I made my first sewing video! Yay?
It's a tutorial on how to sew this cape / coat, which is just perfect for fall!
It's made of thick, rust-colored wool blend (4€, secondhand), a dark purple lining fabric (recycled from an old project) and clasps I ripped off of an old skirt. I used about 3 meters (~3.2 yds) of wool fabric that was 120cm (47in) wide and about 1.5-2 meters (1.6-2.2 yds) of lining.
So without further ado, here are the measurements I used for my cape (both in centimeters and inches). Hope you find this helpful, and perhaps the video will clear things up a bit as well. Scroll down to watch the video, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment!
The front pieces are separate, but since the cape isn't form-fitting the front can be cut in one piece and then separated at the dotted line (the one with the arm slit).
The following two pictures show the measurements in inches:
Naturally this isn't the same as a commercial pattern, but it should give you some insight on the measurements of the cape, and perhaps you can make your own cape with this and the video combined. (Please share your project with me if you do!) I would recommend that you know your sewing basics before attempting this, but it's not an impossibly difficult project to complete. The pattern is easy to draw on a rectangular piece of paper that's 50cm (20in) wide and as tall as you want your cape to me (mine was 85cm / 34in or so).
Here's the video of how I made my cape:
It's shot with my phone, so the quality isn't the best, and it's my first ever sewing video so it feels like my hands/arms are in the way half of the time because I have no idea what I'm doing, buuuuut... it's okay I guess XD
So, what do you think about this project? How about the video? :)
Satu / Sew Scoundrel
thanks for this! I have been wrecking my brain trying to sew a new fall cape with arm slits. Your video was very instrumental in my design. I changed a few things to make it more masculine, opting for a longer length, no collar, and suede fabric. I live in NYC and everyone thinks my cape is designer and costs a fortune.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! This comment made me very happy, I'm so glad I've helped someone to make their own cape. :) Do you have pictures of the cape somewhere? I'd love to see it!
DeleteIt's really beautiful, autumnish and fairytale-like!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteHi. Thank you for the tutorial. I made a sample - welts pockets, collar and all. So proud of myself. It unfortunately turned out to be too big for me. Could you maybe give me hints on what the main measurements are so I can readjust the pattern. Would I be right to say I need the back width, neck circumference...?
ReplyDeleteHi! Unfortunately I'm no pattern expert so I can't help much. If you want to make the back piece narrower, instead of cutting it on fold, cut two separate pieces so then you can take it in at the back center seam. This would also decrease the neckline radius somewhat, but if you want to make a fitting neckline your best bet is calculating the radius from your own neck measurement. Google "calculating radius of a circle" for reference. Hope this helps a bit!
Deletethankyou so much for the tutorial! I think it's hard for me, but after seeing your video, it's looks like simple! Thankyou! ^^
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'm glad you found the tutorial helpful (and sorry for the very belated reply!)
DeleteWhat would you do if you wanted to make it floor length?
ReplyDeleteI'd measure from my neck straight down to the floor and then from my shoulder to the floor and adjust the pattern to the length from neck down (where the pic tells you the approximate length to mid-thigh). Then I'd check that the shoulder-to-floor is also long enough (from the shoulder curve down on the pattern) so the cape doesn't end up being shorter at the sides than at the front and back. Does that make sense? And when marking the new length I'd add a few extra inches or about 10cm because it's easier to shorten the hem than it is to make it longer. You might need a wider fabric or you need to add a vertical seam somewhere and cut the pattern in several pieces since the cape gets wider towards the hem, and the more length you add the wider the hem will become.
DeleteHope this helps! If you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask! :)
Thank you!!!
DeleteThank you so much for this pattern! I'm so excited to try it. I've adjusted the pattern to fit my kids, and added hoods.
ReplyDeleteThank you a lot for this video. . .very helpful. . . please, tell me which is the measurements for the armhole . . . it's a bit difficult to see . . .
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot !
I'm a little confused as to how to cut the interfacing. I cut it smaller than the lining, right? I'm new to this but its just what I want! Also, I'd prefer a hood; do you have a good pattern? I have a few I can adjust I think.
ReplyDeleteSorry, meant to reply to your comment earlier ;) . For hood pattern see Maria-comment below.
DeleteDoes the pattern/measurements include seam allowance?
ReplyDeleteI'm currently hacking this pattern and the fairy tale cape (see https://thisblogisnotforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/001-Fairy-Tale-Cape-Pattern-by-thisblogisnotforyou.pdf ) together and the latter has a hood. I've tried the hood just for fun and found it quite big (guess that's the fairy tale look), but working from something, it was okay to make it somewhat smaller.
ReplyDelete