Family Consumer Sciences

4-H Artistic Clothing Project

The Colorado 4-H Artistic Clothing Project teaches youth to explore creativity, sewing, and fashion while developing practical skills and self-expression.

Upcycle Your Style focuses on experimenting with textiles, modifying designs, decorating garments, and expressing imagination. Creative Sewing emphasizes sewing projects, learning new skills, and goal setting. Create Your Own allows older members to explore topics like lace, pattern design, historic costumes, and fashion careers. Buymanship teaches style, color, fabric care, and wardrobe coordination, while Recycled Clothing encourages transforming old garments or household items into new clothing projects.

4-H Artistic Clothing members may participate in Fashion Revue contests at the county, state, and national level if qualified.

COUNTY 4-H
Overview & tips
A smiling young girl pins a sewing pattern onto pink fabric at a craft table, surrounded by colorful thread spools, fabric swatches, and sewing tools, while an adult sits in the background holding a cup and watching her work.

Project Overview

Upcycle Your Style

Designed for members 8-18 years old.

Inspiring youth to:

  • Experiment with textile crafts
  • Use a variety of tools
  • Create/Modify designs
  • Decorate garments
  • Express imagination

Recycled Clothing

Designed for members 8-18 years old.

Inspiring youth to:

  • Create something new from something old using different types of recyclable materials
    • Old garments
    • Home furnishing items

Creative Sewing

Designed for members 8-18 years old.

Inspiring youth to:

  • Select special interest project
  • Sew majority of project
  • Learn new skills and set goals

Buymanship

Designed for members 11-18 years old. Intermediate and Senior only.

Inspiring youth to:

  • Learn styles/colors that flatter body types
  • Understand design, fabric, and color
  • Understand clothing care and construction
  • Coordinate with existing wardrobe

Create Your Own

Designed for members 11-18 years old. Intermediate and Senior only.

Inspiring youth to:

  • Explore topic of interest, such as
    • Learn about lace
    • Pattern design
    • Study historic costumes
  • Explore Careers

Official Project Materials

Project e-Records

Artisitc Clothing e-Record

Materials & Curriculum

Judging/Scoring Resources

Colorado Guide For Clothing Judges

Judging/Scoring Resources

Fashion Revue Score Sheets

Judging/Scoring Resources

Textile Experiments Score Sheet

Project Aid

e-Record Tip Sheet

Project Aid

WearTec Book 2: Engineering Design Notebook, Sewing and Microcontrollers (Shop 4-H)

Project Aid

WearTec Book 2 Leader’s Guide: Sewing and Microcontrollers (Shop 4-H)

Project Aid

Wardrobe Inventory

Member Resources

Find Your County

Counties play a crucial role in 4-H by providing a platform for young people to learn and grow.

Counties facilitate the delivery of 4-H programs that are of particular interest in their area and qualified, compassionate adult leaders run local clubs to support our youth 4-H members.

To find out if this project is supported locally, contact your local extension office.

CONTACT Your Local Extension Office

Upcoming Events

View all

Currently there are no events scheduled at this time associated to this page. Please check back for the latest events as they are scheduled.

Project Tips

  • Upcycle Your Style 1st year members may find it easier to do the stitching rather than the painting or gluing processes.
  • Recycled Clothing projects are evaluated on quality of construction and creativity of adaptation.
  • Creative Sewing projects are evaluated on creativity, quality of workmanship and design.
  • Pattern “instruction sheet” required for Recycled Clothing.
  • Upcycle Your Style, Creative Sewing and Create Your Own exhibits shall consist of no more than three coordinated pieces (No accessory items, i.e., shoes, jewelry, hats, etc.).
  • For Intermediate and Seniors Buymanship project, the completed outfit may include a belt and scarf, no other accessories.
female tailor posing for image next to two mannequins

Upcycle Your Style Tips

Project Tips

  • Experiment with a variety of textile crafts
  • Decorate a garment of your choice, such as a t-shirt, pants, jacket, blouse/shirt, etc.
  • Use different ideas and tools to create or modify a design
  • Practice modeling skills
  • Share talents acquired through demonstrations and exhibits

Exhibit Options

  • Applied – Decorations are attached by gluing, fusing or painting, such as jewels, puff paints, applique’, or tie-dyed.
  • Stitched – Decorations may be hand or machine stitched, such as applique’ with satin stitch, embroidery, quilting, beading, knitting or crochet (by self or others).
  • Combination – Decorations include a significant amount (minimum of 30 percent each) from the two categories (such as stitched and applied).

