I love doing elaborate, nostalgic, pop-culture costumes that people haven’t seen before. I knew back in Nov. 2013 that I wanted to be Pasty from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and it took me a long time to complete the whole costume. My mother always crafted my costumes from scratch with me when I was growing up, and that has translated to me trying to one-up myself every year in the quest to make a great outfit.

I spent months visiting local thrift and second-hand shops to find all the eclectic pieces I needed for the large backpack which was crafted out of an old baby carrier frame, wood, and lots of miscellaneous add-ons that I was searching for from the movie. The whole fabrication process took a while, but aside from a few dabs of hot glue most of the pieces were attached with twine or rope.

The head coif was the hardest piece for me to sew because A) I couldn’t find any patterns that matched the style used in the film B)I had to tailor it to my own head C) sewing cloth to form fit a round object isn’t too easy.  I found several free online pdf patterns from vaious SCA and renaissance fair enthusiasts which I then altered and added onto in order to recreate the look I was going for. Overall I probaly sewed about 8 different designs before perfecting the one in the pictures.

The body robe/cloak I just did by hand. I knew what my general measurements were, and the piece just need to sit on me loosely. I kept draping the material over my body every time I pinned or made a new seam to ensure it fit properly. Once the arm and head holes were in place I simply stitched 1/2″ in from the edges to allow the fabric to fray and look used and period-appropriate.

Launch Gallery