How to Make a Play Cape

Add a superhero or villian mask to your child's play cape.

Little Red Riding Hood, vampires, villains and superheroes all have one thing in common -- a cape. Add a customized cape to your child's collection of dress-up clothes. Turn the cape into a reversible piece by layering two contrasting colors of fleece together. Or, replace the fleece with satin or a printed material that coordinates with a favored character from a story or television program. Encourage your child to take part in making his play cape for a confidence-boosting learning lesson on turning a piece of fabric into a world of make-believe.

Things You'll Need

• 1 yard fleece fabric
• Craft felt
• Scissors
• 1-inch wide ribbon
• Hot-glue gun with hot glue sticks
• Velco (optional)
• Embroidery needle and thread (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut 1 yard of fleece fabric into a 25-by-30-inch rectangle. Save the scraps of fleece to use for another step of the cape, if desired.

2. Position the fleece rectangle on a flat surface with the 25-inch long side turned horizontally. Stretch a 38-inch piece of 1-inch wide ribbon across the top of the fleece. Slide the ribbon 3 inches down from the top edge of the fleece.

3. Fold the top edge of the fleece over the ribbon and apply a line of hot glue in between the fold just below the ribbon; do not get hot glue on the ribbon. Press the fleece together as the glue dries.

4. Flip the cape over. Design a logo for the cape depending on the child who will use the cape for playing. Cut a 6-inch circle, triangle or square out of craft felt and affix the shape to the center of the cape using hot glue.

5. Adorn the logo with a letter, name or symbol cut out of felt or from the scrap of fleece you saved from the first step. Hot-glue the embellishments to the felt shape.

6. Wear the cape by scrunching the fabric inwards on both sides of the ribbon. Pull the cape around the shoulders and tie the cape in the front of the neck using the ribbon.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also attach velcro to each end of the ribbon for a closure on the cape.

• Use embroidery thread to stitch the fleece around the ribbon and embroider the logo instead of using hot glue, if desired.

• The felt material of the logo will temporarily stick to the fleece fabric allowing you to exchange the logos if you want to forgo permanently attaching the logo.

• Do not leave a child unattended when wearing a play cape as the ribbon could wrap around her neck and cause strangulation.

References

• "FamilyFun Magazine"; Custom Cape; Catherine Newman and Jodi Butler; Nov 09
• Creative Play; Superhero Capes Project; Sept 10