Make the Cape: Adding Armslits to your Cape

adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comSewing along and making the cape? Cape sewn together and lining prepared? If you did all that, it’s time to add some armslits to your cape!
adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com1. Take your cape and pattern piece and mark the position of the arm opening as shown above. The position of the armslits really is up to you. I put mine closer to the centre front, others prefer it to be on the lengthened shoulder seam line.

I recommend you put on your cape and, standing in front of a mirror, mark the preferred position of your armslits on one side of the cape.

The lower end of the arm hole should be approx. 10-15cm from the bottom edge of the cape and the opening should be at least 20-25cm long to be able to move your arms comfortably.

2. When you are satisfied with the position, mark it on the pattern piece and transfer it to the other side of your cape. Thus, you can easily mark it on the lining, as well.
adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com3. After marking the position of the arm opening (with chalk or tailor’s tacks), cut out four strips of your main fabric (or lining fabric if you prefer the contrast), two for each armslit. They should be approx. 4-5cm (2inch) wide and 3cm longer than your armslit measurement. So if your armslits are 20cm long, these strips will have to be at least 23cm long in order to include a seam allowance of 1.5 cm on each end.adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

4. Place these strips right sides together onto your cape, so that the edges of the strips are lined up along the armhole marking. Pin. Make sure you don’t position the pins too close to the armhole marking in order to avoid sewing over them in the next step.adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com5. Turn your cape around, so that you are facing the left side of the fabric. Carefully stitch two lines approx. 7mm (2/8”) from the armhole marking, starting and ending your seam at the markings, as shown below.Ā adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com6. Cut the armslit open along the marked line starting and ending 1.5cm from the marked end of your line (see picture below).
adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com7. Cut diagonally towards the end of your stitching lines, so you will end up will small triangles.adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com8. Push the fabric through to the other side and press.adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com9. You could now simply understitch the facing. I decided to press the facing so that it shows through the openingĀ on the other side.adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com10. Stitch in the ditch to hold the facing in place.Ā adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comI used a special presser foot for that, but you can simply use a standard feet as well, stitching slowly on the previous seam.adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com11. When you have understitched, topstitched or otherwise secured the facing, pin the small triangles in place and stitch them onto the facing’s seam allowance. You can either to that by machine or with hand.Ā adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com12. If you are not adding a lining to your cape, you can sew the outer edges of the facing onto your cape with wide catch-stitches.

Lining the Armslits

If you haven’t done so yet, prepare your lining and sew it into the cape following the instructions from the last part of the sewalong.

adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com1. After your cape is lined and pressed, first pin the armslits closed and an then add some pins to hold lining and main fabric together along the opening. Make sure all layers are lying very flat before you pin (or baste) them together.adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com2. Take out the pins you used to close the opening and carefully cut the underlying lining open along the marked armslit line. (You can either mark the line before you sew in the lining, or before cutting, after you take out the pins.)adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comYou make the cut in exactly the same way as before, ending the cut with the small triangles.adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com3. Push the seam allowance between the layers and pin everything in place.Ā adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com4. Using thread and a handsewing needle, slipstitch the lining to your facing. If you absolutely loathe handsewing, you can (from the right side) stitch in the ditch again, catching the lining. For a neater finish, I’d always recommend handsewing, though.adding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comadding armslits to the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comAnd you’re done! Congrats!

This was the last part of the Fairytale Cape Sewalong! Hope you enjoyed making your cape! I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished!

There will be a link party coming up soon where you’ll have the chance to link up your lovely capes! And it might even include goodies! Keep your eyes peeled! šŸ˜‰


Happy sewing!
ā™„

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Make the Cape: Sewing the Cape // Cutting Out and Sewing the Lining

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comMaking the cape?Ā Pattern assembled and cut out? Then itā€™s time to sew the cape and add a lining!

(But before we add a lining, you should have made up your mind about whether your cape will have a hood, a collar or none of the two.)

