Alice’s Madness Collection was a school assignment we had to complete for the class. Our task was to create a collection of designs using a custom pattern fabric that we would later get printed with Spoonflower. Then we had to sew one of the pieces in that collection. Though, we were told to make this project simple as this was a fabric design class not really a sewing class.
However, I am nothing if not stubborn and efficient. I asked myself, “What do I need in my life?” I wanted to create something I needed so I wouldn’t be wasting my time with something I wouldn’t wear.
The obvious answer?
A Straight-jacket.
Obviously.
I created the Alice’s Madness Collection to tell the story of Alice, a young girl who has been institutionalized and has gone rather mad, filling her delusions with the other patients and caretakers of the asylum.
The Mad Hatter is a rather violent patient that tends to rip off their clothes which then the caretakers must patch up as cheaply as possible.
The White Queen is a patient who has a rather extreme case of OCD, scrubbing her hands and skin with bleach to clean them. Thus she has been given white clothes to appease her fears of bacteria and mittens to keep her from any harm.
The Red Queen is the Director of the Asylum, keeping each patient imprisoned.
This collection was meant to shine a spotlight on Mental Health while also taking a fun spin on the tale of ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
Alice’s jacket is made from a simple hoodie from Walmart, the Spoonflower fabric, three belts from Amazon, and weighted beads. I wanted this straight-jacket to be comfortable while still being functional. Thus I added weighted beads to the shoulders and sleeves to add some heft to the altered sweater.
Because of the fabric of the body, this sweater is possible to buckle by oneself and even escape by oneself.
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