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Cost
$ $ $ $ $
Difficulty
• • • • •
Time
2h00

Make your own cape from a blanket
It's coming to the end of winter in Australia, and I made this during my July school holidays because I was seeing capes everywhere online but not in very many shops.
I think I made it in the easiest style possible and the only pattern needed is a hood.
I think it looks nice and is very cosy in a wool-blend kind of blanket but try anything you like, it just has to have enough weight to hang well. The blanket I used was actually a blanket kimono thing so ignore that fact in the photos.
Inspiration taken from the American Apparel California Fleece Cape.
And my face is just awful in the first picture, that's why it's whited out :3

Posted by StephanieM Published See StephanieM's 10 projects »
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  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 1
    Step 1

    MEASURING UP
    Measure across your body from one finger-tip to the other. Make sure your blanket is this wide.

    Measure from shoulder to wherever you would like your cape to fall to. Mine went to upper thigh. Add a seam allowance

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 2
    Step 2

    CUTTING THE FABRIC
    Fold your blanket over and cut to those measurements.

    From the centre of the blanket, draw a curved line out the arm with chalk. Pin this side and cut.

    Fold the blanket over so that the circular side is on top of the square side. Trace the shape onto the other half. Pin and cut.

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 3
    Step 3

    MAKING THE SLIT
    Get a ruler and draw a line with chalk down the centre of the cape. Make the top a slight triangle. Measure your neck so that it will fit even if you do your cape up the whole way.
    CUT ONLY THE TOP LAYER OF FABRIC

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 4
    Step 4

    MAKING THE HOOD
    Take the excess material from the cutaway sides.
    Use any hood pattern you have/can find or print out this photo. If you print it out, from purple line to purple line needs to be 42cm long.

    Layer two pieces of fabric on top of each other. Trace around the pattern with chalk. Pin the two pieces of material together and cut.

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 5
    Step 5

    SEWING MACHINE
    For the nice seam look that is on the outside of hoodies, sew the two curved sides together with a 0.5cm seem allowance and then sew down the overhang. (Great sewing on my behalf, not!)

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 6
    Step 6

    Line up the centre of the hood with the centre of the back of the cape and pin. Sew.

  • Step 7

    EDGING
    Finish off the edges of your cape with a matching or contrasting bias tape or if you are very lucky like me, your blanket was edged and you can unpick from the fabric remnants and re-attach it to the new edge.

    Alternatively, you could just double hem it, making sure you give a big enough seem allowance for it to hang well.

  • Step 8

    FASTENING
    I originally wanted to use toggles but I soon realised that would make me look like Red-Robin-Hood or Ye Olde Little Red Riding Hood.

    So I chose a chunky gold zip to 'funk' it up.
    Pin and sew your zip.

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 9
    Step 9

    ARM HOLES
    So that you aren't constantly shuffling around trying to get your arms out, I recommend putting your cape on to work out where the most convenient place for your arms to stick out of is.

    NOTE: This pattern creates quite a full cape, so I didn't make the arm wholes directly at the side, I made them a bit forward so more frills fell at the back, I found this more convenient.

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 10
    Step 10

    Alternately you could sew them directly at the side, having equal frills at the front and the back. You can see in this photo how far forward I placed my arm holes.

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 11
    Step 11

    This is what the back of my cape looks like where I decided to position my arms.

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 12
    Step 12

    When you are happy with the position, stick a pin around your wrist to mark the position. Get your sewing machine and sew approximately 5cm along that line.

  • How to make a trench / mac. Winter Fashion Cape - Step 13
    Step 13

    You're finished! And you also saved about $100!

    If there are any steps that aren't very clear, I'm happy to clarify, just comment :)

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Comments

Steph.
Steph. · Reading, England, GB · 212 projects
really nice!
Reply
Debra A.
Debra A.
Thanks for sharing this. I had this idea last hear but never did it- now I know it works and looks so fantastic. I will have to do it for this year Happy
Reply
Suki Chan
Suki Chan · Edgewood, Maryland, US · 8 projects
oh my gosh thank you so much!!! ive been looking for one of these for ages.. they're very popular in korea, and you literally just saved me a few hundred bucks! <3
Reply
Teagan D.
Teagan D. · 7 projects
that looks brilliant! thanks, I'm going to have to try this...
Reply
Grace
Grace · Bristol, England, GB · 9 projects
you frikkin rock bro!
Reply
StephanieM
StephanieM · 10 projects
Thankyou so much! That's pretty much why I wanted to make one. I could hardly find any in Melbourne stores and the ones I did were really expensive. I didn't think they looked that hard to make so I decided to give it a shot. If you make it tell me how you get on Happy
Reply
la fille vanille
la fille vanille
i really really really want to do this!
love the colour and everything, this cape is like.. perfect.
i was searching for one like this so long, i didn't even find a pattern that i liked!
Reply
StephanieM
StephanieM · 10 projects
Nikki H- Yes it's essentially a big circle but it might be more like an oval depending on your individual measurements
That girl Christie- I reckon that would probably work... hahaha but snuggies are awesome!
Reply
That girl Christie
That girl Christie · Easton, Pennsylvania, US · 5 projects
I'm tempted to cut up a Snuggie for this.
Reply
Pinocchio
Pinocchio · U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, US · 30 projects
love love love this!
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