That question has taken me through consulting work with brands like Nike, Adidas, Carhartt, and Cone Denim, through co-founding the Zero Waste Design Collective and Cut to Zero, and into the classroom at FIT, teaching the next generation of designers a completely different way of thinking about pattern making.

Along the way I built a methodology, the DECODE Pattern Master System. It’s a user focused, teachable approach to zero waste pattern drafting that allows a user to draft a zero waste pattern from scratch and make it their own.

I’ve wanted to put this into a book for a long time.

That book is now real! Zero Waste Pattern Drafting: With the DECODE Pattern Master System.

(yes, this is just a mockup, but it is still in fact “real” haha)

Why self-publish?

This book needed to move at the pace of the community it’s for, stay true to a necessary reference book format, and not get squirrelly with a traditional publishing timeline or structure. I also didn’t love the terms that were presented to me in the publishing deal. So I’m doing it myself! I chose to work through Kickstarter, with full creative control, and with a group of incredible peer reviewers shaping it along the way.

What’s actually in it?

The Pattern Master System breaks zero waste drafting down into a process you can learn, adjust, and repeat, whether you’re a student, an independent designer, or working inside a brand. It covers history and methodology of zero waste patterns, alongside drafting and sewing instructions for the ten included blocks.

This book is structured in four sections, each building to the next.

The first section, Part I: Context and History traces the origins of zero waste pattern making and systems thinking.

Part II: Methodology and Approach contains technical explanations of how the system works, how it was developed, and how to work within it.

Part III: Garment Templates and Instructions is the largest and most practical piece of the book, showcasing the ten patternmaster templates, drafting and sewing instructions, and clues on how to adapt for your own designs.

Part IV: Resources and Implementation rounds out all of the information with resources and guides of how to continue the work outside of these pages through education and dissemination. It also addresses the questions I so often get - what about grading? What about different fabric widths? How do you manufacture zero waste?

This section also includes links to downloadable pdf/dxf/jprj files.

Backing

Depending on how you back the campaign, you can get:

• The physical book itself

• An acrylic Pattern Master tool set, a companion to the book that can sit on your drafting table, ready at hand

• Bundle options that combine both

• Workshops for yourself and your team

Where things stand

The campaign launched a few days ago, and it’s already been named a Project We Love by Kickstarter, a hand-picked distinction their team gives to a small number of standout campaigns! We’re currently 44% funded and growing. As predicted, there is a slump in growth after 48 hours of a campaign launch, but I’m not giving up hope. This is the time to share with networks beyond my own, everyone you send this to seriously helps!

If you’ve been following my work, through DECODE, through teaching, or through any of the projects I’ve shared here, this book is the most complete version of everything I know about zero waste design in one place.

I’d love for you to be part of this next chapter with me!

The campaign is live now, link below

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elsener/zero-waste-pattern-drafting-book

This one is a bit different and personal. For those of you that don’t know, I am a volunteer EMT! I spent 9 months rigorously training in a field that I was completely unfamiliar with. Though it was a challenge, it was a great experience and I’m grateful to have the lifelong skill.

This kit is a perfect collision of my passion of sewing with the practical nature of a simple first aid kit. Everyone should have on on hand, especially over the summer. With more outdoor adventures and free time comes many more bumps and scrapes!

The Zero Waste First Aid Kit is comprised of rectangular pattern pieces that close with a zip, featuring elastic panels to keep your gear in check. The pattern can of course be repurposed as a bag for anything, but a first aid kit is something everyone should have!

Ingredients for a basic first aid kit:

• Shears for cutting gauze, tapes, or clothing to access wounds

• Bandages in a variety of sizes

• Sterile gauze pads

• Roller bandages

• Adhesive tape

• Antibiotic ointment /wipes

• Disposable gloves

• Instant cold pack

• Mini flashlight

This is also my plug that everyone should know CPR. Take a class and get certified! You could save someones life.

Anyway. To the pattern!

As per usual, I designed the first iteration in Clo3D to test out scale and proportion.

The physical copy of the mini Riso-zine I developed for this project is available for $12 here: RISO_ZINE_07

The digital copy of the zine that can be printed can be found here for $9: Digital Riso Zine

Please note - you will not be able to complete the first aid kit as shown in these instructions without purchasing the zine as listed above. All measurements can be found in the downloadable PDF.

Note - For those who may be frustrated by this - I’m sorry! While I try to make everything as accessible as possible, I do need to make a living. If you are having trouble making ends meet but would like to complete this (or any other of my patterns), please reach out directly and we will figure something out.

The ZW First Aid Kit Instructions

GATHER

100% woven cotton/denim, something with some stiffness. I actually used this project as a stash busting project - I had a lot of misc rectangles left over from another project and cut them down to size. You can of course, as always, mix and match fabrics, or scale up or down to the size you like.

*Edit - I have made metric measurements available for our friends who don’t use imperial! Going forward I will make both measurements available.

• (1) 29.5” x 15” (75 x 38 CM) Rectangle

• 30”(76 CM) of 1”(2.5 CM) elastic, divided into (2) 12”(30 CM) pieces and (2) 3”(8 CM) pieces

• ~28”(45 CM) Zipper (minimum, I used a longer one and tucked in the end)

• ~4 YDS (3.5 M) of bias tape (optional but suggested for a clean finish)

• 2”(5 CM) of 1”(2.5 CM) velcro

Note - this project has .4”/1 CM seam allowance included.

OPTIONAL - RED CROSS DETAIL (0.25” SA for cross only)

• (1) 2.5”(6.5 CM) x 6.5”(16.5 CM) rectangle of red cotton fabric

• (2) 2.5” (6.5 CM) squares of red cotton fabric

CUT

Cut the panels to the measurements as shown in the zine instructions. (Note - you will not be able to complete this project past this point without purchasing the zine as listed above. Unless you’re very clever and want to figure out the math yourself.)

Pocket

Fold down 1”(2.5 CM) for the pocket opening turn back, iron, and stitch.

Iron back the seam allowance on the remaining three sides.

Iron and top stitch the side seam allowances of the tab piece.

Stitch to the center of the pocket entry with around 1/4”(.5 CM) sticking out. This is going to help you open the pocket once velcro is stitched in.

Align the pocket to the center of the back panel and pin in place on one side while you align the velcro. My velcro is sticky on the back which helps with placement. I basically just sandwich it between layers once aligned.

Place the velcro directly under the tab, one side on the pocket, one on the back panel. Stitch both sides of the velcro down.

