CLOAK AND CAPE SEWING PATTERNS PLUS

Add 16-20 inches to trim the neckline, or to put trim on the hood will require about 40 extra inches. Add the circumference to double the radius and that's how much trim you will need to do the front opening and all the way around the hem. Multiple the diameter by 3.14 to get the circumference. How much trim do you need to buy? The length you wanted the cloak is the radius. Otherwise turn it under and stitch or add trim. If you are lucky, or a savvy fabric shopper you will have found fabric with a pretty selvedge and won't have to hem the front opening. Sew one edge together to make to the cloak a full, but open, circle. Draw a half circle from one side to the other of the weight, then cut along this line.

CLOAK AND CAPE SEWING PATTERNS PLUS

The length of the string between the chalk and the weight should be equal to the length you want the cloak plus an inch or two. Tie a string to the center weight at the other end of the string tie some Taylor's chalk or a piece of soap. Weight the corners, and place a weight at the center point of a long edge. Trust me on this, stretch velvet may seem like a good idea for one of these, especially since it's usually pretty cheap but after you cut and sew the first seam you will have to hang it for about a week and trim before hemming. This is especially bothersome if you want a lined cloak. The massive amount of fabric will have some weight to it and you may find that it hangs unevenly after a while because the weight of the fabric will make it sag. If it comes out perfect and you make no mistakes, you have extra fabric for making something else, but if you miscalculate somewhere you'll wish you had it.Īs far as fabric selection goes you will want something that has little or preferably no stretch to it. I would suggest buying a yard or two of extra fabric for you first cloak, especially if you want a hood. You will need an equal amount of lining fabric if you want to line the thing. I usually get 6 yards so I'll be sure to have enough for the hood. You will need at least 4 times that measurement in length (only 2 times if you want a half-circle cloak).

How much fabric do you need? Say you measure and it's 50 inches from your neck to where you want the cloak to fall. There is always the option to order online now. In the United States 60 inch wide fabric is fairly common, but most of the foreign countries I have gone to fabric that wide has seemed hard to find. If your measurement is between 45 and 60 inches you may have to hunt around for some fabric that will work for you. If you want a floor/ankle length cloak and you are tall, you will need to follow the paper pattern instructions below. I'm pretty short so fabric that is 50 inches wide is plenty for me to have longish cloak.

Measure from the back of your neck to the point that you want it fall.

This version requires very wide fabric unless you want a shorter cloak. After the cloak instructions I will include optional hood instructions. I usually try to make the first, but my heavy velvet cloak was made with the second method. The second is a multi-piece cloak and will require making a pattern out of newsprint or other light to medium weight paper. This is the easy one to make, but finding fabric that is wide enough may prove to be a bit of a challenge. Making a Circle cloak uses a lot of the same principals as making a circle skirt, only you will need wider fabric or a lot of newspaper.

Cloak and cape sewing patterns