How to Make Hooded Costumes

Create a hooded costume in black for a mysterious look.

A hooded costume might be used for a Halloween party or a church play, but whatever it's used for, it's one of the costumes that is simple to sew. Choose a fabric that gives you the look you want, and decide whether you want trim or decorations of any kind before you begin. It's designed to fit loosely and drape on the body. You can take it up, or sew another seam closer in anywhere it's needed. Design your own costumes from this basic hooded robe.

Things You'll Need

• 4 yards fabric
• Straight pins
• Iron
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• 5 yards binding (optional)
• Belt
• Decorations (optional)

Instructions

Prepare Piece

1. Prewash, dry, and iron your fabric according to its type. Use low temperature on silks and satins, for example, and high temperatures are safe for cotton.

2. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, with fold on the left side to create the back of the robe. Line up the selvages. Pin the selvages (edges) together, and iron the fabric flat, working from selvages to the fold. Cut the selvages from the fabric. Cut the fabric to measure 45 inches by 20 inches, but leave an extra ½ inch notch (triangle) sticking up at the top, at 5 ½ inches from the fold.

3. Measure 14 inches from the top of the fabric at the top right edge (the side away from the fold), down the length of the fabric. Make a 2 inch deep cut from the edge toward the fold. Draw a line from the end of that cut down to the bottom right corner. It will run at a slight angle. Cut along the line and discard the scrap.

4. Leave room to make a ½ inch notch at the top of the fabric at the 5 ½ inch mark, and cut the rest of the fabric to measure 45 inches by 22 inches to create the front of the robe. To form the sleeve, measure from the top edge down 14 inches. Make a cut that is 2 inches long from the edge of the material in toward the center. Draw a line from the end of the cut to the bottom right corner as before. Repeat to make two front pieces.

5. Fold the fabric and cut two pieces 14 inches by 15 inches, with the 15 inch side being placed on the fold. This will create sleeve extensions.

Assemble Costume

1. Pin the sleeve extensions to the front and the back sections, with right sides facing each other. Place on the sewing machine and sew the sleeve extensions to the front and back sections. Remove from the machine and press the seams open. Use the iron to separate the fabric near the seam and flatten it so it opens out and lies against the fabric.

2. Line up the notches, and pin the front sections to the back section. Sew along the shoulders. Reinforce the stitches at the beginning and end of the line of stitching by sewing backward and then forward at each end. Attach the hood to the front sections, and then to the back section, again lining up the notches. Reinforce the stitches if you want to make it sturdy.

3. Flatten the hood so that the left side is flat against the right side, and sew one line of stitches across the top to complete the hood. Press the seam open.

4. Turn the sleeve ends under 1/2 inch and press. Fold over again and hem on the machine. Use a blind hem stitch if you're familiar with that. If not, just use long, straight stitches.

5. Make a 2-inch hem along the bottom of the robe. Again, make a blind hem if you know how to do that, or else use long straight stitches. Encase the edges of the front of the robe in the trim, or binding, if you're using trim (if not, see Tips). Turn the edges of the binding under, and topstitch it onto the robe. Start at the bottom, on the left side of the robe front, and sew up the left side, around the top at the hood, and down the right side, attaching the binding with long straight stitches.

6. Decorate the costume, and add a belt or other accessories if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• You could omit the binding and just make a mitered corner hem on the robe, if you don't want trim on it.

• Make different belts and other accessories to change the look of the costume.

• The length of the robe, including the sleeves, may need to be adjusted to fit you.

• Different types of fabric can give you very different looks -- heavy dark brown cotton duck or burlap could make a monk's robe, satin could make a queen's robe, and red fabric of many types could make a devil's robe, for example.

• Use caution when sewing, and keep your fingers out of the way of the needle.

• Use long stitches, because they're easier to rip out than short, tight stitches are. Once you have the robe the way you want it, you can go back over the stitches if you like, using a shorter stitch.

References

• "Complete Guide to Sewing"; Reader's Digest; 1976
• "The Ultimate Sewing Book"; Maggi McCormick Gordon; 2002