Top stitch the pocket down to the back panel.

ZIPPER/SIDE PANELS

Sew your zipper between your side panels. If using a longer length zipper, be sure to stop your stitch line .4”(1 CM) from hem for SA.

Bind the edges for a clean finish.

Pin your “hinge” piece to the end of your side panel and stitch.

Repeat on the other side of the zip. You’ll now have one continuous piece. Don’t worry about clean finishing the “hinge", we’ll finish it later.

Mark

Mark the center of each edge of your front and back pieces.

Do this for the side panels as well. (Didn’t take a photo) Find the center of the hinge piece, and mark where it folds on the other side. Match the hinge mark to the opposite mark to find the mid points on the rest of the panel.

PIN

Pin the side panel and front and back pieces together, using the marks as a guide.

STITCH

Stitch the panels together. Do not clean finish yet.

HANDLE

Join one long edge of the handle pieces together. Iron back the SA on the opposite sides. Flip wrong faces together and top stitch edges.

Fold back short edge SAs

Pin on the long side of bag, on the piece of the side panel closest to the pocket.

Stitch in place with a box in order to catch the seam allowance cleanly.

OPTIONAL - RED CROSS

STITCH

Find the center of your pieces to align placement of the squares on either side of your rectangle. Stitch squares to rectangle, leaving .25”(.5 CM) open on each side. Fold back and iron .25” (.5 CM) SA on all sides.

Pin to center of front panel and top stitch in place. (Yes, this step could be done earlier, I just chose to do it at this point.)

LOOPS / ELASTIC

Double fold the loop pieces and top stitch closed

Stitch on either side of the hinge panel. I offset the ends in order to reduce bulk.

Divide 12”(30 CM) elastic strips into thirds and mark. Stitch ends of 12” elastic strips to edges of panel. Pin the two parks in place with the elastic bubbled evenly between them. Stitch across the elastic to hold in place.

Note - If you added the red cross to the front of the bag you will see the stitch lines on it. You can use red thread to make it less visible or embrace it.

Repeat for back panel. You will have to move the pocket fabric out of the way to stitch it down.

Place the 3”(8 CM) elastic loops on the bag opposite from the tabs across the hinge and stitch.

Bias tape the side panel/front/back seams, stopping at the hinge panel.

HINGE FACING

Fold back the two long sides and one short side of seam allowance of the hinge facing and iron.

Pin the remaining seam allowance edge to the hinge seam allowance and stitch. I tried to stitch 1mm past the original stitch line to hide it.

Flip the hinge over and iron flat. Pin the remaining three sides in place and top stitch.

And voila! Enjoy your first aid kit, fill it with the essentials, and stay safe out there!

As always, I hope you enjoy this project and please share your beautiful outcomes.

<3 Danielle

Month six of the zero waste zine-club has been released!

The Zero Waste Garden Tote bag is so fun and functional - work on perfecting your garden while making zero waste 😊. It features 8 exterior pleated pockets, two internal pockets, and unlimited options of make.

This is a deceivingly simple project, with lots of pleats and binding details, more tailored to an intermediate level sewer.

As always, I started designing it in Clo3D to test out scale and proportion.

The physical copy of the mini Riso-zine I developed for this project is available for $12 here: RISO_ZINE_06

The digital copy of the zine that can be printed can be found here for $9: Digital Riso Zine

Please note - you will not be able to complete the tote as shown in these instructions without purchasing the zine as listed above. All measurements can be found in the downloadable PDF.

The ZW Garden Tote Instructions

CUT

100% woven cotton/denim, something with some stiffness.

• (1) 38” x 36” Rectangle

• ~120” (3.5 Yds) of 1/4” or 1/2” bias tape

• ~72” (2 Yds) of 1” cotton webbing

CUT

Cut the panels as shown in the zine instructions. (Note - you will not be able to complete this tote without purchasing the zine as listed above.)

Mark

Add in all of the notches as marked in the zine. I use a heat erasable pen, but I would actually advise not doing that - I would suggest using tailors chalk so that the marks don’t disappear when ironing your pleats!

Note - this project has 1/2” seam allowance included.

Pro tip - the notches are the same on the top and bottom of some of the pieces. Mark once and use as a template!

FOLD

Fold and iron your pleats as marked by your notches. These are classic box pleats the folds should meet in the middle when folded flat. There will be 1/2” extended on the sides. Do this for both the front and back pocket pockets, and the side pockets.

Pro tip - I found this lovely felt ruler when I was in Japan and it’s been such a lifesaver for folding straight pleats! If you ever come across one I definitely recommend picking one up.

FINISH

Sew your bias tape to the top of all of the pockets.

I prefer this order of operations - pleating after the bias tape can make it look just a tad messy. Another tip - I don’t sew bias tape all the way to the edges of my seams. I usually stop halfway through the seam allowances to reduce bulk. In this case, I cut it 1/4” shorter on each side.

INTERIOR POCKETS

You also need to finish your interior pocket top with bias tape at this stage.

Fold back the sides and bottom (not pictured) and pin in place on the interior of your front and back body pieces. They should be centered and placed around 2” down from the top.

Stitch them in place and you’re good to go!

SIDE POCKETS

Here the zine and these instructions differ slightly. The zine calls for you to iron back the seam allowance on the bottom edge of the side pockets and top stitch it down.

In this sample I did a cleaner finished version, but it was one too many instuctions to fit into a 6 page zine!

Line your pockets up right side to right side, facing away from the intended direction. Use the notches to line up the placement. Stitch across.

You can then flip the pockets into place, iron flat, and stitch the sides closed. Use a stay stitch within the .5” SA.

FRONT & BACK POCKETS

PIN

Pin the front & Back pleated pockets to the front & back panels. Don’t stitch down yet.

PLACEA

Use this as a guide for placing your straps! Sandwich your straps in between the folds and line them up in the center of each pleat. Pin in place.

STITCH

Stitch your handles down, stopping about 1” from the top. We need to leave room to finish the top opening later.

Once the handles are sewn, baste the pockets down around the three edges.

FINISH

Pin in place and sew the front and back to the bottom/side panel.

I chose to bias tape the inside edges of my tote rather than serge for a clean finish.

FINISH

Finish the top of your tote with a bias strip along the edge.

And voila! Enjoy your garden tote while you work on perfecting your garden

I hope you enjoy this project and please share your beautiful outcomes!

