Alice In Wonderland - 150th Anniversary

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland was one of my favorite books when I was younger. So much so that I read Through the Looking Glass as well to absorb as much Alice as I could. I even have The Walrus and the Carpenter poem (recited by Tweedledee and Tweedledum) memorized still.

So when Sarah asked if I’d be a part of a tour she was arranging for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Alice, I originally thought I’d do something inspired by Through the Looking Glass as I always consider them a pair – mostly thanks to Disney taking some elements of Looking Glass to use in Alice in Wonderland. Ultimately though, my girl’s pure elation with anything purple lead me to consider a Cheshire Cat inspired look.

I used the Peppermint Swirl Dress pattern from Candy Castle patterns in the same size I made in this mashUp last year. I didn’t make a bodice for it as I wanted it to just be a skirt this time.

Grabbing an assortment of purples from my stash, I ended up with this sateen from Organic Cotton Plus, one of my favorite interweave chambrays (out of stock), and this deep purple artisan cotton (*affiliate link) from Imagine Gnats which I also used for the waistband and bow. To make the waistband, I simply measured Bean’s waist, used half for the front waistband width (plus seam allowance), and a quarter for each of the back waistband widths (plus seam allowance). The height of the waistband pieces is 5″ which makes about a 2″ waistband once folded over and sewn to the gathered skirt. I also added about 20″ to each of the back waistband pieces to account for the bow ties, but only gathered the back of the skirt to meet where the back waistband pieces should end.

The inspiration being the Cheshire Cat meant of course there would be purpley-pinky stripes, but I wanted to add a little more of the overall Wonderland feel to the outfit. Imagine Gnats recently released the Springtail Sundress (*affiliate link) and I thought it’d be perfect for a top to wear with the fullness of the skirt.

I used more of the orchid sateen from the skirt for the ruffled top, fully lined, with bias binding on the neck and arm edges. The polka dots are another sateen from my stash, I think from JoAnn Fabrics. I made the smallest size (5) for Bean, which fits her perfectly. She’s recently made the jump to 5 in some patterns and it seems like a big milestone to me. I swear she was just in the 2t sizes a blink of an eye ago.

There’s something about the black and white graphic tone of the polka dots with the orchid color that screams Wonderland to me. I used a large black button and elastic loop to mimic the black polka dots in the lower top fabric. To wear it with the skirt I tucked in just the bottom, but I love that you can see a peek of the polka dots come through at her waist. The drape of this top is super cute on its own and it’ll be perfect for wearing into the fall with a pair of skinnies too.

And it wouldn’t be right to leave out the star character altogether would it? I added in an Aster Cardigan in a basic white as a nod to the classic lines we imagine Alice would wear.

I used white ribbing for the color and sleeve bands as I thought it added some texture to an otherwise basic layering piece (yes I’m already planning ahead for school) AND the ribbing lines reminded me of the Cheshire Cat’s sly smile which ties the whole look together.

Bean adores all of the pieces, but of course her new purple skirt is her favorite. I think I may be partial to the bouncey drape of the Springtail top though. While you consider which piece is your favorite and before you head over to check out the other Alice goodness, here’s a gif of Bean running in and out of her favorite hiding bush…. just imagine it could be a rabbit hole…