How to Make a Hooded Robe

A robe with a hood is an essential part of any costume wardrobe, depending on the color. A black hooded robe is good for Death, ghoul, Harry Potter dementor or just generic scary-guy-with-ugly-mask costume. Tie the black robe with a white cord, or make a brown robe, and you have a basic monk's costume. A white hooded robe with long, flowing sleeves is a great Tolkien's (female) elf costume. Belt it and you have a druid costume. Add wings and you have an angel costume.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Fabric
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Iron and ironing board
• String
• Pencil, colored pencil, chalk

1. Determine amount of fabric needed. Measure your height from the top of your shoulder to the floor (or however long you want the robe to be). Double this measurement---for the front and the back of your robe---and add another yard for sleeves. Add another yard for the hood, and 1/4 yard for neck facing, etc. Choose machine-washable fabric; parties can be messy.

2. Cut out the fabric. Cut one piece the length you measured from the top of your shoulder to the floor, plus 1 inch for the hem. Fold it in half width-wise in the middle and neatly spread the folded fabric out on the floor. The fold will be where your neck hole and sleeves will go. Measure how far down your arm the body of the robe will go by lying on top of the folded fabric and seeing where on your arm the fabric ends. Measure from that spot on your arm to your wrist, and add 1 inch for the hem and shoulder seam. This is how long your sleeves will be. A good basic sleeve width is about 22 inches, so take the length you need from the remaining fabric, and just cut along your ironed fold line.

3. Begin assembly. Pin the sleeve pieces to the body right sides together, centering the sleeve fabric at the fold in the long body piece. Sew the seam. Iron the seam toward the sleeve. With sleeve and body right sides together, pin along the underarm sides of the sleeves together and the sides of the body together, and sew. Press all seams open.

4. Make the neck hole. Measure how big around the base of your neck is. Determine the radius of the circle of your neck: circumference (how big around) divided by pi (3.14). Get a piece of string and tie a pencil (colored pencil, chalk, whatever will show up on your fabric) to it. Mark the string from the pencil tip to your finger, making that length the same as the radius you just determined. Draw a half circle in the center of the fold at the shoulder of the body piece and cut out. This is your neck hole. Snip a few extra inches down the center front only of the body piece, starting at the circle. Cut a rectangular piece of fabric from your unused portion that is 1 inch longer and 2 inches wider than the slit. Press the two long sides and one short side over 1/2 inch. Cut a slit in the middle of the pressed rectangle exactly the same length as the slit you cut in the body of your robe. Pin to the outside front of your robe, matching up the slits. Sew around the slit, turn the rectangle to the back side of the front piece fabric and iron. Sew in place around the pressed-under edges.

5. Add the hood. Take your around-the-neck measurement, and divide by two. Take that measurement, and mark it on the remaining large folded-over piece of your robe fabric at one selvage edge and the perpendicular cut edge. Draw a hood (side view) on the fabric, ending at the fold you ironed in the entire length of fabric at the beginning of the project. Cut out, stitch the back of the hood, and pin the measured neck part of the hood to your neck hole. Sew the seam.

6. Hem the sleeves, the body and hood face opening.

Tips & Warnings

• Run your fabric through the washing machine and dryer before you cut it out. Iron your fabric before you cut it out. Iron it folded in half lengthwise, just like it came off the bolt at the store.