Do I need to say anything?

My sewing pattern does the "Dougie."

Good Behavior: The Beginning

I first started sewing in my high school fashion class and ever since then, sewing has had a special place in my heart.  I took an eight-year hiatus from sewing when I went away to college and then was in the Air Force and stationed in Germany.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I rediscovered my passion and started all over again.  I remembered little things here and there from high school, but I buried myself in sewing books, and Google'd and YouTube'd my little heart out to reinforce the basics and refresh my memory.

And then I decided to apply to fashion school.  What I learned there was that I definitely appreciated design and trends, but it reinforced my ultimate love of construction.  I thrived in my patternmaking class as well.  That's the stuff that makes sense to me.

I've rolled around many ideas in my head and considered starting a children's clothing line.  And I have finally taken the first step.  Enter: Good Behavior.

My dear coworker, Lauren, was having tea with me one evening and during conversation I uttered something about 'good behavior.'  She said, "Nicole...that is a great name for a childrenswear label."

So, now here we are.  I've taken the first steps, and I'd like to share my first WIP with you.

I am proud to say that this each piece thereafter will be 100% me-made from draft to dress!  This is what I am very proud of.  I made a couple different sized slopers (3/4, 5/6, & 7/8) to start off with.  The clothing will mostly stay in this size range for sanity's sake.

I ordered a whole role of pattern paper which I just keep in the corner.  One of my best investments that was long overdue.

These are the two books I refer to the most.  The top is purely for children's clothes and has great tips.
This book below is the drafting bible.  This was one of my school text books and one of the most comprehensive patternmaking books I have ever seen.  I believe it runs about $90-$100, but it is sooooo worth it and I would recommend it to anyone interested in patternmaking.

Here is my first muslin...

And here is the near-finished product!  This dress is make out of Dupioni silk and is completely lined with Kona cotton.

The silk has this beautiful texture to it as well.

And here is my tag...

I have to hem it and put in the zipper and I have already started on my next project!  It's a sweet little wool cape.

Thanks for all of your kind words and sewing support!  I truly think the sewing community is like no other.  Don't you?

Simplicity 1803

I made this dress for my last CHRISTMAS PARTY and I'm just now blogging about it.  I bought this pattern right when it came out and decided to make it out of green silk.  I bought some beautiful dupioni and then decided to wash it and see what happened...It came out very soft and of course, a completely different sheen, but I like that it is a bit muted.  This is my only action shot from the party.  I wore a little black patent leather belt and a black slip underneath.  The dress came out very short, but the slip looked really great peeking out from the hem.

 One of the most challenging parts of the dress construction was getting the top bodice piece to lay juuust right.  I had to keep pinning and repinning.  It still gaped a little, but I was happy with the result nonetheless.

You can see the change in sheen and texture from washing the silk in these pictures.

I used a regular zipper instead of an invisible one to add strength.  I definitely felt more secure because the bodice was quite tight.

I decided to make the inside as pretty and fun as the outside so I found some gold bias tape for the armholes and hem.  I love how it turned out!

The bodice just had facings, so I lined it was well.

This pattern was really quite flattering and I loved how it turned out.  I'm looking forward to breaking out the dress again sometime this winter!