<3 Danielle

Month five of the zero waste zine-club has been released!

The Zero Waste Planter pattern was born out of a love of plants and a hatred of fabric waste. This planter is a seemingly simple solution to a complex problem - fitting a circle into a square. We get a structured, functional planter from a flat piece of fabric with not a scrap left.

As always, I started designing it in Clo3D to test out scale and proportion.

I had made a few versions of this over the years but wanted to start fresh with the simplest solution in mind.

The physical copy of the mini Riso-zine I developed for this project is available for $12 here: RISO_ZINE_05

The digital copy of the zine that can be printed can be found here for $9: Digital Riso Zine

The ZW Planter Instructions

CUT

100% woven cotton/denim (something with structure is HIGHLY encouraged. That being said, I made this version in a 24 OZ canvas that was very thick and difficult to sew. This pattern can be scaled up or down depending on the size of your plant pot.

• (1) 7” x 22” rectangle

• (1)7” x "7” rectangle

Optional - Paint!

I kept up my painting on this months project as well, using Jacquard Textile screen printing ink and a 1” foam brush.

Mark

Divide your 7” x 22” rectangle into four sections and mark.

On your 7” x 7” square, mark .5” in from SA on each corner. That ends up being just under an inch (0.39” + .5” = .9”)

FOLD

Fold a corner of your 7” x 7” square in half to make a point, then fold over the edge where you marked. stitch through the fold and one side of your fabric. This gives you a lovely corner tuck.

Repeat on all 4 corners.

STITCH

Stitch the short edges of your 7” x 22” rectangle together. Be sure to clean finish it, either with bias tape or a french/flat felled seam. Press your seam flat/open. Again, my fabric was very thick so I decided to finish with a bias tape.

STITCH

Stitch your body to the base of your fabric, right sides together. The markings on your 7” x 22” fabric should line up with the corners of your base.

I highly recommend clean finishing the inside of this seam for a polished look. I didn’t because of fabric thickness…and I knew it would be completely hidden inside. Perfectionism didn’t win today!

FINISH

Double fold the entry of the planter and stitch, or clean finish with a bias tape for a fun pop of color.

TURN

Turn right side out and enjoy!!

I use vintage plates as my water catch at the bottom, I chose one that was just slightly smaller than my measurements.

I really love how simple this project is, especially for larger plants when big pots get expensive!!

I hope you enjoy this project and please share your beautiful outcomes!

<3 Danielle

When working out fine details of a zero waste pattern it can often lean to mindless ramblings to whoever happens to be on the other end of a call with me at the time. The repetitive nature of aligning shapes and perfecting seam allowances leads to mental white space that can fill with interesting and sometimes humorous thoughts.

In my most recent class, teaching Clo3D for Zero Waste Design, such a moment happened with a live audience of 3 + my co-teacher. I was encouraging the participants to not think so much about the “right way” to do things and try something different. “Just chop it! What’s the worst that can happen” I said, referring to an edge of a pattern that wasn’t lining up the way I wanted it to. It was then that the blank mind space opened and I started going into a rabbit hole of unintended connection and observation.

“You know,” I said, “this seems to be a constant theme in my life. I started cutting my own hair when I was around 13 and would just go for it. I guess I just chopped that too!”

On reflection, this seems to be an ongoing “ism” in my life. After laughing at my unexpected realization I put some more thought into this idea. When I started cutting my own hair, my mom said “hey, if you mess up it’ll grow back. No harm no foul, it’s not a big deal.” Perhaps this is how I’ve been encouraged to approach life as a whole, down to teeny tiny pattern pieces.

My life has taken me down a very non-linear path, with this notion leading the way. Doing DECODE full time? Sure! What’s the worst that can happen? I try and have to say I failed? Going to Grad school? Hey, if it was the wrong decision you can always go back to what you were doing before.

This isn’t to say that I solely make impulse decisions and that my life isn’t ruled by logic, in fact it’s quite the opposite. In most areas of life I am quite a strict rule follower and want to do the right thing. There are small spots of rebellion where this mentality comes in strongly and I’ve learned to listen to those moments when they come up.

None of the instinct decisions I’ve made have been “wrong” and even if they weren’t perfect I’ve learned and grown from them.

What’s the point of this little note? Nothing really, just remember to make the chop, what’s the worst that can happen?

Month four of the zero waste zine-club has been released!

The Zero Waste Travel Case is a pattern born out of necessity. Over the last few years I’ve travelled a lot. Like A LOT. I got fed up with using the same crappy pouch that never worked quite right.

So I designed this!

The Zero Waste Travel Case is a zero waste pattern for a structured, heavy-duty pouch that actually holds its shape. Fits your life, your bag, and your sustainability values, in that order.

I started designing it in Clo3D and made two versions of it with and without lining before landing on the version you see here.

The versions I made with linings were really cute but VERY complicated for a 6 page zine instruction booklet. If there is a demand for the lining version I’ll post that eventually.

My toxic trait is that I use the good fabric on samples 😭

The physical copy of the mini Riso-zine I developed for this project is available for $12 here: RISO_ZINE_04

The digital copy of the zine that can be printed can be found here for $9: Digital Riso Zine

Now onto the instruction! Late is better than never.

If you have purchased the Riso-zine already, reach out and I will give you free access to the step by step content below.

The ZW Travel Case Instructions

CUT

100% woven cotton/denim (something with structure is HIGHLY encouraged. That being said, I made this version in a 24 OZ canvas that was IMPOSSIBLE to sew. So don’t go quite as thick as that.):

• (1) 19” x 20” rectangle - Feel free to scale up or down

Zippers:

• (1) 8” zip (approximate, you can use what you already have!)

• (1) 26”+ zip - again, use what you have!

Optional - Paint!

I ordered this screen printing ink for playing with patterns and decided to dive in with a brush on this project. You know I love a good vibrant squiggle…

CUT

Divide your 19” x 20” rectangle into three pieces. Mark a 3” strip on the longer side and divide that piece in two to create them.

FOLD

Fold your 17” x 19” rectangle into quarters. Mark out the diagram as shown in the zine. It kind of ends up looking like the top half of an arrow.

CUT

Cut out the shapes you just drew through all four layers and open it up

STITCH

The two rectangles that you cut out will be turned into:

1. A handle - Iron the seam allowance down on the long ends and fold the rectangle in half. Stitch the edges together, then iron down the seam allowance where it will be stitched to the bag.

