Cape Tutorial

Capes, I love. Tutorials, I love to read, but not make. Bear with me! There are several tutes out there including this one which is a super-hero cape, and this one, another super-hero cape including a mask. Then there is this pirate cape, which is adorable, but not quite what I was looking for. I wanted a full cape that didn't tie right under the chin to avoid finding my "littles" asphyxiated on the ground. I also wanted a collar. Never did find a tute that covered that, so I was on my own.

Materials I used:

twin flat sheet-red
twin flat sheet- black
thread
black 3/4 inch elastic
yarn and chalk for drawing arc

I folded each flat sheet in half and in half again. That's 4ths, right?? From the folded corners, draw an arc (using yarn and chalk-have someone hold the other end of the yarn while you draw. Or not, if you are that talented.) The length of the yarn should be equal to the length you want the cape, plus seam allowances for top and bottom. (In other words, measure from your child's base of neck to the length you want the cape. In our case, they went almost to the ground) Being a lined cape, I needed a black and red piece for each of my boys. Laying them out this way, you can cut 2 of each color at a time.


Here is where I get really vague. Sorry. Not a tute writer, remember? On to the collar. Before I cut out the capes, I cut the wide hem off the sheet and saved it for making collars. I wanted it to be stiff, so I used two lengths of the hem and sewed them together along the top edge. I left the length longer than the circle of the neck. Follow me? I pinned the hem in between the two neck pieces, with the collar now on the inside, hanging down, leaving the edges to be sewed together at the top. Remember I said that the length of the hem was left longer than I needed for the length of the neck area? Well, now is when I trimmed that off. Starting at the edge of the neck, I cut out and up so the collar would come to a point. I'm sorry I didn't take a photo of that. If this is too vague, you can skip the collar! When I finished sewing around the cape, leaving a hole for turning, I just sewed along the raw pointy edge of the collar with a zig-zag stitch.

Deep breath!


To help the cape stay on the shoulders and keep pressure off the windpipe (not to mention for the super-duper twirling affect) I sewed in a finger hole along the front edge using a small length of elastic. Repeat on other side.


No ties wanted. What to do, what to do? Ta-da! Elastic joins the cape at the front, across the chest. The little's heads fit through the hole quite nicely. (Notice the zig-zag stitch on collar?)


And, oh boy, do they ever twirl!!


Ready to avenge and defend the home front! Apparently, perching on a van bumper makes the whole world conquerable!