Stary Eyed Space Ace

And I found some nice silver fabric to make a skirt out of!

Ooh, I love capes!

Making capes

Types of capes:

There are different types of capes. Let's take a look at a few options.

Rectangle cape: the type of cape American superheroes wear. They consist out of a simple rectangle that can be tied or clasped at the neck. Use gathered fabric for extra fullness. This type of cape won't give you a lot of warmth as it will only cover your back.

Quarter circle cape: slightly more flared than a rectangle cape, but will still only cover your back.

Half circle cape: will cover both your back and shoulders and some of your body, which will give you extra warmth. Great for drama!

Fitted half circle cape: similar to a half circle cape, but made out of three separate pieces to fit around your body better. It won't cover you completely, but it will cover your back, shoulders, and more of your body than a normal half circle cape would.

Full circle cape: this cloak will cover your full body and keep you nice and warm.

Savvy sewists will notice these cape types are similar to circle skirts. The idea's basically the same. Instead of making a skirt, you leave your circle open in the front, and cut a hole that fits your neck rather than your waist.

(Image source) [ID: drawing showing five types of coats: rectangle, quarter circle, half circle, half fitted circle, full circle. Text: "Capes and cloaks. www.facebook.com/aliceincosplayland".]

Aside of volume, you can also play around with length. A floor-length cape has a very different effect and function than a cape that reaches your hips, or even a capelet.

(Image source) [ID: a pattern diagram showing four different cape lengths: floor length, hip length, waist length, and a capelet. Text: "6535 Front and back views. Newlook."]

Details like a hood or armholes can make your cape extra comfortable, and you've got a wide range of options when it comes to fasteners, too.

(Image source) [ID: back view of a long gray half circle cape that's been pleated at the shoulders.]

(Image source) [ID: a purple capelet with a hood, frills, cat ears, and lace, tied with a bow at the front. Text: "Gray. Alice and the Pirates."]

(Image source) [ID: a person wearing a brown monogrammed hip-length cape with front pockets and arm slits at the sides.]

(Image source) [ID: a person wearing a long gray hooded cape, standing in a forest and holding a sword.]

Materials:

Before deciding what fabrics to make your cloak or cape out of, ask yourself what you're trying to achieve first.

Warmth, drape, fabric price, comfort, aesthetic, wearing context,... are some examples of things that can influence your decision.

Some examples:

A cosplay cloak has to look good but doesn't necessarily have to be warm. Choose a fabric that's suitable for your character's outfit, but also keep the circumstances in which you plan to wear your outfit in mind. For example, a warm cloak might pose issues if you do a lot of indoor photo shoots, but convention halls can be pretty chilly.

A fashion cloak intended for winter really does need to be warm! Wool, tweed, and velvet are good options.

A cloak intended for historical re-enactment preferably uses period-accurate materials and therefore won't be lined with fabrics like polyester and such. Which fabric to use depends on the period and region you're working in.

Tutorials and patterns:

Here's a few tutorials/patterns to get you started:

Fitted cloak: winterberry cape (Mood)

How to draft your own hooded cape (The Spruce Crafts)

Pleated half circle cape (Gilian Conahan)

Half circle capelet (Buzzfeed)

Long hooded cloak (Fleece Fun)

Full circle capelet (Project Run and Play)

Four ways to make a cape (WikiHow)

Eight types of capes (Sew Guide)

Half circle fashion cape (Indoor Shannon)

21 free cape sewing patterns (Love Sewing)

Hooded cloak with lining (Online Fabric Store)

Conclusion:

Capes and cloaks make for fun sewing projects. They're pretty easy to make: if you know how to draw circles, you know how to draft a cape pattern.

Capes are a versatile garment, and can range from a great last-minute Halloween costume to an every-day winter cloak. Play around with materials, lengths, shapes, design elements, decoration,... to achieve different effects.

Minimising fabric waste

How to cut fabric:

When cutting out a pattern, there will almost always be some fabric waste.

If you're working with a commercial pattern, you'll find a cutting layout among the pattern's instructions. Try to follow these guides, because they're usually optimised to avoid waste.

(Image source) [ID: cutting layout for a sewing pattern for two pairs of pants and a pair of shorts.]

If you'd like to divert from this layout, it's important to keep the grain of your fabric in mind.

A pattern that's designed to be cut on the bias of the fabric will often produce more waste than a pattern that's supposed to be cut on the straight grain. However, if you were to cut a bias pattern on the straight grain to save fabric, your resulting garment will hang differently. This is because cutting your fabric on the bias will result in a garment that has slightly more stretch and that will drape better.