   

   You can then stitch it to the outside of the bag - centering it in one of the “arrow” sections

   

2. A pocket - fold down around 1” seam for the entry and stitch down. Fold and iron in seam allowances on the remaining three sides.

   

   You can then stitch it to the inside of your bag. I align it with the bottom of the “arrow” seam allowance and center it. I place it on the opposite side of there the handle is sewn.

   

Gusset:

The triangles will need to be joined to create to create two gusset pieces.

Stitch them faces together across the long edge.

Next, iron that seam flat, and iron your seam allowance at the bottom corners in. Top stitch the top and bottom edges.

Divider:

The edge pieces you drafted will become the divider. Stitch the 8” zipper between them and top stitch the seams down. Here you can change the zipper insertion to meet whatever preferences you have. With such a thick fabric I couldn’t do a very clean inserted zipper.

Next, close the bottom of the divider. In other samples I did a traditional seam and turned the divider inside out, but again, with this this fabric I wasn’t able to do that. I ended up adding a bias strip at the bottom to close it. Not a bad solution here!

The side edges are still raw here, which is correct. They will be caught by the gussets! sandwich the edges in the center of the gussets and stitch. This fabric stopped me from being able to stitch all the way down as shown in the instructions, so I just tacked it in a few places.

Not pictured here - I ended up bias binding the edges of the triangles for a clean finish.

ZIP

At this stage you are going to sew your zipper to the outside edges of your fabric as shown. My zipper is too long, but I let it stay long and end up tucking the excess inside. I start the zipper about an inch in from the point of the arrow.

I also added a bias binding to clean finish the zipper seams.

FINISH

Close up the rectangles by folding the arrow points to meet in the center of the rectangle.

I finished this section with a bias tape, leaving enough room for the zipper to escape.

The next step is where I questioned all of my life decisions. Sewing a very thick fabric in a very narrow space. Even though I have an industrial walking foot machine, this fabric bested it. I didn’t even take many photos because I was so frustrated. But basically you are going to stitch your triangle gusset pieces into the spaces formed in the last step. They should sit really nicely in that space.

Ignore the multiple stitch holes that appear at this stage - I had to rip and redo SO. MANY. TIMES.

DONE!

Enjoy your zero waste travel case! Feel free to play with proportion, sizes, and construction methods to find what best suits you. My favorite ended up being the selvedge denim one I made one sample previously. Photos below.

I hope you enjoy this project and please share your beautiful outcomes!

<3 Danielle

First things first - I aim to create all of my garments out of mono-materials. Meaning, For a 100% cotton garment I use 100% cotton/lyocell/cellulosic based thread that can be reclaimed and/or composted together. Any garments that use non-mono notions should be designed for them to be able to be removed - think buttons/elastic/etc. The below list is developed around these assumptions.

A note on certifications- Throughout this list you’ll see references to a few key certifications worth knowing. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests finished textile products for harmful substances

• Class I is the most stringent, meaning the product is safe enough for direct contact with infant skin.

• GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certifies the entire supply chain of organic fiber products, covering both environmental and social criteria from field to finished product.

• C2C (Cradle to Cradle) is a product design certification that evaluates materials for safety, recyclability, and circular economy principles, a Gold level C2C Material Health Certificate means the dyes and chemicals used meet the highest tier of the standard.

• OCS (Organic Content Standard) verifies and tracks the presence of organically grown material in a final product but, unlike GOTS, does not cover processing or social criteria.

None of these certifications are perfect or cover everything, but they are the most rigorous third-party verification currently available in the notions space and worth prioritizing when you have a choice.

(Note - I am not getting commissioned to share this information and do not profit from any purchases made of these items)

Thread

I get a lot of questions around my selection of threads.A frequent comment is on the durability/longevity of cotton not being strong enough to hold a garment together as compared to a polyester or cotton wrapped poly. The below are the threads I use and favor. Just to note - Coats and A&E require a bit of digging through resellers to find what you’re looking for. I recommend reaching out to the team to order samples.

Coats:

- Tre Cerchi (My personal favorite) - 100% mercerised long-staple cotton with a lustrous appearance. The mercerisation process increases the tensile strength of the cotton fibers and dyes consistently.

Tex 21- 120

OEKO-TEX Class I certification

https://coats.com/en-us/products/threads/tre-cerchi/tre-cerchi/

Pro: High quality, widely available, excellent performance on industrial and home machines.

Product link: https://itsastitchup.co.uk/shop/500m-spool-coats-tre-cerchi-40-100-cotton-sewing-thread-black/

- Tre Cerchi Vie - Similar to above but made from 100% sustainable cotton and environmentally compliant dyes and chemicals.

Tex 30- 270

https://www.coats.com/fr/products/threads/tre-cerchi/coats-tre-cerchi-vie/

- EcoRegen (Lyocell thread) - Coats’ 100% lyocell threads made from sustainably sourced wood pulp- a great alternative for lyocell/Tencel garments or when you want a cellulosic thread with a slightly different hand.

Tex 30-105

The cellulose fibre is carbon neutral and is made from 100% controlled wood with a closed-loop manufacturing process.

https://coats.com/en/products/threads/ecoregen/ecoregen/

Pro: Lyocell is closed-loop produced, biodegradable, and compostable with cellulosic fabrics. Great for next to skin use.

- Cotton Dymax - Coats’ high-tenacity cotton thread for industrial applications.

Tex 30-105

OEKO-TEX Class I certification

https://coats.com/en/products/threads/dymax/dymax/

Pro: Strong performance for high-stress seams; still natural fiber.

Con: Overkill for many garment applications; more relevant for bags, outerwear, and heavy-duty construction.

A&E (American & Efird)

- A&E Chroma SPC - 100% Cotton mercerized thread designed for abrasion resistance

Tex 40-180

C2C (Cradle to Cradle) certified dyes and chemical compliance

https://www.amefird.com/blog/2023/09/chroma-spc/

Pre: Engineered for abrasion resistance

- A&E Anecot Plus - 100% long staple spun cotton thread with increased strength resistance, ideal for overdying

Tex 21-400

C2C (Cradle to Cradle) certified dyes and chemical compliance

https://www.amefird.com/blog/2023/09/anecot-plus-spc/

Pro: Engineered for abrasion resistance & excellent for overdying

Güterman

- Güterman 100% Cotton - 100% Mercerized Egyptian Cotton

Tex 20-45

https://consumer.guetermann.com/en/products/natural-cotton-c-ne-50/

Pros: Available nearly everywhere, easy to find in sewing shops

Cons - smaller spools & more home sewing focused

Product link: https://www.wawak.com/thread/thread-by-brand/gutermann/

Elastic

Organic cotton/rubber elastic:

Pro: True mono-material for cellulosic garments: organic cotton + natural rubber, both biodegradable. Natural rubber is FSC-certifiable and non-petroleum-based.

