Alice Illustrated in Arthur Rackham

Alice Illustrated in Arthur Rackham

When January roles around here in California, one can easily be fooled into thinking its the first of spring.  This doesn't mean that we are finished with winter, but the days become mild before winter returns, perhaps weary of belting the east coast.  Maybe.  We've been in a drought for several years, so we only hope Father Frost and Sister Rain return.  Due to the spring-like conditions, I caught a bit of the fever and roses, pink roses, seemed to require a place in my studio. 

In the this third illustrated costume for Alice, I chose the hauntingly beautiful work of Arthur Rackham.   Arthur was born in Lewisham, Kent, England on September 19, 1867.  A kindred spirit no doubt, since Virgos are drawn to those in their sign (my birthday being the 18th).  He began illustrating as a career in 1894.



Arthur Rackham Self Portrait

Arthur Rackham is widely regarded as one of the leading illustrators from the "Golden Age" of British book illustration which encompassed the years from 1900 until the start of the First World War. During that period, there was a strong market for high quality illustrated books which typically were given as Christmas gifts.  The onset of the war in 1914 curtailed the market for such quality books, and the public's taste for fantasy and fairies also declined in the 1920s.



The Inspiration

During his years of illustrating children's books, he illustrated countless stories, and among them was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1907).  While scouring the Pins and Internet for future costumes for Delight, I found Rackham illustrations among my selections such a Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.  I wasn't immediately inspired by his pen and ink watercolors, but as I continued to research his work, I fell completely down his rabbit hole.

I had this lovely Lecien rose fabric on hand and it would prove a nice cloth to bring his Alice's dress to life.  This fabric is a fine cotton that feels like a delicate silk, tightly woven, yet airy with a pretty drape.  When I sat down to make it, I couldn't find the patterns I'd made for the Tenniel and Torrey outfits, so I had to begin again.  It took me a day to remember that I could do this, and its always been the case that although I've made patterns for this and that outfit, I end up with brand new ones all the time since the garments will be different in their details.  So I set to work.

Alice in Roses

I studied each illustration I could find on his Alice, and chose to design the dress two bands that would begin at the waistline in the back, fold over her shoulders, and meet at front forming a V shape.  Wide puffed sleeves with banded wrists, and a rosette of the same fabric where the bands intersect. 

She would have black stockings and Oxfords.  This combination, along with the rose print dress is such a far distinction from Tenniel's original drawing. It has come to mind that illustrators will, or might, appeal to the children they are drawing for, and therefore will create a costume that's indicative of the year the drawings are made. 

The Back

There is not much more to say of the construction of the dress, but I had a wonderful time making the shoes.  The more I delve into cobbling, the better I'm becoming at the craft, and the more fun it is.  Fun being the challenge feels right.  This little shoe is made from one piece of leather, stitched on the top edge then down the front to support the holes the laces go through.  Like Alice Liddell's winter boots, these are my favorite aspect of the outfit.  Where my eyes are drawn to.  They are soft and well fitted.  A jazz dancer's shoe.


Joyful Shoes!

One of the illustrations that appealed to me most, and always has, is that of Alice holding the pig baby.  I was especially taken with the beauty of Arthur Rackham's rendition.  It has a gentleness, a delicacy that touched my heart.  So I popped onto Ebay and immediately (such luck!), found a 3.5" vintage velveteen Steiff.  I bought the little fellow and when he arrived today, I made him a tiny batiste and lace bonnet.  Alice Illustrated would need her little pig baby.  But, my how difficult the little thing is to display in her arms!  These sawdust stuffed animals are completely inflexible!  Maybe someday I'll start making my own little critters with softer bodies and movable limbs.

If there was one thing I wished to replicate in Arthur Rackham's dress, it was the delicate, fragile and feminine nature of how Alice appears in the dress.  I hope I did this. 

One of things I'm working on in between other garments, is storage for all these dresses.  I never thought I'd have this problem when I first began sewing.  I was selling the dresses I was making!  But, now I've come to appreciate my own work and while once in awhile I'll sew for someone if asked, I primarily sew for myself.  Two wardrobe cases are in the works.  One for Alice Illustrated and one for Delight.  And, what of Alice Liddell's?  Her patterns and garments are in a jumbo Ziplock.  I'm sure her wardrobe will require one of those decorator suitcase trunks, and this is how I store Polly, Lettie, Daisy and Katy's garments.

Roses for January.  And, Alice Illustrated is among the pink ones.

Love,
Miss E. Mouse 

Alice and the Pig Baby - Rackham

Alice and the Pig Baby - Mine

To Confer with a Caterpillar

The Upheaval

Another View

Among Friends

"So she set the little creature down, and felt quite relieved to see it trot away into the wood."

