Calico on the Catwalk

Time flies when you're having fun - and zoom - the weekend is gone! On Friday I was off into town to hear Costume Designer Noelene Hill speak about the creation of tutus at the QUT Art Museum. As I waited by the river for the ferry I felt myself relax - I had nothing to do for the next few minutes except enjoy the wonderful Spring day. Bliss. 

The exhibition featured tutus created by Australian fashion designers - my favourite was this sculptural piece by Dinosaur Designs.

I greatly enjoyed Noelene's presentation (she was my costume tutor at QUT in the mid '90's!) and learned a lot about the construction of a tutu. We got a fascinating look inside some pieces of the Queensland Ballet's wardrobe.

After a quick sustenance stop in the centre of town, I enjoyed an afternoon of shopping. I always love walking through the Brisbane Arcade, and was particularly glad I did this time as it was beautifully decorated throughout with Spring flowers.

On Saturday, Matt and I headed out west to Boonah, where I was to judge the Calico on the Catwalk fashion parade, part of the Boonah Arts Festival. 

We checked into our motel, and headed for the pub, where I became entranced with the pinball machine ( I never got the chance as a youth) - so much so that I had to be dragged away with games still left to deliver my display garments to the venue! A Pinball Wizard cut down in her prime......

After working out who was going to fit what (I'm so glad I took the time to do this, as they were all super tiny, and no-one would fit poor Siren of the Sea who got pulled back from the tour for this very occasion!) we were treated to a lovely dinner with some of the IGA sponsors and local organisers. This was a surprise for us, and as we both needed to change, we shot off quickly to the motel for the quickest quick-change EVER!

The evening was great fun, with some really great entries, many of them so very different it made it quite difficult to judge! The mood was set at the beginning with the entertaining and ingenious display garments made from packaging from the IGA, including this avocado tray delight!

At the end of the evening, the girls modelling my work came out and did a fabulous job (although seeing a racer back top underneath my strapless felted gown gave me a small conniption!) Another surprise - I was to go up on stage and announce the category winners, where I gave away far more Highly Commended's than I was officially allowed to, but simply had to do! It was also a great opportunity to thank Boonah for continuing this event, where I got my start eight years ago, and this may be what moved the IGA representative to pledge even more support next year! Yay!!

We met some wonderful people at the after party and enjoyed chatting before the 'ugly lights' were turned on, immediately taking me back to high school dance days! Our spirits buoyed by champagne and great company, we didn't take the hint, and were almost the last to leave.

The Sunday sleep in was great, the only thing driving me out of the super comfortable bed being my growling tummy... but first stop, the newsagents, for a copy of the Sunday Mail which featured yours truly in the U on Sunday magazine! It was with trepidation that I turned to page 5, but was very happy with what I saw, and didn't stop smiling for the rest of the day. Thanks Cat Lindsay and Mark Cranitch for your lovely words and images. Although the article mentioned my winning the WETA workshop internship, that is still only a dream, but I am taking Cat's words as a prophecy!!