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comlining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comlining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sewing the Cape

Before we start cutting out the lining fabric, we will cut out and assemble the cape first. You will find all the major steps with illustrations included in the pattern, but I’ve also taken some pictures while sewing this cape.

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com1. Before you cut into your lovely fabric, have a think about pattern matching, if your fabric has some sort of a print. The centre front will be parallel to the grainline, the centre back will be perpendicular to the centre front.

If you’d like to match up patterns, it’s best to use the centre front as a guideline.

2. Pin pattern to fabric. Make sure you cut the cape on fold!Ā lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com3. The first thing we will do is sew the shoulder seams. Pin the shoulder seams (right sides together) and stitch on the marked seamline (1.5cm seam allowance).lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comlining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com4. Press seam open like so:lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

5. Cut out fusible interfacing to stabilise the front of the cape. I cut out one large piece, but you could also interface each buttonhole individually. I never know the exact position of my buttons and buttonholes until I’ve finish sewing a garment, so this is why I prefer cutting out a large piece and interfacing the entire front of the cape.

Using my cape pattern piece, I cut out an approx. 10cm wide piece of interfacing (minus seam allowance). I personally don’t apply interfacing onto the seam allowance in order to avoid extra bulk.

Using your iron, fuse interfacing onto the left side of your fabric and right front of your cape (which is the side where your buttonholes will be).

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com6. This next step is completely optional.

As the cape is partly cut on the bias and the fabric can stretch out easily, you might want to add clear elastic (if you are using knits/stretch fabric) or cotton tape to your shoulder and neckline seams before you proceed with sewing in the lining.

Stitch clear elastic/cotton tape to the wrong side of the cape neckline seam, making sure not to stretch the elastic at all. I recommend reinforcing the shoulder seams in the same way.

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comlining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comlining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

7. Now it’s time to attach the hood or collar.

Alternative 1: Peter Pan Collar

Sew on the collar onto the cape neckline, left side on right side (see below). Match up the collar with the center front and shoulder seams. Stitch within the seam allowance (approx. 1cm from the edge).
lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Alternative 2: Hooded Cape

Now I do not have pictures for this step, as I haven’t lined my other cape’s hood and added a Peter Pan collar when I sewed this cape.

But it’s pretty straight-forward:

  • Cut out the two hood pattern pieces in your lining fabric and cape fabric.
  • Pin and sew the darts on both of the hood parts. Press towards the back.
  • With right sides together, stitch, serge or zigzag your two hood pieces together at the curved seamĀ ending at large circle.
    (Do this for both the outer fabric and the lining)

Then you simply sew together the two hoods you’ve created. You sew them together at the front opening (right sides together) leaving the neckline opening as it is. You can understitch or topstitch to keep the lining in place.

Turn inside out and continue to attach the hood to the lined cape. You can also baste the hood lining to the hood fabric at the neckline, so layers donā€™t shift. I would sew the hood onto the cape (right sides together), press the seam allowance down inside the cape.


8. If you are using wovens, put your cape on your dressform or a hanger and leave it hanging for a few hours or overnight. You can cut out the cape lining in the meantime.

As the cape is partly cut on the bias, the fabric might stretch out in these areas which can distort the shape of the hemline. Leaving it hanging gives it some time to stretch (some fabrics don’t if you’re lucky), so you can adjust the hemline before attaching the lining.

(I also recommend doing this with the lining, once it’s cut out.)

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Here’s what my cape looked like the next morning.

Put your cape on a flat surface and place the pattern piece on it. Cut of the excess fabric.lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com


armslits option

If you’d like to add armslits to your cape additionally to the lining, I’d recommend you pause at this point and wait for the next part of the sewalong in which I will show in detail how to sew the armslits. It’s much easier to sew the armslits when the lining isn’t attached yet.

(Although it’s not impossible to add the armslits after you’ve finished your cape.)