Snegurochka: A Russian Fairytale for New Years

Snegurochka

Sit down, get comfortable, and let me tell you a story.  Once upon a time...

"A long time ago in the forests of Russia there lived a peasant by the name of Ivan with his wife, Maria. Although they loved each other very much and had many friends, they were unhappy because they had no children.

They built a child made a snow.

One winter day, they watched the village children build a snowman. "Let's build a snowman, too!," said Ivan. And they proceeded to craft a pretty little maiden out of snow. Struck with their creation, Ivan said, "Little snowmaiden, speak to me." Maria exclaimed, "Yes, come to life so you can romp and play like the other children!" Before their very eyes, Snegurochka became a real girl. "I have come from the land of winter, ice and snow," said the little girl. She ran and hugged them. There was joyous singing, dancing and celebrating in the village that night. All that long Russian winter Snegurochka romped and played with the other children. Everyone loved her. She, Ivan and Maria were very happy.

Then one day, when the first signs of spring appeared, Snegurochka came to Ivan and Maria, and with tear-filled eyes told them that she must go away, up North to the land of snow. They begged her to stay. Upset, Ivan jumped up and shut the door to the hut so the snowmaiden couldn't leave, and Maria hugged her tight. But as she held the little girl, the child melted away. Ivan and Maria wept bitterly.

Sveta as Snegurochka

All spring and summer they were lonely. Summer turned into fall and fall into winter and once again it was cold and icy outside. One night a familiar voice was heard. "Mother! Father! Open the door! The snow has brought me back once more!" Ivan threw open the door and Snegurochka ran into their arms. All that winter she lived with them and played with the other village children. But in the spring she had to go back North, whence she had come. This time Ivan and Maria did not weep, knowing she would return once more when winter appeared on the land. And so it was that the snowmaiden brought warmth and joy to Ivan and Maria during the long, cold, Russian winter for many, many, many years."

With a little bird friend.

This was the very first tale of the Snow Maiden (Snegurochka), that I read.  I was instantly smitten with the tale and longed to learn more about fairytale, and especially find a copy of the book.  I'd recently made friends with Svetlana Isaulova from "way up north".  She'd purchased a couple of Wendy Lawton dolls from me, from dolls I was selling from an estate.  By the time she'd purchased a third doll, we wanted to get to know each other better, and decided to write to one another outside of Ebay.  The first time I wrote to her, I directed her to my website and blog since she was interested in my work.  In her letter back to me, she told me she knew me!  She'd been following my blog for several months.  She told me she was a seamstress, too, and was making a Snow Maiden costume for her doll Henriette.  Snow Maiden?  I had to look her up.  This is when I read the story and begged for more.

Beneath it all.

She told me that there were several versions of the Snow Maiden tale, and one of them was quite different than the child that melts in spring to return in winter.  The other is more of an adult tale of the granddaughter of Grandfather Frost and the Spring Goddess.  The beautiful young woman who came from snow was sought after by many a suitor for her beauty.  But, she could never love them back as her heart was made of snow.  One day she meets a man and falls in love, but when her heart "warms up", she melts away. 

There is also the story of the ancient Slavic pagan goddess Mara.  She is the goddess of Winter and Death, and most likely the predecessor of Snegurochka.  What tales were lost in Christianity, remain alive in the Russian fairytales.  Mara has many other names and can also be known as Marais, the Goddess of Frozen Rivers.

From behind.

I began researching images of Snow Maiden, and found beautiful Russian dolls of her, illustrations from books and greeting cards, paper dolls, lacquer boxes and commemorative plates.  Her image was even on a glasses case!  I knew I had to make my own little Snegurochka.  And so, together, Svetlana and I began to celebrate the New Year through Snow Maiden.  I'd recently acquired another 9" Lawton doll to reincarnate, and Simply Sarah became Sveta, my little Russian child.  Sveta means "light" and this seemed a perfect name for the doll I would dress as Snow Maiden.  While many versions of the winter costume are done in blue with white fur, I'd found this tri-image picture of an extraordinary doll with beads, laces and pearls, all in white, and wanted to make a less embellished outfit, but with similar elegance.  Sveta is only 9".

She learned to spin, sew and knit.

I designed the outfit from images of dressed dolls I had seen, and came up with a white silk gown trimmed in pearls and silver, with a shorter coat and Russian hat.  Sveta received new blue eyes and a golden blonde wig that I braided for her.  She holds a little bird in her hand like the adult Snegurochka would, as she was friends to all the wildlife in the woods.  This is why you see images of her with woodland creatures.

