Rearview Fridays: Alice in Wonderland Mobile

I was putting Rudi to bed the other night and looking up at his Alice in Wonderland mobile, as I do whenever I lie beside his little quieting self at bedtime. I love it so much (both the lying beside a sleepy little boy part and the mobile!) and realized  that the mobile should have a turn in the Rearview Fridays seat! I am pleased to introduce Alice and her cohort who watch steadfastly over Rudi from high up in the air …

I found the vintage Alice in Wonderland fabric remnant at Lazy Susan’s in Vancouver (a super charming shop, now just in Victoria and online) years before I had kids and tucked it away with the idea that if/when babies came I’d make something from it for them. And I did! In fact I think it was the first thing I made while I was pregnant with the now 4-year-old Rudi.

I was inspired by the simple mobile design I saw in embroidery artist Emily Hamill‘s studio shop and used that as a starting point. I used wooden dowel for the frame and sewed triangular corners onto a square of fabric to tuck them into and presto, strong frame! I cut out the charming characters and weighted each corner with one, choosing a simple white for the background to calm the busy of the art side. A couple of Alices, Humpty Dumpty, and the White Rabbit balancing the Mad Hatter.

I think when Rudi is too big for an arty, retro mobile in his room, I’ll hang this one in my workroom. I never get tired of Sir John Tenniel’s classic illustrations twirling lazily past.