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Simplicity 5840 - View B, try to make the sleeves fuller and the robe less full. The sleeve seam should be on your shoulder, not on your upper arm like the pictures. See our page on Modifying this pattern to make PS/SS/COS Robes.

Simplicity 9887 - Try and combine the yoke pieces with the corresponding body pieces before you cut the fabric. The sleeves are also too long and pointed, the ends should be round.

McCalls 3663 - The sleeves are too full and pointed, the robe is a little too full. Add a point to the hood.

McCalls 3789 - Not as suitable as the others because it has a wide yoke and gathered sleeves.

McCalls 4340 - Try to make the sleeves smaller at the end and not so pointed. Add a point to the hood.

Butterick 4050 - Use view A, Make the sleeve ends round (instead of pointed), use hood from C or D.

Butterick 4259 - Use view B, make the sleeve ends round, use hood from C and add a point.

The first place to look is on the company's website:

Simplicity
McCalls
Butterick

The companies, however, sell the patterns for more than most everyone else. You can usually get them for a percentage off either online or in stores:

Denver Fabrics

If you're looking for the cheapest deal around, however, you'll have to do some research. First, find a fabric store around you that sells patterns:

JoAnn Fabrics
Hancock Fabrics
Hobby Lobby

Then go to the store or website and try to get on their mailing list for ads or circulars. Try to pick up a current circular. Be nice to the store employees. Pretty soon you'll find out about a pattern sale through one of these. JoAnn and Hancock especially like to run $1 or $2 pattern sales about once a month or so. Make sure the sale is for the company you want, then go in early on the day of the sale and get your pattern! This is how us packrats collect our drawers and drawers of patterns ;)

The Robes in the movie are made out of black suiting. I can't be sure of the content, but I'd bet it's wool. Suit-weight wool is very cool, light, and swingy. It can also be expensive, however, so here are some alternatives:

other suitings (polyester, linen, rayon, blends)
gabardine
twill
thin denim
linen
linen-look
bottomweight
poplin
heavy flannel

I have seen a lot of commercial or ebay robes made out of broadcloth or muslin. You may find this a suitable cheap alternative. Personally, I don't like it. Muslin and broadcloth are what the cheap bedsheets are made out of, so the robes that come from them are very light and thin; not like the movie robes at all imo. However, if you're on a budget, this may be all you can afford. If you can, try to go with the upper-end, heavier broadcloths in the quilting section and double up the thickness to give the robes more weight. Since it is thin and light, however, broadcloth and muslin are good lining fabrics, especially if they are all-cotton.

Unsuitable Materials (by Carolyn Kayta Barrows)

stuff with holes in it (lace, net, fishnet, etc.)
stuff you can see thru (scarf-weight silk, etc.)
stuff with pile (velvet, corduroy, chenille, fake fur, terry cloth, etc.)
stuff with a lot of texture (burlap, hopsacking, etc.)
stiff stuff (upholstery brocade)
stuff that's too hot to wear
(webmaster: like anything with a rubber backing, or some tightly-woven polyesters)
stuff with things printed on it or woven into it
slinky stuff (silk charmeuse, t-shirt knit, challis, etc.)
shiny stuff (satin, metallics, sequins, beads, etc.)
plaid stuff
plastic stuff (like raincoats, windbreakers, shower curtains, etc.)
non-woven stuff (wool felt, craft felt, interfacing, etc.)

Note: All these links go to offsite vendors. This list is a courtesy only. The website does not endorse any of these vendors and will not guarantee their product. If you would like to get recommendations from consumers, please post on the Madam Malkins Yahoo Group or on the HP Costuming list at LiveJournal. If you are a vendor and would like to be added to this list please email me.

Fashion Fabrics Club
Denver Fabrics
Fabrics-Store
Fabric Mart

Modifying Simplicity 5840 to make PS/SS/COS Robes
Propoganda_Live's Harry Potter Robe page

jen-jen said:

My fav way of putting in linings is to sew the outer fabric together (sew on your facings here if you decided to draft some or your pattern calls for them)...sew the lining together... then sew the two together around the sides and top and leave a small section around the bottom open so you can turn it inside out and then hand sew that section.

If there are no facings, you may want to sew the edge of lining to the seam allowances. It keeps the lining from peeking out from under the bottom or the sleeves, the bottom edge or neckline.

If there are facings, you sew the lining to the facings, not the main body.

Two main tips before you even get started...

1. let your fabric hang to allow it to stretch where it wants to go. It will and sometimes, your lining stretches more than your outer fabric!

2. pins are your friend. I pin all my seams together to make sure that they all line up. And taking the time to pin only makes your life easier.

Carolyn Kayta Barrows adds:

4. Lining pieces must be smaller than the corresponding outside pieces or
they will show at the edges. If there are separate pattern pieces for the
lining they will reflect this tiny size difference. But if you have to use
the same pieces for cutting both the lining and the outside, cut the lining
pieces first then use them as the patterns for cutting the outside
pieces. You will find that the outside pieces will be fractionally larger
than the lining pieces this way, and the lining will pretty much stay
inside the garment when it's finished. (Quilters are warned not to do this
for cutting quilt pieces, where each piece in the design has to be
precisely the same size as all the other pieces or they won't fit together
flat.)

If the lining still shows at the edges, iron it back a little from the edge
of the corresponding outside piece/edge.

If the lining still shows at the edges after ironing, and there's an extra
fold of lining there, stitch that fold out of existence: Turn the garment
inside out, pull the lining away from the edge where it shows, and hand
stitch a tiny fold into just the lining, where it won't show like along a seam.

Cat Sides said:

Yeah, when I was making my robe I was being lazy and didn't want to drag out the iron, but once it was put together, it didn't quite look right. Then I pressed it, and voila! It all came together. It's amazing what a little thing will do! :)

Girl Scout tutorial