Con: Natural rubber does have latex content - flag for anyone with latex sensitivity. It also has a narrower width range than synthetic elastic and can be more challenging to find.

Product links: https://merchantandmills.com/us/organic-cotton-elastic

https://sustainbykat.com/products/organic-cotton-natural-rubber-elastic

Alternative - knitted/woven cotton drawstring: A cotton twill tape or tubular knit drawstring threaded through a casing can replace elastic entirely and is easier to recycle/compost/remove.

A note on synthetic elastic: Most commercial elastic is polyester + rubber. Even “recycled” elastic is still synthetic. If your goal is compostability, it needs to come out of the garment. If you’re designing for longevity rather than composting, recycled elastic is the lesser evil, but it remains a mixed material. If you must, be sure to make the elastic easily removable/replaceable (Don’t top stitch through elastic, focus on using channels)

Buttons

-Corozo (tagua nut / “vegetable ivory”) - The gold standard for natural, biodegradable buttons. Corozo is harvested from tagua palm nuts that fall naturally to the forest floor, and harvesting them supports rainforest conservation since it gives local communities an economic incentive to protect the trees rather than clear-cut them

Pro: 100% biodegradable, OEKO-TEX certifiable, excellent durability and scratch resistance. Accepts dye well, unique natural grain on each button. Truly circular: it decomposes without microplastic residue.

Con: Not ideal for garments requiring frequent industrial washing above 60°C - extended exposure to high heat can cause cracking

Product link:

https://corozobuttons.com/

-Coconut shell buttons - Agricultural byproduct, biodegradable, good durability.

Pro: Lower cost than corozo, truly zero-waste sourcing.

Con: Less consistent surface quality and harder to dye to precise color.

Product link: https://organiccottonplus.com/collections/notions-buttons/products/decorative-coco-shell-buttons

-Mother of pearl (MOP) - An iconic menswear staple, used in fine shirting and tailoring for centuries. Sourced from oyster shells, ideally as a byproduct of responsible pearl aquaculture where it would have been labelled as waste. Overfishing, wild harvesting and depleted mollusk populations make this a controversial addition to this list, but I stand by my vintage MOP buttons!

Pro: Amazing aesthetically with longevity in mind and will biodegrade over time.

Con: Supply chain transparency is patchy. Without verified provenance, wild fishery pressure to over fish is a real risk.

Product link: https://organiccottonplus.com/collections/notions-buttons

Interfacing

- Self-fabric interfacing (zero-waste preferred method) - Pre-washed, then ironed lightweight fabric works great as reinforcement for plackets, collars, and cuffs as a non-fusible sew-in interfacing. Hand baste, then catch in seam allowances.

Pro: Use your own cut scraps, truly zero additional materials.

Con: Less precise than commercial fusible + takes more skill to apply without shifting.

- Silk organza/gazar - Lightweight silk organza makes excellent interfacing and underlining for fabrics that need added body, since it is crisp without being bulky. Its crispness is due to the natural sericin gum left on fibers during processing and gives support while resisting wrinkles.

Pro: 100% natural protein fiber, no adhesives, no synthetics. Breathable. Compostable with silk or wool garments.

Con: Cost. Silk gazar especially is not cheap and can be hard to source outside of specialty fabric districts (Mood in NYC carries it periodically). Sew-in only, so more labor-intensive than fusible. Stiffness reduces with washing on organza; gazar holds better.

Product link: https://www.moodfabrics.com/collections/silk-organza-fashion-fabrics

- Pellon SF101 Shape-Flex - 100% woven cotton fusible interfacing, made in the USA. No manufactured fibers. Available in white and black.

Pro: Best widely-available 100% cotton fusible option. Behaves like a proper fusible, it won’t shift. Compatible with cotton’s wash/care requirements. Con: The fusible adhesive is still a separate chemistry - if strict compostability is your goal, treat it as “better, not perfect.

Product link: https://www.wawak.com/bag-making/bag-interfacing/pellon-sf101-shape-flex-fusible-woven-cotton-interfacing/

ZIPPERS

Zippers are one of the hardest trims to solve for mono-material logic because teeth are typically metal or molded plastic and tape is typically synthetic. Best current options by ascending preference:

- YKK organic cotton tape zippers - YKK offers zippers with organic cotton fibers for the woven tape, which provides a fiber match for your cellulosic garments. Teeth are still metal (brass or aluminum), which is recyclable but not compostable.

Pro: Best widely-available option. The tape is the largest material volume in a zipper; organic cotton tape is a big improvement. Metal teeth are recyclable.

Con: Still a mixed material at end of life; cannot compost with the garment. https://ykkamericas.com/what-is-a-sustainable-zipper/

Product links: https://sewingsupplydepot.com/products/ykk-4-5-metal-zippers-cotton-tape-by-the-yard https://zipperandthread.com/collections/dyeable-organic-cotton-tape

- Removing the zipper before composting - If you’re designing for true end-of-life composting, design the zipper to be removable and communicate this to the wearer.

- Design away from zippers entirely Perhaps the most zero waste answer! Tie closures, button loops, drawstring casings, or stretch openings eliminate the zipper problem at the design stage.

That’s it for now! Let me know what other notions or pieces of garments you have questions on sustainable options or sourcing.

<3 Danielle

Month three of the zero waste zine-club has been released!

The zero waste pincushion is possibly the simplest zero waste project you can possibly make. It also does double duty, as you stuff it with any thread scraps or accidental oops pieces. Extra zero waste!

The pattern came to life back in 2017 when I was an artist in resident with my alma mater, SCAD, in Lacoste, France. Possibly the best three months of my life. I made the initial pincushion with local linen, stamped it with a DECODE stamp I had brought with me, and stuffed it with local dried lavender. It is still used in my studio to this day!

The mini Riso-zine I developed for this project is available for $12 here: RISO_ZINE_03

In other exciting news, the zines are now also available within the UK!

My good friend and colleague Cass (of The Stitchery Studio) is selling them at her studio. I printed a batch with Rizotto studio in Glasgow, who I’ve been following for years. I’m so stoked to be able to print with them! Reach out if you would like to see them in person or place an order within the UK.

