Introduction Exercise
DECONSTRUCT

for this exercise, you will take an existing garment in your home (preferably one that you won't miss too much!) This garment should be one that has more construction to it meaning it is made up of patterns or built from a template in some way. Typically blouses or trousers are more constructed pieces!
We will then carefully take it apart or deconstruct it - the purpose of this is to understand more in-depth how some garment pieces are built up and in doing so we can have a better understanding as novice designers how to construct our own. It will also help up get into the conceptual part of the studio for part II of this assignment which will be to reconstruct this same piece from the cut-offs. 

What you'll need:

• Fabric Scissors
• Seam Rippers
• A Trouser or Blouse (Constructed Garment) 

ORDER:

Step 1: Remove Collar. Cut the collar off of the shirt and discard it. ...

Step 2: Remove Plackets. Cutt off and discard both sides of the front placket. ...

Step 3: Remove Buttons. ...

Step 4: Remove Cuffs. ...

Step 5: Sleeves. ...

Step 6: Front of Shirt. ...

Step 7: Back of Shirt. ...

Step 8: Fold Pieces.

Prompt: Whether you started from a shirt, a trouser, or a jacket, you’ve stripped these staples of their familiarity. Now that you’ve broken down the familiar garment, diminishing it to its most basic parts, you can see it in a whole new light. Our next step is to reconstruct the pieces into a newly repurposed fashion item. 

Consider how the segmented parts can be used to their advantage. For example, a former zipper strip can now be used to connect multiple sheets of fabric that can be attached and detached to serve different purposes. The top of a hoodie may be stitched together with a belt strap to become a convertible shoulder bag. 

Materials: Additional items you will need for this part of the exercise include sewing supplies, measuring tape or ruler, fabric pins or safety pins. Optional (recommended) items include fabric chalk and interfacing.

Warm Up: Before you begin, create 3 different sketches for how you will reconstruct your garment pieces. For one of the three designs, incorporate a standard or custom fashion croquis sketch to indicate how the item will be worn. 

Tips for reconstructing:

• Find a way to drape or use a dress form to lay out the pieces and simply pin the areas where you plan to sew. Take a look at these examples. 
• Facings or bindings can be made from other fabrics or garments if you do not have enough fabric from the original garment.
• Consider ruffles and other details to hide stains, patch up areas. 
• Experiment with different types of stitches. 

Take a look at the Resources tab for more useful tips.