Anne Fitzpatrick as Alice

Tell me a story of Alice and you'll have my attention.  Wonderland.  What a place this must be!  With enough imagination we, each one of us, can create a Wonderland in our hearts.  Alice's surely was fraught with confusion, troubling situations and extreme solutions to ridiculous problems.  But there were also beautiful worlds one would never experience without Lewis Carroll taking her by the hand and leading her down the rabbit hole.  And it is just a story.  A timeless story of a dream beneath a tree on a summer's day.

Some of the greatest artists, since the book was published, have had more fun illustrating the story, than we can possibly imagine.  Each championing themselves to out illustrate those before them.  And it continues to this day.

Children, and adults, have dressed up as Alice for the pure adventure and fun of it.  And whether we've actually read the book(s), or even pretended to understand what we were 

reading, the charm and pure fantasy of such a place is eternal.

I know.  I'm a huge Alice fan.  Those of you who've followed me since maybe even before I began this journal, have no doubt in your minds that Alice reigns supreme in my books.  Little Red Riding Hood, too, but that's another story.  Literally!

Show me an illustration of Alice and I'll be on Pinterest for hours looking up more Alice illustrations.  Mention Alice to me and my insides tickle and glow with memories of all the Alice costumes I've made in the past for dolls.  I've even created outside that paper doll and illustration box I find myself in and created a costume with needled felted rabbit for both Chinese New Year's Year of the Rabbit, and last spring's Easter theming the White Rabbit as the Easter Bunny.  So much fun!

When I printed out Diana Vining's paper doll costume pages for Anne, and saw there was an Alice dress, I would wait for the perfect time to make it.  I'm always ready to make another Alice dress, but honestly there have been so many fabulous things coming out of the VDC lately, that one supersedes the next as new dolls and outfits are continually being offered.  Not complaining!  Bring it on!  But when I make an Alice costume, it's a little more personal. Like the artists that illustrate, I'm taken to the task of doing something so many others have done, but now I must put my own signature and energy into it.  It becomes a little meditation.  The next Alice.

Ah!  And Diana's had a pocket bunny.  A pocket bunny!  Two things stand out in her illustration.  The red bow pinned to an interesting collar, and the pocket bunny peeping out with his paws hooked over the edge.  The entire creation of 2D to 3D would center around the final task of creating the pocket bunny.

One more time I used the blue cotton sateen I purchased for Anne's Cinderella dress.  Why would I choose any other blues when the paper doll dresses used the same blue wash?  Its a pretty fabric with a bit of a sheen, and while a bit heavier than I would wish, it makes a pretty doll dress.

The blouse is a separate piece from the blue jumper.  I'll admit that I'm not the best blouse maker out there.  I've made tons of blouses for dolls, but I like lining the things I make, and facings aren't my forte.  Oh, I can make them, but a full lining is divine.  Blouses with a collar such as the one I devised for this blouse needed a facing.  This wasn't the challenge.  Figuring out what Diana drew was.  All you see is two white gathered points on each side of the red bow.  

So what did I do?  I made a gathered collar that was very Renaissance in design, such as the queen would have worn.  Something like that anyway.  Its quite pretty, but the red bow is the focus, and it is a pure silk bow. 

Here's a side view of the collar and the puffed sleeves.  And the pocket bunny in near profile.

Always show a little back.  Its closed with tiny silver snaps.

While we're looking at the back, where did I get the great Alice wig that fits Anne?  It was one of Grace's.  I was looking for a 5/6 wig in blonde with bangs and couldn't find one anywhere.  Darn Monique for closing their doors.  Everything is BJD head size now.  And leftover Moniques that no one wanted.  Somebody PLEASE start making wigs for our dolls again!

Rachel could make a small fortune if she could get Ruby Red Galleria to make some doll wigs for us on a regular basis.  Grace and Anne need wigs.  Sure, some can be big styles, but we need wigs we can play with.  Long with bangs and no bangs in all colors.  That's my plea and I'm sticking to it.

But anyway, I was thrilled to discover that I had this wig from my Grace stash.  Now I wish I had two, so my Grace could wear it as well.

The pocket bunny.  I knew what I wanted this toy to look like.  To me it's a toy and not a real rabbit.  I wanted to create something that looked similar to those animee rabbits you see in GIF files.  Not a whole lot of detail to the body, but sweet and charming, which is what Diana's pocket bunny looks like.  Sweet.

The first attempt was too rabbity, and too big.  Oh!  You may have noticed that the pocket is a little oversized, but the dress needed this size to accommodate a proper pocket bunny.

His body is wire armature so I could bend his paws to fit over the ends of the pocket.  He's 2" tall, top of head to toes.  The ears had to be just long enough to say "rabbit" but come to some degree below the waistline of the dress.  This isn't easy stuff.  It takes a lot of fiddling and redoing to get something like this right, and to me, the pocket bunny made the entire outfit.

And of course I had to get Anne the Zuru Disney Animator's Alice doll in the box.  She'd have a doll for every outfit if it was up to me.  She'll have a toy or something to hold, to tell the story, regardless, but I love dolls with dolls.

I did manage a black silk ribbon headband for her to top things off.

A couple of months ago a very dear and wonderful person who knows my passion for Alice, sold me the Grace Alice box.  It was complete.  Teacup cookie and everything.  I am so eternally grateful to this dear lady.  I'm still overwhelmed with gratitude, and I hope she reads this and understands.  

So, I dressed Grace in her blue dress to display with Anne in hers.  The bag is everything!!!  What's left?  Dolly Dingle.  Diana drew Dolly as one of the cards (see below) and the next time I need a special project dear to me, I'll dress Dolly Dingle in this costume.  I need both an aqua knit, and a red raspberry knit for this costume.  One thing at a time.  

While warming up to write this journal, I spent some time on Pinterest's Wonderland.  I always find new artists and new illustrations to save off and share.  Favorites?  Just interesting.  Some are gorgeous renderings, some are vintage, indicative of the time they were painted, while others are just pure fun.  I was particularly drawn to the contemporary one with Alice dressed as a barista.  Forever Alice!

Love, Melissa