Creating Your Fashion Project
Once you have determined which piece of the ensemble you will be creating, it is time to get down to business and make it. The steps in the process will vary depending on what you have chosen to create, so record the steps of your process as they apply to your project. This can be done either in writing or a video journal. Make sure that you include information about the following steps in the process of creating your item:
Defining the Project
Explain what you will be making. Provide a detailed description of the object and explain how it contributes to the overall outfit that you are creating. It should be visible in the sketches from the brainstorming project, so you should already have a good idea of what the final project will look like.
List of Materials and Estimated Cost
A pen and a calculator on top of a sheet with calculations.
Proper estimates from the beginning can make your project go smoothly.
Create a list of all of the materials that you will need to create your project and the anticipated budget. You should have already calculated the budget for this item in the planning phase. When planning, you need to use materials that are comparable to those that were the basis for your estimates. If you will need to purchase a pattern to complete your object, that should be included in your materials list so that you can account for that cost. When creating the budget, don’t forget additional expenses like sales tax and shipping. Your list of materials should also include the quantities of the material that you need and the equations that you used to calculate them. If you are using fabric, don’t forget to allow for seams and other aspects that require additional fabric. In general, when buying supplies it is better to get a little more than you need in case you make a mistake.
Actual Cost
Once your list is complete, it is time to go shopping. You can get the materials wherever it is most convenient, which might mean a trip to the local craft or fabric store or some online shopping. Once you have gathered all the supplies that you need, record the actual cost of the supplies on your material list and see how well you did. Staying on budget is a challenge for fashion designers because items can become unavailable or costs can unexpectedly go up. You could also luck out and find a sale, bringing your cost down. You will need to keep the whole project on budget, so keep a record of whether you are under budget, on budget, or over budget, which means that you will have to cut some costs from elsewhere in your project.
Making Your Item
Now that you have planned your item and gathered your materials, it is time to get to work! As you create the item, keep either a written or video journal of the steps in the process describing how you constructed it. If you keep a written journal, include photographs of the steps in the process. If there are skills that you are bringing to your project, be sure to highlight them and explain the techniques that you are employing.
Conclusion
When you have concluded the project, be sure to take a picture of your item. Your final entry for this section of the journal should be a description of this project and an overview of the process required to create it. If there were glitches in production (as there almost always are), explain what happened, what you would do differently next time, and how you worked around it for this project. If you had to go back and buy additional materials, make sure that you make a note of that and adjust your budget accordingly. Also include what the most rewarding part of the project was and where you were most frustrated when working on it.