A Fun Project

In 2005 our Guild launched a fundraising project for CANSA and the project was co-ordinated by Brenda Dickeos.   The members were challenged to make a embellished bra which would be auctioned off at a gala dinner to raise funds for cancer research....    Natal Quilters' Guild heard about our project and asked to join in the fun and eventually lovely entries were received from their Guild.    Some people chose to make their own bras, but I took a shortcut and bought an underwired bra ....    This project had the makings of great fun.  
As the deadline approached, I was getting rather anxious as I had no idea how to embellish my bra entry....     One day as I was pottering around, the idea for a protea bra started stewing in my mind....    The shape of a protea would lend itself to some sculpture moulding around a breast, ideal for a bra!   From there onwards it was rather easy.   The flowers had to be made using 3D machine applique techniques and the centres had to be hand embroidered with silk ribbon to recreate the lustre and texture of the inner flower.       I made each protea in 3 segments, the back (top) section with pointed petals which rested on the breasts which I stitched to the top of the bra, then the hand embroidered sections were inserted and moulded around the breast.    The bottom section of the bra was added last - the flowers fitted perfectly around the bra cup!     I made lots of separate leaves to cover the side and back sections of the bra with beaded ruffled strips to cover the straps.

On 8 October 2005 the bras were modelled and auctioned at a gala dinner at St Georges Cricket Stadium.    Great fun was had by all and entertainment included a bellydancer going through her paces....     As always, I battled to name my project!    As I was working, a title came to me...     In Afrikaans, the old people used to call Proteas suikerkanne and growing up, the youngsters would often call breasts in a crude way, kanne....!    So, my bra entry had a name - SUIKERKANNE!     The MC for the evening, Selwyn Morris from Radio Algoa was in hysterics everytime he had to refer to my bra and the crowd just loved the joke!    Suikerkanne was one of the winners of the evening and was bought by Keith Swan.   The bras were also displayed at the local quilt shop, Pied Piper.

Suikerkanne modelled at the Gala Dinner for CANSA 8 October 2005

This project really caused quite a stir and was repeated by some designers in Port Elizabeth after our Guild effort.   It really was a priviledge and great fun to be part of this project.