(Image source) [ID: a diagram by sewguide.com showing the selvage edge, cut edge, width, length, weft thread, and warp thread of a piece of fabric.]

(Image source) [ID: a diagram by sewguide.com showing the difference between cutting a pattern on the straight grain, the diagonal/bias grain, and the crosswise/off grain.]

If you're using a self-drafted pattern or if you're working without a pattern, how you cut your fabric is up to you. Keeping your grain line, fabric print, and seam allowance in mind, try to place your pieces as close to each other as possible to minimise waste.

Piecing and patchwork:

One way to minimise fabric waste while using conventional patterns is to use fabric piecing. This means to sew bits of fabric together until you've got a large enough piece to fit your pattern. You'll have to piece in a tactical way as to minimise awkward seam placements.

Another approach you could take is patchwork: this is similar to piecing, but instead of making the most out of the same piece fabric, patchwork pieces different fabrics together as a design element.

(Image source) [ID: a patchwork dress made out of different fabrics in shades of gray, white, black, and dusty pink.]

Zero waste sewing patterns:

A lot of our current sewing patterns have curves that follow the shape of the body. These curves are usually what creates fabric waste because the more complex a pattern gets, the harder it is to lay it out without waste.

One way to avoid this is to use zero waste sewing patterns. These patterns are either more angular as to avoid curves, or have been laid out in such a way that the curvature has been optimised to avoid waste.

(Image source) [ID: a blouse design by Elisabeth Haywood. The left of the picture shows the pattern layout for the blouse, which has been designed in such a way that every part of the fabric is used. The right of the picture shows a woman wearing the finished product: a white blouse with short tulip sleeves and a bow at the neck.]

This concept is not new. One notable example is the kimono which is traditionally cut in such a way that it wastes very little fabric. Another example is the bog coat, a design that goes all the way back to the bronze age.

We also see a lot of fabric piecing in general in historical garments. Whenever fabric is a scarce commodity, people will look for ways to maximise what they have.

(Image source) [ID: a two-part diagram on how to cut and sew a bog coat. The pattern consists of a rectangle with cut slits that fold into a coat.]

Stash busters:

If you have a lot of fabric scraps left after cutting out your pattern, don't throw them away! Either reuse them in different projects, use them to patch up worn garments, or use them as stuffing for plushies and such.

If you're looking for small projects that can be made out of leftover fabric, the word you're looking for is "stash buster". Use this search term to find tons of different project ideas that only use a small amount of fabric. Some ideas are tiny plushies, pot holders, keyrings, jewellery, small pouches, fabric flowers, home decor, embellishments for your clothes, quilts, pin cushions, scrunchies, rag rugs,...

(Image source) [ID: a fluffy textured rag rug made out pastel fabric scraps. Text at the bottom of the picture: "Gemma Cooper on Grillo Designs".]

Conclusion:

Even though we may not see it that way any more because fast fashion has become cheaper and more abundant than ever, fabric is a precious commodity. It's important to try to make the most of what we have when sewing.

On top of disposal problems, fabric production is a resource-heavy process, and the industry doesn't shy away from unethical labour practices.

General information:

Fabric types

Basic hand sewing stitches

Hand sewing needles

Knitting 101

Embroidery 101

Visible mending

Crafting on the cheap

How to fix sewing machine issues

Yarn types

Clothing fasteners

Circular knitting

Tutorials:

How to sew buttons

Disability aid tutorials

How to DIY custom patches

Make some pocket extenders for your pants (by Quixiify)

How to darn holes in woven fabrics (by Delicatefury)

How to mend holes in the thigh area of jeans

How to make buttonholes (machine+hand)

How to make pockets

How to use a seam ripper

Projects and patterns:

DIY cotton rounds

Easy knitted gloves

Free customisable sewing patterns

Easy rectangle skirt

DIY tote bag

DIY delicates laundry bag

DIY hot pads

Easy fleece hat

Fingerless fleece gloves

Apron pattern

Knitted weighted blanket (by Knitboyknit)

How to make a custom dress form

Certainly! Prepare to bid farewell to the pancake face! (Unless you are, in fact, cosplaying a pancake. I’m sure that’s a thing in some fandom.)

Contouring is a great technique to practice. It’s one of the easiest ways to make yourself look better in photos, as it adds depth and prevents flattening. It’s also the basis for a lot of character design makeup, as it allows you to change the appearance of your facial structure (making your face look thinner or wider, making cheekbones more dramatic, making eyes look sunken, etc.).

Full tutorial after the jump!