With $9000 and several months to design, Carol Whitfield Hannah, Irina Shabayeva, and Althea Harper head off to their respective homes charged with creating a 12-look collection to be shown at the tents in Bryant Park during New York Fashion Week. And with that, the "Project Runway" Finale, Part 1 begins.

Tim Gunn pays a visit to each of the three finalists and also dines with their families.

First Gunn heads to Huntington, Long Island, NY, where Hannah has set up studio in a friend's large house. Hannah's collection is very glam and evening-oriented, as one would expect. Gunn has the usual precautions about keeping the looks young, not matronly, and then has a Southern meal with Hannah's family members, who have flown in for the event.

From there, he heads to New York City's Upper East Side to visit Shabayeva's small studio. She has a very sophisticated, but very dark collection that is inspired by childhood memories of Coney Island and NYC, only to discover that the vintage images she is using are trademarked and she must rethink her collection with less than 10 days to go).

Tim dines with her family and it's easy to see where Shabayeva gets her drive and determination.

Next stop, Dayton, OH, where Harper is ensconced in her workroom loft. Again, Gunn is on matronly patrol and cautions Althea against frumping it up. Later they journey to her parents' home to gather with her friends, boyfriend and family.

The designing women reconvene in a hotel room just one block from Bryant Park, New York Fashion Week's hub. Harper and Shabayeva arrive first and after initial greetings, the talk dwindles and the tension is palpable, only made worse by the fact that after several hours, Hannah has yet to arrive.

Gunn shows up and announces that Hannah is very sick and very contagious. Harper and Shabayeva are concerned but also, perhaps, secretly hoping that there will be one less designer in the competition. As Shabayeva says, "Being in Fashion Week is great, but what's the point of a competition? To win."

The two designers head to the workroom with a lot to finish up, Hannah makes her wan appearance and all three set to work, only to have Michael Kors and Nina Garcia drop by to dispense a little advice. Most notably, Garcia warns against an all-black collection, but Shabayeva scoffs at her tip later.

The next guest is Heidi Klum and she brings with her the usual dramatic twist: there will be a 13th garment that should be every bit as strong as the rest of the collection. To assist the designers, they have brought back Logan Neitzel, Christopher Straub and Gordana Gehlhausen.

With the picking of the models, the creation of the 13th garment and the finishing touches on the collection, the designer are almost set to send their looks down the runway at Bryant Park. That will be next week!

Tune into Part 2 of the "Project Runway" finale next Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime, then catch our post-show recap here.