Time for Tea?

Well it was for the March Hare at the Mad Hatters Charity Tea Party. The Character played by Molly Dore was a fun, eccentric and slightly crazy hare who enjoyed tea time. In accordance with designer Elizabeth Cooke’s designs the character, the costume couldn't be anything but a little balmy.

Fake Fur Breeches

I started of with fake fur breeches. Taking into account the actress had to be in these all day and the weather was very hot, trousers were not an option. The fake fur breeches were lined with hypoallergenic lining to prevent any skin irritation as well as draw sweat away from the skin. Pink tights were allocated to the actress which were placed underneath the breeches to help give the over all appearance of a hare.

Knitted Waistcoat

To match the breeches came a green checked shirt with oyster shell buttons which related to the walrus and the oyster story and a knitted waistcoat with 9 pockets placed all over it. These were used to hide various clock faces, nik-nacks and personal items for the actress.

Hat and Ears

My favourite part of the costume was the hat. The hat began as a basic boater hat which was then transformed by adding fake fur march hare ears and crochet tea cups. The ears were made out of a milk bottle, fake fur and hot glue. The sides of the milk bottle were the perfect shape for the ears, was lightweight and allowed the ears to keep there rigidity.


Each of the tea cups were made out of donated wool that was crocheted with s size 6.5 hook. The cups were made into 3 sizes and then attached using a ladder stitch at various angles. I also made a little crochet doily using double crochet to expand. The final touch was a bright green ribbon with various buttons sewn on, placed around the centre of the hat.


The over all costume was very effective and Molly pulled of the character fantastically. I was rather happy with the outcome for this and look forward to seeing it used at more events.