A bishop's costume (for less than $1)!

I am really happy with how my older son's All Saints Day costume turned out. I purchased about 3/4 yard of 60" decorator fabric and 10 yards assorted gold and silver satin ribbon for from our local Catholic thrift store for seventy five cents total and few common household materials and a raid of the rag bag rounded out the supply list.

The fabric had been cut in two pieces- one selvedge to selvedge piece less than half a yard long and one smaller irregular piece.  I used the larger piece to make the chasuble and the smaller for the mitre.  The chasuble was pretty easy- I cut a poncho shape, finished and hemmed the edges, and sewed on the trim in a yoke shape.  

I winged the mitre, and I wanted to document the process for future years. I overlapped two manila file folders snugly on my son's head, with the folds above each ear.  I taped the folders together, then cut a peaked shape at one end.  Then I taped the peaks together separately. Using the folder as a pattern, I cut 2 mitre shapes from each of the red decorator fabric and some scrap gold cotton for lining.  I sewed the trim on one of the red panels, then with the right sides together, sewed the red panels together at the side seams and repeated the process for the lining.  I turned the red panels right side out but left the lining right side in.  I topstitched the red and gold pieces together (one of each in each seam) to make the "wings" of the mitre. (Our copy of The Church Visible absconded to my husband's office, so I apologize for the lack of technical terms.)  I pushed in the cardboard insert, then whip-stitched the exterior and the lining together around the bottom edge and tacked the "tails" in place. 

Our parish All Saints Day party offers prizes for families who come costumed in saint groups.  The son pictured will be St Augustine of Hippo; I will be St Monica (pashmina as a headcovering, tears drawn on cheek with eyeliner); the baby will be Adeodatus (cloak); and my husband, declining to be St Ambrose, will be Patricius (bedsheet toga). 

What's the best All Saints Day costume you've seen?