Tim The Enchanter

ARTHUR: What manner of man are you that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?

TIM: I... am an enchanter.

ARTHUR: By what name are you known?

TIM: There are some who call me... 'Tim'?

The Costume:

Monty Python and the Holy Grail has always been one of my favorite movies. Seeing as my real name is Tim, it has also given lots of things for people to yell at me, such as "There are some who call him, Tim" when I walk into a room for example. This is why this years costume had to be Tim the enchanter. The great looking plush Tim the Enchanter Hat from Toy Vault helped put together this costume easily as well.

Check out Monty Python and the Holy Grail at IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base)
or this great resource for Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Goodies

Materials:

Construction: The cloak is the same cloak that I used for my Ringwraith costume with the tattered additions removed. The base of the costume was sewn from a generic cloak pattern, a few sizes too large for extra space. By using this cloak I didnt have to design a hood into the cape which saved a lot of time.
The easiest way to duplicate the tiered upper cloak and under colour was to make a removeable skirt to tie around my waist. The distance from the ground to my waist was measured plus a few inches for drawstring, and then cut out of each colour of fabric. The purple colour was chosen for a few reasons. The actually colour of the underskirt and cape liner on the figure seemed much too pink for my taste, and this drapery fabric was bought on clearance, and was super cheap! The only bad drawback is the fabric frays like crazy and all the raw edges had to be turned under. The points on the bottom of <A> were cut, then the top was sewed to the top of <B> and side edges where it meets. Last a long drawsting <C> was sewn into the top.
The cape was a bit of a challenge at first. I didn't bother buying a pattern or anything, I just figured I could wing it. When I got home I stared at it for a while and almost surrendered until I took a closer look at the action figure. It was a simple cheater design that took very little effort. Equal pieces of 5 x 6 feet were cut and sewn together across the top <D>. I then sewed 24 inches down eaither long side from the top and turned it inside out so the seam was on the inside. The I had to flip the project so it was black on top again. Once layed out flat, I folded over each side about 18 inches <E>.
This next step took a few fittings until I got the right shape. Using cardboard to trace I marked out a shoulder curve and sewed it <F>. After a fitting or 3 I got the shape to fit my shoulder and fall at least as naturally as the figure and movie costume. The opposite side was marked with chalk, sewed and the flaps were flipped back into the inside, making the black on the outside. A 3 by 12 rectangle of black felt was cut and sewn doubled over for strength and attached in a comfortable point across my chest holding the 2 flaps together. This is what holds the cape on my shoulders and stops it from sliding off.
Accessories. This costume couldn't have been done easily at all without the great looking plush ,Tim the Enchanter Hat from Toy Vault. The bone was purchased at a halloween store, and the pouch was one of our cheap dice bags spray painted brown. My beard was another challenge. Instead of spending a lot of cash on a fancy fake beard, I opted to just not trim my beard for a month and spray paint it white with hair paint. The effect was actually quite realistic.