Quidditch Robes

The goal of this instructable is to help you create your own quidditch robes. Conventional costume stores only sell them in youth sizes, but never fear! This is a super easy sewing project and great for first timers, and the pattern is easily converted to standard wizard robes or Jedi robes!

Materials List:

• 5 yards primary fabric color
• 1-2 yards secondary fabric color
• scissors
• fabric glue
• needle/thread or sewing machine (you could even use fabric glue, but it won't have as polished of a finish)
• fabric glue
• iron on letter patches
• iron on Hogwarts house crest
• craft floss
• iron & ironing board

All the measurements given are for my body. I try to describe the way I measured the fabric instead of using actual numbers so you can make the right decisions for your body.

I used two fabrics in my quidditch robes, a satin-y polyester and a cheap velvet. Together, they gave a shiny, athletic look without being too expensive. I got 5 yards of the polyster and had plenty to spare, plus three yards of the velvet which gave me enough to do several trials of the hood.

Gryffindor: Red polyester, gold velvet, red thread

Hufflepuff: Yellow polyester, dark gray/black velvet, yellow thread

Ravenclaw: Blue polyester, bronze velvet, blue thread

Slytherin: Green polyester, silver velvet, green thread

Fold the large piece of polyester in half widthwise so the shiny part is on the inside. Trace out the shape of your robe with white fabric chalk. I measured myself out against the length, making the bottom about mid-calf on my body. Then, I measured the arms, letting the arm loops fall nice and droopy, about 14 inches for a classic wizard look. If I were to make them again, I probably would have left them even longer. Make sure to leave the shoulders plenty broad and leave room in the armpits (more than 8 inches for me) to make it easier to get the robe on and off. When you've traced out the shape of the robe, it's time to cut. Pin the fabric layers together so they don't shift around and carefully cut out the robe with a sharp pair of scissors.

Open up your robe so you see two robe-shapes connected at the shoulder. Mark the mid-point of the robes and cut a straight line up to the neck.

On the other side of the robe, find the middle again, but only cut from the bottom to the middle. This is the "broom slot" so it can fit comfortably between your legs without getting your robes all in a bunch.

Turn the fabric back inside out and sew up the seams under the arms and up the sides. I stitched mine all by hand with the help of some fabric glue, but you can use either a permanent fabric glue or a sewing machine to do the same job.

At every exposed fabric edge, you want to fold in about one inch and stitch up a hem so the material doesn't run. If you don't have a sewing machine, I found this very difficult to do by hand so ended up going through it a second time with permanent fabric glue.

If you're just making regular wizarding, jedi, etc., robes with no hood, you can stop now and enjoy your creation. Keep on going to create a uniform for your magical sports team.

In the hem of the front opening, about 3/4 way up the chest, use a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife to puncture four to five holes on each side of the chest. I used glue to prevent mine from running, although you could make a more professional-looking closure.

Lace the thread up the holes like shoelaces and tie it in a loose bow.

Cut a 1 foot by 1 foot square of the primary fabric color. Then, fold the fabric in half on the diagonal and cut it into two triangles. Connect the triangles along the one foot sides to make a larger triangle and sew these together so they make a little pouch for your head. Next, cut a piece of the velvet in the same side and shape of this piece. I recommend gluing them together instead of sewing it so that it sits properly. Finally, hem the edges of the hood and stitch the long side onto the back of the neck of the robe. Depending on how narrow your robe is, you might want to change these proportions a little bit, or trim your hood back before hemming it.

Measure out where you want your iron-on patches to go on the back of the robe and make marks for yourself. Then, iron them according to the manufacturer's instructions. I like to put a house crest on the chest of my robe as a finishing touch.

I wear my robes with a pair of tan khakis or brown legging and boots, a sweater striped in my house colors, and a broomstick. Accessorize as you'd like and go catch the snitch!