Queensway – Art Gowns

Did you ever design a gown for a real life Super-Hero?

It’s nerve wracking, isn’t it?

My 6th “Art Gown” goes out to Wendy Anderson who portrays Nealy Gone, a chronic wallflower, who at 50 years old embraces the heat and changes of menopause to become an ass-kicking Super Hero, The Hot Flash

The gown to be was screaming “I’m hot! I’m red! I’m satin!”

So, I went with it, and draped a classic body shape with a modern bodice on Judy.

I used French darts to shape the bodice.

The back was a lot of sexy fun.

Of course in reality the bodice would be heavily corseted.

Both sides of the center front, the French darts and the back’s 3/4 panels would all have to be boned.

Then I needed some fire. As I’m very partial to tails, I decided a spread tail, like fox’s, no point at the end and in red hot sequin eyelash was the way to go. Once the tail was in, I began talking to the gown, calling her my Crimson Fox.

Then I began thinking about mood swings, and the need for the cooling effect of fans, so I began changing things up a bit.

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Crimson Fox and I love, love, love “The Hot Flash” and want it to be a Web Series.

So visit the Web site The Hot Flash

Or follow on Twitter @the_hot_flash

Or on Facebook Facebook

AS “LIKES” DID NOT TRANSFER TO MY NEW BLOG,

I TOOK A PIC OF THEM. ACTIVE “LIKES” ARE ON PERMALINK

Did you ever design a gown about falling in love, and dreams of romance?

Well I did, because “love rules”!

So it makes total sense that my “Art Gown” #5 has been inspired by Imelda Evans of Wine, Women and Wordplay. Imelda is an author, and her first novel out is an EBook romance, “Rules Are For Breaking”on the “destiny Romance” label.

Having read the book, the first thing I was inspired to do was make 4 dozen silk organza flowers in shades of Mango.

To prevent fraying, I cut strips of true bias in five widths (2-6 inches) then made squares.

I fan layered 4 squares of the same size, ran a large hand stitch through the center to give me a point from which to pince, twist and secure with a few hand stitches.

Each flower came out different. I used a wired organza ribbon in green to mock leaves.

I saw the flowers on a black velvet gown with a cut silk velvet asymmetrically draped, creating subtle lines.

When the gown was finished, I had to ask it a question about Imelda.

“How did Imelda feel when she found out she was a 2012 finalist in Australian Romance Reader Awards”?

Of course Dream Of Love had a direct quote.

“In answer to your question, my initial reaction to being a finalist was shock. I truly got chills. It honestly had never occurred to me that I would be on the list. So when I came across my name and my book, at first, I hardly believed it.

I closed my eyes and opened them again. Then I scrolled up to the top of the page to make sure that I was really reading the list of finalists. Then I went back and looked again.

Then I went back onto facebook and found someone I knew who was online (it was quite late) and got them to confirm that I wasn’t hallucinating. And through it all, my skin was clammy with the shock.

Since then, whenever I think about it, it has made me so happy.

I know my book isn’t the best book of 2012, but to be someone’s – anyone’s – favourite anything is so humbling and delightful. It is so encouraging! I can’t please all of the people all of the time, but if I have pleased even one person that much, I’m very, very happy.”

Well, I’ve read Rules Are For Breaking and if you love love the way I love love, you might want to read it, too.