Now onto the instruction!

If you have purchased the Riso-zine already, reach out and I will give you free access to the step by step content below.

The ZW Pincushion Instructions

CUT

100% woven cotton/linen/wool:

• (1) 7” x 3.5” rectangle - Feel free to scale up or down

Cord or tape:

• (1) 4” piece

Optional

• Label

Mark

Divide the long sides of your rectangle into 4 even parts and mark the top and bottom with chalk or fabric pen.

Tack

Tack your cord or bias tape in a loop to the middle of your long edge. Make sure you tack it within the 0.394” or 1 CM seam allowance!

I chose to use bias tape and ended up aligning the edge to the center mark for easy sewing later on.

Sew

Stitch your short edges right sides together with 0.394” or 1 CM seam allowance.

At this point I place my label (if you chose to do so), aligning it in the center of the folded top edge where it can be caught in the seam.

Next, sew your top edge together.

Re-align

At this stage you’re going to shift where you are sewing your fabric.

The open edge you are going to shift so that the sewn edge meets up with the center of the bottom edge.

You are going to stitch from the edge to about 1” from the seam on each side, leaving a 2” gap where we can turn and stuff.

Turn & Stuff

Turn your pincushion inside out. Grab your thread/scrap stuffing and fill it up! I like to over-stuff mine, but make sure you’ll have enough room to sew it closed.

Close

Turn in your seam allowances at the opening and pin shut. Top stitch from edge to edge of the opening, making sure to go past a few stitches to secure it.

I stitched this on the machine, but you can hand sew the opening closed for a cleaner finish.

Now time to lint roll!!

Finished

Enjoy your pincushion!

And that’s it!

Play with print, pattern, shapes, you name it. If you need to weigh the cushion down a bit you can add a few quarters to the bottom.

I hope you enjoy this project and please share your beautiful outcomes!

<3 Danielle

As someone who has worked in the zero waste design space for over 15 years, I get this question a lot.

Do zero waste patterns actually work at scale?

The short answer?

Yes!

The long answer is, well, long. We won’t get into all of it here, but we will go over some of the considerations.

Having been in this industry for a while, I know the exact reaction you get when approaching a factory for producing a zero waste design. Annoyance, confusion, or just plain “no.”

Often times a designer or brand looking for zero waste manufacturing is not producing at a scale or budget that is worth the time of the manufacturer.

My experience

In 2021 I opened my own micro-factory to solve this very problem. I hired and trained staff to cut and sew zero waste apparel from the ground up, growing to 8 staff at our time of highest volume. We produced DECODE zero waste blanks and collaborated with partners on limited run collaborations & artist series. It was challenging finding other designers looking to produce zero waste, so I was also pitching design work in tandem with manufacturing. It was building the plane while flying it, and we grew too far too fast. We ended up closing in 2023 due to a variety of issues, but the knowledge I gained throughout the experience has remained.

I gained a ton of insight into the zero waste manufacturing process at a larger scale and how to get the “yes” from more standard manufacturers.

I have worked with many large companies over the years where I have needed to insert myself into their manufacturing system, rather than finding my own. This can be a challenge, as factories are well-oiled machines that don’t like disruptions.

Manufacturing a zero waste garment requires working differently. It requires circular design process rather than linear. A linear design process is a one way information road, where a designer sends a sketch to a tech designer, who then sends a tech pack to a pattern maker, then a nesting and grading specialist, with no room for feedback on improvements back up the chain of communication. A circular design process revolves around an innate feedback loop, where a designer is also working on patterns, grading, nesting, and material selection together. This of course looks different for differently sized companies when larger teams are involved rather than an individual.

Working this way can cause conflict working within a well established system. It can feel threatening to have someone come in and try to give input on your role or outcomes, especially if you’re an expert who has been in the field for a long time!

Someone told me lately that it sounded like I’m a relationship manager, which made me chuckle. It’s true! Making sure every partner in the process feels valued, heard, understood, and encouraged to try something different is a whole job on its own.

All of that said, there are good examples of projects that have made it from concept stage to production and beyond. Last year a project I worked on with Manduka came out, called the Unwasted Collection. You can check out more info on that link, and watch a video on the process here:

It was a great experience working behind the scenes on this project, I really got to embed with the production and manufacturing team to figure out long term solutions for manufacturing this collection.

I can share more about the process behind this collection in another post.

Below are some of the key things to keep in mind when trying to scale your designs to be manufactured by someone other than yourself.

Considerations

1. Scale can mean many things, from tens, hundreds, or thousands, to hundreds of thousands of units.

   In these examples I’ll mainly be speaking on the larger end of that scale. Typically a large manufacturer won’t even entertain a conversation unless you’re speaking thousands of units.

   A small local manufacturer might not have some of these same hesitations and will be more willing to work with you on the tens to hundreds of units scale.

2. If you’re able to get the okay from a factory based on scale/budget, this is where some of the technical hurdles come in. The largest of these is interestingly software. You will need to submit your designs as a digital file. Every major system out there, Gerber, Lectra, Optitex, CLO3D, etc. operates from the same algorithmic logic. They’re designed to minimize waste, not to eliminate it. Traditional nesting software works by taking existing pattern pieces and arranging them to use fabric as efficiently as possible. The system assumes that waste is inevitable and simply tries to reduce it by fitting pieces together more tightly or rotating them at different angles. (There are a few startups that are trying to tackle this, but none at an industrial scale that i have encountered so far. )

   There is no getting around this at the moment except for manual manipulation. I have to ask manufacturers to bypass their nesting software, which makes them quite uncomfortable. It also steps on the toes of the pattern maker which can cause some issues. I have a few examples where this happened in real time that I will share as case studies in the future.

3. The other hurdles that come up are around grading and nesting. There are viable solutions for both! Often what it comes down to is designing onto a fabric width that already exists. If you plan a pattern for a theoretical fabric, or change fabric widths, the manufacturing process will either halt while you adjust your pattern, or become not zero waste.

   Grading zero waste is completely possible and is done by nearly all zero waste designers I know. You are able to nest compatible sizes together on a fabric width in order to use the full width of your fabric, without having to change the fabric or lay plan from size to size. Grading and nesting go hand in hand with zero waste design.

   I won’t go into all of the techniques here, but am exploring them in the book that I am currently writing on my zero waste design system.

