Burton's Alice in Wonderland RicRac Cotsume

Finally putting this up!  I love how it turned out :)  Even before most people knew Tim Burton was making an Alice movie I had seen set pictures of this dress and thought it was the coolest thing.  I was so disappointed that they only showed it with a jacket over it in the movie.  But still awesome in any case!  I planned on making this into a doll costume for AGES.

Production notes at the end

Inspiration:

Pictures

Since I don't have the patience for a full size skirt like that, I decided really early on to make it American Girl sized.  Took long enough!    Guess it didn't take too long, other than the skirt, in totality, but I worked on it so sporadically....my own fault :)
I started out making two, so that I could try and sell one of them.  Most of the time it just worked out that way.  I would start to make a shirt or something, have it be awesome but amazingly complicated, then figure out an easier way to do it.  Everything here is 'second'....except for what I only made one of....  Everything is my design except for the spats.

Result:

1) The Jacket

I saved this blue felt from when my mother was going to throw it away years ago.  Finally found a use :)    The decoration on the front is just embroidery.  The clasp is a hook and eye that I covered with the same thread.  If you look at the movie pictures here you can make out some seam lines on the jacket.  So I topstiched them on :)

2) The Outfit

First story:  I was going through my stash of ric rac and found a jumbo-sized blue that I thought was just AWESOME.  So I decided that was what I wanted to make it out of.  Thing is, I had a single package of that and that colour had been DISCONTINUED.  Years and years ago, no less.  And the closest colour now was too aqua, so I had to hunt the internet looking for vintage ric rac in Copen Blue.  Thank god for etsy.  I found some!  Not only that, but one was a 12 yard pack of the smaller ric rac.  Luck :)  But a little ridiculous in any case.  Stubbornness.

Excuse my language, but there is only one way to say it....That ric rac was a bitch to sew together.  Took FOREVER.  Every other little peak is sewn to the dip of the one above it.  Sew forward, sew back, remove from machine, cut thread.  Sew forward, sew back, remove from machine, cut thread.  Sew forward, sew back, remove from machine, cut thread.  Over and over and over and over again.  It'll take me a few months to get the courage to go back and finish the other skirt that I started. 
It closes in the back with a large hook eye thing, the big ricrac served well to increase the diameter of the dress going down, and my patience ran out at the end and I added black tulle at the bottom.  But it fits with the outfit and with Tim Burton.  So it worked.  So says I.

White shirt underneath with pin tucks, closes with velcro in the back.  Dark blue vest with buttons, closes with velcro dots on the front, plus decorative buttons.  Tie/cravat is a strip of sheer fabric I found at Joann's with the edges rolled.  The spats.  Oh, I love the spats :)  I might make some in every colour.   Just for kicks.  They were fun, easy, and cute!  A bit of grosgrain ribbon goes down the side and under to the other side.  Closes with some black velcro on the back and has decorative buttons.
Shoes I stole from a Samantha doll, lol.



And that is that!  Done and done!  Thank god that is over, lol.  I never want to see ricrac again in my life.  Hope you enjoyed!

~Nikki