This is another Day of the Dead costume I made for myself (2004 I think). It’s called a “Pitchy Patchy,’ and it’s my very silly take on a kind of costume worn in Jamaica for Boxing Day celebrations. These are simply covered with pieces of torn or cut fabric. It’s a lovely Jamaican adaptation, combining elements of  the costumes covered with vegetation from African cultures and certain British Mummers’ costumes. 

I covered mine entirely with strips cut from T-shirts from a “dollar-a-pound” table at a huge Goodwill store. I stitched them in rows to a simple jacket shape (before closing the underarm seams) and simple drawstring pants (before closing the inseams). The mask is painted on a cotton mesh – only the nose and eyebrows are three dimensional – with floral leaves around in reference to the African tradition, and also the “Green Man” of Europe. It’s attached to a hood, also covered with the striped strips.

 

Launch Gallery