Cape for the little one (AKA if I didn't already have enough projects)

[LadyStitch]

Other faire parents,

This week the Fuzzlet has started using her favorite blanket and trying to wrap it around her shoulders like Elsa from Frozen.  The PP has asked me to make our little 'princess' a practical cape/cloak. This way if she wants to wear it out to faire in the weather it will work and not go to pieces.
Do you have suggestions on what I should make it from?  It didn't have to be identical to Elsa's.  I just want to make sure if I make her something it could last her a few years. So, suggestions?

[isabelladangelo]

halloween 004 par Isabella, on ipernity

I've made all my nephews' capes from fleece.   It's a forgiving material that is warm and you don't have to hem.  I've made all their Halloween outfits from it.   


dragon cape! par Isabella, on ipernity

The dragon cape


Butterfly par Isabella, on ipernity

The Butterfly cape

All I did in each case is cut out a circle and then cut out enough space in the center of the circle for the neck.  I then cut out a rectangle, folded it, sewed up the seam at the top, and made that the hood.   It's very, very simple but my nephews love their capes. 

[Hoowil]

I've made a few capes and cloaks out of fleece for the kids. Its great, unless you want to line, trim, or add a hood, its totally sew-less, and the ragne of colors is pretty substantial. Even trimmed along the edges and with a hood attatched, I think the last one took me less than two hours, including making a pattern. Depending on how long you want it, you can get a 3/4 to full circle out of a single peice of 60". Its warm, weather resistant, and washable. Only problem I've found is if you don't line it, they don't do super well in wind. I'll see if I can find some pictures.
Right now I've got a wool blanket I'm planning on turning into kid cloaks, but that will be a bit more work...

[Hoowil]

Hmm... thought I had more pics on this computer, but I guess not. I've also made ones for friends, one a rather bubblegum pink, and one a flower embroidered dusty rose color (which had arm slits and ribbon tie closures, and a mantle, but I can't find the picture  ). I made a green cape for Tristan last year, which I did line with a bottomcloth to try to take care of the wind issue.

[LadyStitch]

This is one thing I like about our Ren community.  If you need advise on something to clothe your faire kid, somebody somewhere has done it, or know how to do it.
Hoowil - Is that bias tape for a binding on the purple cape?  Do you feel safe doing a frog closure for kiddo's cloaks? Or would you recommend Velcro?

[isabelladangelo]

For closures:   Buttons work well.  I've also done ties.   I would not do Velcro - it gets caught in the hair and also will get filthly with crumbs.

[LadyFae]

The cape-lets I've made for my girls and for myself all came from a lightweight wool leftover that my sister had used for her hooded cape. For closure I just used ribbon ties so that if we get to warm we can tie them to our waists like an extra skirt (we've only ever worn our cape-lets as peasants and pirates.) we love them! I'm on my phone, otherwise I'd add a pic of two of the girls wearing them on their shoulders and the other wearing at her waist. Grr!!!

[Hoowil]

Yeah, its bias tape. It is a cheap, quick way to trim it, and make the edge look more finished, and can cover poor scissor work if necassary. I mainly started doing it to cover the seam while attaching hoods, but doing it all the way around in a contrasting color just looked nice to me. On the purple one Amara picked both colors herself (She was probably 3, maybe 4 at the time). I've done frogs, ties, and clasps to close them. Frogs seem to work better than calsps, as the clasps tend to slip and come unfastened. We never had any trouble with it getting caught and being a choking issue, but I can see that it would be possible. But I'd think the frog would have more give than a clasp, and be a little easier to undo under tension than a button. I haven't tried velcro, but I would imagine it would catch on the fleece itself, let alone the possible neck rubbings if it wasn't aligned right.

[LadyStitch]

After seeing a stunt guy accidentally catch his cloak as he was doing a a flying leap from one moving set piece to another, and thankfully the costumer had the sense to make the clasp have a break away point.  He ended up with a nice bruise on his neck instead of neck or choking injury.  I'm not saying it would happen to a kiddo but kids are daredevils

I think I will go with  the frog closure over the ribbons.  BTW have the cloaks grown with the kiddos? I mean could they used them 2-3 years.  I make her a princess dress every years from scraps because she grows so fast.

[isabelladangelo]

A) Have you considered growth pleats?  You can also add pleats to the shoulder area so the dresses will grow out as well as up.

b) The cloaks do well for about 2~3 years before they get handed down to the next nephew.  :-)   

[Hoowil]

The little marroon cape lasted for a year, but was made of a remnant and without the trim or hood probably took 15 minutes to make, so it wasn't too big a loss I guess. That being said, we do still have it, kind of a 'baby's first ____' thing. The purple one Amara still wears. I have a feeling she'll prefer to wear it over the new wool one for a while, since it won't be scrathy and she likes the color. Most of our faires are summer events, so it doesn't get used too often, but she actually wore out his last winter to a bunch of holiday events, so we've gotten over 3 years out of it so far. And now that we're involved with being behind the ropes, we're on site early morning and late night sometimes, so its come in handy, especially at high elevation faires. Nice thing is, if you make them long, the kids have to grow a good deal before they get too absurdly short. It won't be a romantic, floor length cloak for more than a few months, but as long as it reaches past the waist... Nothing says you can't add an old one over a new one for extra warmth, and use it as a mantle. We do have a red one that my mother made for Amara when she was 2 that now just sits over her shoulders, and with the toddler head disproportion, the hood still fits. Unfortunately, that one is a bright, clear red velvet trimmed with white (faux) fur, which doesn't quite go with our nor being noble.

[Hoowil]

A) Have you considered growth pleats?  You can also add pleats to the shoulder area so the dresses will grow out as well as up.

That reminds me, I need to let out Amara's Irish dress... another project to the list...

[Trillium]

When I made my son's cloak I cut it long and folded extra material under within the hem.  Then you can let it down as needed.  He is close to outgrowing it finally, I think I can get one more season out of it!

[isabelladangelo]

When I made my son's cloak I cut it long and folded extra material under within the hem.  Then you can let it down as needed.  He is close to outgrowing it finally, I think I can get one more season out of it!

That's pretty much what a growth pleat is.  :-)   However, with growth pleats, they typically show on the outfit in question.  You can see both the deep hem and a growth pleat for a growing child here.

[LadyStitch]

I've done "heming" pleats on Petticoats for actresses, and some Victorian dresses.  A series of pleats that appear decorative but actually allow you to 'hem' the length of the dress.