How to Make a Black Halloween Cape With a Hood
Whether you're planning on dressing up as a witch, vampire or the Grim Reaper, a black hooded cape is a good way to complete your Halloween costume. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find a good-quality black cape in a clothing store and their versatility makes them sell out fast during Halloween season. While making a hooded cape requires some sewing, the process isn't incredibly difficult and only takes a few hours to complete.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 2 yards black material, 60 inches in width
- Tape measure
- Scissors
- Iron
- Black thread
- Sewing Machine
- Pins
- Black string
- Needle
Instructions
-
Make the Hood
-
1
Lay material on a flat surface, widthwise in front of you. Start at one corner and measure a 32-inch by 16-inch rectangle. Use scissors to cut the rectangle out.
-
2
Lay the rectangle in front of you wrong side up. Take one of the 16-inch edges and fold it toward the wrong side of the fabric, approximately 1/4 inch in. Use the iron to get a flat crisp line and sew it to create a hem. Then, repeat the process on the other 16-inch side of the rectangle.
-
-
3
Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with the hems facing out. Sew a 1/2-inch seam across one of the edges that isn't hemmed. Press the seam with the iron and flip the hood right side out.
Make the Cape
-
4
Even out the remaining material by cutting off the excess material so you have one large rectangle of fabric left. Lay this in front of you, lengthwise and wrong side up.
-
5
Starting with the left side of the fabric, fold the edge in ¼ of an inch. Press it with the iron to flatten it and sew in the hem. Then, repeat the process with the right and top sides of the fabric. You should have three sides of the fabric hemmed and one of the long sides that still has a raw edge.
-
6
Run the iron over all three hems on the cape to give them a nice finish.
Finishing the Cape
-
7
On the raw edge of the cape, sew two lines of basting stitches -- about 1/4 inch apart -- but don't tie the ends off or back stitch. Cut the thread to detach the cape from the sewing machine. Then, gently pull the end of thread hanging from the cape to gather the material. The gather edge of the fabric needs to match the width of the unfinished edge of the hood.
-
8
Lay the cape and the hood on a flat surface, wrong side up. Pin the hood and cape together, adjusting the gathers to fit. Sew the hood to the cape between the two gathering rows.
-
9
Use the scissors to cut two 1-inch lengths of string. Using a needle and thread, hand sew one piece of string to one side of the cape -- where the hood and cape meet. Then, sew the other string on the other side of the cape.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
