attaching hood to robe

[Jan-Qui Coran]

Ok if you please I need a bit of an assist on this. I'm about ready to put my new hood on my new robe. I did look at the tutorials but I'm still a bit confused on how to attach the hood to the robe correctly.

What is the actual size of the rectangle needed to make a hood like Obi-Wan from EP 1 or 2? I did cut it out already but I wanted to make sure it was too big so that it could be cut down as needed, but I wanted to double check with the experts here.

I do have the tutorial from the Padawans guide but the size they gave seemed way to small. I made one out of muslin 1st & it just didn't look right.
Thank you.

[JediKai]

www.rebellegion.com/jedigarb/robe.html

1. Cut a long rectangle, about 45" x 25".
2. Fold it in half, clip a curve around the top corner, and stitch the back seam.
3. Gather the back part of the bottom edge before attaching to body of robe.

[Mon-Jas Charan]

Yea what she said

[Jan-Qui Coran]

jedikai said:

www.rebellegion.com/jedigarb/robe.html

1. Cut a long rectangle, about 45" x 25".
2. Fold it in half, clip a curve around the top corner, and stitch the back seam.
3. Gather the back part of the bottom edge before attaching to body of robe.

Thank you. Thats the pattern I used 1st & it seemed kind of small or maybe I just cut it out wrong. I'll try again & see. I could be a Jedi who just can't measure correctly, lol.

After the rectangle is cut out CORRECTLY you should:

1. take needle & thread & catch one end of the fabric & go in & other end of the material at 1/4 to 1/2 in spaces
2. then gather the material evenly.
3 then attach the hood to the robe with pins making sure you can adjust the spaces of the gathering before you finally sew securly in place.
Does this sound like I'm on the right track?

[Olos Nay]

it sounds like what I did on mine and it work.

[Jan-Qui Coran]

Yep it worked, sort of. Now how do I get the gathers to lay correctly? or do you just have to work the material so it all looks fairly even? I'm trying it with my new summer robe 1st. I was actually pleasantly surprised that 45" actually works.

[Nova Darklighter]

Yes, spead them evenly, or in the manner that you want the fullness to lie, and then sew.

I'd only add confususion to this, I do mine differently, but they're self lined, and perhaps just a bit larger, and I'm trying to do a full tutorial on the way I do them, in fact I wrote it a while back, but have filed it somewhere very safe (as in, "now where did I put that!?") it's not a method for everyone, just the way I do them.

[Ani-Chay Pinn]

For my hood I first attached the hood to the body of the robe and then I folded the edge of the robe-body over the gathered edges and sewed over that so I wouldn't have that inner seam showing when I'm wearing the robe. It sort of like what they've done in the movie. The place where the robe meets the hood is finished.

[Olos Nay]

Sounds like a good idea, Ani-Chay.
I did sew them together, then added a smaller piece of fabric for finition. seams easier and more logical your way.

[Ani-Chay Pinn]

I forgot to mention that when you fold and sew over the seam where the hood is attached to the body of the robe you're going through a lot of layers of fabric. So, you need to go slow with a sturdy sewing machine for that part. Adding a piece of fabric over that seam is just as good a way of doing it, as long as the fabric matches and it looks finished when done.

[Nova Darklighter]

I believe the binding with separate strip is the correct way, but I do it the way you do it as well Ani, yes, sturdy machine, and patience. I also seem as if I'm sewing it on to the wrong side until I enclose the seam, that's part of why I said mine would cause confusion, the other reason is that instead of gathering the hood to the neck size, I do it with cut darts, 5, one CB, and then 2 on each side, I sew them all together 1st, then so that they will all face the inside, seam to seam on the shell & lining and then sew it on so the seam is on the outside of the robe, then flip it back and sew it down to enclose the seam.

[Xeco Freemoon]

While the method of binding the large fabric to gather in one place works for some.. I prefer the 'Darth Maul' method. If you look at his hood it's big, it can rest easily on his head and if you also look at the opening scenes of Episode 1 you'll see the same effect with the Jedi there. Hoods cover faces.

To get a larger hood, you don't make a rectangle or square. You make a smooth flowing curve that follows the neck and lapel of the robe, thus the fabric doubles in size and you don't end up with a bunchy collar. The old Simplicity pattern had the basic concept down, but I went further with it, pushing it out and the hood pretty much connects to the collar of the robe all the way down to my chest. I'll have to do a quick sketch to illustrate.



Don't let this terrible mouse driven ilustration fool you, the hight in the back of the hood is vaguely similar to the hight in the front... I've exagerated a bit to get my point across.

The hight of my hood is 27 inches (longest seam being the front open edge of the hood) and it is 20 inches deep (from the front finished seam to the back seam where the 2 hood panels are joined). Seem a little tall? Well believe me it drapes beautifully because of it. If you want more hood, make it taller.

Force be with you.

-Xeco

[Nova Darklighter]

What you're saying is that the front of your hood is cut longer than the back on a descending curve, yes, that works. Mine is full enough to make me happy, but I might try this on one of the upcoming robes, it is definitly the seamline for D Maul, I love that beast of a robe, but hate doing pleats.

[Ani-Chay Pinn]

That's an interesting way of doing it.

It looks like the front part of the robe body has a collar that is lower than a regular, shirt-type collar? That way the collar is larger around, so the hood can be attached without pleating the hood? It would look different with the hood down; the seams would go down lower, but it should work fine.

I find I can't get away without pleating the back of the robe; I like that extra fullness in the body of the robe.

[Koda Vonnor]

A question of gathering the hood before attaching it to the robe:

How much of the hood should you gather? I mean should there be "pleats" from end to end all the way around the hood, or is there a few inches of smooth-seam at the hood opening before the pleats begin?

~ Koda