by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 1, 2017
Are you ready for Halloween? It’s October and I’m excited to be posting a series of 10 Halloween Costume Sewing Tips, sponsored by Janome Canada. To start the series with a “Boo!” (hee hee) I’m relaunching my popular Super Hero Cape pattern – updated with new photos and 2 new larger sizes!
The smile on your child’s face when they see their handmade costume is the best! Be your kid’s Halloween costume hero and sew it yourself! Find the first Janome Halloween Costume Tip in the instructions below and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest so you don’t miss the others. You can also find great sewing information, contests and free patterns on the Janome Life blog.
When I made the first Super Hero Capes for Christmas (2011!), they were a huge hit. My girls flew all over the house solving mysteries and doing super hero business. Usually they were saving someone, sometimes a prince in distress. (You go girl!) Sometimes they’d stop to save kittens from trees, or rescue babies from mean monsters and other things of that sort. Since then they’ve grown up a little, but the capes are still in good use during their creative plays and shows.
Many of you have asked for a cape in larger sizes and I’m excited to be able to upgrade the free pattern and tutorial below! The old post was looking pretty dated with tiny, dark photos – I hope you like the new version!
Free Cape Pattern and Tutorial
As usual, please feel free to use my patterns/tutorials for your personal projects and gifts and for charitable fundraising events. Please do not sell anything made with this pattern without a license. Thank you! (P.S. Buy a Seller’s License or a tidy printable PDF version of this Cape Pattern in the shop.)
Materials:
- 1 yard (child sizes) OR 1 1/2 yards (adult size) fabric for the cape outer
- 1 yard (child sizes) OR 1 1/2 yards (adult size) fabric for the cape lining
- optional: felt for the hero applique
- optional: fusible web (or a glue stick!) to attach the applique
- matching thread
- hook and loop tape (1″ piece each)
- sewing gear – scissors/sewing machine/pins/ruler/iron etc.
Before you begin:
- Print the pattern piece pdf on letter size (8.5″ x 11″) or A4 paper. Important: Do not select “fit to page” when printing, make sure you print at the original size. Once you have printed the pages, measure the 1″ test square to ensure the pattern is correct.
- Want to save paper?
- Size 3m-3 – Print only pages 1-7
- Size 4-8 – Print only pages 1-7
- Size 9-12 – Print only pages 1-9
- Adult size – Print all 11 pages
- Cut on each page’s outer gray lines and tape them together, matching the letters in the gray half-circles.
- Cut the pattern pieces out (with paper scissors!) along the line that corresponds to the size you would like to make.
Cut your fabric:
- Pre-wash your fabric before cutting to ensure it will not shrink in later washes.
- If you need a longer cape – here is a tutorial on how to lengthen the pattern pieces.
- Cut one cape shape per fabric colour using the pattern piece. * Be sure to place the pattern piece on the fabric fold before you cut it out!
Let’s Sew:
I recommend that you read through all instructions before sewing, so you don’t miss something important!
Step 1: Cut out the applique that will be on the back of the cape. Be creative! I used stars, hearts and letters to make each cape unique. Each logo was sized between 6″-9″ tall, depending on the size of the cape.
Halloween Sewing Tip #1:
If you are making a long-term project, make sure your layers have fusible web on the back. If you are sewing a one-night Halloween project, use a less-expensive approach! A regular school glue stick will adhere an applique while you sew around the edges.
Center the applique on the outer cape fabric piece approximately 3″-7″ down from the neck opening.
- Fusible web: Iron on the applique following the instructions on your fusible web. Use a press cloth if necessary so you do not melt the felt.
- Glue Stick: Attach the applique in place using the school glue stick, press with an iron on low heat from the back of the cape to set the glue if necessary.
Top-stitch the applique as you wish to tidy up the edges and make sure it stays on. I used the Blanket Stitch and Satin Stitch Foot F included with my on-loan Janome Skyline S9 to make the one of the appliques extra-nice!
Step 2: Lay the two cape pieces right sides together matching all of the edges. Pin. Mark a 6″ opening on the cape’s bottom edge by putting 2 pins in the same spot on each side. Leave this opening when you sew, it is where you will turn the cape right side out.
Stitch around the cape with a 1/4″ seam allowance, starting at one double-pin. Pivot around the corner on the neck opening. Finish at the other double-pin with a back-stitch.
Step 3: Clip the corners and trim around the curved edges of your neck opening to allow the cape to turn more easily. I use my pinking shears to trim tight curves.
