DIY: Transformational Reconstruction In Fashion

TR Cutting or Transformational Reconstruction as it's known is an innovative and creative way to turn patterns into newer and different designs by simply transforming them. It is taught by Shingo Sato a Haute Couture designer. A lot of this can be trail and error and finding out the result at the end. Today we did some TR cutting with a ribbon shape through a skirt.

It was a new technique I learned and also found it very interesting to cut it out and see how it would all fit together in the end! After completing the skirt at Uni, I decided to in my own time, to apply the technique to a bodice and I have also got instructions to that below as well.

1.Sew in darts into the skirt

2. Add 3 slits into the skirt from the points of the darts, beginning from the bottom

3.Spread the slits to form triangles

4.Form Godets into the 3 slits

Adding godets to slits made in the skirt to flare it out

 5.Draw one line of the ribbon meeting all the dots

6. Add another line of the ribbon

7. Shade it in and perfect the line

8. Mark a balance point every 10cm and notch

9. Cut out pattern (toile)

10. Pin to fabric (contrasting for ribbon)

11. Add a 0.5cm seam allowance and cut out

12. Sew using mountain and valley technique

Adding ribbon lines that will be in another colour

Final skirt piece

Final skirt piece with TR cutting

I decided in my own time, I would try and apply this technique to a bodice as it was still fresh in my mind and I wanted to learn more. Here is how I did it:

1.First I sewed the bodice panel with the dart in.

2.I marked the dart

3.Then I drew the reconstruction lines making sure it touched the dart point

Marking the line with the point meeting the dart

4. I then cut the along the line

5. I put it onto 2 different fabrics

6. I added 0.5cm to each panel that had to be sewn

7. I pinned and sewed them together.

Pinning fabrics together

Bodice that has been reconstructed!

Just make sure you iron it in the end! I should have ironed mine!

Enjoy!