Attention, I warn you, very long post ! I fell in love with Alice in Wonderland, and it will be hard to dry up my praise for it. ❤
Juliette. Ah Juliette. You must know that this little girl loves to drive me crazy. And carnival is probably her favorite pretext to do so. Each year, she chooses a costume the very next day of the carnival, for the following year. She tells me about her idea for 11 months and a half … and changes EVERY TIME her idea ten days before the D-day. Each. Damn. Year. And of course, 2018 didn’t fail the rule.
For 11 months, she told me about Belle’s ball gown, Beauty and the Beast. And it’s by ordering the fabrics that she tells me, the most naturally of the world: “No, but I do not know anymore, I hesitate between Sleeping Beauty and Beauty from Beauty and the Beast. Or something else. What do you think about it Mom, do I have the time to think about it ? ”
(“That’s it baby girl, THINK ABOUT IT”. ^^)
WELL, it’s when googling costumes with her father that BAM, love at first sight: “Mom, I want to be Alice, can you sew it for me please?”
You know how to resist, you, to this cutie face ??? Not me. ❤
So I began to study the subject a little, and I drew a small sketch, based on Alice Disney cartoon.
For the dress it would be easy: it was ok to sew her a Tinny Dress from Straight Grain, in chambray. The most complicated was going to be the apron: having no pattern who exactly stuck to the apron of the cartoon, I began to trace it by myself.
Digging into the stash, I came across this white cotton, probably found at Mr. Albert a long time ago. And as usual, I cut into my fabric without making a toile beforehand: the result was much too broad, too imposing at the shoulders. I drastically reduced the width of the back piece, and the whole was more harmonious.
The top of the apron is lined with polyester satin, the belt lined with the main cotton. The bottom piece is a simple gathered rectangle, finished with double-tucked hems.
A naughty I tell you. Let’s skip to the dress?
This is the great advantage of this costume: Juliet can wear the dress afterwards. So I chose the Tinny Dress, which with all its options could perfectly fit Alice’s dress. I opted for the basic bodice version + Peter Pan collar + puffed sleeves + circle skirt.
Having noticed that her Christmas dress was too tight for her at the shoulders, I drew the size 5 years on the top of the bodice, which hinges on the size 4 years at the size, with a stature in size 6 years. And it’s better!
And the skirt is turning, and yes, it’s important. : D
The dress is made in a chambray of Coupons Saint Pierre. The bodice is lined, and I have not forgotten the neat seam at armholes (here the great tutorial on the Sew Along of the Rue dress from Colette) (in the paragraph “Finish Armhole”).
The back is finished with an invisible zipper …
… the Peter Pan collar is also made of chambray …
… and the sleeves are puffed, with the little cute detail of the box pleat on the hem.
Verdict: you would have seen me when I first put it all together, a few hours before the carnival. I started to jump everywhere, hands twirling in all directions, shouting “oh my god” and other “OH MY GOD” completely hysterical. 😀 She certainly took the time to make a choice, but then, WHAT A CHOICE! This character fits her like a glove, and I am happy to have win the challenge. ❤ And glad because she can enjoy this pretty dress for a while. 😉
I wish you a good weekend, here we go a week on vacation in the Cevennes, our traditional spring break. It will be a bit sad this year: we have lost a loved one. It’s hard to let the people we love fly away, isn’ it? Anyway, take good care of yourself. And thank you again for your comments that always go straight to my heart. ❤