Bella Zero Waste Dress Pattern

This pattern is for a beautiful, sleeveless summer dress. If you follow the instructions you will create a biodegradable compostable garment utilising 99% of your fabric. Yes! You will have close to none fabric scraps left after you’ve completed this project!

This process is called zero waste fashion design – it integrates pattern cutting into the design process. Although it is not really new and has been applied widely in historical garments (such as kimonos, for example) in modern days it was reinvented and pioneered by a group of designers including – Timo Rissanen, Holy McQuillan, Maya Stabel, Juian Roberts and others. With this pattern I am offering you to dive into the world of zero waste fashion at your home and join the growing numbers of sewers who favour this innovative method of making clothes!

SIZE CHART.

IMPORTANT: To create this dress you will need 170-175cm of your chosen fabric 135cm wide (extra 5cm will make a slightly wider belt, it will not affect the dress shape) Because it is zero waste pattern where every piece of fabric is used to cut the garment width is important. If your fabric is narrower your dress will be visibly much shorter on one side. If your fabric is wider your dress will be longer and the hem will look different.

NOTE: if you are making size 12-16 you might consider getting 140cm wide fabric to make your dress hem line look less asymmetrical. With 135cm width one side of your hem will be shorter than the other, if you are ok with this then proceed with 135cm wide fabric.

To create this dress I used light 100% cotton sateen from https://www.seaofsilks.com – a company that specialises in sourcing natural sustainable fabrics which are ethically made. I eco printed and botanically dyed the fabric first. If you don't know how to do that you can order already printed and/or dyed fabric from this supplier! Contact them to discuss your options!