I try so hard to plan my sewing. In an ideal world I’d have things done in time to wear them, weather & seasonally speaking but more often than not I complete something out of synch. This nifty wool blend cape that I finished just in time for scorching Australian summer is a great example! Luckily my cape sat in quietly in the wardrobe waiting for the cooler days to roll around. Okay, it’s still not exactly cold but if you fancy whipping up your own cape, there’s still time before winter.

Sew: Not A Superhero But Definitely Cape! {Sew A Collared Winter Cape}

I decided to go with cape over a coat because I just never wear coats. I can’t stand layers, bulk and restricted movement. As a result I end up freezing my ass off in a cardi. Well, I won’t anymore, I have a cape! Capes allow for much more movement plus they are so stylish. Think retro nurses capes, which were part of the uniform – so chic! Many of them fastened with straps in a cross at the front. They were still part of the uniform when Mummy Ask started nursing at the tender age of 16 and she remembers hers fondly. Gran also loved her nurses cape and I think hearing her glamorous sounding stories (she used to wear patent leather stiletto heels on duty!) coupled with my love of vintage style garments made a cape a must have for me.

There a surprising number of new and out of print cape patterns about, I picked Burda 7154. It has three lengths, A) floor length, B) hip length and C) waist length. I went with B which has arm slits and a funnel neck with a big pussy bow. I love a pussy bow but not on me. I just look all matronly and wrong. I omitted the neck sections and drafted a collar using this tutorial from ‘So, Zo..’. I decided to reverse the fashion/lining fabrics on the collar. I like the contrast when the collar is flat but also can be wrapped into a funnel collar, which I secure with a funky brooch from my collection.

Part of the reason this garment took so long to make was my fabric choice. I wanted a wool blend and the local selection was boring and expensive. A local store had some plain 100% wool but it was $69/m. I just didn’t like it enough to pay that price. In the end I bought this wool/poly blend from fabric.com. I bought 10 yards (Mummy Ask wanted some too) for US$54 but paid a whopping US$83 shipping! It still works out to a rather reasonable US$13.70/yd. And if you’re wondering, no I haven’t used the rest yet, it’s here with my other rolls of fabric.

For the lining I wanted something with enough slip so the cape didn’t stick awkwardly to my clothes but not so much that the cape twisted around. I found a polyester twill that was perfect. It’s a simple sew, the seams of the fashion fabric are completed, the lining is completed except for a large gap in centre back. The fashion fabric and lining fabric are stitched together around the perimeter and turned through the gap in the centre back lining. This is then slipstitched closed by hand. The lining is also attached by hand around the arm openings. I found the cute closure on eBay and think it finishes things of nicely.

Despite the timing of it’s creation, I have had a couple of chances to wear my cape. I love that it keeps my arms/hands free but you can snuggle in when you’re not using them. Of course I just love how it looks too. It really spices up jeans and tshirt wearing. Capes are also much faster and easier to sew that a winter coat. I think capes are super stylish and I think I’ll get some use out of this pattern. I would definitely consider making view C in something like sweatshirt fabric for causal and perhaps velvet for night time. Ooh, wouldn’t a velvet one look nice with my lace dress? I’ve already been asked if I could make view A as part of a costume.

I hope you’ll give the humble cape some consideration. If capes are not for you, they look sweet on little girl and are great for costumes. I thought this pattern was great but I’ve got links to patterns & tutorials below. Happy sewing!

Pattern & Tutorial Links: