How to Make Halloween Capes

Опубликовал Admin

3-10-2016, 11:05

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Halloween capes are a useful and often necessary addition to Halloween costuming. As well as finishing off your costume look, they can be especially useful to keep you warm if you're trick and treating in the cold.

Steps

Find old pieces of bed sheets. If you don't have any in the house, purchase some from the local thrift store. Wash the sheet before use.
Dye the sheet if needed. If the sheet is not the color desired, you will need to dye it. Purchase simple clothing dye to achieve this - it's inexpensive and can be done in the washing machine or in a bucket (get the setting powder as well if you're using cold water only). Be sure to factor in the time to dye and dry before making the cape.
- When dyeing, check the fabric content (cotton, polyester, blends, etc.) and match with the dyeing instructions.
Shape the sheet into a cape. This is fairly straightforward. Create some rounded angles on the end of the sheet destined to go around your neck. Either cut the rounded shape with scissors and stitch it into place neatly. Or, simply fold into the shape needed (if it won't stay and you hate sewing, simply use fabric glue to keep the folds in place).
- While fashioning the cape edge, keep trying on the evolving cape in front of the mirror until you have cut or folded the shape that suits. Use sewing pins to keep the shape in place until you're ready to glue or sew.
- If you want a thicker cape, sew two sheets together.
- For a stiffer cape, sew thin cardboard between the two sheets and shape the appearance as you sew. Use glue to stiffen around collar area and cuffs.
Create a tie. In order to keep the cape around your neck, you need a tie. Sew on two simple pieces of ribbon, elastic or leftover sheet at the neck point on each side, to allow it to be tied up. Alternately, use a brooch to pin it together at the neck or mid-chest level – this is an ideal solution for the person who doesn't like sewing.

Tips

The neatness or otherwise of this cape depends on the final look wanted. Obviously, a superhero costume should be tidier than a zombie costume, so be guided by the desired end result.
It's a good idea to ask for help if you're a novice sewer; it shouldn't take long to get the hang of it though
If you don't want to go to all this trouble, it is fairly straightforward to hire a cape from a costume store, or to purchase a cheap one from a Halloween supplier store, or online. In fact, many drugstores will be selling capes cheaply. On the downside, you're increasing the demand for supplying cheap and nasty Halloween items, when you could re-purposing old sheets instead and saving resources.