Crocheted Halifax clock tower dress turns heads
Textile artist Alexandria Masse is a crochet master, her fingers flying with speed and dexterity every time she creates.
"Honestly, I would say throwing loops together is a very accurate representation of what I do," she says.
The 21-year old started knitting when she was younger, taught by her mother and grandmother.
Later in life, she became interested in working with fabrics and came to Halifax to study textile art at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD).
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it meant she had more time on her hands, so those hands picked up crochet needles.
"What attracts me so much to crochet is that I can form things in the round," she says, "and create 3-D sculptures."
Her creations are fantastical works of wearable art – fabric sculptures like crochet headwear that looks like a teapot, complete with handle and spout.
As her graduation date from NSCAD approached, she decided she wanted to design a special dress to mark the occasion.
"I was thinking about landscapes and how interesting they are in the round, and how I could put that on the body," she says.
She thought of maybe crafting Citadel Hill or Peggy's Cove, but then inspiration came from the everyday.
"Throughout the year I’ve just been walking by this clock tower every day and thought I could do a miniature clock tower, and that led me to creating this dress."
Masse created some of the colours herself, dying her own wool to match the grass and sky. She estimates the dress took forty hours to finish.
"I started by drafting a pattern, and then I created an underdress and then I started creating different layers, like the grassy hill part, the sky part," she explains, "and then I started layering them on top and started sewing them to the dress, and I did the clock tower, that was the last piece."
A photo of her creation shared online - has garnered plenty of attention, with more than 1,600 likes on Twitter alone. Sharing her work has also brought forth new inspiration for possible future projects.
"I've had some people reach out to me to say, 'you should do a series of landmarks across Canada,'" she says, "and I think, 'perfect, I could start out on the east coast.'"
Masse returns to her home province of Ontario soon, but the dress is a piece of Halifax she can take with her and wear with pride.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.