Well hello doilies ... that is one crafty wedding dress

THREE residents at Hope Island’s Arcare Aged Care facility were not going to let retirement stop them from pursuing their passion.

So they spent 365 days handcrafting a wedding dress that wouldn’t look out of place in a bridal store.

It is made primarily of doilies but that did not get in the way of taking out first place at the show’s “wearable art” competition.

“Our inspiration was to give new life to an ancient and intricate craft that began in the 17th century,” Allison Ferguson, lifestyle co-ordinator at Arcare, said.

“We collected doilies from our residents, family, friends and the community and we then created three-dimensional flowers.”

Along with the help of Ms Ferguson, Rita Petersons, Patricia Winnell and Airlie Meiklejohn then spent more than 10,000 hours on the dress.

The women said the dress created a sense of community.

“We had so many laughs in between working, I enjoyed every minute of it,” Ms Winnell said.

Pictures: JOHN GASS

Alex Wolfenden, 9, is keen to get his hands on the yummy cakes.

Picture: JOHN GASS Airlie Meiklejohn, Rita Petersons and Patricia Winnell check out the wedding dress they made from doilies.