This is one of my “hardcore freeform” works and is quite spectacular.

Vibrant red, gold and orange flames shoot upward against a night sky, billowing and twisting. Fire both devastates and reinvigorates the Australian bush. “Flame Fetish” is inspired by night time bushfires and designed to stun onlookers and enliven its wearer with brilliant colours, textures, movement and sounds!

Flame Fetish was shown at the 2005 “Gilgandra Alive” exhibition and the 2005 Dungog Show, sparking many warm observations from viewers.

A spectacular and unique piece of wearable fibre art, the long cape is constructed with natural and synthetic yarns, natural and synthetic beads and metal bells. Many beads and metal bells were incorporated into the fabric of the Fire Fetish, so that the cape twinkles and chimes as its wearer moves.

Like the yarns used, some of the beads and bells were acquired new, some are recycled.

The cape fastens asymetrically across the front, with attractive gold-coloured metal hooks. The wearer can choose to fasten all the hooks, some, or none, to allow the cape and wearer room to move. The upper, darker part of the garment, when fastened fits quite snugly to the body and the cape flares widely from just above the waistline as the flames burst into to vivid reds, oranges and yellows.

Around the bottom of the garment are many twisted crocheted “flame-tails”, which flutter in the breeze or as the wearer moves. Static photos really don’t do it justice! Loose “flame-tails” also depend from the body of the garment, giving a layered effect.

A deep hood, edged with gold-tipped black yarn that gives a faux fur effect can be worn over the wearer’s head, tossed to the rear loosely or folded back over the wearer’s shoulders snugly, which gives the effect of a fur-edged yoke.

It is constructed using Freeform crochet techniques. Very large “scrumbles” were produced, then crocheted together into larger pieces and the larger pieces crocheted together and then more crochet added and so on… Its production was a fascinating, exciting and lengthy process, with inumerable hours of work involved.

The cape is intended to embrace a fairly tall person, either male or female, from about 5’9” in height and will fit a chest size of up to about 40”. I designed it to be the perfect garment (perhaps for a tall redhead?) to wear to a gala event. Although the beads sparkle and shine beautifully under artificial light, they look fabulous in sunlight too.

Flame Fetish is quite warm when worn with the hood up and hooks fastened, but looks utterly spectacular worn open, with the tails flying free, scintillating and chiming.