6 Week Course // Wednesdays, 6.30pm - 9pm // Cost: £235

April 16 - May 21

Skill Level: Experienced beginners and beyond

Instructor: Cassandra Belanger Founder of The Stitchery, Co-Founder of Zero Waste Design Collective and Founding Member of Sustainable Fashion Scotland

Interested in sustainability, reducing textile waste and making well-fitting garments? This 6-week Making a Zero Waste Wardrobe course was developed to give experienced beginners to intermediate sewists an in-depth introduction to zero waste processes and techniques for making clothes. This course is led by seasoned sewing instructor, renowned Zero Waste design expert, and Founder of The Stitchery Studio, Cassandra Belanger.

Students will be introduced to different methods of making zero waste garments from using zero waste pattern masters developed by Danielle Elsener of Decode, the Make/Use system developed by Holly McQuillan, as well as how to work from zero waste indie sewing patterns, including Liz Haywood’s book Zero Waste Sewing and Birgitta Helmersson’s Zero Waste Patterns book. You will also be encouraged to explore reusing fabric from retired garments, sustainable fabric sources (like Bawn Textiles collection) or getting creative with fabric scraps.

The first half of each lesson will be focused on learning a new zero waste garment by making paper or quarter scale samples as well as specific sewing techniques for making zero waste garments and accessories. You will be taught how to minimise waste in conventional sewing pattern cutting layouts and how to recycle any waste that you do create, from the smallest scrap of fabric or length of thread. The second half will be a time where you can work from a zero waste sewing pattern of your choice and make a garment for yourself.

All body shapes and sizes welcome. We are a LGBTQI+ friendly and safe space. People of all genders, sizes, and backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to attend this course.

You will learn:

How to test designs on scaled samples
Manipulate cutting layouts to maximize value
Create new textiles from scraps
Zero-waste construction techniques
The social and environmental impacts of textile waste
Fundamentals of zero waste designing

Skill level : Basic sewing machine skills required

What to bring:

Basic sewing kit (seam ripper, snips, fabric scissors, pins, hand sewing needles, chalk pencil)
100% cotton thread
Fabrics (not needed Week 1)
You are welcome to bring your own sewing machine

You will have access to:

A sewing machine to use during class
Scrap fabrics for practices and samples
An iron

We have a limited amount of sewing supplies for students to borrow. Please get in touch at info@thestitcherystudio.com if you would like to know more.

Booking Your Place

To book your place on this course, you will pay a non-refundable Booking Deposit of £50 through this Eventbrite page. This Booking Deposit goes towards course fees however, the remaining balance is due no later that two weeks PRIOR to course start. Once you’ve booked a place on the course, you will receive the details to bank transfer the final amount. We do it this way to additional external fees. Please familiarise yourself with our Terms & Conditions before making your booking.

You can pay by PayPal or any major debit/credit card. NOTE: You do not need a PayPal account to make a booking. Simply click on the link which says "pay with a debit or credit card". It looks like this. Please note that deposits are non-refundable.

Any Questions?

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

Non-Refundable Deposit

All of our courses and workshops require a deposit to book your place. Please note that the Booking Deposit is completely non-refundable.

Cancellation & Course Fees Refund

Because of the popularity of our courses and the limited number of spaces available, we've now introduced a Cancellation & Refund Policy. If you cancel your booking 14 or more full days before the start date of your course or workshop, you will be refunded the balance of your fees. This is equivalent to your full course fees minus your non-refundable deposit.

If you decide to cancel your place once the course has started, a refund is not guaranteed. In this situation we shall review the circumstances of the cancellation before deciding on appropriate solution.

Registrations are closed

Making a Zero Waste Wardrobe Course