The wearing of my Carmelite nun costume

Last weekend was the debut of my nun costume at the Felicita Park Renaissance Fair in Escondido, CA.
***EDITED TO ADD: I was reminded that I didn't include my inspiration photo of this costume. On a website about the Carmelite nuns was a photo of an older outfit that I liked the color on and wouldn't be the usual black and white that we're used to seeing. It also seemed to me to fit into a Renaissance time period with its earthy colors.

I still had to make a wimple to wear under the cap and veil but that didn't come with the pattern so I had to make one up myself. Since the only part that's visible is around my face and under my chin, I didn't need to do anything elaborate. I used a large rectangle of white cotton fabric, folded about 1 inch along one edge that goes under my chin, attached some white grosgrain ties at each end and tied that on top of my head. I pulled it tight enough to fit snuggly under my chin. Then I put on the cap, which the veil is attached to on the top, and used bobbie pins to attach the wimple to the cap by my temples. The bottom was tucked inside my robe. It worked really well but has a tendency to loosen up after time and gets a little baggy under my chin. But overall, it looks good.
When I arrived at the Faire, a couple attendants who were parking us asked was I wearing a costume, or was I really a nun? I pointed out that nuns don't wear makeup or lipstick. Later a lady working in a booth told me she was an ex-nun. I asked her how I did, and she said "spot on". So I guess I did a good job on it.
I had a friend of mine take some photos of me in our encampment where our guild displays costumes we've made to the public. Even though this was taken on Halloween Eve, the skeletons are our year-round models for our Guild's costumes.

Carmelite nun for Ren Faire

Started August 2009/ finished October 2010
I’m not doing a lot of fancy sewing right now but did catch up on a few projects. I’ve been sewing three silk taffeta skirts for 1870/1880s outfits, and will be putting a pleated ruffle around one of them. These are plain to use as a base for a variety of costumes. And I keep remembering I need to make a couple more chemises of various eras, and a couple petticoats, also a variety of eras. I’m trying to take advantage of a slow part of the year for costume events.
In the next two months our Costume Guild will be setting up our Guild tent, The Guild of Taylors, at the Escondido Renaissance Fair. I don’t really care much for the Elizabethan clothing yet (famous last words) but I do like to join in. Last year we were talking about doing our own ecclesiastical court to follow the Queen’s Court. So this would be cardinals, bishops, maybe a Pope or two, and nuns. I didn’t want to be in a black and white penguin suit, so I did some digging around online, and found this Carmelite nun. With a maroon tabard, I can blend in with the cardinals, etc. I picked up Simplicity’s various costume pattern #3608.

Last Fall I tried making it in a dark brown cotton fabric but hated the way it draped. It felt cheap too, and not at all rust-icky for a Renaissance Fair. So last week after another trip to the Garment District I found some inexpensive brown linen-blend (if you can call $6 yd inexpensive but it is). I already had some leftover, very thin, maroon wool-blend for the tabard.
So far I’ve got the robe, cap, and veil done. You can see a sample of the maroon wool I’ll be using for the tabard. The part under the chin will probably just be some drapped white cotton. I don’t have a belt on it yet, & I photographed this over another costume on my dressform so it’s fitting a little wonky. Next up will be cutting out the tabard.


I have a set of skeleton keys on a key ring to hang from my belt, and a large cross to go around my neck. And I have two big pockets on either seam to hide all the non-period things.