It’s been too long since I last wrote a post about TR cutting. If you scroll back the feed, you’ll find several tutorials I’ve published in the past. I frequently use these techniques in my designs, often mixed with traditional flat patternmaking techniques.
Never heard of TR cutting technique? It’s a creative Japanese pattern-cutting technique by Shingo Sato, somewhat similar to Pattern Magic. The main idea is to build your design directly on the dressform, using fabric, paper, and masking tape. Then, you draw strategically placed stylelines to integrate the different elements into your design, thereby flattening the pattern pieces. Yes, you will use them directly as your pattern pieces. All the various origami techniques also come from Shingo Sato.
Check out his YouTube channel to see these techniques in action.
I’ve always been curious to find different ways to apply TR cutting techniques to my own designs, because that’s the best way to explore all the possibilities. So, for this tutorial, I collected quite a few of these experiments: three panel skirt ideas, each based on the same starting point but resulting in different looks due to the different techniques used. Two balloon sleeves, one with origami and the other sculptural. And as a bonus, I decided to make a sleeve with an origami technique that I had completely forgotten about. Ready? Let’s go!
One Panel – Three Ideas
I love making designs based on panels because it’s so easy to draft the base pattern. This is the perfect starting point for repeating elements. I will use the panel to make something with three different TR cutting techniques: layering, origami, and box integration. The first two will be flat, and the last will be sculptural.
But first, here’s how to draft the panel pattern. You will need six of these to cover the entire circumference of the skirt. That’s why you divide the waist and hip circumference by 6. Dividing by 4 would result in panels that are too large, while dividing by 8 would make them too small. Therefore, 6 is perfect.
Drawing a line in the middle allows you to center your measurements evenly on both sides.
Notice that you need to add ease to the hip circumference. My skirts are knee-length. Add enough flare to the sides to straighten them completely.
Next, we’ll divide the panel length into 4 sections. If your skirt is shorter or longer, you might prefer a different number of sections. The division doesn’t need to be even. For example, here, the last section is slightly higher than the others to make it more balanced.
This will be the starting point for all three designs that follow.
Layered Panels
If you’ve been following my blog or Instagram for a while, layering should be quite familiar to you by now.
We’ll start by dividing each section into smaller sections: draw two, gradually smaller polygons inside the main sections, maintaining the lines parallel. I’m going to use two colors, as shown below. Coloring the sections helps you imagine what the final piece will look like.
So, each section consists of three layers: A, B, and C, starting from the outer edge. Layers A and B will need a facing piece. I only added seam allowance to the inner edge of the pieces, except for the outermost layer A. You can even add hem allowance to the last section (4A). I colored a few examples in the illustration below.
Mark both the number and the letter of each piece, as well as the color it will be cut in.
Layer A covers the area between the section edge and the first polygon shape. The facing will be identical to the main layer piece. It’s just that you don’t add seam allowance to the outer edge of the facing piece.
Layer B starts at the outer edge of layer A facing, and ends at the second polygon shape. Its facing covers the area between the two polygon shapes.
Layer C starts at the outer edge of layer B facing, and covers the remaining area. There’s no facing.
Trace these pieces for each section.
Sewing
Cut each piece six times to cover all 6 panels.
In the picture below, we have the pieces of one panel. Start by sewing the facing to layers A and B along their inner edges, right sides together.
Cut the corners before turning the right sides out. Press flat. Then, attach layer B under layer A, aligning the edges; layer A facing should be the same size as layer B. Finally, attach layer C under layer B.
Prepare all your sections this way, then unite them to complete the panels.
Once you have all your panels, sew them together, matching the seams. I’d add a straight waistband for this skirt. The zipper will need to go to the side seam.
Here’s the resulting skirt. It has a certain 60s vibe due to the black-and-white geometric shapes.
Origami Panels
For this design, we can use the same base as for the previous panel. The only addition are the lines that unite the corners of the three polygon shapes. We’ll prepare each section separately.
Origami basically means adding pleat allowance between the polygon shapes. Measure the distance between the shapes; the amount of pleat allowance to be added is twice as much.
The easiest way to add pleat allowance here is the tracing method. As an example, we have section 1.
Start by tracing the smallest polygon shape. Then, add pleat allowance at a right angle to each edge.
