Dear Weddings (Dresses 196-205)

Dear Weddings (Day 160),
You make people all excited and festive and optimistic. I like that, even if I find the institution a little sillygoose... Most of today’s dresses inspired by the woman on my tram who was all dolled up to go to a spring day wedding.

Dress I: Wedding Dress: silk dress with painted silk feathers)

Dress II: Bridesmaid’s Dress: comfortable cotton with a silk overlay, painted on the stomach region, petals and the central section of the flower then cut out of the dress and arranged as a corsage/hair ornament.

Dress III: Flower Girl Dress: a photographic print of petals being thrown in the air, with some already falling and a border of petals.

Dress IV: To wear to a wedding in winter: silk ‘paragliding’ sail as headband/hood with silver chain and silver bird on a black matte silk dress.

Dress V: To wear to a wedding in Autumn: Tiny panels of grey slate over a lighter grey dress with architectural grey ‘gutter’ (lace)

Dress VI: To wear to a wedding in Winter: Woolen dress with 2D scarf

Dress VII: fringing over mesh on the neck, waist and hem.

Dress VIII: Indian fabric under an elastic corset.

Dress IX: To wear to a wedding in Spring: black ribbon outline hand-painted filling on matte silk.

Dress X: perforated ‘stamp’ hem with ‘wing’ collar and buttons to below the waist.

All my love,
Ip.

Dear Ms Baulch (Dress 174)

Dear Ms Baulch,
You were my art teacher at high school- doing your very best to coax any artistic skill out of girls who took the subject out of laziness, and gently pushing those girls who genuinely loved the subject out of their comfort zones. In year ten I did my final (an exercise in pattern and oil pastel) on bats- a capture of my childhood, sitting in the moonlight cinema at the botanical gardens, as hundreds of fruit bats wheeled above, diving at the flickering lights. This dress comes first as birds (but is available in batman print as well)
All my love,
IP

Dearest Paprika, Chili, Gefilte, Puck, and ? (Dress 144)

Dearest Paprika, Chili, Gefilte, Puck, and ?,

You were my pet fish. I tried- I really did, but I was never very good at curing the multitude of diseases you caught, and even though I fed you often and cleaned the tank, I really wasn't so good at the Dr House impersonations. Sorry!

All my love,

IP

Dear Alice (Dress 124)

Dearest Alice,

They've finally given you a name, and now i'm well on my way to making your mobile, three felt bunnies (half size) from the pattern at Hazlenut's Blog and lots of felt carrots coming out of a felt lettuce... it's a challenge.

So no wonder I have carrots on the mind:

not my fault.

xox

IP.

Dear Kishkoosh (Dress 113)

Dearest Kishkoosh,
You were my mum's pet really, she absolutely adored you- clever and beautiful, and a lovely creature. I was so young that I was frightened of you- you were this big bird with a powerful beak and you didn't like me because I moved so quickly that I frightened you. Silliness. I realised how much a part of our family you were when the next-door-neighbours' dog killed you. I remember when my dad came to school to tell me- still shaking- he held you while you passed and buried you himself.
When Annie (my ex-drama teacher, and family friend) brought Charlie to us I felt like it was a chance to start fresh- but that didn't work out, because he hated men and kept trying to bite my Father.

I still think maybe one day I'll get my mum another Cockatoo- I know she misses you.

(Inked linen with a satin lining to structure it.)
All my love,
IP

Dear Red Fox (Dress 89)

Dear Red Fox,

A friend of the family (an artist, painter, sculptor, and CFA volunteer) used to have the nickname 'Kenny the Fox', his favourite subject for oil paintings. I stayed at their house one night at their young daughters' insistance, a lovely home in the mountains with a wood fire, and I just spent the night staring at this painting of a fox chasing his tail. I'd love to do this image I have (but cannot upload b/c of size problems) of a fox chasing a mouse, with the body of the fox slinking from the top of the right shoulder to the waist. Painted in oil paint, and photographically printed on.

All my love,
IP

Dear Tramdrivarr. (Dress 87)

Dear TramDrivarr,

I get that it's pretty crappy being the captain of a ship anchored to rails, but that doesn't mean you need to ring the bell like a swearing sailor (metaphors ahoy!) Your passencaptives don't enjoy it any more than the silly driver who caused you wrath.
However, whichever one of you caused me to miss today's tram only to catch one with an inspirational sailor-jacket on it was somehow awesome.
(Crepe sleeves, cotton body, tights come as part of the outfit, printed with an anchor and sea life -which must include at least one octopus, and prefferably also seals-)
All my love,