June 2026
Me Made May reflections, more Making Zen, zero waste news and some links you'll enjoy
Hi Everyone!
Welcome to the June newsletter, and a warm hello to new subscribers. A special hello to new readers from Making Zen.
Last month I did Me Made May, a wardrobe challenge to improve your relationship with your handmade items. It was the tenth year I’ve done it. I like doing it, as it makes me look at my clothes with fresh eyes and try to wear them differently. I also find it’s a nudge to repair or finish off things I haven’t gotten around to.
These days I dress purely for low-maintenance comfort (housebound, long covid) yet something inside niggles for “the olden days”. Back then, I would lie in bed each morning pleasantly deciding what to wear that day (apparently foodies do this with what they’re going to eat). I would go off to work at whatever factory/studio/workroom and enjoy being around people who cared about clothes and who noticed them. I liked spotting smart outfits at the train station each morning, and sometimes I was one of them.
Does Me Made May scratch that itch? Sort of - making an effort was quite hard but it made me feel…I don’t know…different? more intentional? like the old me?
I took a photo each day, not that it’s a requirement of the challenge because it isn’t, but it’s handy to see themes emerge. It has another advantage which I only realised yesterday. It’s a record of my backyard in May over ten years, as all the photos are outdoors. The last two years it’s been dry as, but this year it’s green.
Sewing Without Scraps update
Sewing Without Scraps is a new book of zero waste patterns, in Japanese.
There’s now a sewing guide for the coat (F13 and F14):
There’s also a cutting guide for the Scout pants (G15) HERE and the Scout Shirt (G18, short sleeves) HERE.
Aussies, sit tight! My 50 copies were dispatched from Japan three weeks ago via sea freight. They’ll take about 2-3 months to arrive, and this newsletter will advise when.
Beyond Making Zen
Many thanks to all who watched my workshop for the Making Zen online retreat during May. If you made the jersey knit top, I hope it was very successful for you.
There’s a new opportunity called Making Zen Membership, a subscription that will give you access to the entire backlog of Making Zen workshops - all 241 of them! It includes the archive of podcast conversations, virtual gatherings and future Making Zen workshops. The cost is US$45/month, with a permanent discount price of $30/month for early bird signups during June. Read more and register HERE.
In zero waste news…
Whole garment weaving. An exciting project to establish the design methods, tools, and business models needed to make on-demand, zero-waste woven garment production viable at microfactory scale across Europe. With whole garment weaving, a computerized loom weaves a whole garment with zero waste, which requires only minimal sewing to finish it off.
Some things you might enjoy
Is it crochet? No! Is it macramé? No! It’s ply split braiding, an ancient, almost forgotten craft from the deserts of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Running the London Marathon in costume. I totally approve! (although apparently it’s really hard to do).
When quilting and haute couture intersect: Valentino’s cathedral windows-style dress, with an excellent tutorial on how the units are sewn.
Some runway highlights from Australian Fashion Week (with good closeups of details). More highlights from the Marie Claire website (no closeups but more outfits). In related news, man accidentally walks runway at Australian Fashion Week while heading for a swim.
TAUKO magazine launches Handprint, a community supported campaign exploring the future of sewing knowledge.
An unbelievable mend! A pair of jeans cut off by EMS for a life-saving procedure, now back together.
A crocheted ANZAC-themed tribute on bollards at a shopping centre in Cobram, Victoria. More pics here.
I was alerted to the lovely, free, sewing patterns for bags and accessories on the Kokka website. (Thanks Debra for this one.)
Podcast listeners: How to Make Money from Your Stash, an interview on the Check Your Thread podcast. For more sewing-related listening goodness, browse through the episodes history.
Five of the late Queen Elizabeth’s iconic outfits from an exhibition at Buckingham Palace to mark the centenary of her birth on April 10th.
An article on folk work shirts, with loads of interesting examples.
Aussies: Crochet Guild Australia and Jenny King are offering a junior fibre artist scholarship for 18-25 year olds with a passion for slow fashion + textile arts. The winner receives 10 hours of one-on-one tuition with Jenny King and a curated yarn bundle. Nominations close 5th June, so not much time.
Melbourne readers: have you visited The Fabric ReStore, Melbourne’s first dedicated second-hand store for fabric and sewing supplies? (60-62 Silverdale Rd, Eaglemont) They are currently crowdfunding to increase their impact.
Clare Valley readers: Clare’s Sustainability Festival is on Saturday 20th June, and includes an upcycled fashion parade. Enter wearing something upcycled or repurposed. 12.30pm, Clare Town Hall. Register on the day. Judged by Allan “The Mayor with Flair” Aughey, with a prize sponsored by yours truly.
On the blog lately
A roundup of the past month’s blog posts from my website, lizhaywood.com.au.
Feel free to subscribe to my blog for weekly posts direct to your inbox, however, if you don’t need more emails in your life, I always do a roundup here.
New book: Sewing Without Scraps. A look-through, and some of my samples from the book.
Attack of the Moths! Invisibly mending a large moth hole in a knitted vest.
Vested Interest: a tutorial on how to line a vest, and the fur vest I made from my brother.
Making a zero waste case for a camera lens, using Danielle Elsener’s travel case pattern.
From the blog archives
Waistbands: how to make a waistband bigger, and how to make it smaller with back elastic.
Cheers!
Liz x
Dear Liz, Thank you so much for another fascinating round up post! best, Giuls
These newsletters are always such an enjoyable read - fascinating links and glorious ideas. Thank you for putting these out!