Alyss or Alice?

When Issue #7 of One Thimble came out in May I fell head over heals for the Alyss dress designed by Ainslee Fox. You may remember the post I had with the Alice appliqué here. As my to-do list got longer I put this one right near the top to make sure I got it done in time for JubeJube's birthday party.

My Julia was over the moon happy on party day when I dressed her up in her new Alyss dress.

When you have an Alice in Wonderland themed party you need an Alyss dress! 

The dress is suggested for intermediate and advanced sewers because of the zipper (at the back or at the side depending on the option you choose) and the concave curve in the bodice. Alyss also features a fully lined bodice, peter pan collar and gathered knee length skirt. I went with the option of putting the zipper at the back, it just made more sense for me due to the fact that I didn't love the buttons I had on hand and I didn't have enough time to run to the store (at 1 am in the morning).

Make sure to read those instructions while making this dress, the seam allowances vary from 3/8" to 5/8" and those very important details are all in the tutorial! 

This pattern is available in sizes 1 to 12 years with the back zipper option and 4 to 12 years with the side zipper option. I'll need to make another of this very sweet dress to include the sides zipper the next time around.

Our pear tree in the yard got a bit of a make over for the occasion too. I decorated it with giant playing cards, rose topiary and clock. We also created the very confusing direction sign out of repurposed wood and a tea pot pinata which was fun for the kids to take a wack at.

I'll have the little tea pot tutorial up next this week.

Until next time, xx.