Step 4: Press the seam allowance up on the bottom opening before turning the cape right side out. This creates an easy finished edge once the cape is turned.
Step 5: Turn the cape right side out and top-stitch. Push out your corners and edges neatly, press the cape flat and top-stitch 1/8″ or so away from the edge all the way around the edge of the cape. You can pin the opening shut before stitching or just wing it, the top-stitching will close the opening.
Step 6: Cut a 1″ piece each of hook and loop tape.
Use a zig-zag or straight stitch to sew the hook side of the tape onto the outer piece and the loop side of the tape onto the lining. This way the rough hooks are facing away from the neck when the cape is worn. Note: I like to cut off the corners of the tape when sewing for kids so they don’t get “stuck” with the pointy edges by accident. (* Don’t accidentally sew both hook and loop to the outer side of the cape, it won’t be able to close properly. Not sure why, but I have managed to do this more times than I would like to admit!)
Step 7: Sew a label or hero-worthy piece of ribbon onto the side of the cape.
Congratulations, give your cape a good press and you’re done!
I’d love to see your project! Please share your cape on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest using the hashtags #alongforthreadride and #threadridinghood. Thank you!
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You can purchase a full Super Hero Cape PDF Pattern for any donation!
The 16 page instant PDF download of this tutorial includes these extras:
- The full tutorial and pattern pieces, in a tidy and easily printed form.
- Cutting layout diagram and glossary of terms.
- Granny’s Sewing Basket – highlights Notes and Tips to make sewing this cape easier. ()
- Extra tips not included in this free tutorial.
- Check boxes, for those of you who love to get a sense of accomplishment when checking off each step!
Aside from these great features, you can choose to purchase the PDF to support this blog and help Thread Riding Hood continue in its goal to create more free content. Thank you for your support!
SUPER HERO CAPE PRINTABLE PDF PATTERN: available for any donation!
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Would you like to sew and sell the Super Hero Cape Pattern?
Please purchase a Seller’s License in my shop and receive an instant pdf download!
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P.S. Here’s the original Super Hero Cape Photo from 2013. My daughter still comments on how cool it was to look like she was really flying! #photoshopforthewin
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 18, 2017
Since “Feliz” translates into English as “Happy”, it is appropriate to make a Feliz dress using polka dots and yellow buttons! Even when I chose to make it from squidgy rayon that was almost impossible to cut straight… but that’s a different story…
StraightGrain provided the Feliz pdf blouse/dress pattern for this blog tour. My opinions are always my own. Thank you for reading!
This little lady of mine is SO FUN and hilarious on photo shoots! She is our joker and loves to make us laugh. She seems to have a knack for saying the funniest things. This translates well into a photo shoot and we generally end up laughing and coming up with great photos! It’s also fun to give her creative props and see what she does – like a yellow hard hat and drill, since they were originally the only yellow things I could find to use.
The Pattern:
Since being asked on the last StraightGrain blog tour, I was excited to sew another one of An’s patterns. (You can see my oldest’s unicorn Nova blouse here.) They are well put together, straightforward and have a TON of options. The Feliz can be made in a gathered or pleated blouse or dress length. Choose from sleeveless or dolman, short, wide/narrow flutter, 3/4 and bell sleeves – plus use a zipper or buttons to fasten the back! With the wide size range 3m-12y it’s a one-stop option that will last as the kids grow up.
Looking for the pattern? It is available in electronic and paper form and you can find it in the StraightGrain shop.
Sewing the Dress:
I chose to sew a 3/4 bell sleeve gathered dress for my youngest as a fall transition piece that will easily layer into winter. I figured the gathering on the skirt would match the gathered bell sleeve and love how it looks! The bell sleeves and button back are on-trend, and since navy is now the new black, she’s dressing better than I am, lol!
I chose a size 6 based on her measurements and increased the sleeve and shoulder area to a size 8. I do this on most patterns for my kids, since we all seem to have broad shoulders and large upper arms. I love the fit, it’s roomy enough to be comfortable and allow her to move without being baggy.
The sewing was straightforward. I love the clear illustrations and didn’t have any trouble sewing this dress up. (Yay!)
Changes: I did add a few extra buttons down the back since I had them in my stash AND (genius) I figured out how to sew buttons on with my sewing machine! Love the Janome Skyline S9 that I have on-loan right now. You can see a video of how it works on Instagram. (Plus photos of other projects in the works – it’s my main sharing space!)
