Hey y’all! So, sometime before Christmas I got a text from my sister in law, Curly Sue’s mother. It was a picture of a sheer hooded cape that my niece was calling a “fairy princess cape” and a request for one for Christmas. Today I’m going to show you how I made it in less than 30 minutes and won the best aunt award on Christmas day.
And just in case you’re wondering how this tutorial fits into February’s theme of Rest, well, I figured when you rest you dream, right? And obviously my niece has fairy princess dreams, and I think it’s fun that I get to help her imagine them.
To make your own, you’ll need:
- 1 1/2 yards 60″ wide nylon stretch mesh. This one (affiliate link)Â even has sparkles, and I bet any fairy princess would love that kind of bling. If you don’t use stretch mesh it won’t drape the same as the one I made, and if you chose to use a woven instead of mesh fabric you’ll need to hem edges. Also, this makes a cape that’s about 48Â inches long below the hood, so if you’re sewing for a toddler or smaller, you may want to trim the length.
- 3 yards 5/8″ wide ribbon. I used velvet ribbon, because princess. There are lots of color options here (affiliate link)
- 18 inch piece of 3/8″ wide elastic
So here’s how super simple this is.
About 12″ down from one short edge of the fabric, sew your ribbon across, matching the center of the ribbon with the center of the fabric.
Fold your fabric in half, matching the short edges, with the ribbon inside. Stitch across the short edge closest to the ribbon.
Using a safety pin, thread the elastic through the channel created by the ribbon.
Sew the elastic to the ribbon and fabric at each fabric edge.
Done!
Alice
Magically perfect! I want one!
Wooclip
easy but nice
Anne
Best Aunt Ever. It’s dreamy!!! I’ve got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for later today that features your tutorial: http://sewing.craftgossip.com/?p=86702 –Anne
Jacq B
Every mother should know about this! especially if you have a daughter who loves to play pretend that she’s a princess
Donna M
I’m one of those mothers Jacq B, it’s on my to do list 🙂 (love it).
Barbara
Brilliant!
Christina Malcolm
I should have known better than to check my email this morning! I have another 10 hours left in my work day, with 24 more to go this weekend! I’ll have to wait THREE days before I can make this! Pure torture! I can’t wait to make this beautiful cape for my daughter!!!
Susie
Perfect for a Princess. Great easy tutorial.
pennyfp
Holy cow! My girls are beginning to outgrow dress up… BUT… there is ALWAYS Halloween (Hermoine Granger last year would have LOVED this and I probably would have saved at least half of the $30 I spent on the cheapy costume shop cape…) and middle school plays are right around the corner. This is some VERY VALUABLE info to have on hand!!! And…. I’m thinking in a tan/gray faux suede it would probably work just fine for a Jedi, right?! 🙂
anna t
Thanks for the Jedi idea. Or wizard. or Zorro…whatever his/her imagination comes up with. I have a sweet little four year old in my life that puts on whatever dress-up article I make and I get reports that he wears them constantly…so gratifying.
Thanks, Melly, for posting this great tutorial. I see seven of these in my sewing to-do list!
Christine Penny
Jedi cape is exactly what I was thinking
Anna
This is fantastic at 8am this morning princess Anna was without a cape for world book day 8:30am this morning she is caped up and sooo happy. Thank you so much Mellissa you truly are a life saver.
Sarah dodson
Omg I’m totally in love with this pattern made this for my daughter for her fancy dress birthday party I hope she likes it as much as I do now off to add a few more things thank you
Amanda
I love this tutorial so much! I cranked out 4 cloaks today for my kids in half a day! I searched forever for a cloak design that didn’t need a pattern printed out so thank you so much for this super simple but totally amazing idea!
JoAnn
Thanks Melissa I just made this for my grand daughters 5th bday. I pics of you want them. I Love it and I know she will too.
Brooklyn
I LOVE IT!!!! I made the tulle longer cuz I’m 14 not a toddler and need this for a costume and it turned out perfect!!! I also didn’t do the part where you make the whole hood instead just flipped that part under the ribbon to give it more volume if that makeshift sense.
Meghan
Such a wonderful, versatile tutorial! It has played a role in my daughter’s Halloween costumes the last two years in a row.
Anne Wickman
I just made this for my granddaughter to wear over her flower dress for a family wedding. It is EXACTLY what I had been searching for and sooooo easy! I made it using a lovely soft stretch dotted mesh with satin ribbon cuz my local JoAnn’s didn’t have any and I didn’t have time to order it. You won’t be disappointed if you need a fairy/princess cape for someone special! I’m so glad Melly put out this pattern!