Jillian Banta interned at Nonchalant Mom in Spring 2011. Her tasks included inventory, filling online orders, cleaning the store, sketching designs, sewing prototypes, researching fabrics, and merchandising the store window. She created prototypes of a children's tunic, children's pantsuit, women's pantsuit, and women's halter top. For the prototypes, she adapted existing patterns, added elements like sashes and ties, and included details from the Nonchalant Kids line.

1. MY SPRING 2011
INTERNSHIP AT
NONCHALANT MOM
Jillian Banta

2. My tasks as an intern
 Take inventory
 Damage control
 Fill online-orders
 Clean store
 Flat sketching
 Sew Prototypes
 Fabric Research
 Merchandise Store Window

3. Children’s Tunic Prototype
This unisex Children’s tunic was
made with a wide neck opening, bell-
shapped sleeves, and three inverted
pleats at the neckline. I finished both
of the sleeves with a contrasting
colored binding tape, as many of the
Nonchalant Kids designs are
finished. Pictured here, it is paired
with a Littl by Lilit, a German
designer we carry in our store.

4. Children’s Pantsuit
This pantsuit was made I personally hand cut
combining patterns previously and stamped each of
used in the Nonchalant Kids line,
and the fabric was selected by
the tags going into
Carina and I. We sent our the children’s
materials and patterns to our pantsuit with the size
factory at the end of March and and Nonchalant Mom
received 24 pantsuits in our most
recent shipment. logo

5. Women’s Pantsuit Prototype I
The pantsuit was an adaptation of
a children’s pantsuit we had
designed earlier, and we thought
that it would be interesting to have
an adult version. To adapt the
design and make it more
compatible to an adult style, I
created a sash that would attach to
the bodice and tie at the back,
creating a cut-out in the lower back.
I inserted a strip of elastic in the
back waistband to make the
garment easy to put on and take
off. Some challenges I faced in
making this garment were the fit of
the crotch, and how high to make
the rise in the back. I am currently
working on a second prototype of
this garment.

6. Women’s Halter Top
After seeing my first pantsuit prototype,
Carina asked me to make a Women’s halter
top, including the tie element at the back
that I used with the pantsuit. I decided to
make the ties on this piece smaller so that
they were to be knotted rather than in a
bow. One element that Carina includes in
her Nonchalant Kids items is zig zag
stitching across the seams. I decided to
include this element in this piece as well