The Iconic Red Cape

A long time ago, I sewed a gray felt cape and lined it with black [imitation] silk. It keeps me very warm, and looks nice, but the hood is simply bizarre, and I can't wear the hood well. I am also completely in love with the look of the classic red wool cape, and I realized that I would have to make one at some point in my life. So, on Black Friday, my mother (who hates crowds and shopping) took me out to Jo-Ann's and we bought red suiting wool and red flannel, and prepared to make a cape. We found a tutorial online, and then cut out the cape the night before I left to go back to school.

(This is the link to the wonderful, super easy tutorial/pattern that I used, and I would recommend this to anyone else who is interested in making a cape.)

I was planning to sew the rest in my dorm room (did I mention that I have one of the most tolerant, lovely roommates imaginable?), but because the dorm itself didn't have a space that was suitable for cutting out 60 inch material, I made sure to do that at home. When I got to school I sewed the flannel lining to the wool, and did the same for the hood. I gathered the back of the hood in the same style I had seen on many of the capes in CW, and attached the hood to the cloak. Finally, I sewed on two fancy hook-and-eye style clasps, and was ready to wear my new cape!

This was a very easy project, the worst part about it was just the sheer volume of fabric that I had to deal with. I premiered my new cape on my birthday, along with my new dress, and it did an excellent job of keeping me warm! I was comfortable with it hanging down my back during the day (I think the high was somewhere in the low 60's, a very nice day for early February!), and when it got colder in the evening I wrapped it closer around me and stayed toasty.

So, if you're going to make a cape, don't go out and spend money on a pattern! Just use an online resource (either the link above, or a simple google search will give you tons of options for different styles), and have fun sewing!

*sidenote: This post (and many others that will be posted soon) were written sometime in the last year, but were unable to be uploaded because I couldn't get the pictures onto my computer for a while. They're all here now though!