by Alicia Hollenbeck

Created on: July 31, 2009

As the Harry Potter series progresses, the costumes have become increasingly modern. Despite the influx of hoodies and denim, however, the costumes that will always stand out are the robes. Whether it's the simple school robes, the flowing dementor robes, or even the horrific dress robes in which Ron suffered at the dance, all can be made easily and inexpensively with just a sewing machine and rudimentary sewing knowledge. No pattern is needed and it's a great project for teaching novice sewers machine basics.

For all robes, the first thing you'll need to do is take three measurements. If you're making the robe for yourself, you'll need assistance here. The first measurement is the distance from the nape of the neck to the floor. At the end of the project, you'll most likely be trimming excess from the bottom, but you never want to cut the fabric too short for your desired length. The second measurement is the distance from wrist to wrist, going across the back of the neck. The last measurement is the bust. For children and men, this is about 2" below the armpit. Take this measurement and divide by four, then add one. For example, if your bust is 36", you'd have 36/4=9+1=10".

To find the length of fabric you'll need to buy, take the nape-to-floor measurement, multiply by two, and add a half yard for the hood. For example, if this measurement is 54", you would need 108+18=126", or 3.5 yards. For all robes, you'll need at least two pieces of fabric of this length. Also be aware of your wrist-to-wrist measurement. To make this a simple project, the sleeves will not be separate pieces of fabric to be sewn on later. Therefore, if this measurement is greater than about 53", you'll need fabric that is 60" wide.

For the school robes, you'll need one length of fabric in black and one in the house color of your choosing. For Griffindor, you'll need a burgundy, for Slytherin green, for Hufflepuff gold, and for Ravenclaw blue. Many of the robes you can purchase are made from a satin or taffeta type cloth, but these fabrics can be difficult to work with. I recommend a heavier, textured fabric, such as wool or raw silk. Check the upholstery section of your fabric shop; oft times they'll offer fabrics here that are more appropriate for a thick, durable robe.

To make the robe, cut two pieces of each fabric the length of your nape-to-floor measurement. Set the extra half yard of each aside. For the back, measure along the top corner of the manufacturer's fold down 12" and across

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