9. Cut out the cape lining.

Cut out the cape pattern piece in your lining fabric. Then trim off 2.5cm (1 inch) from the hem.lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comWe want the lining to be a tiny bit shorter than the cape, so it doesn’t peek out at the hem later. We will be bagging the lining.lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

10. Again, this next step is optional.

I wanted to add a facing to my lining, cut out of the cape fabric. Using the cape pattern, I cut out the front edge (12cm wide, incl. seam allowance) twice. Cut off the same amount minus 1.5cm seam allowance (10.5cm for my facing) from the cape lining. (Hope that makes sense!)

Just keep in mind that, after you have sown facing and lining together, it should have the original size. (Check with your pattern)
lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

To sew the facing onto the lining, pin both together (right sides together) and stitch with 1.5cm seam allowance. Press seam open or towards the facing (if your lining is slightly see-through like mine and you don’t want the seam allowance to show).lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Alright. Now cape and lining are ready to be joined together!

11. Place lining on cape, right sides together. We will sew the hem first, to bag the cape.

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Without shifting the two layers, pin both together at the hem. Stitch (1.5cm seam allowance).lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

12. Now pin both layers together at the neckline. Since your lining is short than your cape fabric, you will find that the hem moves up into the cape. Make sure your cape lies flat and press the hem.lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com13. Breathe! You just finished the hem! The biggest and most difficult part is done!

Well, the hem is finished, but your cape will now look like this:lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

What a mess!

Turn the cape, so that the lining is facing you (Don’t turn it inside out yet, just put it on the dressform or hanger or floor the wrong way around). Like so:
lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The collar or hood will now be between the two layers.Ā lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com14. Pin along the neckline and front edges down to the hem, leaving a 20cm gap on one of the edges (we need this to turn the cape inside out later). Stitch all the way around the front edge and neckline making sure you don’t sew the gap closed. If you’ve attached the hood, make sure you don’t catch it while you’re stitching.lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

15. Trim of the corners in the front to remove bulk.lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

16. Turn the cape inside out and make a happy dance. You’ve almost finished! But what do we do with that silly gap on the facing in the front?lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

17. Grab a coffee. You know what’s coming.

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

.
.
.
Handsewing.

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Press the seam allowance inside (either with your fingers or the iron) and then pin the facing to the cape. Attach by hand with a slipstitch.

Press.

Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com

18. Now the only thing that’s missing is the buttons & buttonholes!

The buttonholes will be sewn onto the right front of the cape.

Since my cape has a pretty collar which would’ve otherwise covered up the first row of buttons, I used snaps on the top, which are almost invisible from the right side. My first row of buttonholes therefore starts a bit further down.

The size of your buttonholes varies and depends on the size of your buttons. There are many rules for determining the width of a buttonhole, I always go with diameter + height of button. Some people add another 2mm to that. Whatever works best for you.

If in doubt, sew the buttonhole onto a piece of scrap fabric first, to check whether it’s the right size.

lining the cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

19. Sew on your buttons.

Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Congrats, you’re done!!

There will be a link party at the end of this sewalong where you can link up your fabulous capes!

The next part of the sewalong will be coming this week and covers:

Adding Armslits to your Cape


Happy sewing!
ā™„

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Make the Cape: Drafting a Peter Pan Collar for Your Cape // Sewing the Collar

Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.comMaking the cape? Pattern assembled and cut out? Then it’s time to draft the Peter Pan Collar!

Drafting a Peter Pan Collar for Your Cape

In order to do this, we will need to make some adjustments to the cape pattern piece. Best, you cut out your cape fabric before you draft the collar. If you want to cut out the fabric later, you will need to put the pattern piece back together after drafting your collar.

1. Take your cape pattern piece and lengthen the shoulder seamline by drawing a straight line down to the hem like so:Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com

2. Cut the pattern apart along this line.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Now it’s much easier to join the shoulder seams, which we will do in this next step:
Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.comTo make explaining this step easier, I have marked two points, A and B. A is where the shoulder seamline meets the neckline. B is where the small circle is marked.

3. Fold away the seam allowance like so:Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com4. Now join the two pattern pieces, so the As match up and the Bs overlap by approx. 1cm. Tape together (don’t glue, you will want to be able to separate the pieces again and tape them back together in order to cut out your cape if you haven’t done so yet).