4. Another big hurdle is transparency, more specifically, finding a manufacturer to work with you that is willing to share their data. It can be a deal breaker to ask to see a factory’s production marker and their info on yield and consumption for a few reasons. In many manufacturing partnerships the marker layouts and pattern blocks are treated as the factory’s confidential workflow or proprietary asset. Factories may be reluctant to hand over marker files, grading blocks, or layout strategies because these files are part of their internal production system and competitive advantage. Finding a factory willing to work with you in this way is maybe one of the most important things you can do!

5. Finding a factory that aligns with your ethics of production is another key piece to this puzzle. Ensuring a factory adequately pays their staff and provides safe working conditions seems like a no-brainer, but it’s unfortunately not. Visiting a factory location and digging into their certifications and standards can go a long way.

6. Cost is a huge question and consideration. Lots of people ask if it’s more expensive to manufacture zero waste. The short answer is that it depends. If we are comparing a standard non-zero waste garment to a zero waste garment that use the same fabric, same general style, etc, we can compare. Having a base starting point is important when calculating this! You need a “before” to your “after.”

   The amount of fabric you save for a zero waste garment is typically around 15-25%. The cost of your fabric will determine how many dollars that saves over however many garments you produce. If your fabric costs $10, that’s $1.50-$2 saved.

   Your zero waste garment may have an extra seam or two, or complicated construction in order to achieve no waste. You can ask the factory for their seam sewing time/cost. Usually there is a figure associated with one minute of sewing time on specific machines. Let’s say you add 15” worth of seaming and it adds 2 minutes of time to the construction. If a minute of construction costs $.50, you’ve added $1 to your manufacturing costs.

   In this example you still break out ahead on costs. If your fabric is very cheap or labor very expensive, the calculation flips and it can be more expensive to produce a zero waste garment. Holly McQuillan shares some excellent examples of this in her PHD.

   Either way, a factory may charge you a hidden inconvenience fee because they just don’t want to do it.

This is not an all encompassing list, but it gives you a few points to consider. All of that being said, there are quite a few of these pain points along the zero waste manufacturing journey, but knowledge is power! I can help you avoid some of these road blocks going forward. You can follow along on my website to see more projects and get updates on the aforementioned book I’m working on.

My colleague Cass and I will also be holding a “Manufacturing for zero waste” class online sometime this fall. You can follow our page Cut to Zero for more updates!

If there is a specific question related to zero waste manufacturing that you would like answered here, let me know.

Thanks for reading!

<3 Danielle

I absolutely love the aesthetics of the original block for this type of quilt but it’s quite wasteful, so I developed my own version. The fabric I used for my first iteration is a mix of old bed sheets(and the fabric bags they come in), shirts that I no longer wear, sample fabric from my graduate collection, and so on.

It’s been in it’s home on my bed for almost a year now and I’m fully obsessed.

I have gotten lots of requests for a tutorial on this block, thus turning it into the February issue of the ZW Micro-zine and subsequent instructions here!

The mini Riso-zine I developed for this project is available for $12 here: RISO-ZINE 02

Now onto the good stuff!

If you have purchased the Riso-zine already, reach out and I will give you free access to the step by step content below.

Read more

The mini Riso-zine I developed for this project is available here: RISO-ZINE 01 Unfortunately I didn’t get it done before February, so my monthly zine schedule is already off calendar! Oh well.

The ZW Potholder Instructions

CUT

100% woven cotton:

• (2) 8” squares

• (2) 7” squares

• Minimum 60” of 1” bias tape (I made mine using the continuous bias method, you can find a tutorial here)

100% cotton batting:

• (1) 8” square

• (1) 7” square

When making a lot of these, I cut strips off the bolt in 8” and 7”, then combine any end pieces together to make sure every piece is used. It’s a quilting hybrid project at times.

LAYER

Sandwich your 8” squares and 7” squares together with right sides facing out

QUILT

Experiment with stitch patterns & distances as you go! I chose to do a standard 1” straight stitch, one parallel to the edge and one on the bias. The lines aren’t perfect, don’t come for me.

SPLIT & SWAP

Cut your 7” square in half along the bias line and flip one side over to see the other pattern.

BIND

Finish the bias edges of the 7” square that you just cut with your bias tape.

PLACE

Layer your 7” pieces on top of your 8” piece. Align the outside corners, leaving a gap in the middle.

STITCH

Start your bias tape in the middle of a side. Fold back approximately 1 cm of your bias tape to make a clean edge before stitching. Stop your stitch 1 seam allowance away from the corner to allow for mitering.

At this point I also added a little bias tape loop in the corner, approximately 4” in length.

Continue your binding all the way around your edges, finishing a few cm past where you started.

FINISH

I fold over my bias tape and pin before doing my final stitching. I use the “stitch in the ditch” method and want to make sure the bias tape will get caught when I complete my final stitching.

And Voila! You have your completed Zero Waste Potholder.

I hope you enjoy this project, show me your fun outcomes!

<3 Danielle

At the end of 2025, two DECODE zero waste bag patterns were published in Cotton Time (コットンタイム), a popular Japanese craft and sewing magazine. Sae lovingly took the time to mail me a physical copy to peruse and I am SO stoked!! For years I have stalked the Japanese sewing magazine section at shops like Kinokuniya and I’m honored to be a part of one.

Anyway, about the process.

Back in June the magazine reached out via Sae about publishing two zero waste bag patterns. Thankfully I had one in the back of my mind and another that was immediately jumping out of my head onto paper. Queue weeks of sketching, sample making, Clo3D renderings, and writing & illustrating pattern instructions. One of the patterns I made a miniature of from scraps while holding workshops in Nigeria. Working out sewing instructions on a 25% scaled mock up can be challenging! Regardless, it’s a favorite miniature in my sketchbook.

Despite all the travel, the Scoop Crossbody bag and the Triangle bag were born. I relied pretty heavily on Clo3D for the sampling of these bags while traveling. Below are a few of the process screenshots from that development. These are non-rendered screenshots from the program, I still have yet to do really nice renderings of them.

I created my instructions in Illustrator, creating illustrations and writing the steps. A snippet can be seen below:

Sae then took these Instructions and translated them to Japanese and added a few stylistic improvements to the sketches.

We went back and forth via email on fabrication and trims that would be ideal for both bags. We handed on a cotton canvas for the scoop bag and a quilted nylon for the triangle bag.

She and her team created samples of the bag which were then sent to the magazine for review and photographing.

