2 Questions....

[citoalcotar]

1. ive been looking around at fabric stores in my town and online at the dharma trading company. im having trouble figuring out what type of fabric to use for my tunic, tabbards and obi. i looked at calcutta and it seemed a little thin...how thick are tunics supposed to be.
2. For costuming purposes, is a under tunic nessacary or can i sew on a "false" one on the tunic?

[Nova Darklighter]

Calcutta is usually a pretty good weight, are they showing you a gauze? You can always line a fabric that is to thin. Some of the members use 2 layers of cotton crinkle gauze to do their tunic, that is another option, which looks good, and drapes well. As for how thick/heavy a tunic should be, it should not be see thru or sheer, but doen't need to be very heavy. I use a fabric called osnaburg (it's about $2.29 a yard at Walmart's a bit more a JoAnne's), that is about the weight of the Calcutta I used to be able to get, it is a natural coloured 100% cotton fabric which has a great drape to it, and gets softer each time it is washed. Natural Silk Noil is another popular tunic fabric. Both should be machine washed and dried before cutting, as both do shrink, as will cotton gauze, calctta or linen, which is another good choice, stick to natural fibers, you'll be more comfortable.
As for the under tunic, it's fine to do a partial, such as a front and sleevettes (also known as a filler or a dickie), or, as I sometimes do, a second neckband and a double sleeve sewn into the tunic, as long as it looks like it's there, it's good.

[JediKai]

As usual, I agree completely with Nova. I like linen and raw silk, but they can be pricey. I second Osnaburg as a perfect, inexpensive, fabric for Jedi garb. Most of the Calcutta I've seen is a nice weight and texture but it's blended with polyester. The advantage of Osnaburg is that it is 100% cotton (and cheap). Any all natural fabric will be cooler to wear than any synthetic blend.

[citoalcotar]

great guys thanks, that helps alot. another Q for ya. Some of the patterns that are in the tutorals are no longer made can you recommend any. I cant find any for robes either..im gonna post this in RL forums too jedikai

[JediKai]

You can use a "wizard's robe" pattern but you have to make the hood and sleeves larger. I was going to direct you to Amber's site hosted by RL but it's gone (even though the new site has a link, it gets a 404). so, I have it here home.comcast.net/~jedikai/Part3.pdf You can use an ordinary cloak pattern to then draft the robe pattern.

Also www.padawansguide.com/robe.shtml

For Jedi tunics, I've always just used a gi pattern home.comcast.net/~jedikai/Part2.pdf

[Kryy Jacobi]

Kai, I'm glad you have that robe pattern preserved (especially with your added comments and photos)... that's the best pattern out there, I think.

And actually I used it without the benefit of a commercial pattern. I just made a "half-robe muslin" by drafting the basic robe shape onto a doubled piece (folded at the shoulder line as shown in the drawing) of heavy muslin using some different colors of Sharpies for marking the cutting lines, seam lines, tucks, notes to myself about hem size, etc.

Then I pinned in the tucks and seams and tried on my "half robe". Then of course there were a few changes and a few more notes... in RED Sharpie.

One can use the selvage of the muslin as the pattern middle front and back b/c a doubled hem allowance for the front can match exactly the fabric allowed in the back for the pleat. (Just don't forget the seam allowance for the back seam. )

I would highly recommend getting a CHEAP cardboard fold-up cutting grid board thing, b/c the Sharpies will bleed through the muslin fabric. Not good for the carpet, the dining table, etc. Not good for the grid board, either, but at least your surfaces will be protected. :-)

I would also recommend reading through the "robe" thread for some good advice, such as not cutting the neck hole too big...