Ooops:
The dress length is 1″ shorter than intended due to an unfortunate scissor accident…. on the late night after I cut out that squidgy rayon I was talking about earlier! I love how comfy and super soft rayon is… but cutting an obvious pattern out is nigh unto impossible unless you spend 3 hours straightening it impatiently doing it like I did… eeep!
Materials:
- Navy Polkadot Rayon (big box store)
- Yellow Buttons
- A bit of fusible interfacing under the buttons
Conclusion:
Love it! My favorite is that the number of options allows you to use the pattern over and over while making each project unique. Definitely recommend it!
Check out the other participants in the Nova tour:
Lily & Woody | Kaatjenaaisels | Yerasi | Flaflinko | Blanche | Liesellove | Bel’etoile | Petrol & Mint
Made By Sara | A Naais ID | sewpony | 128 | Sweeter Than Cupcakes | Noortjeprullemie
Thread Riding Hood | Clara stickar | Christinaa | Love You Sew | My Petite Sophie | With Love By Eva
Thanks for reading! See you again soon,
Sherri
by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 10, 2017
What do you get when you mix my favorite unicorn fabric from the Sarah Jane, Magic collection, some hand smocking, and vintage (probably) hand-tatted lace? This shirt!
I broke with my better sense and designed this blouse without asking the girls what they would pick. It just seemed too perfect a match. My oldest has snatched it up, and for good reason, I think.
StraightGrain provided the Nova pdf blouse/dress pattern for this blog tour. My opinions are always my own. Thank you for reading!
Today is my stop on the Nova pattern tour with StraightGrain patterns. I am going to go right out there and date myself by saying I’ve been following them around since the Bubble Dress debuted in 2012… eep! I love the simple, European style of their patterns and the Nova is no different.
The Pattern:
Since I haven’t made a StraightGrain pattern before I was interested to see what they were like. Also, the many options could make the pattern very confusing! I was so impressed, the details were clear and easy to follow. There are many notes on the pattern pieces and instructions to help you through the steps for each option. It also comes in a pdf version, or a paper pattern from the StraightGrain shop.
I was happy to see the finished garment measurements included along with the regular measurements. These are not common on indie patterns and it helps a lot when I’m merging sizes. For this blouse, I made a size 6 with an 8 length for my small 9-year-old. Had I made a muslin, I would have adjusted it to have slightly wider shoulders – but this is me skipping steps, not the fault of the pattern. The tie back allows room for her to fit and grow.
The Style:
I love how swingy the blouse is. Plus, having many options for pleating, smocking, dress/blouse, button, zip or tie back and sleeves or none give it tons of potential for the future. The pattern also covers a wide range of sizes from 3 months to 12 years! This means it is a great option for an older child or tween especially.
As my oldest grows up, I am finding the need for more grown-up styling and the Nova is perfect to grow with her. It’s comfortable, but looks stylish and includes long sleeves for winter. Though, I admit, this is not the most “grown up” looking fabric!
Sewing the Shirt:
I squeezed this blouse out of 1 yard of fabric, there was “just” enough room to make the sleeveless version without the cap sleeve. I breathed a sigh of relief as I only had 1 yard of the unicorns and really, really wanted it to fit!
Smocking! Crazy, never would have thought I’d sit down to hand-sew smocking. But it was relaxing, and I perched on a chair in the sun and just sat and sewed. Very calming! I have to admit that the pleating process was a bit more time-consuming. I didn’t mark them as precisely as I should have and had to redo them all a bit smaller to make them fit. Next time! A new process usually has a learning curve.
The rest of the steps followed without trouble and I love the included bodice lining. It’s simple and finishes all the edges nicely. Since I didn’t make the sleeves I’m not sure about those steps, but can imagine they are clear as well.
Materials:
- Sarah Jane, Unicorn Forest from the Magic collection for Michael Miller.
- Vintage (probably Hand-Tatted) lace! My friend’s mother had a box from someone she knew and gave it to me a few years ago. It’s gorgeous. This shirt will be washed carefully!
- Gold Ribbon for the tie
- Pink Broadcloth lining
Photoshoot
We picked the kids up from their first week at sleep-away camp and my daughter has so many mosquito bites! Despite that, she was enjoying being home after a week and did an awesome job thinking up poses with her sunglasses. She cracks me up! As she gets older her sense of humour is kicking in and it’s so much fun. Can’t believe she will be 10 later this year!
Conclusion?
