Go Ask Alice

This weekend googiedaddy & I got out. ALONE. TOGETHER.
Awesome, right?
Anyway, we went to the see Alice in Wonderland. (googiedaddy's choice, believe it or not hehe)

And I was really pleasantly surprised. Here's the thing: Alice in Wonderland is weird. Through the Looking Glass is weird. I've read both, seen the Disney flick, and a couple other remakes through the years. It can be played as a cutesy children's fantasy. Or, some of the darker obtuse hidden meanings can break through.
So Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland? Frankly, the thought of it kind of scared me.
But we went, and I really, truly enjoyed it. The scenery was incredible, the story was good (in case you haven't heard, it's supposed to be kind of a sequel).
But most of all, as a sewer, the costuming was stunning.
I could barely pay attention to the movie because I was analyzing every costume change Alice had (there were many) and the outfits worn by the other characters~both major and minor.
And as soon as we left the theater I told googiedaddy that I HAD to make Alice's dress for Tiny Tim.
HAD. TO.

And I'm not the first.
I love sewing, but what I love sewing probably most of all in the whole wide world is princess dresses. (Good thing I have 3 girls, right?) And I don't mean the typical Disney princesses (although I have done them). I mean DRESSES. With YARDS and YARDS of fabric and sparkles and lace. Dresses a bit more authentic and original than what you can buy in the store for dress up.
And if I could make myself one and wear it around the house while I vaccumed and changed poopy diapers? I totally would.
But I'm not that gutsy.
Buuuuttt...there are people who are that gutsy! And there's a whole world of people who recreate costumes from their favorite flicks. They spend tons of time analyzing every picture and screenshot they can find to have the most authentic and accurate copy of what they're making. They spend tons of money buying gorgeous fabrics, and then even more time sewing them and modifying them to make it into something they've seen on the big or small screen.
Their work is absolutely incredible, and you should check out some here and here. That second link--she's hand embroidering her skirt fabric with the motif on Alice's dress. Talk about some serious (and gorgeous) work.
In the meantime, I spent waaaay more time than I should have last night looking at pictures and drawing up sketches to copy this dress for Tiny Tim. And I would love to get to the store today to start looking for the blue fabric....but I must continue cleaning for now.
I would love to have some "off with their heads!" pun worked in right here, but my brain just isn't working that way right now. So, just, be amused.