Here is a portfolio I created that showcases some of the projects I have designed throughout college!

1. Portfolio.
Ava Shimamoto
Fashion Design

2. Mood Board

3. Dress Design
The design for this dress was inspired
by my love for bows which has
recently become a wide fashion trend.
My favorite piece of clothing has
always been a dress because of how
beautiful they are and the many
different ways you can wear one. Green
and pink are my favorite colors so I
wanted to incorporate them into my
design.

4. Pattern
I used Adobe Illustrator to create my own pattern.
I did this by first drawing bows with the pen tool. I
drew one bow and then duplicated them in multiple
different sizes. During this process, I used a bunch
of different layers. When I could see the design
repeating and once I was happy with how it looked
together, I turned it into a pattern.
Sketch
I found an image of a blank dress online and traced
over it in Adobe Illustrator using the pen tool. I used
this drawing as a base layer to then place my pattern
onto the new sketch as you can see in the image to
the right.
Technical Drawing
I used the sketch I made of the blank dress to put
my pattern onto it. I also added a lighter pink color
to the middle and ends of the dress to make it look
more realistic as you can see in the image to the left.
Design Process

5. Before starting my pattern, I had to choose what colors I wanted to utilize into my designs.
I began with choosing colors that I have a liking for and I narrowed it down by thinking of
which colors represent my brand the most. The first thing I did was create a mood board.
After doing so, I used the mood board to pick the colors I wanted to use for my pattern. I
used the eyedropper tool in Adobe Illustrator by placing it on the images from my mood-
board and made my own color swatches. I then used these color swatches to make my
pattern. Above, you can see the exact numbers of the CMYK for each color swatch.
Color Swatches
C=25 M=12 Y=77 K=0
C=23 M=91 Y=37 K=2

6. The design for this purse was inspired
by vintage handbags. One of my favorite
activities to do is to go thrifting. I love
vintage pieces. One day, I was shopping
downtown at the local vintage market
and saw the cutest handbag with
different stripes. I really wanted it but
ended up not buying it. I was inspired
by this memory to create a pattern for a
purse.
Purse Design

7. Design Process
Technical Drawing
I used the sketch I made of the blank purse to put my
pattern onto it. I also added the same dark maroon
color as used in the pattern to the middle, outside,
and bottom of the purse. I did this to make it look
more realistic as you can see in the image to the left.
Sketch
I found an image of a blank purse online and traced
over it in Adobe Illustrator using the pen tool. I used
this drawing as a base layer to then place my striped
pattern onto the new sketch as you can see in the
image to the right.
Pattern
I used Adobe Illustrator to create my other pattern.
This pattern was different from the bow one because
I was using lines this time to create a repeat. I drew
a bunch of different sized lines going vertically and
horizontally. I used multiple layers as well. When
I was happy with how the lines looked together, I
turned it into a pattern.

8. To decide what colors I
wanted to utilize into my
designs for the purse, I
began with choosing
colors that were inspired by
my memory and colors that
also went with my mood
board. I used the
eyedropper tool again by
placing it on different
images from my moodboard
and made my own color
swatches. I then used these
color swatches to make my
pattern. Above, you can
see the exact numbers of
the CMYK for each color
swatch.
Color Swatches
C=33 M=89 Y=86 K=43 C=5 M=53 Y=68 K=0
C=25 M=12 Y=77 K=0
C=53 M=36 Y=1 K=0 C=57 M=49 Y=48 K=15

9. Crochet Top
This was the first thing I ever crocheted.
This forest green top feautres a basic
front neckline, an open back, and an
adjustable strap to tie it in the back. The
stitches I used to create this top were a
foundation chain, a single crochet, a half
double crochet, and slip stitch.

10. Materials
• Worsted weight 4 yarn
• 4 mm crochet hook
• Tape measurer
• Scissors
• Finishing needle
Sketches
Before starting to crochet, I made a rough sketch of
the top from the front and back angles. I wanted to
see how it would lay out and this helped me decide
how many times I was going to make a cross in the
back.
Steps
1. Took my chest/bust measurement (measurement A) and
my breast height minus 1 inch (measurement B)
2. Body: crocheted 81 foundation chains for measurement
A, half double crocheted in each chain, crocheted 1,
flipped around, repeated until reaches measurement B
3. Straps: Place stitch markers, single crocheted 200 chain
for the strap, slip stitched in each chain until I reached
next stitch marker, repeated for other strap
4. Border: half double crochets in each half double crochet
all away around
5. Weaved the straps through the spaces
Design Process

11. Dog Sweater

12. Flowers
Hand crocheted flower boquet with pink
tulips, purple lavenders, and white
carnations. Hand crocheted green leaf
and green yarn wrapped around sticks as
stems.
Hand crocheted flower boquet with
monochromatic color scheme. Pink,
orange, and red roses with green stems
and fake leaves.

13. The design for this dress was inspired
by my love for traveling. I wanted to
create something that I could wear on
my vacation to Mexico that I could dress
up and dress down. The color orange
reminds me of the sunset which is why
I chose this fabric. This was the first big
piece that I ever made from scratch my
sophomore year of high school.
Maxi Dress

14. Design Process
The first part of this design process
was gathering my ideas and coming up
with different designs for how I wanted
my dress to look. After deciding on my
inspiration, I sketched my design, as
seen on the left. I then added color to
my sketch. This was a long process and
took me many tries to finally get the
design I was happy with. The one thing
I really wanted when creating my dress
was for it to have a cut out somewhere
which is why I decided to put the two
cut outs right under the breast part.
This makes it more feminie and
structured. I also really wanted the
dress to be strapless because I feel that
it adds a more sophisticated look.

15. Construction Pt.2
The hardest part for me was getting the measure-
ments right. A lot of the times, I wouldn’t leave
enough room and when I would try the pieces on,
they would be twoo tight leading me to have to add
more fabric on to the dress. I had to individually try
the pieces on before sewing them together so I know
they would fit correctly.
Construction
When constructing this dress, there were many trial
and errors. I had to start over a couple times because
I would accidentally sew the wrong side or it would
be uneven. At one point, I was thinking of adding
straps to the dress for more support, but decided not
to because I loved the strapless look.
Pattern
After I went to Joann’s to pick out my orange cot-
ton fabric and orange thread, I then cut out all my
pattern pieces. I folded my fabric and then layed it
out on the table as seen in the picture on the left. I
carefully placed my pattern pieces on the fabric and
pinned them down. I traced each piece with a sharp-
ie and then carefully cut them out.
Design Process

16. Ava Shimamoto
Oregon State University Apparel Design
avashimamoto@gmail.com 503-707-1383
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ava-shimamoto