After this, trace the pieces next to the smallest polygon shape. These go to the opposite edge of the pleat allowance you just added. Then, add pleat allowance again and finally trace the last sections.
Make cuts to your pattern so that you can fold all the knife pleats towards the center. Adjust the lines, if needed. I recommend adding seam allowance at this point, too. Do it while the pleats are folded. Then cut with the pleats folded to get the correct pleat allowance shapes. You should end up with something like this. (The example is without seam allowance.)
Prepare all the sections in the same way. Each piece will be cut 6 times.
Sewing
Here’s section 1 piece as an example. We will sew this in a way you might not expect. There will be four zig-zag seams, one at each corner.
Start by pinning the right sides together (see the arrow).
Then, sew. Trim and cut the corners. Also, make a cut at the midpoint (the uppermost arrow) so you can press the seam open.
After completing all four seams, we will press the pleats with the wrong side up like this.
Start by pressing the polygon shape that will remain at the bottom. This will form between the endpoints of the four seams. Press the seam allowances open as you go.
Then, press the next polygon shape between the points where you trimmed the corners.
After this, turn the piece right side up and make the final folds where you cut the corners. Arrange the folds so the seams align and press flat.
Here’s the piece seen from the right side and the wrong side after pressing.
Prepare all the pieces this way, then unite them to complete the panels. Sew the panels together, aligning the seams.
Here’s the outcome. Normally, pleats would be stitched down at the seams, but in this TR cutting version, they float freely, which creates more dimension.
Box Integration Panels
Now, let’s do the sculptural version. You might’ve seen the TR cutting student works with two boxes on a bodice front. The pattern is usually made by crafting two paper boxes and taping them onto a bodice, one on top of the other. Then, you’d draw style lines that pass through the corners to flatten the double-box pattern.
Well, I skipped the taping part, using the flat pattern-making technique, and turned the second box inward.
Here’s our usual panel pattern, but this time we only draw one smaller polygon. These will become the two boxes.
Unite the corner points with style lines, as shown.
Decide how high each box will be. In this example, the height grows towards the hem. The inner box height will be 1cm less. This is because it’s turned inward, and we don’t want it touching the body.
Then, trace each pattern piece, adding height to all four edges of both box shapes at a right angle.
Start by tracing the inner box shape and add height to each edge.
Next, trace the sections between the two boxes that appeared when you united the corner points (these will become the larger box shape). Add height at a right angle. This is very similar to adding pleat allowance. It’s just that we won’t need to fold the pattern.
Trace all four pieces in the same way and then unite the pieces, unless you don’t mind having seams between them. Add seam allowance around your piece(s).
These will form one panel, which means you need to cut 6 of them.
Sewing
Here’s how to sew the panel.
Before removing the pattern piece, cut notches as a reference. I added blue arrows to the points. This is where you will press the boxes. In addition, cut a notch at the points where you joined the sections (unless you opted for a seam, of course).
Pin the four corners of each section. This might look quite similar to the origami panel. The shape is slightly different.
Here’s the entire panel pinned.
Sew where you pinned. The notches will guide you: it’s where you need to make a turn or where to stop sewing. Trim and cut the corners (see the arrows).
After completing the whole piece, we’ll press. Here’s the pressing order:
First, with the wrong side up, press the bottom cube edges that form between the seam endpoints. Then, turn the right side on top and press the outermost edges between the points where you trimmed the corners. After this, press the folds where the smaller cube turns inwards. This is where you cut the corners. Lastly, you can press the folds between the sections with the wrong side up.
Prepare all the panels the same way, then sew them together.
The result. This is obviously very fragile in cotton, and the shapes wouldn’t hold by themselves. I think interfacing your fabric might help, but the best option would probably be to use faux leather or similar and sew the folds as I did here with the triangles in the sculptural sleeve. This means you need to add a bit of extra in the drafting phase to the points you will fold and stitch.
As you can see, we got three quite different looks using the same panel base. Which one was your favorite?
Balloon Sleeves with a TR Twist
Now, onto sleeves. Because who can resist sleeve patterns? 😀
Both of these sleeves will need a balloon sleeve base of course. Here’s how to draft one, starting from your basic sleeve block. You can make it any length, but keep it above the elbow line.