The point of overlapping the two pieces is to help the collar lie very flat against your cape.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.comYour pattern will now look like this:Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.comNow that we have a continuous neckline, we can start drafting the collar.

5. Place your pattern piece on a piece of paper (I glued together two A4 pages).Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com6. Copy the shape of the neckline, also marking the position of center front & back and the shoulder seamline.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.comIt should look like this:Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com7. Now add 1.5cm (5/8”) seam allowance. (The seam allowance is already included in the cape pattern, which is why we need to mark it on the collar piece. You don’t want your collar end up too narrow).
Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com8. Draw the center front line (parallel to the front edge).Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com9. For this step I used a lid, but you can also do this free hand. Starting at the center front line draw a curved line. Here it’s completely up to you how you want the shape of your collar to look. When you’re satisfied with the shape, measure the width.

As you can see in the picture below, my collar is 7.5cm wide (including seam allowance at the neckline).Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com10. Mark the width measurement on the center back seam. Depending on the fabric you use the collar will be either cut on fold or in two pieces. If you are using fabric in a plain colour, you can simply cut the collar on fold (make a note next to the center back line). If you’re using patterned fabric which needs to be neatly lined up in the front, you will have to cut the collar in two pieces. In this case you will have to add 1.5cm of seam allowance to the center back edge.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com11. Mark the measured width all the way around the neckline.
Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com12. Draw a smooth line through all of the marks.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com13. Now you’re almost done! Just add some seam allowance to the bottom edge of your collar.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com14. Mark the shoulder seam placement and center front with notches. Now grab a coffee and admire your newly drafted Peter Pan collar!Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Sewing the Collar

Next to your pattern and fabric you will need:
ā™„ matching thread ā™„ fusible interfacing ā™„ scissors ā™„ iron ā™„ sewing machine ā™„ pins ā™„

Now it’s time to cut out and sew this beautiful specimen of a collar! Before you head off and cut into your lovely fabric, here a quick hint for those of you using plaid/striped fabric.

First of all, matching the pattern perfectly is easier when you only cut out one piece at a time (so no folding or layering of fabric). But that’s completely up to you.

The easiest way to make sure the pattern matches up nicely in the front is to use the center front mark on your pattern piece as a guide. As you can see in the picture below, I lined up the center front with the darker, vertically running line. Using my fabric as example, you could then mark the position of the lighter, horizontally running line on your pattern piece to make sure that the next piece is cut out in exactly the same way.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com

1. Cut out 4x collar (or 2x if cut on fold), 2x fusible interfacing (or 1x if cut on fold). Cut out the fusible interfacing without the seam allowance (we don’t need extra bulk).

Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com

2. Using your iron, fuse the interfacing to the left side of your collar pieces.Ā Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com3. If not cut on fold, sew your collar pieces together at the center back. Press seam open.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com4. Pin or baste collar pieces together (right sides together) starting at the seam allowance mark at the front corner, all the way along the bottom edge. Leave the top edge as it is. Don’t sew it closed!

With this step I always prefer basting instead of pinning, but that’s just my personal preference. When basting, the fabric layers are less likely to shift, which is important when you are trying to match patterns.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com5. Sew along the pinned/basted edge using 1.5 cm of seam allowance. Before you turn the collar inside out, clip the rounded edges to remove bulk like so:Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.comYou can trim one seam allowance shorter than the other. this also helps to remove bulk.Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com6. Turn inside out and give it a good press.

After sewing together the cape, the collar will be attached to the cape’s neckline, matched up at the center front. If you’re sewing a lined cape, you can simply sew the collar to the cape left on right (see picture below).

I will explain how to add a lining in my next sewalong post.

If you are not lining your cape, you couldĀ sew the collar onto the cape left on right, finish the raw edges, press them in and stitch them onto the cape (without catching the collar!). The stitching will be hidden under the collar.

