My Arty Stuff...

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...

This nursery is about 3hrs from where I live, and it is somewhere my family and I always stop off at when travelling south. Situated behind an old, run-down fuel station; it is the most amazing site to see. And it has the most beautiful roses, which have the most magnificent scent .

We always buy approx. 2 bunches of roses, and they last for days and days...
lighting up, and beautifully scenting the room.



There is also a maze made of hedges and a huge pond filled with lily's.

This place is such a delight...

A bit of poetry for Charlotte...

writen in 2006.

Time…

I fast forward a few years
For I have no sense of time
But all I want to do right now
Is go back to when you were mine




Life…

The blank pages
Upon which I look
Make me feel the same

I can not see
Which way to go
Which way my life might lead

I’m not afraid
Of the future
What my decisions might bring

So I write my life
As I go
Not looking to change my mind.

This was written by my sister:

A child sits on a merry-go-round,
Watching life pass by.
The roses in the garden,
Planted at seed,
Grow tall and bloom.
Just like the child spinning round,
Through the journey of life's experiences.
Growing, feeling, living, loving.
Birth, life, death heaven.
All aspects of beauty,
Can be seen in the innocent child,
And in the blooming rose.

My Year 12 Textiles Major...

The initial inspiration for creating a ballet tutu came from an incredible experience of seeing Queensland’s ballet ‘With Attitude 2007’ performed. This stimulated the idea of creating a tutu, yet it was an embroidered doily that inspired the warm, antique colours and flowers.

The flowers sparked a familiarity to the images, ideas and themes seen in the film ‘The Secret Garden’; where love, passion and imagination is unlocked, allowing the freedom and growth of feelings, dreams and even life.

The ballet is traditionally distinguished for graceful, elegant and poised ballerinas, wearing ornate costumes to communicate the feelings, moods and role of the character.

This tutu is designed to be suitable to be worn in the ballet The Secret Garden, bringing to life the dramatic anticipation of the garden being unlocked, to unearth the secrets the garden holds and to reveal the graceful blossoming of the flowers growing over the ballerinas’ body.

Choosing to design a tutu has given me the opportunity to explore a variety of creative and innovative techniques, conveying the beauty and elegance of flowers and growth.

An innovative approach to the structure and design of the bodice is established by the use of interfacing, lining, boning and the zipper, all of which help to create a strong, firm structure. This bodice symbolises the walls surrounding the ‘secret garden’. The flowers are on the outside, as the ‘garden’ has been unlocked, and are therefore free to grow and bloom.

The traditional ‘Pancake’ tutu would bob and dip when the dancers' skirts brushed up against one another, this movement of the tutu would continue long after the steps were complete. By creating the ‘Powder-puff’ tutu it allows an innovative approach to the original ‘Pancake’ tutu; this is formed by shortening the skirt, making the tutu layers self-supporting and allows the dancer's legs to be fully visible.

To communicate and incorporate the inspiration from the colours and flowers of the doily and the feelings and passions from The Secret Garden, the creative techniques of ribbon embroidery, appliqué and beading are used to create flowers, stems and vines; which add to the affluent appearance of the garment and discloses importance of beauty and growth.

The end result: (took approx. 60hrs)

The Tutu Bodice.

Corner close-up.

Showing the detailed embroidery which created the vines...

the ribbon roses and the key (which was shipped over from England).

The back view

The Tutu.

The underneath of the tutu,

showing the gathering of all the layers of tulle