We are adding quite a lot of volume in the area between the armhole notches. This way, we get a large area to work with.
You should also draft a cuff piece but that’s just a rectangle where the length is your desired cuff length and the height is twice the final cuff height. Add seam allowance to all four edges.
Rose Sleeve
The first technique is called Draping Twisted. I wanted to do a new version of the Rose Sleeve – a smocking tutorial from way back. But instead of one giant rose, this sleeve will have several smaller roses.
The idea behind this technique is to attach an extra layer of fabric over a base, then twist it to create a draped motif.
As mentioned, this sleeve will consist of several roses. Therefore, we first need to divide the balloon sleeve pattern into several sections. This is how I divided mine:
Number all the sections and add notches. It’s better to trace the pieces and add seam allowance. This way, you get to keep the original draft for reference when sewing the sleeve.
Sewing
Cut all your pieces. Numbers 8 and 12 won’t have a rose motif as they remain under the arm. So, cut these from the same fabric you will use for the roses. Keep the pattern pieces always nearby so you won’t mix up the order.
Cut a piece of rose fabric for each section. These should be larger than the base, as shown. A soft fabric will create the best results.
Place the rose fabric piece on top of your base fabric piece, both right sides up. Pin, and then sew in the center. You can either make a small circle or just a few stitches back and forth. Depending on the size of your piece.
Then, put your finger on top of the point you stitched and start twisting the fabric around it. Add pins to hold the folds in place. You can continue adjusting the folds until you’re happy with your rose motif.
Cut off excess fabric. Just be careful with the pins so you won’t ruin your scissors. Stitch the draped fabric to the base piece along the edges.
Prepare all your pieces this way and then sew them together in the correct order. This is where the original draft will be useful! I found it easier to stitch the pieces together one row at a time and unite the rows.
Sew gathering stitches to the hem and between the armhole notches at the sleeve cap. Gather these to match the cuff length and the armhole.
Attach the cuff and close the inseam normally.
Here’s how my rose sleeve turned out. Pretty strange-looking thing, right? Sculptural for sure!
Origami Vortex Sleeve
You might’ve seen pictures of an origami vortex bodice before. It’s literally where bamboo pleats form a vortex at the bodice front. I have included one here. These kinds of origami are classic TR cutting techniques.
I was curious whether you could include both origami folds and gathers in the same design. Hence, balloon sleeve. This was a risky move, as it takes quite a while to prepare the pattern. It was either going to work or fail. Luckily, it worked!
You might find this video from TR Cutting School useful for the pattern. Although Shingo is making a bodice in the video, the procedure is very similar. Pay attention to how he adds volume, folds, and cuts the bamboo pleats.
Here we have our balloon sleeve pattern. Draw a spiral using lines, as shown, keeping it centered on the sleeve. You won’t want any of the folds under the arm.
The first line of the spiral starts at the bottom edge of the sleeve pattern.
All the subsequent lines need to start from the previous line and end either at the edge of the pattern or along one of the previous lines. Preferably not too close to their upper end. The dot in the illustration marks the end of the spiral.
Each line will then become a bamboo pleat. This means the pleat allowance has a conical shape.
You work in the same way Shingo does in the video: Add volume with the slash & spread method, starting at the first line you drew. I added random amounts of volume, keeping the folds rather small. About 4-5cm per pleat. Fill each gap with a piece of paper.
Always fold the pleats towards the center of the spiral, and trim off excess paper at the bottom, with the bamboo pleat folded.
Then, draw a line in the center of the pleat allowance and extend the following bamboo line so it reaches the central line you drew.
Cut, as shown below, to add the next pleat allowance. From the second bamboo pleat on, the folding consists of two steps: first, you fold the bamboo pleat you’re adding, then fold the previous bamboo pleat on top and trim along the edge. This is difficult to explain with words. That’s why I linked the video.
Proceed like this until you’ve completed the whole spiral. After the first round, the lines will no longer reach the edge of the pattern. Instead, they will reach the edge of a previous pleat allowance. This means you need to lengthen the lines also at their endpoints (see the arrow).
You’ll also notice the piece will create an overlap after a while. Don’t worry about that. Just continue adding volume until you reach the last bamboo pleat. Then, divide the pattern into two or more parts by adding a seam in the center of a bamboo pleat. Find one somewhere in the middle that removes the overlap.