Wow, this post is sounding super formal, LOL! Anyhow. It’s a great pattern with lots of options and a large size range. Definitely worth buying as it will last a long time. If you’re not sure there’s lots of inspiration in the rest of the tour, with links you can find below.
Check out the other participants in the Nova tour:
Sisko by Mieke – Bel’Etoile – Zowiewo – Petrol & Mint – sewpony – Fairies, Bubbles & Co
Elizabeth Little – Maker Mountain Fabrics – Better Dressed Child – Just Add Fabric – My Petite Sophie
Frances Suzanne – I Sew Blanche – Lily & Woody – My Minnie Mie
I Love You Sew – Thread Riding Hood – Ariane Blog
I hope you are enjoying your summer!
Thanks for reading, Sherri
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 6, 2017
Sometimes I wonder if my girls realize how lucky they are to have so many amazing clothes hanging in their closets. Amazing artists and designers design fabric and I get to sew with it and then they get to walk around wearing the gorgeous artwork-turned-creation!
Case-in-point, Tamara Kate’s latest collection for Michael Miller Fabrics ~ Frolic. I was able to feature the knit fabrics in this collection a few weeks ago, and now am fortunate to be able to work with the wovens. Everything Tamara designs is beautiful, and I am loving the last few collections especially. The bright springy colourways, the watercoloury designs. Did I mention the colour? I LOVE colour!
Michael Miller Fabrics provided these woven Tamara Kate “Frolic” prints for me to play with. My opinions are always my own. Thank you for reading!
This time I sewed up two Sally dresses. This pattern is easy to sew, has no closures for easy dressing and has HUGE pockets! This time I rounded the corners of the square neckline. I found that the squared off corners tended to fray over time – but maybe it was just me? Anyhow, it was an easy fix. and it keeps the original intent of the pattern in tact.
The girls love the contrasting pockets. (And I’m waiting to find the youngest’s rock collection in my washing machine, LOL.) Plus it gave me a chance to show off more of Tamara’s fabric. I also added an inset into the bodice in the same fabric to tie the whole dress together. It was fun fussy cutting the inset to match each fabric print!
I also played around with a fun heirloom-style stitch that comes with my on-loan Janome S9. I have used the cross-stitch looking X’s on so many projects – they are simple and add a nice touch without being overly decorative.
The girls surprised me again and picked the opposite favorite colours for their dresses! My blue-loving youngest girl chose (my favorite) On the Wind in Spring with contrasting pink Big Love in Candy. The pink-loving oldest chose On the Wind in Blue with pockets and inset in Maggie Jean in Sky. Fun Fact: The Maggie Jean print is named for Tamara’s grandmother – how cool is that?! This print is my absolute favorite and I’ll be hoarding the scraps for until I find the perfect project for it.
The Tamara Kate Frolic collection will be shipping to stores on June 15th, 2017. Ask for it at your local shop! To find more Frolic inspiration visit Tamara Kate to find all of the Frolic Fabric Tour posts as they are released.
Thanks for visiting, see you again soon! ~ Sherri
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 1, 2017
Enter stage right – Monday – full of after school swimming lessons and general busy-ness, newly finished dresses and previous days of unpredictable rain. Enter stage left – Me – with a rushed plan to fit a photoshoot right smack in the center of it all (before it rained again!). Any guesses to how it went? Lol. Thankfully, after a bit of a rough start (followed by a few minutes of silly selfies), we all got our act together. Whew!
Today is my turn on the Art Gallery Fabrics tour for Katarina Roccella‘s recent collection – inBlue. Aside from my excitement at being asked to show off this beautiful fabric, I’m so pleased that you get a chance to win the Pollywoggles Pattern I used and lots more in the giveaway at the end of this post!
Art Gallery Fabrics provided these Katarina Roccella fabrics and sponsored this post. Pollywoggles Patterns also provided their Primrose Anne pdf dress pattern. My opinions are always my own. Thank you for reading!
First, I have to say my girls and I LOVE these dresses so much! The sweet florals and thoughtful design – I love Katarina Roccella’s design style and my girls do too.
The Bloesem Sweet floral was an instant hit with my oldest and suits her dress well as the main fabric. We used the Bloesem Royal and Chinoiserie Kobalt in the ruffles to highlight and offset it. The little one loves blue, and as we mused over (the many!) she wanted, came back to the light blue backed hot air balloons from Fly Away Laat. Two tiny florals, Weide in Blue and Rose finished it well pulling the corally-pink colour out. I had such a hard time deciding which balloons to feature on her bodice front – did you see the swan balloon?! There were fun surprises hiding throughout this print.