Judging Criteria

  • Decorate or embellish one to three coordinated garments that illustrate what you learned
  • Exhibit a completed Artistic Clothing e-record
  • Do a demonstration/show and tell
  • Judge/evaluate clothing products
  • Do a clothing-related community service

Exhibiting

  • Label all garment pieces by using a piece of muslin and fabric pen or fabric label. Include name, age, unit name, and county.
  • Exhibit must be clean and ready for display.
  • Demonstrate and display information learned.
  • Have fun telling your story.
  • Exhibit at county fair.

Careers

Female tailor working on garment
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Warner College of Natural Resources alumnus Joe Sertich, Curator of Dinosaurs Department of Earth Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science works at a dig site with a team of students from around the country including students from the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Joe has been granted a unique opportunity to dig at the world-famous “Sandy Site” located in the famous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Field participants found beautifully preserved small bones of dinosaurs, turtles, birds, mammals, and pterosaurs in a soft, beach-sand matrix.
August 9, 2017

Costume Design

Create clothing to bring theater, movie and other forms of art to life

Judge's gavel and scales of justice.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Warner College of Natural Resources alumnus Joe Sertich, Curator of Dinosaurs Department of Earth Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science works at a dig site with a team of students from around the country including students from the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Joe has been granted a unique opportunity to dig at the world-famous “Sandy Site” located in the famous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Field participants found beautifully preserved small bones of dinosaurs, turtles, birds, mammals, and pterosaurs in a soft, beach-sand matrix.
August 9, 2017

Labor Union/ Worker Rights

Provide consultation and oversight in the textile and clothing industry to ensure worker’s rights

Tailor holding a design drawn in piece of paper.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Warner College of Natural Resources alumnus Joe Sertich, Curator of Dinosaurs Department of Earth Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science works at a dig site with a team of students from around the country including students from the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Joe has been granted a unique opportunity to dig at the world-famous “Sandy Site” located in the famous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Field participants found beautifully preserved small bones of dinosaurs, turtles, birds, mammals, and pterosaurs in a soft, beach-sand matrix.
August 9, 2017

Fashion Illustrator

Create artistic representations of clothing designs, often used for marketing, lookbooks, or fashion magazines

Volunteers filling boxes with daily goods.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Warner College of Natural Resources alumnus Joe Sertich, Curator of Dinosaurs Department of Earth Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science works at a dig site with a team of students from around the country including students from the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Joe has been granted a unique opportunity to dig at the world-famous “Sandy Site” located in the famous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Field participants found beautifully preserved small bones of dinosaurs, turtles, birds, mammals, and pterosaurs in a soft, beach-sand matrix.
August 9, 2017

Economic Philanthropy

Work to provide opportunities where jobs are scarce and trade skills are needed for community support

Tailor working on a garment.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Warner College of Natural Resources alumnus Joe Sertich, Curator of Dinosaurs Department of Earth Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science works at a dig site with a team of students from around the country including students from the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Joe has been granted a unique opportunity to dig at the world-famous “Sandy Site” located in the famous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Field participants found beautifully preserved small bones of dinosaurs, turtles, birds, mammals, and pterosaurs in a soft, beach-sand matrix.
August 9, 2017

Pattern Maker

Translate fashion designs into patterns that can be used to cut and sew garments, blending artistry with technical skills

Design program opened on a laptop and phone next to laptop on wooden table
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Warner College of Natural Resources alumnus Joe Sertich, Curator of Dinosaurs Department of Earth Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science works at a dig site with a team of students from around the country including students from the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Joe has been granted a unique opportunity to dig at the world-famous “Sandy Site” located in the famous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Field participants found beautifully preserved small bones of dinosaurs, turtles, birds, mammals, and pterosaurs in a soft, beach-sand matrix.
August 9, 2017

Information Technology

Support the industry utilizing technological advances, especially for remote work/education

Woman making a video showing clothes in it via laptop.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Warner College of Natural Resources alumnus Joe Sertich, Curator of Dinosaurs Department of Earth Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science works at a dig site with a team of students from around the country including students from the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Joe has been granted a unique opportunity to dig at the world-famous “Sandy Site” located in the famous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Field participants found beautifully preserved small bones of dinosaurs, turtles, birds, mammals, and pterosaurs in a soft, beach-sand matrix.
August 9, 2017

Fashion Blogger/Vlogger

Use a platform to share artistic clothing ideas, styling tips, and personal fashion experiences, often collaborating with brands

Tailor wrapping a piece of cloth with paper.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Warner College of Natural Resources alumnus Joe Sertich, Curator of Dinosaurs Department of Earth Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science works at a dig site with a team of students from around the country including students from the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Joe has been granted a unique opportunity to dig at the world-famous “Sandy Site” located in the famous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Field participants found beautifully preserved small bones of dinosaurs, turtles, birds, mammals, and pterosaurs in a soft, beach-sand matrix.
August 9, 2017

Sustainable Fashion Consultant

Advise brands on eco-friendly practices, helping to design clothing that minimizes environmental impact