The EcoChic Design Award shares a load of tips on zero waste design online:

• A useful PDF with hands-on tips and several examples.
• Online videos:
  • The EcoChic Design Award 2013 - Zero-waste
  • The EcoChic Design Award - Zero-waste tutorial by Timo Rissanen. Here are his tips to master the technique:
    • Start from a pattern rather than from a design: it’s possible to work with sketches and patterns, but you cannot finalize a design on paper. It’s important to start specifically from the act of cutting the fabric, and not purely from a design.
    • Drape: you can also drape your piece of textile on a mannequin and start from there to work out the pattern. It can be equally helpful to try and fold your paper while drawing/working.
    • Know the width of your fabric: you can’t work ‘zero waste’ without knowing exactly how wide the textile is, given that this is precisely what defines your design.