‘I learned to sew before I could read or write and the passion has never left me’. Ardea’s mother and aunt were both trained in fashion and dressmaking, so a love of the textile arts was instilled at an early age.
After relocating from South Africa to Mandurah, Western Australia, Ardea was encouraged to enter Wearable Art Mandurah. In 2019 she won the Movement Category, and in 2021 was a finalist in the Paper Category. While still considering herself a novice in the area of wearable art, she feels the ‘…concept has inspired and captivated me, and I am now addicted to it all.’
Regarding Full Circle, Ardea says: ‘Some crazy people's obsession with toilet paper, a basic necessity, prompted me to collect the empty rolls. This sparked an idea to create something interesting and attractive from something quite useless… A panelled skirt and bodice was made from paper ribbon, flowers and leaves were attached in a flowing style encircling the body from front to shoulder and over to a back panel. A quirky decorated paper hat completed the look. My vision was an outfit for a young girl from days gone by.’
Materials: 250 empty toilet rolls to construct 100 flowers and 85 leaves,120 metres of narrow paper ribbon sewn into a panelled skirt and bodice, stitched with cotton,15 metres of rope ribbon for stiffening the skirt, cardboard for the rim of the hat. Helmar adhesive. More than 90% paper used.