How to Put Together a Catherine of Aragon Costume
Catherine of Aragon was the first of the Tudor English king Henry VIII's wives. Artists depicted her wearing a hat with defined square edges and a square cut bodice. You can make a Catherine of Aragon costume from household items and then use the dress for a fancy dress party or a children's historical project. You should consider the size of the person who will wear the costume when designing it.
Things You'll Need
- 2 cereal boxes
- Scissors
- Scotch tape
- White cotton sheet
- Black cotton sheet
- Red cotton Sheet
- Pearl runner
- Black ribbon
Instructions
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1
Cut a large square to form the back of the hat from a cereal box. Cut two more squares of the same size to form the sides. Cut two shallower rectangles with the same long side length as the square to form the front edges. Tape them together in an open box shape, but do not tape the box sides yet.
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2
Cut a rectangle four times the length of the squares and half the width. Attach it to the top edge of the hat at the front to form the gable. Wrap the edge of the gable around a circular object for a while to give it an inward curve.
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3
Stitch a white cotton lining matching the dimensions to the inside of the hat. Stitch a black cotton lining to the outside of the hat.
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4
Cut two longer stretches of black cotton sheet with the width the same as the square box edge. Attach them to the lower edges of the back of the hat with pins and stitch into place to form the veils. Remove the pins.
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5
Cut a long red sheet of cotton with a width half the length of the square. Fold it in half. Place the fold on the top of the hat, with the front edge level with the front of the hat. Stitch it on to the hat.
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6
Cut two more pieces of cardboard with the same length as the square. Cover them with white cotton. Stitch a pearl runner onto the short edges and one of the long ones of each piece of cardboard. Attach the side without pearls to the lower edge of the hat to make flaps running down the side of the neck. Do the same on the other side.
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7
Cut a long section of black ribbon. Fold it in half. Attach it to the smaller front edges of the hat with the fold in the center of the hat front. Run the length of the ribbon so that it hangs down from each side of the front of the hat.
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8
Wear the hat with a dress with a square cut bodice.
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