You only need seam allowance at the outer edges of the original balloon sleeve, plus where you divided the pattern.
Sewing
Before removing the pattern, cut notches at the endpoints of each bamboo pleat. These should cover the full width of the seam allowance where you have one. It’s also a good idea to cut a little notch at the base of each pleat, where the pleat allowance starts. I typically make a cut only on one edge, as the other is difficult to miss. Only the last bamboo pleat has notches at all 3 corners.
Start by closing the seam(s) you added to remove the overlap. I just had one.
When sewing the origami vortex, we work in the opposite direction, starting at the last pleat. So, with the help of your pattern, find the last pleat and its 3 notches.
Fold the conical pleat, matching the notches. Then, flip the following fold over it, matching the edges, pin, and stitch. This will fix the first fold in place.
Close the second fold following the reference points, and stitch it in place the same way you did the previous one. This might sound complicated, but once you get going, it becomes easy to see how to make the fold, as the previous stitches kind of encourage the next fold. You just need to match the edges and point the fold towards the notch you cut at the tip.
Little by little, the vortex will start to form. Continue until you’ve completed the whole thing. Sew gathering stitches at the hem and between the armhole notches at the sleeve cap. You can press the pleats lightly. Then, complete the balloon sleeve as normal.
Here’s how my sleeve came out. The pleated section remains quite flat, so it’s not a round balloon.
The Bonus Sleeve: Bamboo Box Pleats
I think I’ve only seen this TR cutting technique during a Masters’ Challenge and haven’t used it since. So, I decided to make a sleeve.
What we have here is a bamboo sleeve, but instead of the usual conical pleats, it has box pleats.
I used a basic sleeve block. The hemline is slightly below the elbow level.
Start by drawing bamboo lines as normal. I like to make the pleats symmetrical on both sides. You can draw a guideline in the center of the sleeve.
Measure the distance between the lines at their narrowest point. This will tell you how much pleat allowance you can add. It’s a maximum of twice as much.
This time, instead of slash & spread, we need to completely separate the pieces to add pleat allowance, since it has a rectangular shape.
Start at the uppermost pleat. Cut and add pleat allowance at a right angle, but leave some extra paper at both ends. Mark the center point of the pleat allowance and divide both sides in half (see the dashed lines).
Fold your box pleat and flatten it. The dashed lines will help. Cut off excess paper at both ends while the pleat is folded.
To get to the next bamboo line, cut along the edge of the pleat allowance, extending slightly over the following bamboo line. Just enough to fit the folded pleat allowance. Then, cut along the bamboo line to separate the pieces and add pleat allowance.
Draw the guidelines and fold your pleat. Cut off excess paper at both ends. Then, do the next bamboo box pleat the same way.
With the pleats that end at the hemline, you have two options: either fold them at the hemline, too, or leave them open. If you decide to fold, proceed as before. If you want to leave them open, don’t cut off excess paper at the hemline. Instead, adjust the hemline shape once you’ve completed the pattern. As shown below.
Only add seam and hem allowance to the outer edges.
Sewing
Cut notches if you can’t tell where to fold otherwise. In this case, most of the folds are quite visible due to the pointed shapes. Remember to cut open the extra bits at the base of the box pleats. The ones you included to fit the pleat allowance (see the arrows).
Find where the last box pleat folds are. Fold and pin them. Flip the following pleat allowance on top, right sides together, and stitch.
Now the first pleat is fixed in place. I left the hemline free.
Find the reference points of the next box pleat. Fold and pin. Then flip the following pleat allowance to the top and stitch.
Continue like this. Stitch the folds in place at the sides, too, inside the seam allowance.
The bamboo box pleats will also need additional stitches to hold them in place at the center of the sleeve. You can either topstitch, as I did with the uppermost pleats, or stitch along the base (see the arrow). The latter option won’t be visible.
If you left the hemline pleats open, you might want to close the inseam and hem the sleeve before doing the additional stitches.
The result. If you decided to stitch down the hemline folds, too, your sleeve will remain narrower at the hem. Have you bumped into this lesser-used TR cutting technique somewhere?
Well, that’s all I have for you this time. Hope you got some new ideas. 🙂
