Alice In Wonderland Update: Complete!!!

The outfit was sent on August 18th and arrived on August 27th. My friend and her daughter did a photo shoot and sent me a number of great pictures. I am posting them here with their permission. I can hardly wait to get the photos they plan to take at Disney World, especially with how wonderful the pictures below turned out!

Close shots.

Front of the outfit.

Back of the outfit.

The blue dress without the apron.

A shot of the bloomers.

Following the little rabbit.

Alice In Wonderland Update: Details

Not all the details that we fixed and added are shown here, but the main two are.

Below are images of the bloomers with the added bow detail and the wrist-purse I made as a special surprise for J out of scrap bits of cloth and bias tape. The wrist purse is made of blue cotton with a white cotton lining. The white line is carefully stitched bias tape, as is the cording. I didn't post these earlier because I wanted the purse to be a surprise when J openned the box. Photos from my friend with J wearing the outfit to follow.

Wrist Purse

Bloomers with bow on front.

Alice In Wonderland: Nearly finished!!!

My husband and I have a few small details to finish up, so minor that they really are us just being picky. We want to add a small bow on the front of the bloomers just to make it easier for my friend's daughter to know which way is front. Then I have a couple seems (only a few centimeters in two spots) to reinforce. My husband is going to reinforce the serge areas where the torso, petticoat, and skirt are joined, since he cut them down to make the zipper work easier in that area of the back, though this is only an inch on either side. He's also going to rework the zipper top to make a more finished look, because I felt it wasn't up to par as is. I believe that's all. Well... that and I have a surprise I hope to send too... "Hope" is the key word but I think it would be nifty.

Now for the pictures. Nevermind the yellow tone in the photos. I took the pictures at my mother's house, and her overhead light in that area gives a golden hue that I forgot about. It also made the cloth seem shinier than it actually is. I hope to get better pictures when the items are 100% complete (though really, our little changes won't be a noticeable difference... but the comparison shots between the cartoon stills and the final project might look more on par).

Alice's outfit: front and side

Alice's oufit: back

Alice's outfit: petticoat and bloomers

Alice In Wonderland: Sewing Session 2

The blue dress is almost done. As I write this post, my husband is working on attaching the invisible zipper. My first attempt was an epic fail, in my opinion, so we (or should I say he) had to unpick the seams of the zipper and is working to attach it again. He said I needed to take a break because I was being far too hard on myself and was working too hardon the dress. Is there such a thing??? *laughs*

So, as it stands, the zipper is being attached. The bottom of the dress needs to be shortened after it hangs for a bit (to stretch the cloth and get an even hem) and the ruffle to be added to the petticoat. Then the loose threads will be cut and the main part of the outfit will be done. The waist is a bit higher, as the pattern is made that way for a more old fashioned feel (most clothes we wear today sits really low on our bodies compared to how things were worn in the Victorian era, which is the period the Alice story takes place and the outfit hearken back to). The sleeve cuffs will be loose but the puff will remain proper, which will allow better air circulation. The dress so far looks pretty correct, given how the apron will fit over top it. The picture makes the dress look a bit wide, but that's because it's laying flat. Sometimes I wish I had a child sized sewing mannequin...

So after the dress is done, we will work on the apron and then the bloomers. My husand will likely do most of the rest of the blue dress, since I did most of it up to this point. My goal really is to get started on the apron tomorrow while my husband works the last bits of the bue dress.

I do admit that my overly critical eye is driving me nuts. I always do this where all I see are the things that aren't absolutely perfect. My husband is helping me stay grounded. It's a good thing I majored in Fine Arts. In those classes, you learn that most artist are overly critical of their work, which often leads to overworking the piece of art. So I do take 'a step back' and remind myself that I'm not being fair to myself. My husband also has a degree in art (Graphic Design), so he's able to remind me of this too (because he's the same way with his creations at times).

Today was our first anniversary... but we really enjoyed working together on this project. We both have a history of sewing and costumery and this was a nice bonding experience for us that we don't get too often... a project to actually work on together! We also did take a break (forced again). My mother took our son to visit with my nephew (which they both enjoyed) and my husband and I went out to dinner. We didn't exchange gifts like we had hoped, but that's okay. We both know what the other wants, and realized we'd need to buy them online most likely. We didn't get to go to the sprayground (or splash park), but that's okay. It was really warm today, our son had a long nap, and then my mother took him for the evening. We'll go another night. It was a nice day indeed. :-)

Alice In Wonderland Update: Sewing Continues

The top of the dress is almost complete. We had to make a number of changes to the pattern (which of course added time to the process), but it's coming along. The sleeves still need to be attached, but that shouldn't take long. I'm also thinking about tacking down the collar a bit, just so it sits perfectly no matter what ride she's on. We will then add the zipper (which I leave to my husband), the skirt, and the petticoat. At that point, the blue dress will be done!

I'm trying really hard not to be too knit-picky with this project. I keep reminding myself that I'm looking at it from the artist's eye; over-critical and overly concerned with perfection. Just like my concern over the color of the material not being exact by my own opinion. Doesn't make me right because it really is very close (or the exactly color according to the daughter of my friend). I keep telling myself to relax and that it will be awesome. And it will!!! It's so adorable; even the sleeves are poofing just right!

