Getting Into Good Habits

The school production of "Hoodwinked!" requires four monk's habits, for Friar Tuck and his friends. I made Bob a habit a few years back, when we had a medieval Christmas Carol Evening, so used the same principles again. These are dead easy to make - and I used inexpensive fleece. It's 16om wide, and you need 1m50

 

When you cut it out, you get a 'spare' hood, so you only need 2m70 to produce two habits.

You also need a tea plate measuring about 20m in diameter for cutting the neck hole and rounding the lower corners.

 

Here are the pieces cut out, and laid out on the floor. The girdle is really cheap piping cord, knotted at the ends to prevent fraying. Again 1.5m per costume. These fit an average 10 year old of height 140-150cm.

 

Order of work.

1. Sew shoulder seams - right across the top
2. Open out and draw round a tea plate, placed centrally across the shoulder seams[this gives the neck opening]
3. Sew the sleeves to the body - 30cm either side of the shoulder
4. Sew sleeve seams [48cm]
5. Sew side seams - BUT stop about 40cm from lower edge [helps with ease of movement in costume]
6. Fold hood in half - WRONG SIDES TOGETHER and sew back seam [40cm] - I used wide zigzag here
7. Mark centre back and front of neckline, and carefully pin lower edge of hood evenly round this MATCH WRONG SIDE OF HABIT TO RIGHT SIDE OF HOOD - this means seam is concealed when you turn hood out. Sew hood in place. I used a wide zigzag
8. Using plate, draw curves on bottom corners and cut to shape
9. Roll up cuffs, fold over edge of hood, tie belt round

The fleece is non fraying and reversible, so no need to finish off edges or hem things.

Wonderfully quick - took me only 3 hours to make all four costumes.

 

Sorry, couldn't find a model, and it looks a bit slim on the hanger!

The top picture of the unsewn bits laid out on the carpet gives a good impression of the finished article with its hood. The fabric is not as orange as these pictures make out!!

I was going to do Robin's outfit this afternoon, but got called in for last minute supply, so ended up rehearsing the songs with the three Year 5 classes involved. All great fun - and they are sounding Very Good already.

So there you are - a pattern and tutorial for Monk's Habit. [If a senior monk decides he wants to marry a nun, would that be a Prior Engagement? ]