Making a Zero Waste Coat

This year I wanted make a zero waste winter coat using natural materials.

The outer layer is cotton canvas fabric that I bought years ago
The lining is an old cotton bedsheet and the batting is from the leftovers of sheep’s wool that I combed.
The toggle closure is made with handmade quince wood buttons and loops made of leftover cotton yarn pieces from my weaving projects.
The sewing pattern is zero waste in which all the pieces fit in like puzzle parts.The additonal pieces such as the hood,cuffs and so on, are made of square and rectangle pieces which don’t create waste.

Wool Batting

I always wanted to try to make wool batting but I didn’t have the courage for it! So finally the time has come. I had some leftover pieces from combing wool and decided to use them for this project.

The leftover pieces were very short,so I carded them and laid them on top of each other.

I cut the lining from an old bedsheet that I adore the pattern of, same as the outer piece.

I started laying the carded wool evenly in 2 layers.

After I finished laying them, I lightly basted them in place.

Making the Lining Detachable

Thinking that when the wool batting will be attached to the outer piece, the coat will be hard to clean (it can only be handwashed mildly, otherwise the wool batting might felt), I decided to make the lining detachable.

To do that I cut another layer of the same pattern from plain muslin.

I laid the muslin layer on top of the batting(wrong sides together) because I decided to finish the seams with binding.

Then I started to hand quilt all the layers. I took my time doing all this. I worked on it an hour or two each day while listening to Elizabeth Cotten.

After finishing quilting, I sewed the side seams together and got ready for binding. I cut a continuous bias tape from a scrap piece of cotton fabric, following the instructions from here.

Then I sewed the bias tape all around the lining piece, except the cuffs. Because I had another idea for them!

I made ribbed cuffs that fold over the outer piece. This way the sleeves will be kept in place.

Lining Attachment

I found these beautiful mother of pearl buttons from my mother in law’s stash.They’re lightweight and thin so they won’t be bulky inside the coat and they’re compostable!

I sewed them on the inner side of the lining.

Then I sewed loops from the leftover binding on the inner side of the outer piece.

It works nicely!

The Closure

I didn’t want to use zipper or any other closure that cannot be compostable. So I decided on making a toggle closure.

First I made a 4 string braid with cotton yarn left from my weaving projects.There’s a great tutorial for making it here.

Then my husband made me some buttons from the pruned branches of our quince tree. I threaded the braids through the buttons and pinned them in place.

On the other side I pinned the loops.

I had some scrap leather pieces laying around. I cut them in sqaures, punched holes in them and hand sewed them on top of the loops with waxed cotton thread.