Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors Senior Project Guide

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Georgia 4-H Project Achievement empowers young people with skills for a lifetime. Through a competitive process, students explore their interests, unleash their creativity, share their work, and celebrate their achievements! This guide provides 9th – 12th graders with examples for getting started with their project exploration.

Overview of Project Achievement Process

1) Choose project
2) Develop skills in leadership and service
3) Prepare portfolio for work completed from January 1 – December 31
4) Prepare presentation
5) Practice
6) Compete
7) Reflect

Description of Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors Project

4-H’ers may explore the broad areas of clothing, textiles, and interior goods and their sale and merchandising. Through this project 4-H’ers may:

• explore the production, marketing, and sale of clothing, textiles, and interior goods
• acquire an understanding of appropriate, protective, and flattering dress for all occasions
• identify basic textile fibers and develop an understanding of their selection, use, performance, care, and maintenance
• develop an understanding of fashion innovation, trends, products, and marketing
• develop skills in selecting quality interior products for various home living spaces, considering lifestyles of family members, resources, value, efficiency, etc.
• learn to make wise consumer choices in the selection and purchase of clothing, textiles, and interior goods
• explore careers related to textiles, merchandising, and interiors

Examples of Project Development Experiences

• Participate in home interior classes offered at school or in the community
• Explore how different types of fabric are manufactured or produced, and used
• Analyze different brands of clothing or home furnishings to select best fit
• Prepare a mock-up of a proposed home décor remodel
• Create a portfolio of personal clothing for different occasions and seasons of the year
• Examine ways of marketing furnishings and clothing items
• Research principles of home interior design
• Compete in Georgia 4-H Cotton Boll and Consumer Judging and LifeSmarts

Project Sharing and Helping Examples

• Teach a project club on remodeling a room on a budget to younger 4-H members
• Lead a group in developing a model of a home furnishings plan
• Plan and implement a day camp or summer class on different types of clothing, textiles, and home furnishings, including how they are created, produced, and used
• Work with students to develop a wardrobe on a budget using essential articles of clothing that can be mixed and/or matched
•Share plans for marketing clothing, textiles, or interior items to 4-H members, school classes, civic clubs, and senior homes
• Conduct a workshop on repurposing items at a 4-H club meeting
• Teach others how to be a wise consumer when selecting items of clothing or furnishings by evaluating price, fabric durability, and purpose
• Lead a group in utilizing software programs to model a room’s proposed décor, furniture, color scheme, etc.
• Talk with your local county Extension office about decorating your 4-H project room
• Mentor a younger 4-H’er in the Clothing and Textiles, Creative Stitchery, or Interior Design projects

Special Considerations

•Youth should practice internet safety when communicating with new people online or in-person. A best practice is to take a friend or parent to shadow your interview or copy your parent/guardian on online communications with adult mentors.
• Remember to ask permission before photographing, taping, or quoting someone.
• Live animals and weapons are not permitted in any project.
• Please use best safety practices when handling tools and equipment.
• Be respectful of other cultures.