Peter Pan Collar Tutorial by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The next part of the sewalong will be coming this week next weekĀ and covers:

Cutting Out and Sewing the Lining


Happy sewing!
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Make the Cape: Printing & Assembling the Pattern // Choosing Design Variations & Fabric

Hello! This is the first part of the Fairy Tale CapeĀ sewalong. There will be quite a few sewalong posts coming up in the next few days/weeks. If you’re not sewing along, bear with me – I’ll try my best to throw in some other posts every once in a while! I have yet to figure out the schedule. I have quite a few finished garments that need to be photographed and blogged, but the sewalong will keep me pretty busy!

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Printing & Assembling the Pattern

Before printing the pattern and cutting your fabric, make sure you have read all of the
instructions included in the pattern file.

Before printing the complete pattern, please print the page with the Test Square first and measure if the sizing (4ā€™ā€™/10.2cm) is correct to make sure you are printing to scale. It is also important that your printing program is set on ā€œActual Sizeā€. Do not scale the pattern (e.g. ā€œFit to Pageā€) as this will affect the sizing.

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I suggest leaving the pile of pages after printing as it is (without arranging all of the pages on the floor/table before glueing). To avoid mixing up the pages & getting confused by the numbers you can cut and glue the pages one by one as you go until you have reached the end of the pile. The pages are arranged in rows (you start assembling at the top/bottom working your way down/up).

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Trim the right and bottom edge of the paper off, cutting on the lines.Then start assembling the pages, either starting at the top or bottom of the pattern.

Match the numbered notches on the pattern sheets, aligning the grid lines.

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.comDepending on whether you cut directly on or slightly next to the gridlines, some pattern pieces might not match exactly at the notches. That’s ok. Try to match the pieces as good as you can, orienting yourself on the grid and and pattern lines rather than the notches. Use the notches as a guide to match the right pages (they can be a bit off, as long as all the gridlines are parallel/perpendicular and the pattern lines are matched up).

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Tape/glue the sheets together and cut out the pattern (seam allowance is included).

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Ā Choosing Design Variations & Fabric

The simple cut of the cape allows for a range of variations. You can remove the hood, add buttonholes or arm slits, alter the hemline and play around with different fabrics and patterns.Ā Fairy Tale Cape pattern by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Different versions may require a different amount of fabric or additional notions, so plan ahead before you start cutting into your fabric.

Neckline/Hood:

Fairy Tale Cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com
I used plaid linen for this version.

For my latest version I decided to replace the hood by a Peter Pan collar. The hood is super cosy and adds a very romantic look to the cape, whereas removing hood or adding a collar gives it a more sophisticated or vintage look.

If you want to add a colllar or sew the cape without the hood, I recommend using wovens, as they are more stable and less likely to stretch out compared to knits. It’s only a recommendation – heavier knit-fabric will probably work as well. Just be careful not to distort the fabric.

You might also want to use fusible interfacing when using wovens. Without the hood, the focus will definitely be on the neckline of the cape, so you want to make sure it looks very neat.

Fairy Tale Cape pattern by thisblogisnotforyou.com
PamĆ©la’s cape is made from navy knit fabric.

Front & Closures

When using knits/jersey you don’t have to worry about adding any closures to your cape. The neckline opening will the wide and stretchy enough for you to just pull the cape over your head like a tee. You can add buttons for some contrast, but this is completely optional.

However, when using wovens, I recommend adding actual buttonholes (if you are lazy, you can do this for top row of buttons only and skip adding lining). This will require the use of fusible interfacing and a lining or facing at the front. Think about these things and make a list of the materials you need before you start.

The placement and amount of buttons you use also has a big impact on the look of your cape.

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.com
1. I used lightweigt knit fabric & 10 large buttons. 2. Rachael made her floor-length cape using velvet and only 2 buttons. 3. For this second version I used linen and added 6 buttons and 2 hidden snaps.

Hemline

Altering the length of the cape is pretty straight-forward. You can lengthen the hem by extending the front edge by a few cm/inches (see Rachael’s floor-length version here) and addingĀ the desired amountĀ to the marked hemline accordingly. The same thing applies to shortening the hem. Simply cut off the desired amount, cutting parallel to the hemline.