In December the team did an Instagram live to show off the bags and other patterns being highlighted. I was waiting at the hospital with a family member, it was a welcome distraction!

The final magazine was published in December 2025, I received my copy in early January. It’s so fun seeing your work in the “real world,” even after all these years. Look mom, I’m in a magazine!

Thank you Sae of Mirai patterns for all of your support in making this come to life!!

It was a blissful week of pouring over designer sketchbooks and catalogues, tumbling into research rabbit holes. It was an incredibly inspiring and rejuvenating experience, I highly recommend the program to anyone interested in researching a hyper-niche topic within the world out outdoor gear! You can find out more about it here.

(For those that aren’t familiar, here is the archive on Instagram.)

Here is the abstract of what I hoped to learn from my time in the archive:

This research project intends to explore the intersection of zero waste design principles and communication within the outdoor recreation industry by examining the historical and cultural artifacts housed in Utah State University’s Outdoor Recreation Archive. The project will analyze how zero waste design principles have been implicitly or explicitly embedded in outdoor product development, marketing, and community engagement over time. It will also investigate how diverse sustainability perspectives have shaped or been excluded from these narratives. Using key historical examples can convince current industry leaders of the desperate need to integrate zero waste design into the future of our industry. The findings will result in a scholarly article and open source research presentation that synthesizes archival insights into a framework of historical use cases and a plan forward for zero waste outdoor apparel design.

My project goal was broken into three parts:

1. Historical Analysis: Investigate the application and evolution of zero waste design principles in the outdoor recreation industry using archival materials.

2. Synthesis: Understand past zero waste projects and their impact on today’s sustainable outdoor product development.

3. Creative Application: Translate findings into an open source presentation and academic publication aimed at fostering zero waste design thinking and communications in future outdoor industry practices.

April of 2025 I completed part 1 with a week in the archive. The last year has been spent in part 2, with a lot of behind the scenes reflections and unpicking of my findings. This leads us to where we are now, part 3, creative application.

I have been going back and forth on how exactly I want to tackle publishing my findings. Of course I laid out that I would publish a scholarly article and an open source thing from my findings, but the outcome itself has been difficult to land on. The question is: a) do I take a more narrative approach on my findings or a more academic approach and b) where do I want to publish? I suppose I should finish writing the paper before deciding where to publish, huh?

I’m very excited for the open source publication, you know that I love mini publications! I am working on a booklet with the summary of my findings outlined as an adventure map, plus an open source design project. This will be published on my website with physical copies made available for purchase in 2026.

Keep your eyes peeled!

Below are a few of my favorite images from my time in the archive:

<3 Danielle

This year I am intentionally aiming to bring the fun back into my design world. When I’m tinkering, playing, messing around is when the good stuff happens and where DECODE thrives, but it has gotten much more serious in the past few years due to a number of influencing factors. The sheer fun and love for what I do has become a bit hidden in the last few years and we’re bringing it back with a resounding shout.

Thus, whimsy!

Every year I decide on a word for the year. Last year’s word was homeostasis, and I believe it truly set the direction. Whimsy is the pace setter this year, doing things for the pure fun of it in both life and work, allowing excitement and silliness to lead the way. This methodology has always resonated with the audience I hope to inspire, and I’m stoked to get back into it. I’m ready for a whimsical year!

To kick this off, I’m making a few new things to engage with all of you again. I’m aiming to create a smaller scale, more intimate way of connecting through activities and varied points of connection through the year. I think this looks like:

• In person events - I’m thinking NYC + Glasgow, where else should I pop up?

• Monthly micro riso-zine with an accessible zero waste pattern

• A game I’m cooking up - prizes are at stake!

• Repair call for anyone who owns a DECODE garment that needs some love

• A wild collection, actually released into the world

I’m giving myself permission to follow my curiosity again without guilt and see what grows.

^Rashid Johnson installation of a floating greenhouse at The Guggenheim 2025

My prompt for you, my silent coworkers: What might your word of the year be?

I finally went to my local quilt shop to scope out some fabric for a new quilt that I have cooking. I would this AMAZING fabric and was instantly inspired to make something I’ve coveted for a long time - the Dusen Dusen Potholder.

I call my version the Dupesen Dupesen Potholder. Get it? Get it?

Of course I could just buy one, but that’s not the point! I wanted to put my own creative spin on it and develop one my way.

Anyway, the fabric of inspiration, a lovely selection of Tula Pink:

The item of inspiration from Dusen Dusen:

I’m sure you can see where this is going….

Queue two days of nothing but churning out amazingly chaotic potholders for my family and partner, who was about to arrive for holiday celebrations.

(Wine included)

Each are made from 100% cotton fabric, 100% cotton batting I had leftover from a previous quilt, and 100% cotton thread. I’m a stickler for mono materials!

My version of the potholders are of course not an exact dupe for the inspiration - I did not round the corners in order to keep it zero waste, the quilting is not the same, prints are different, it’s bigger, etc. I also made continuous binding from a square of cloth for these. I can do a tutorial on that in the future if there is interest.

After my first batch of potholders were gifted and the holidays were done, I returned home and continued thinking about them. I’m making another batch to give a few friends, and decided to photograph it and turn it into a mini tutorial. It’s such a quick and easy zero waste pattern, why not??

I also decided that I want to return to print media more this year and created a quick mock up of a mini riso-zine in Adobe Illustrator. For those of you that don’t know, risograph printing is one of my all time favorite medias. Here is a great explanation on what Riso printing is from Risotto Studio.

This is a little preview of the mini instructional zine! My printer is out of yellow ink so it doesn’t have the correct coloration, but I think it’s cute. (Obviously I’ll re-work it so that the bleed doesn’t cut off the words.)

Now my questions turn to this:

• Is this something I want to repeat?

• Do I already have other patterns that I could rework into this format?

• Should I turn this into a monthly practice of quick and easy ZW pattern sharing?

• Could I build a subscription model for this?

• I can create youtube videos of instructions in order to keep the printed matter minimal - more complicated patterns will need more than 6 pages!

• I can post clips on instagram to try to generate new followers from the quick/DIY project world

• I could sell a few if I want to. This is almost never what I want to do.

v I totally picture this being a logo I make in the future if I continue on this ZW Zine path. It’s too good not to!

Anyway, those are my thoughts for today. I will post more on the zwzine and potholder instructions in the coming days!

Let me know what you think and we’ll see what happens. Thanks for being here!

Danielle