I'll try to get pictures when the sleeves are attached... if we don't push right into the zipper, skirt and petticoat. Either way, I hope to have a few update pictures by this weekend. :-)

After that, we will still have the apron and the bloomers to finish. The apron... well... that's going to be interesting given how stylized it is and that we reworked the design. I can't wait to see it all complete. Actually, I can't wait to see pictures of its intended owner wearing it!

Alice In Wonderland: Sewing starts

The torso is partially sewn. My husband has instruction to pick up a few items we didn't get the during our mass material purchasing. I also let him know what he can serge and press tomorrow. We can't really go forward too far until we get those items tomorrow.

I hope to get this outfit don't by the end of this upcoming weekend... though I will be fine if it is finished the following weekend. I just am very excited to see how it looks in the end... that's one of the best parts (other than the knowledge that the receiver of the item is very happy with it... which is also a stressor too!).

So, that's where we stand tonight. No pictures, because it's late and not enough has come together to warrant snapshots yet. I also need to get up early tomorrow.

Night! :-)

Alice in Wonderland: Cut!

As of writing this, all pieces for the outfit have been cut out. Actually, they were cut out hours ago, but I didn't have a chance to update when I finished.

The apron was a particular challenge and we are excited to see how it turns out. So far, it looks adorable!

Tomorrow, we plan to start the sewing process. My husband says he could get the outfit stitched together by the end of the week, but I would prefer us to work together. My concern is also that it would add a lot of unnecessary stress for him, given that he also takes care of our son during the day and he would very likely let the apartment chores sit when they really shouldn't. I also have to admit that I'm a bit of a knit-picker when it comes to my projects. I want to be sure that it turns out right... by my own standards. Hence why I was the person doing most of the cutting and figure work, looking to my honey when I needed second opinions. Of course, that's a huge help in my world.

We do see this outfit being done well before my personal deadline, which is exactly what I'm hoping. :-)

Alice In Wonderland: Quick Pre-Cut Update

Our work area is clean. Material is ready to be laid out. Patterns chosen. Baby napping.

Pattern lay-out and material cutting will begin shortly. :-)


Update 8:49pm: Bloomers are cut.

Update 10:14pm: Petticoat and ruffle are cut. Time to take a break and have dinner. Measuring and cutting are usually the most difficult and time consuming part of sewing projects. Not always, but usually.

Update 11:07pm: Decided to continue tomorrow. Don't want to start the next parts and get home uber late or make silly mistakes. Our plan is to get the dress and apron cut tomorrow and hopefully start pinning the pieces together as well. We are right on schedule, so this is coolsville.

Alice In Wonderland Update: Prepping

At this point, the fabrics are preshrunk, which means that any possible shrinkage after the item is stitched together should be minimal.

After ironing the cloth, it will be ready for us to lay out the pattern pieces and start cutting. My friend sent her daughter's measurements, which we need to compare to the different patterns we are going to be using as reference, tweaking where necessary.

The hardest part of this project is time. Fortunately, the deadline is a ways off. My friend said she needs the outfit by early September, but our goal (my husband's and mine) is to get the outfit done and sent by mid August. This goal should be fine, even with a toddler underfoot, especially with the joint efforts of my hubby and me.

I do owe my friend the material totals, which we will be sending soon. Shipping costs would have to wait until the dress is done so I can weigh it properly (with the box and shipping materials).

Intro and Alice in Wonderland project

It's about time to start this blog, having reserved the name for a time.

This first entry is for the daughter of an online friend. They are going to Disney World and her youngest daughter wants to dress up as Alice. The due date is early to mid September, but I'm hoping to get it done earlier, if for no other reason than to have time for any adjustments that might be necessary.

Here you see the sketch of the dress after carefully watching Alice in Wonderland. Later, I saved a goodly number of stills from the movie, and have noted a few changes I want to make, though I don't think a new sketch is necessary.

Some of the changes are that the petticoat has a ruffle (as seen in the flower garden scene and the apron's back is not perfectly rounded but is more oblong (the back hangs a little lower, giving an oblong appearance). My friend's daughter also specified that she does not want pockets (which only shows up in two scenes of the movie, but would seriously change the look of the apron from what people are accustomed to). I hope to post some of the still as I continue work on the items, to show a proper comparison between the item and the image.

Here are the materials I gathered for this. Two thicknesses of white 100% cotton cloth (bleached muslin) for the petticoat, bloomers, and apron. Blue 100% cotton broadcloth in the closest blue I could find to the images I printed out. An "invisible zipper" for the back and thread in the closest tones I could find at the time(though I might see if I can find a closer match of the thread to the cloth if this one doesn't suit my standards). The blue of the print-out looks lighter because the flash of my camera is reflected more off the paper than it is off the fabric.

These are the patterns I will be using as reference for the dress and the bloomers, though I will have to come up with my own pattern for the apron, given its unique design.