Sveta in the Summer Dress (Sarafan)

But, Sveta's costume did not reflect the Snow Maiden of the precious book in Cyrillic that Svetlana sent to me.  So I made one more costume for her to depict the child in spring.  I made the "summer dress" (Sarafan) as they are referred to in Russian, from a gold and aqua silk, and trimmed it with gold jacquard ribbon (that I made from gold floral spray - same technique I used for Daisy's last year New Year's costume).  A violet ribbon crowns her golden hair.  Although you cannot see, she is wearing mini valenki on her feet.  A gift from Auntie Svetalana.   Valenki are a Russian wool bootie.  Some are simply stunning in design.  I had to look these up, too.

I've had a love affair with all things Russian as a long as I can remember.  I've been learning so very much about Russian culture since becoming friends with Svetlana.  One of the interesting things I've learned about are their Christmas traditions.  For one thing, they do not celebrate Christmas as we know it.  During the October Revolution, Christmas was banned from Russia due its religious content.  It was then that they began to celebrate New Years as we would Christmas.  Around the 1930's, Snegurochka became a part of the seasonal characters along with the existing Grandfather Frost.  She is seen in parades with Grandfather Frost, children get Snow Maiden dolls for the holiday, and adult costumes can be purchased for parties.  She is loved, honored and treasured as much as our own Santa Claus. 

From Behind.

On the 30th or 31rst of December, the Elka, or "Christmas tree" goes up and is decorated.  Gifts are given the same as on our Christmas morning.  But, their New Year celebration begins in mid December.  Children in schools and in day care centers have performances, plays and concerts.  They call them "morning performances" or "fir tree".  Everywhere you go there is Grandfather Frost, Snegurochka and the Elka.

Catching the snow flakes.

So while the little ones in Russia are celebrating the days to New Year, Svetlana and I were sewing Snow Maiden costumes for our dolls.  She chose to dress her 16" Lawton Henriette as the pagan goddess Mara, or Marais, I wrote of earlier.  Because of this, she added "waves of silver" to the costume to represent the frozen river.  Amazing.  The work she did on the trim by wrapping each loop with silver threads or ribbon is awesome.  I've a detailed photo of it below.  She also made by hand, with wire and beads the beautiful crown the doll wears.

Its interesting to me to see how folk costumes are made in a different country.  The Russian soul, the depth of it, and the opulence of art and architecture exist throughout their poetry, their paintings, their fairytale books (Genedy Spirin of note), the ballet...and it simply goes on.  This enchantment seems to be run in their veins, passed down through generations.  As modern a country as Russia may be, the beauty and lore of old is held high and exists with the new side by side.  And, through the beautiful story of Snegurochka, a friendship was wrought.

Svetlana's Marais

Svetlana told me today that she has "Snow Maiden Mania", and I must confess the same.  Sveta will receive new outfits in the future, Ukranian or Russian in style, and Svetlana will guide me with their design.  I do strive for authenticity.

So in this second blog posting for New Year (do read the one prior to this as it was just written today), we celebrate the Russian New Year (Christmas) in Snow Maiden fashion.  If you've never picked up a book on Russian fairytales, you must!  They are fabulous.

Please enjoy the selected photos I posted from the near 150 I saved off for this celebration post.  And, Happy New Year!

Love,
Miss E. Mouse

Intricate work.

From Behind.

A pagan goddess with veil.

Mini Valenki

Russian jacquard from Svetlana's collection.

The ornament she gave me.

The ornament she kept.

Snegurochka and Granfather Frost

A friend of wooland creatures.

The stunning doll that inspired me.

In red like her ornament.

In paper doll form.

Lacquer Box

Fabulous illustration!

Commemorative Plate

A gentle maiden from a storybook.

The Russian Ballet

Sveta wishes you a  Happy New Year

Daisy Heralds In the New Year!

Daisy's New Years Herald

Wow.  What a year this has been!  Now I'm not going to say that every single month was all hunky-dory, but coming to the end of it, I can confidently say that this year was an extraordinarily creative one.  This fall, in particular, from September through to today, proved to be as pleasant in my personal life as it was satisfying in my artistic one.  So many good things to look back on. 

In particular, I'd like to say that the friendships I made gave me so much joy, inspiration, and a wonderful outlook for the future.  The friendships I had became stronger, and when I feel loved and appreciated, my creative world is a much nicer, safer place for me. 

The Inspiration

In thinking back on all I created this year, Alice Liddell's wardrobe (to be continued), was probably my greatest achievement considering that I was throwing myself into the French Fashion world - my way, of course.  Completing the wardrobe and accessories for Katy Curls is right up there.  These were extraordinarily difficult, and detailed costumes as well.  And, let's not forget A Day At the Beach for Josephine, Gibson Girl.  This was the first petite lady doll costume I created.  And, I began reincarnating Wendy Lawton dolls.  There was, of course, Alice Liddell, Alice Illustrated, and Delight - The Delight of Fairy Tales.  Funny, but a lot of people just didn't "get" her.  They called her Red Riding Hood, instead of understanding that she's a little girl enjoying dressing up in fairy tale costumes.  Perhaps when I create a couple more for her, it will hit.

