On a Little Bit of Carroll Fun!

Still here...just can't manage to get all the posts I've started writing up in a timely manner and I was determined to get this one up before the year ends!

In October, I had the pleasure of going to the opening of an exhibit on spectral science and technology and a magic lantern show. 

This required the making of a coat, of course. A fellow Carrollian brought this marvelous Mad Masquerade by Riley Blake fabric, which is made up of advertising cards with illustrations from Carroll's Alice books, to my attention quite some time ago, but I'd been putting off using it because it's such a busy print and I wanted something that would do it justice. I ended up deciding that my revised pattern version of McCall's 9130, would do very nicely. 

Aside from choosing to cut it out during a heatwave and not really clearing enough space to do so in a convenient manner resulting in very sore muscles for several days, this coat came together without too many issues. As an added note, unlike last time I made it, this time I happily remembered to include facings and the front seam allowance.

Normally I would spend a significant amount of time searching for the perfect buttons. Nothing I looked at seemed quite right for this coat, though, and then I couldn't decide between what I did have. As a result, there are two round metal buttons, two grey rose buttons, and two cream colored rose buttons, which I find perfect considering the theme.

A wide width ribbon tied in a bow finished off the outfit! 

As for the exhibit, the big highlight for me was seeing a distorting mirror that belonged to Lewis Carroll! As you can see, I was upside-down with delight over it! 

Other fun things included a board of Houdini's keys used by his wife in attempts to contact him after he died (part of continued efforts to expose frauds, which became a large part of Houdini's later life), a variety of magic books and tricks, and several magic lantern projectors. 

 

As someone who doesn't go out and about often, it was a delightful event to attend! 

❤ ❤ ❤