Tutorial for a Superhero Cape

Make a Cape Using a Recycled Skirt

May 5, 2008 Melissa Howard

Make your fledgling hero an inexpensive, personalized cape fit for a Marvel comic book using an old skirt and other scraps you have in the house.

Children have active imaginations and love to play imaginative games and of course, in the end every child wants to be the hero. Give your child’s fantasy what it needs to take flight by creating a personalized cape just for them!

Supplies

• an old skirt
• fabric (old skirts, curtains, and sheets are an excellent source for cheap materials)
• embellishments
• scissors
• thread
• an old t-shirt for a template (optional)

Instructions

1. Create a pattern for the chest piece. Either cut a rectangle the size of the child’s torso with a small dip for the neck or use the front of a t-shirt for the pattern.
2. Cut two chest pieces from your fabric.
3. Cut two strips of fabric for the ties. Cut them four inches wide and long enough to fit around the child’s waist and tie easily.
4. Cut the skirt open along one of the seams (Do not remove the waistband).
5. Cut a section of skirt about twice as wide as the child’s shoulders.
6. Trim the length if the skirt length will make a cape too long for the child.
7. Hem the sides and bottom (if necessary) of the cape. If you intend to trim the cape, sew the trim on now.
8. Cut the child’s initial out and appliqué to the front of one chest piece.
9. To make a tie, fold the length of the tie in half and press.
10. Unfold. Fold the edges in towards the center so that they meet at the crease. Iron them flat.
11. Fold the tie length in half along the crease once again, enfolding the raw edges.
12. Tuck in the ends.
13. Top stitch around the entire edge of the tie.
14. After both ties are completed, pin them to the front of the chest piece at the waist.
15. Place the second chest piece front to front with the first chest piece. Tuck the tie pieces in
16. Sew around the entire chest piece, leaving a section wide enough to reverse the chest piece.
17. Reverse the chest piece and sew the opening closed.
18. Sew the edges of the skirt waistband to the shoulders of the chest piece.
19. Add buttons and additional elements as desired.
20. To wear the cape, pull it on over the child’s head and then tie at the waist.

Ideas and Suggestions

• Use wool felt for the hero appliqué so it will not be necessary to tuck under the edges when you sew it down.
• Most skirts have enough fabric in them to make the complete cape. However, if you want contrasting pieces. Use one skirt for the cape and another for the rest of the material. You can reverse the combination for a second cape for the child or for his/her best friend or sibling.
• To make a chevron (a monogram for superhero illiterate mothers), pick a font (Arial is a good one) in your document program. Type the letter. Select the letter and bold it and increase the font size to make a chevron template (400-800 is a good size and fits on one sheet).

The copyright of the article Tutorial for a Superhero Cape in Sewing/Needlework is owned by Melissa Howard. Permission to republish Tutorial for a Superhero Cape in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

A Superhero Takes Off

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Comments

May 7, 2008 1:46 PM

Guest :

The technical name for the monogram is chevron (see www.newacademia.com/NdalianisCoverPop/Excerpt.pdf)

Thanks,

Peter Coogan

May 7, 2008 2:40 PM

Melissa Howard :

Wow! I stand corrected. I am a Mom and I am afraid I am not superhero literate. Thanks!

2 Comments