Costume for St. Thomas More

Here is the post I promised about the what I put together for The Professor who wants to be St. Thomas More this All Hallow's Eve. I think it was more than he bargained for and he probably wishes he had chosen something nice and simple. LOL!

I used this picture as my guide. I grabbed a graduation gown at the Goodwill store, some faux fur at Joann's, some black craft foam and some props from the local craft store.

First, I had him put on a long sleeve red T-shirt and then pinned the forearms so that they look fitted instead of loose. The easiest way to do this is to have the child put the shirt on inside out. Don't fit it too tight or you won't be able to flip it right side out.Once you get the shirt on right, use some paper towels to stuff the upper arm a little. They are softer than tissue paper. In this next picture, you can see the puffed sleeves but you can also see how I cut a slit in the gown sleeve to create the effect in the picture above. If I have time I can go back and trim those slits and the cuffs with some of the extra faux fur.Speaking of the fur, I used a utility knife to cut out this shape on the backside. That helps cut down on the amount of shedding. There will still be some, but if you take it outside and shake it, you will see that the shedding eventually stops without any hemming necessary. It looks a little rough, but we are talking about a costume here.You can see here the fur and the chain. Not quite a Chain of Esses or an authentic Tudor Rose, but it works. This came from a wedding pen set similar to this one that I bought at the craft store. I removed the pen holder from the base and attached it with some wire to this chain also found at the craft store. The feather pen will be used by our St. Thomas as a prop.Believe it or not, the hat was the thing that gave me the most fits. First of all, just try looking for pictures of his hat and you will find 5 thousand different versions. So, I went back to the stained glass picture. I cut two pieces of craft foam in this shape (kind of a modified pirate hat) and then glued them together to make a circle (glueing the short ends). The secret to the shape is to overlap more at the top than the bottom.Again, if I get a chance, I would like to cover this form with black fabric and create a poof to the top, but since we are hosting the party this year, having out of town guests and trying to squeeze in a First Holy Communion and sacrament party (ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!), need I say more? I can't show you the whole costume put together yet because The Professor wants it to be a surprise for his sisters and his cousins.

Here is the cost break down to give you an idea of what I spent.

Graduation Robe $4
Feather Pen set $10
Faux Fur (1/4 yd on sale 40% off) $2
Chain $3
Foam (from the craft closet)
Total: $19

I don't normally spend that much on one costume, but since Shortcake's and Sunshine's came entirely from the dress up box, I didn't think it was too much. Plus it was a challenge and really quite fun to put together.