stand the test of time?' I guess these are some of the limitations of sewing your own clothes, but it massively cuts down my consumption (and disposal) of 'fast fashion'.

Installation in London showing how many clothes go to landfill every 5 minutes

I've been making a lot of 'mix and match' style garments recently - culottes, trousers and skirts that can be turned into pinafores or overalls by buttoning in a bib. I really have got more miles out of these garments for having the pinafore option (I posted a tutorial on how to draft and make a bib here). I'm hoping to blog about these mix and match pieces in a bit more detail soon, but for now, here are a couple of Papercut Patterns Rise Turtlenecks that I made to throw in the mix and match pile.

Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck
The pattern is a breeze to make, and I made up both versions using cosy jersey (the green one even has a bit of gold sparkle in!). I was a bit nervous sewing something close fitting in stretch fabric, but the instructions are really easy to follow. I've seen lots of tops in this style on the high street - and even bought one from H&M - but the quality and fit is so much better on my hand-mades. I've already worn them on their own, with the overall bib, and under a dress. 

Wearing the Rise Turtleneck out to work
These days my dressmaking and fabric choices are much more considered. I strive to only make garments that will get plenty of wear - like these mix and match ones - but pairing a pattern with the right fabric is a great skill, and something I still get wrong from time to time. I feel a bit sentimental about the few disastrous starched cotton blouses/dodgy synthetic numbers and general unworn garments - all the time and effort I lovingly put in, all the things I learnt while making them - but I can't hang onto them forever.

I don't really consider them worthy of the charity shops - I haven't got an overlocker so no professional finishes, and they generally contain a bunch of mistakes - but I don't want them to contribute to that landfill pile either. I did a bit of research and I'm going to donate them to Marks and Spencers/Oxfam Shwopping initiative. All the clothing either goes to Oxfam for resale, or to be sent to those who need it in the Third World, or (more likely in my case) the fibres are recycled to make new material.

So here's to an early New Year's sewing resolution - I'm going to make every effort to make sure I have no unworn garments in 2016. (But if I do have any disasters at least I know that they can be Shwopped!)

I'd love to know what everyone else does with their unworn me-mades! Do you hang on to them, or recycle them in someway or another? Let me know with a comment :)


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