Here she is..

Although this task was tricky, stressful and down right horrid at times, i really did LOVE doing it! I know i did challenge my self alot but in the end it feels alot better knowing you worked hard!

I really feel it was important to expres all the different sides of Annette Kellerman and conncet my suit back to the 1920-50's. I hope you can see it!

I hope you enjoy my work!

So.. With out any further ado..

here she is...

On the Mannequin:

Once apon a time in a far away land...


...there lived a queen...


...she was powerful, feminine and strong...

...she loved to swim..

DETAIL

Bust:

Back

Front

...and in the end she lived happily ever after.

she's 'THE QUEEN OF THE SEA'

So I'm finally on the home stretch!!

Ive toiled up a few times and I think I'm ready!!... THINK... being the key word! If only i new what the future held for me!

Before starting to flatbed i had to prepare a few things first. I quilted and prepared the cones! Without being able to test sewing the fabric with the plastic inside, I was a little bit nervous about it all.. and I think everyone else was scared too... OK i don't think... I KNOW... they told me! More than once!

FINALLY!!!

EVERYTHING was finally ready.

Fabrics. CHECK.

Fusing. CHECK.

Wadding. CHECK.

Cones. CHECK.

I'm READY! AHHH!!..

I started off slow... to make sure i wouldn't have to go back and unpick ANYTHING!! I was paying attention, not chatting... i was on a roll!! i thought to my self.. "Good for you Petricia, I'm impressed!! You little machine you!!"

So after about 5 minutes of that...

I started sewing the cones...

AND.. the Petricia i was more familiar with became to shine through!

I began get a little hot (not only due to the 40 degree days and the sauna like room we were working in... i don't recommend evaporate air conditioning by the way!!), the heart rate started to speed up (not due to the excessive amounts of red bull, V, and rock star i had consumed in the last few days - i do recommend guava rock star though! Mmmm! Taste great and gives you ENERGY!!)

But the stress came about due the the fact the Centre Back CONES! They were pretty much going to be the death on the queen! Sewing over the layer and layers was really tricky and i wasn't sure how i was going to be able to get it all together. Thank god for my friends!!!! They took me on a 15 minute break to DE-stress and OH how it helped! I went back in the sauna feeling better and realised i better get a move on!! EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE!!

After a 8:00am till 7:00pm day at the sauna, i thought maybe i should move in!

then i thought... could it BE!

THE QUEEN!! THE QUEEN!! AHHHH!!

SHE'S DONE!

OFF WITH HER HEAD!!!!!

Oh oh oh!!

TOILE time!!

Pieces were cut.

Machines were ready.

UNPICKER was EXTRA ready!

The design i picked i was really happy with but i was praying that the tubes and the quilting would prove to be a BIG FAT DRAMA like everyone had warned me!

After hearing and seeing peoples reactions to my design, lets just say i wasnt exacally 100% sure it would work.. i was more like 110!!! haha! Maybe not 110.. maybe 80!

I mean when people make sounds like " ooooooo..." AND not like ohhhh.. that you make when you see a ralph lauren vintage blazer on sale and you dont want to oohhhh too loud so people run over and try and grab it out of your hands!! .. the kind that comes when see someone trip and fall and you know there is going to be BLOOD!!

Although i really was excited to see what was in my crazy head come to life!

The toile was complete.

In my toile I DIDNT use any kind of stiff fabric to shape the cones but i thought i could fill them after to get the effect.

Still worried about the cones.

BUT on a positive note i was happy witht he quilting and EXCITED that something worked!

BUT let me tell you the smiles didnt last for to much longer!!

YES -It fit

YES - The quilting looked how i had hoped

BUT

THE CONES... OFF WITH THIER HEAD!

......

Time to make up my mind..



For me, this swimsuit had to really repesent some key things

- Annette Kellermans - strength, femininity, courage.

- Had to really realate back to the era.



It was time to discuss my final ideas for my swimsuit.

I made sure i sat my lecturer down before i explained i decided to go with my SOLID CONE idea! Althought her initial reaction wasnt exacally what i would call exrtremly over the moon with excitment.. She soon became excited about the idea and couldnt wait to see what was in store!!



To be honest i wasnt sure what kind of task i had ahead of me!

But I WAS SO EXCITED to get started!!



I began to pattern make and was suprised how simple it was... which SCARED ME! Its never as easy as it seems!! Let me tell you that!!



I decided to test out the proportions of the suit before i started sizing up comes and thinking about quilting!!






I used cardboard, shapewel,wadding and fusing.



At the begining i thought it might be a NICE idea to put quilting... in well... a fair few places BUT my teacher then informed me that quilting WILL NOT allow the suit to stretch!!
So it was time to think about ways to include the quilting without narrowing my stretch options right down... NOT SO SIMPLE!!

In true ROYAL STYLE... the DRAMA BEGINS!!

...and a QUEEN was born

Before i did anything first thing was first!

I needed to check I had some important items

1. I had my muse - Annette Kellerman

2. I have my 3 inspirational images - given to us by our lecturers

and

Last but NOT least

3. I had a red bull - For energy, hydration and brain power :)


Annette Kellerman!

A feminist, A vegetarian, a swimmer, a costume designer, a mermaid, a movie star and believe it or not so so so MUCH MORE


After reading all about A. Kellerman i knew my swimsuit had to be

STRONG but at the same time FEMININE

SOFT and FLOWY but at the same time ARCITECTUAL

and

INDIVIDUAL!!!

so as you can imagine i had quite the task on my hands...

An idea came to me when i was reading up on A.K!

She was cast in a film named

QUEEN OF THE SEA!!

So from that moment on...I decided that is exactly what my swimsuit will be...
She will be DRAMATIC, She will be POWERFUL and she will be a QUEEN!

I really got attached to the idea of a queen and my inspirations came alot from this idea.

After looking at current trends and everything else I thought seeing as I only had about 48hours i should get a move on and start DESIGNING!

I hadn't really worked with this kind of material in the past

and I'm just going to be honest..I was a little bit worried... OK OK.. A little bit more than worried!

SO..I thought before I get to carried away ( i tend to get carried away) with design I should TEST out a FEW ideas.







IDEA 1 : Solid Tubes - remind me of the ocean and coral and annette kellerman's strength, they will be solid and stong! Just like her!


NOTE: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

PRO's:

Looks effective
Different
Solid and at the same time soft

CON's

Finding a material that won't resulting in tears!!






IDEA 2 : QUILTING (Picture coming) - Reminds me of queens, this side showing the softer side of her, the glamorous side! the woman!


until next time...