wizard cloak complete!
the inspiration:
the result:
self drafted pattern! also inspired by edwardian cloaks! i am finally able to live my dream of being a wizard!!
I am so blown away by this!! Would you be interested in posting about your process/pattern?!?
sure, i'd be happy to! i made a longer post about my inspirations here, but i can go a bit more in-depth about the making!
i see that you sew, but i don't know if you've ever done any patternmaking—i'm at a phase where i rarely if ever use commercial patterns as anything but inspiration, and for the cape i decided to just completely wing it.
i cut a half-circle from both my lining and my outer fabric, with a radius of the length that i wanted the cape to be + extra for seam allowance + about a foot extra for good measure. then i placed that on my mannequin (you could do this on yourself, especially if you have help) and pinched two big darts at the place which would usually be a shoulder seam so that it sits a little more like a cape and less like a semicircle. i unfortunately took very few photos of this process, but it's pretty straightforward once you have it on. i also at this phase cut in a rough back of neck shape so it sat a little more comfortably.
once i sewed those darts, i connected the lining to the outer fabric at the top and the added some details—pockets on the inside, and double welt slits to use as arm holes. to find the location of both of those i just put the cape on and felt around for what seemed like a good location!
i finished the front with a regular 1/2" rolled hem. then i just cut the shape i wanted the closure to be out of 2 pieces of fabric and stiff interfacing, topstitched them together, and added hand-sewn buttonholes because my buttonholer and i are in a cold war currently. then just placed buttons in the center front based on how closed i wanted it to be
the collar is the most difficult part to summarize, because i've made about a million collars on shirts and jackets and bodices, so basically i told my hands "make a collar" and then they did it. feel free to dm me if you want a longer explanation, in brief, i made a paper pattern and laid it on the mannequin until it looked how i wanted, then cut that out 2x + interfacing (with seam allowance). i sewed the tops of them together, stitched one side to the outside wrong-sides-together, and then handstitched the inside down, encasing all the raw edges in there. the trickiest part was this point at the back, which i had to handstitch on both sides.
then i just hand-stitched on the trim and hemmed it with a rolled hem at the bottom! a very quick project and very satisfying (and wearing it out is extremely fun, do not let the fact that people will ask you why you're wearing a halloween costume in november deter you from enjoying your swingy dramatic cape)
(pay no attention to the huge thick socks. it's cold here)
like i said feel free to dm me if you are genuinely trying to make one because i'm happy to go on more about specific sections or draw diagrams or anything that's helpful! i usually try to document my projects better on my craft instagram, but this was such a quick and silly one that i didn't bother. happy sewing! :D
Thank you so much for the post!! I will definitely give it a try. I think the part I would struggle most with is the shoulders/collar. Historically, I do not get along with darts, but this seems like a forgiving project? I love altering patterns, so I think this could be a fun one.
I've only been sewing for a year now, but I tend to bite off more than I can chew. (I'm making a pair of stays rn)🤣
What kind of fabric did you use for the cape? A nice wool could be fun, but what kind of lining?
Happy sewing!