Full Length

It was wonderful to be able to take out my brushes and paints again and create the story book toy chest for Betsy.  I don't paint very often anymore.  And, believe it or not, its not like riding a bicycle.  Painting is something you have to work at, recalling techniques, have incredible patience with, if you don't do it all the time.  So this experience was very satisfying, too. 

Underneath It All

Like some, I truly do not wish there were more hours in the day.  They will come and go as hours do.  Its what you do with them, and how you feel about them that are important.  Were a day 27 hours, before long you'd wish it was thirty.  And then, when would you sleep?  I've found that on the busiest of days, if I just work on one specific piece of a costume to its completion, the outfit will get made, and in less time than I feared.  The hat one day, the jacket then next.  Fur trim on this piece one day, the closures the next.  And, speaking of fur trim, I couldn't think of any better way for Daisy to bring in the New Year than to create "the other" costume I intended to make for her last December.

The Back With Buttons

Daisy's New Year's Herald was inspired by this gorgeous antique postcard of a Gibson Girl sounding her little silver party horn over the wind swept snow banks.  The tossing about of autumn's last fallen leaves, and the crescent moon aloft in the chilly winter night.  And, snow shoes!  Believe it or not, there are snow shoes beneath that white gown.  I'd saved them all the way through the year (they are just like Polly's - see February), and she does have them on her feet.  The pink velveteen was the same used in Mignonette's skating costume and the dress was of the same velvet used for Lettie Lane's Skating Costume.  Miles of faux beaver fur trim. 

Instead of lining the dress in batiste as I normally do so as not to add weight to the piece, I lined it in the same silk dupioni as the attached chemise giving it some body.  I love the way a skirt will drape sewing in this fashion (attached chemise).  And, the ease of dressing the doll since you always must be mindful of the doll stand and the clamp that goes around their waist.

Jean's Special Gift

The hat was fun to make and its topped with a braided strand tailing a pom-pom in a sweet baby pink wool yarn.  The jacket, as all jackets are, was probably the most difficult piece to design.  Since the postcard outfit is viewed from the back, it was important to get this just right.  You also have the chiffon scarf that billows out in the wind behind the woman in the postcard, but obscuring the details of the jacket.  I could have made long, flaring jacket pieces to put together, but they would not have looked right under the arms.  So I chose to attach a peplum with several pleats to support the four covered buttons in the back. 

A Memory Of January 2014

The scarf!  Well, another brilliant light bulb idea.  How was I to make a chiffon scarf billow out "in the wind"?  I used sheer white wired ribbon for this effect.  It tickles me just to relay this to you.  The horn was made from silver scrapbooking paper and red silk ribbon.  I almost feel like Martha Stewart here (wink wink).  This outfit was made very quickly, and almost in a panic since this is but one of the two New Years postings I'll write.  Daisy shall be heralding in the New Year in her cozy-velvet-winter-snow-shoe outfit.  Listen for her little horn on New Year's Eve.

But, let's get back to friendships for a moment.  I just had to share one of the dearest gifts I've ever received.  Jean made me a sewing machine album to commemorate the costuming I did over this past year.  The time and work involved to create this for me, was equal to the talent my dear friend has.  She'd told me about her die cut sewing machine to create an album with, and asked me if I thought I'd enjoy having one.  Not a scrapbooking person myself, I had no idea what was in the works.  I just about fell over when I opened her gift that was so wonderfully wrapped, too.  There is nothing Jean Nordquist cannot do and exceptionally well.  There is even a little lined spool on the opposite page for me to make notations on of what materials I used for the project.  And, a chatelaine ring holds the pages together!  She does sell these kits, and its a perfect way to preserve your sewing accomplishments.  Maybe if I'm good girl this year, she'll make me another next!  .  Its just awesome.  So is she.

As New Year's Eve comes about this year, I'm planning on what I will do in 2015.  One of the projects will be taking another Lawton doll and creating a Godey's Girl from her.  I've been pouring over those pages for far too long not to do some real French Fashion costuming from them.  And, Candy Anderson is making Katy Curls' friend, Jolly Jane, for me, so there well be another Frances Tipton Hunter girl to sew for.

All in all, I'm inspired and on a roll I hope will never end.  However, this winter will see me tucked in and reading the second book from the Outlander series.  I never thought I was a "romance novel" reader until Diana Gabaldon's book fell into my lap.  What a fabulous swashbuckling read!  Happy New Year!

Love,
Miss E. Mouse

Another Snow Shoe Postcard

Toot-toot! 

A Postcard For Daisy

Snow Shoes and Horn

A Second Postcard for Daisy

Under the New Year's Crescent Moon