Sewing with Scraps by Birgitta Helmersson & Sam Grose

Learn how to repurpose leftover fabrics and make a Scandi-inspired wardrobe with Sewing with Scraps.

Home sewing can create a lot of natural wastage, and it can be tricky to find ways to use leftover fabric pieces. Sewing with Scraps will show you how to think sustainably and make 15 fashion-forward garments and accessories in sizes UK 6–30, including a workwear jacket, patchwork tee, quilted coat, tote bag and more.

Swedish designers Birgitta Helmersson and Sam Grose will teach you three core methods to make the most of your scraps – patchwork, strips and collage – before you put them to use. This book includes 3 unisex PDF patterns – the Comfort Pant, Tee and Workwear Jacket - use the ones provided or try out the methods with some of your own favourite patterns. 

Whether you’re a beginner or experienced sewer, Sewing with Scraps will show you how to elevate leftover fabrics into clothing you’ll treasure for years to come.

Softcover. 192 pages.

~~~

Birgitta Helmersson is a Swedish-Australian designer working with zero waste pattern cutting and circular design models. Her self titled brand was originally founded in Melbourne in 2013, and in 2018 she re-located to Malmö Sweden with her family, where she co-founded a second brand, HELGROSE, a unisex workwear inspired brand made using a zero waste production model. She also co-founded THE CLOTH LAB in 2025, a creative hub dedicated to sustainability, exploring upcycling, re-purposing, and zero-waste techniques, offering workshops, books, sewing patterns, fabrics, clothing, and home furnishings—all designed with the core philosophy of Making Without Waste.

Birgitta has over 20 years experience working as a designer, seamstress and pattern maker in both fashion, and costume for theatre. She is the author of Zero Waste Patterns (Quadrille 2023) and co-author of Sewing with Scraps (Quadrille 2025).

Birgitta Helmersson and Sam Grose run The Cloth Lab, a creative hub dedicated to sustainability, which houses their in-house brands, Helgrose and Birgitta Helmersson Studio. Focused on upcycling, repurposing and zero-waste techniques, they offer workshops, books, sewing patterns, fabrics, clothing and home furnishings. 

~~~

Please note, all book sales are final.

This item is a final sale. Once purchased, there are no cancellations, exchanges, store credits, or returns. 

If you would like to add-to-order, please click here to review the instructions. We cannot refund shipping charges.

If you would like to apply a discount code, please click here to review the instructions. We cannot refund discounts.

Please click here for our shipping rates and policies.

Curbside Pick-Up
To pick up your order at our shop, when checking out, under shipping method, choose Pick up at our Oakland store - 6328 San Pablo Ave.

You will receive an email when your order is ready. Orders placed Tuesday-Saturday are typically ready within 24 hours. To pick up your order, come to the shop between 11am - 3pm, Tuesday-Saturday. Knock on the front door and give us your name. 

Pre-orders
Pre-orders will ship on the date listed on the product’s webpage. If you ordered additional items, all items will be shipped with your pre-order. If you would like those items shipped separately, please place two separate orders.