Thursday, January 27, 2011

Happy Birthday, Alice and her penman...Charles Lutwidge Dodgson


Lewis Carroll to us...... Happy Birthday to you.... January 27, 1832.

 Meeting the family of Alice Liddell in July 1862, Dodgson told the Liddell children a version of a story that later became an enormous success. Alice Liddell begged him to write it down,  and Dodgson eventually did, making a handwritten, illustrated book titled Alice's Adventures Under Ground, finally in November 1864.

His friend and mentor, George MacDonald, and his children, encouraged Dodgson to make it a real book.. In 1863, he  took it to Macmillan  publishing. The work was finally published 1865 as Alice in Wonderland, under the Lewis Carroll pen-name. What a stroke of genius to hire Sir John Tenniel to make those fantastical pictures !!

and did you know...all the Sir John Tenniel pictures are in the Public Domain. Read the fine print to be sure this is true worldwide, as it is in America and Canada. I think I shall wear my Tenniel-illustrated Alice in Wonderland dress.....today.


(1832-01-27)
 About a year ago I took a trip to the Oregon coast and inspired by all the beautiful earth....I made this coat......I was thinking that if Alice was a grown-up lady, if she was a bit of a tomboy....but rather sentimental and romantic.......she'd like a coat like this one that I made....perfect for girls and rabbits alike...so,
begins the adventure with a simple 70s coat.....
cut away parts that are not needed, and add lots of lace.








Pour out those cans of buttons and sew many on.




Make a pin of lace and vintage and a key with a heart.





Alice or the Rabbit?
or did you have another dream in mind?


the back has a french blue toile applique with a vintage shell button, long cotton fringe and blue edging, with lots of vintage lace.
The sides have tabs that close with antique abalone buttons......
to pull the waist in a bit....

the lining is sheer matching satin, and I added an inside pocket. The outside pocket is turned askew since it all has to do with new perspectives, anyway......

This pocket has lace, stitching in blue, lots of cotton fringe and a odd vintage googley button.


I changed the collar around so you can button it up......or leave it open........