Fabric Quality: I am also glad to write a glowing review of these woven Art Gallery Fabrics. They provide, hands-down, the best quilting cotton to use for sewing apparel. (And I already knew this!) Lately, the trend has been to use apparel fabrics for garment sewing and leave quilting cotton for quilts and other projects. No need here – AGF woven cotton has great drape, feels amazing and behaves beautifully in garment projects.
Sewing Pattern: This is the Primrose Anne pdf pattern from Candian pattern designer Pollywoggles Patterns. I sewed her kids’ robe pattern earlier this year and was so impressed with the instructions that I asked to use this pattern when AGF emailed about their tour. (Thankfully Heidi said yes!)
I think my favorite part of the dress is the back bow and clever strap construction. Close second, though, are the tiered bottom ruffles – which I think match the spirit of Katarina Roccella’s fabric – and look so pretty on the girls. The minute they put the dresses on you could see they felt great in them. Lots of twirling to be had! And speaking of ruffles, I was super grateful for the rolled hemming foot (included with my on-loan Janome Skyline S9) when I needed to hem the 7 yards of ruffles per dress!
In fairness to Heidi’s original pattern, I did alter one dress from the intended tea length. My youngest is going through a “maxi dress please mommy, so they can’t see my shoes” phase! The elastic back bodice makes this dress really easy to fit and should allow it to fit the girls longer as well.
I’m getting long-winded, so I’ll end with the giveaway and ask you for your thoughts. (Plus, take a look through the tour links below – so much great inspiration and options for boys as well!)
What your thoughts are on the fabrics and dresses? How do you approach your garment projects? And have you ever been in a hot air balloon?
Tour Schedule
Monday
I Married Superman
Tuesday
Coffee and Thread – Handmade Frenzy
Wednesday
Sunflower Seams – Handmade Boy
Thursday
Thread Riding Hood – Pear Berry Lane
Friday
Ammon Lane – Sew and Tell Project
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Sherri Sylvester | May 25, 2017
This past Monday was a lovely warm Canadian holiday, perfect for a trip to the park. The girls and I explored a new area nearby and had a great time taking photos of Frolic – Tamara Kate’s brand new collection for Michael Miller Fabrics. (Best fabric line name ever! Love it!)
Michael Miller Fabrics provided these knit Tamara Kate “Frolic” prints for me to play with. My opinions are always my own. Thank you for reading!
I am fortunate to know Tamara personally. (She’s Canadian too!) I’ve enjoyed meeting and working with her several times. Her fabric collections are filled with bright gorgeous designs, on-trend animals and pretty water-coloury florals. She’s a fantastic quilter and lovely and fun to hang out with in real life too!
Michael Miller Fabrics produced 8 knits along with the quilting cottons for this new collection. (Apparel fabrics, woot-woot!) Great for easy summer sewing, and a first for Tamara’s designs. My favorite kids’ handkerchief-hem Banyan tunic always turns out great. It’s comfortable and looks stylish too. The girls chose the “Frolicking” print in Berry and Royal Blue knits.
By way of a recommendation, if you ever get the chance to work with Michael Miller knits – they are my favorite! I found them when I started sewing knits a few years ago and can’t say enough good. The stretch and recovery are fantastic, they are simple to sew (without many of the usual issues you can get with knits) and they wear really well.
I was curious and did a test to see if they shrink during pre-wash and dry. My 4″ test square was only about 1/8″ shorter afterward. And I love that there wasn’t a need to press the fabric before cutting out my pattern pieces. These shirts are truly wash-and-wear.
The Tamara Kate Frolic collection will be shipping to stores on June 15th, 2017. Ask for it at your local shop! To find more Frolic inspiration visit Tamara Kate to find all of the Frolic Fabric Tour posts as they are released.
I’ve got another Frolic project to share with you soon. If you’d like, follow along to get sneak peeks on Instagram.
What is your favorite knit sewing pattern?
P.S. I love finding great scrappy knit projects and the girls’ headbands were easy to make with my offcuts. I used this knot headband tutorial from girl.inspired. They literally took about 10 minutes each with my serger!
P.P.S. Did you see the cute sizing tags? I made them with my on-loan Janome Skyline S9 – the little clothesline is perfect!
Thanks for visiting, see you again soon! ~ Sherri
