CREST Dress Tutorial: Zero-Waste Design By Birgitta Helmersson
#taukocrest made by @widehill, @angechria_nahtplusultra, @sewista_mc, @kuitukuiskaaja
Discover the CREST Dress tutorial by Birgitta Helmersson, an exploration of zero-waste design. The pattern is also available as a blouse.
Birgitta Helmersson is a Swedish-Australian designer and pattern maker based in Malmö, Sweden. With over two decades of experience in fashion and textiles, her work centres on zero-waste pattern cutting and the thoughtful use of repurposed and leftover fabrics.
She founded her namesake label in Melbourne in 2013. After moving to Sweden, she co-founded Helgrose in 2018 and, more recently, The Cloth Lab in 2025—both grounded in a shared commitment to creating without waste through garments, workshops, and design development.
Watch this video to learn how to make a CREST Dress:
Combining Fluidity with Architectural Form
This tutorial video walks you through making the CREST Dress, designed by Birgitta Helmersson. The pattern is featured in TAUKO Magazine Issue No.19 (our Nordic Summer issue) and is also available as a standalone PDF pattern.
The video covers every step of the process: drawing the pattern directly on the fabric, cutting and assembling pieces, creating rouleau ties, attaching the bias, upper and lower casings and finally, collecting the lovely gathers on the waist and shoulder line.
You can sew a dress or a blouse version of this design.
You can get the pattern for making your CREST Dress pattern from the print magazine, TAUKO Magazine issue No.19 or as a PDF pattern.
Available as PDF pattern and included in the TAUKO Magazine issue No.19
To understand all you can do with this pattern, check out the community's creations and find the inspiration to make your version. We'd love to share your project, so please tag us @taukomagazine and #taukocrest and send us photos of your make to magazine@taukodesign.fi to be featured!
CREST by Pauliina/@kuitukuiskaaja