How to Make a Ranger's Cloak From the "Ranger's Apprentice"

"Ranger's Apprentice" is a fantasy series by James Flanagan that follows the adventures of a young man named Will, an orphan training to become a full-fledged member of the Ranger Corps. Books in this series have appeared on numerous book lists, including the "New York Times" bestseller list. They are widely popular with children and teenagers, particularly boys such as Flanagan's son, for whom the stories were written. Dressing as Will or another member of the Ranger Corps is easy and requires only a simple, hooded cloak and archery accessories.

Cut the dark green fabric into three 45-inch wide pieces: one that is 1 yard long and two that are each 2 yards long. Set aside the 1-yard length.

Lay the 2-yard pieces on top of each other with the right sides aligned. Sew along the right side of the two pieces to form a center seam; this doubles the width of the fabric.

Open the fabric and iron the seam so it lies flat. Turn the fabric over so that the seam is facing down.

Measure your body around the widest part of your shoulders. Divide the measurement by two.

Draw an equilateral trapezoid on the cloak using the center seam as the middle line. Use the width of your shoulders to mark the top line. For instances, if your shoulders are 48 inches around, the width is 24 inches. So you would measure 12 inches to the right and 12 inches to the left of the center seam.

Divide your width measurement by two. Measure a shoulder's width from both lower corners of the fabric. Mark the edge at these two points. Draw two straight lines from these points to the top of the trapezoid to form the sides of the cloak.

Cut out the trapezoid.

Gather the scrap fabric from the sides of the trapezoid; you should have two triangular pieces. Align the uncut edge of one triangle with the cut edge of the trapezoid. Sew along this edge.

Repeat with the second triangle on the opposite side of the cloak. Trim the base of the cloak to form a gently curved edge and remove excess fabric.

Repeat this entire process with the brown fabric.

Lay the 1-yard length of brown fabric on top of the green fabric and fold it in half.

Measure 4 inches from the left side and place a mark on the folded edge. Mark the parallel edge 12 inches from the left side.

Draw a curved line from one mark to the other. Cut along the curved line.

Separate the green fabric from the brown fabric. Sew each separately along the curved line to form the hood.

Sew the green hood to the green cloak body using the center seam and the fold of the hood as the meeting point. Ensure all exposed seams face in the same direction. Repeat with the brown hood and brown cloak body.

Place the two cloak halves together so that all seams are exposed and the right sides are facing each other. Sew along the entire border of the cloak, leaving a 2- to 3-inch hole unsewn along the base of the cloak.

Push the hood through the hole and slowly invert the entire cloak to reveal the finished product.

Wear the cloak brown or green side out to blend with any environment. Use a broach or cloak pin to secure the cloak.