Quietly Curious....a trip to Wonderland

Well...
This is how it all came about...

with a convo in our Etsy inbox...

"Hello. I love your work. Your images are enchanting and graceful. I have been looking for a skill-developing activity book for my baby daughter but I can't find one that is beautiful enough. Would you be interested in doing a commission? I am willing to pay a fair price for your labour.

I have some ideas, which we could discuss in detail if you're agreeable to a commission. The book would need to focus on skills such as tieing shoelaces, zipping, buttoning, buckling, matching colours, identifying textures, etc. I want it to have an edgy Alice in Wonderland feel to it. (Alice in Wonderland filtered through Tim Burton) I'm open to the use of novel materials and textures.

Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.

Clarissa"

Hmmm....let's think about this a moment...

it would need to have an 'Alice',

and a  'Mad Hatter'

And you can't have a Wonderland

without the forever grinning 'Cheshire Cat'.

(Our minds were racing with possibilities)

Hmmm...this could actually be do-able...

We could include a

Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

and well, the White Rabbit was a must have!

 

The creative wheels were turning,

but how to turn these characters

into something

fabric and interact-able??

Hmmm... Google was scoured for inspiration,

'Alice' could have a bow!!!

Hmmm...Cheshire Cat...

well...

he has lots of teeth...

The Mad Hatter has

very fuzzy messy bright hair!

 This was really coming together now!!

Oh...the Caterpillar...

the Card Man...

the Tea Party...

 

Creative wheels

were ferociously turning now...

Many nights were spent

unable to sleep

with

images running through my mind.

ARRRRRGH!!!!!!

I must get this book

out of my head and on paper

or I will go crazy!!!

Some sketches were drawn.

Lots of trips to every conceivable

craft and fabric shop

were taken, for inspiration

...more sketches were drawn...

and eventually the prototype pages were born.

The lovely Alice

Alice's Boots

              

Cheshire Cat's big 'Grin'

                                

....well, sort of...did you know it is impossible to

make a zip CURVE?

(just something to note when trying to make a grinning mouth out of a large toothed zipper)

One of those poor harried CARD MEN

hurriedly painting the WHITE roses RED

 

The Tweedles

Tea Party

  

  Looking back now...

I REALLY SHOULD have thought
of a BETTER WAY other than BLANKET stitch,
to sew this little Tea Party....

took SOOOOO LONG!!!!

The quintessential Mad Hatter.


  

Now....One of my FAVOURITE things from Tim Burton's 

'Alice in Wonderland' was the


GORGEOUS SCENERY ...

 

 hmmm.....nice WROUGHT IRON GATES

.....and GIGANTIC mushrooms....

and of course those beautiful flowers!

Don't even THINK about asking me HOW I did these gates..."I'll never tell" :-)

   Look at those lovely TOPIARY....huh....a FLAMINGO!

 

I would HAVE to do something with THAT! 

I found this fantastic image of the Caterpillar, which was PERFECT as I didn't want to depict the Caterpillar with the smoke pipe that he can usually be found with.

Of Course a project of this magnitude cannot be attempted without the support of family and biggest fans (and helpers)

My little Ellie and Mum helping out with the making of the Flower People....

TaDa!!!

Just when I thought it was finished....sold....and complete....

Another order for two! For 2yr old TWINS!

(a girl and a boy) 

8 pages each, with the 'GIRL' pages in one book and the 'BOY' pages in the other....

Hmmmm....

....would need to design some more 'BOY' pages

Here comes the

March Hare,

White Rabbit,

Clock,

and Mad hatters Boots

Ahhhh, FINALLY FINISHED!

Boys Version

Girls Version



phew...all done....for now....


~ by Jill.