When adding extra length to your cape, consider that you will need a lot more fabric! (It’s similar to making a maxi circle skirt!) The cape is cut as a half-circle and adding a considerable amount of length will require getting a lot more fabric than stated in the fabric requirements. You might even need to add a center back seam in order to fit the altered pattern on you fabric.

Armslits

Adding armslits isn’t as hard as it might seem. I will guide you through the steps with detailed pictures.

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.comArmslits don’t neccessarily require a lining, but for a more professional result I’d recommend adding one. The armslits are cut into the fabric at quite a late stage in the process. If your cape isn’t lined at all, you can even decide to add them at a later stage after the cape is finished. Adding armslits does not require much extra fabric, you can even use a different fabric in a contrasting colour.

Recommended Fabric

You can use both wovens or knits. I recommend wool, velvet, linen, heavy-weight knits or jerseys. Please note that the fabric choice will have a big effect on the drape of the cape.

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Made by: 1.Irene used black bouclĆ©Ā 2. PamĆ©la used a navy linen Ā 3. Berry used plaid wool 4. Lisa used light-weight brown linen (?) 5. MeĀ with my red knit capeĀ  6. Rachael used purple velvet 7. MeĀ Ā and the plaid linen capeĀ 8. Freya used grey wool and contrasting pink buttons
Fairy Tale Cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Hannah’sĀ very cosy version

 

If you want to wear the cape as a cardigan I recommend more light-weight fabrics, such as Jerseys or knits.

If you plan on wearing this cape instead of a coat, I recommend using a warm wool fabric. In this case the drape will also be much improved by adding a lining.
You can use stretch or non-stretch fabrics. When using non-stretch fabrics, I recommend adding actual buttonholes.

 

 

That’s it for today! Now it’s your turn to think about the design of your cape and what fabric you want to use for it.

To make it easier to visualise your ideas, I prepared a template which you can use to make a sketch of your design. Sometimes it helps to colour in a sketch or technical drawing of a garment to see whether certain colours or prints work or not. It might also help to figure out the buttons and shape of the collar.

Fairy Tale Cape Sewalong by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The next part of the sewalong will be coming this weekend and covers:

Drafting a Peter Pan Collar for Your Cape // Sewing the Collar


Happy sewing!
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Make the Cape: Hello Sewalongers!

Fairy Tale Cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comHello my fabulous sewalongers! My Fairy Tale Cape pattern was released over a month ago and it is about time to host a sewalong! I’m absolutely over the moon about how many of you downloaded the pattern – it’s even #1 in the Top To Sew category on AllFreeSewing. Ā Thank you guys, you are the best!

The pattern comes with detailed instructions and illustrations, so this sewalong will focus on how to make variations of the cape, such as:

  • drafting and adding a Peter Pan collar
  • adding armholes/armslits
  • adding a full lining

…and other useful tips for designing and sewing your very own cape!

Fairy Tale Cape pattern by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Here’s my varation of the Fairy Tale Cape:Fairy Tale Cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comVery sherlock-y, isn’t it? And it was raining here in Londontown, that’s why I’m wearing gumboots. (That was last week – now the weather is just perfect and sunny and I could wear my Elisalex at the NYlon blogger meet up last saturday!)Fairy Tale Cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comI kept the length of the cape, but decided to swap the hood for a cute Peter Pan collar! Instead of 10 buttons, I only added 6 this time plus two hidden snaps.Fairy Tale Cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comMy cape has armslits and a full lining. It’s made to be worn outdoors and will come in handy now that the weather is getting warmer everyday – byebye coat!Fairy Tale Cape by thisblogisnotforyou.comThe fabric is soft, lightweight linen I bought at Saeed’s Fabrics in Walthamstow. It is lined with soft lime-coloured cotton.
Fairy Tale Cape by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Are you sewing along? If you are, let me know!

There will be a link party at the end of this sewalong were you can link up your fabulous capes!

The next part of the sewalong will be coming this week and covers:

Printing & Assembling the Pattern // Choosing Design Variations & Fabric

In the meantime, go get your pattern if you haven’t done so yet! x


Happy sewing!
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