How to Make a Wiseman Costume
The Bible mentions wise men from the east who came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh when Christ was born. The Three Wise Men -- Melchior, Balthazar and Gaspar -- are part of the Nativity story that forms the tradition of Christmas. An outfit for a wise man involves simple robes made of rich fabrics and colors, and is simple to make. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 12-by-3-foot gold velvet material
- 3-by-3-foot gold velvet material
- 4-by-4-foot red velvet material
- 2-by-2-foot red velvet material, 2 pieces
- Gold elastic hairband
- Brown belt
- An old chocolate box
- Enough gold foil to cover the chocolate box
- Sandals
- Scissors
- Needle
- Red cotton
Instructions
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1
Cut a 10-inch hole in the center of the 12-by-3-foot gold velvet material. Pull this over your head and fasten the belt over the material around your waist.
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2
Cut a 1-foot slit in the 4-by-4-foot red velvet material. Start the slit 6 inches from the top of the material and 1 foot in from the left edge, then cut 10 inches downwards in a straight line.
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3
Fold one of the 2-by-2-foot pieces of red velvet in half, making sure the velvet edge of the fabric faces outwards. Sew together the two edges of the fabric that are meeting together to form a tube of material. Look at the tube, it has two ends with circular holes in -- sew one of these ends to the slit you made in Step 2. You are sewing these together in a circle, so the slit remains open for your arm to go through.
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4
Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the right edge of the 4-by-4 foot red velvet material and the second piece of the 2-by-2-foot pieces of red velvet fabric. This completes your coat -- put it on.
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5
Place the piece of 3-by-3-foot gold velvet material on your head. The front of the material covers your forehead: 18 inches falls down the left side of your head and 18 inches falls down the right. Hold it in place by pulling the gold hair band over your head.
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6
Wrap the chocolate box with the gold foil in the fashion that you would wrap a Christmas present.
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7
Put your sandals on and carry the gold box in your hand.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Wear a plain T-shirt and trousers or tights underneath if you wish.
Use emerald green or purple fabric if you don't want to wear gold and red.
If you don't have any velvet material, use an old bed sheet in a bright color.
If you are making the outfit for a child, use less material -- half all the proportions shown above.
Add a fake beard if you want to look even more wise.
Velvet material has a plush, velvety side and a plain side -- make sure you have the velvet edge on the outside of your costume.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit nativity image by JoLin from Fotolia.com
