The knee-length, polka dot printed lemon dress with inverted pleats was an ambitious project that took on a life of its own for the 18-year-old.

``I would draw sketches when I was bored and I would sketch over and over and then it all came together,'' said Melanie of her major work for last year's HSC textile and design course at Broughton Anglican College in Menangle Park.

It took Melanie nine months to design the dress that was inspired by the 1960s fashion featured in the film Hairspray; the spots were a tribute to her love of cupcakes and the fullness of the dress was based on the American cheerleaders' pleated skirt.

``The waistband is very delicate,'' she said. ``It's made of 100 per cent cotton that I moulded using a cake cooler by squeezing the fabric through the small squares.

``And I hand-painted the spots on the fabric that alone took six weeks.''

The dress scored full marks and helped place Melanie 10th in the state for textiles and design. Her score of 98 out of 100 was the highest in her class.

The dress was also included in Texstyle, a touring exhibition of the most impressive HSC textile and design major works.

And from today, the dress will be one of 25 creations on show at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair.

``It's weird because the HSC was six months ago and the dress is still getting attention,'' she said.

Melanie accepted a scholarship to study a double degree in marketing and communications at the University of Notre Dame in Sydney and hopes to combine her love of fashion and public relations.