Late last year when I realised that I would be unable to fulfill my duties as a judge for Wearable Arts Mandurah, I decided to maintain my involvement by entering. Already submersed in WOW creations, I was thrilled to find in the studio a corset and skirt already made in a rich burgundy upholstery fabric (an unused version of Fimbria Figura) and a bag of vibrant bomaki shibori tubes to start things off. A late night in the lounge with my favourite fuel, bubbles, and I came up with a work to reflect the theme Oceania.
 |
| Taking over the studio |
 |
| Ahhh, memories of the Christmas period |
 |
| Embellishment around the holes cut out of the skirt |
 |
| Oh, more 'O's!!! |
I used the shibori to create anemone-like shapes on the bodice and skirt-tail, and used still-tied-up and un-tied kumo shibori pieces to create spiky texture. I used free-motion embroidery to create circles on a tulle base including all sorts of interesting scraps of materials - silk, laces, hairy bits - before applying them to the skirt, then cutting out the holes. As the piece grew, purple became an important colour - already present in small and light-hued pieces, it was the addition of the deep purple organza which really made the colours pop!
 |
| Shibori made by steaming with marbles tied in organza. |
|
It was a labour of love, with many late nights spent stitching on the lounge room floor, and calloused and bleeding finger tips. It's very much a 'dress', but I was limited in what I could design due to having to ship to Perth, with a suitcase really the only viable option.It also just grew from materials in the studio - I don't think I bought a thing for it! Even the headpiece - I needed a base, but it was the Christmas Holidays, so found a small basket lying around the house and used that!
 |
| The finished garment modeled by the fabulous Tenielle Lewis and shot by the magnificent Chantal Brennan |
Many thanks to Wearable Arts Mandurah crew for looking after Anthozoa on her travels!!
ReplyDelete