Sew a Hooded Cape {Pattern & tutorial}

A cape for those who like costume dramas or those who like to dress like someone from the Victorian or Edwardian era or just want some protection from cold weather and don’t mind the dramatic look of a hooded one.

This is a voluminous cape which is quite easy to make with just some seams and a few hems. Make it complicated if you want to, with buttons, buttonholes, lining, and trims. I am not going to.

The fabric used is a stretch velvet. Read more on sewing velvet fabric for being prepared.

How to sew the hooded cape – sewing tutorial

Step 1. Draft the pattern for the cape and hood

Fold 2 fabric pieces of this dimension – 80 inches width by 40 inches length, by the middle. These will give you two pieces for the back and the front. The front will be cut into two pieces.

(If you do not have this width of 80 inches with the fabric you have, join fabric pieces to get it for the back pattern)

Pattern for the cape

Pattern for the hood

Take 2 pieces of fabric 12 inches wide and 16.5 inches long. Mark the pattern for the hood

Step 2. Cut out the fabric pieces

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Step 3. Cut the front into two pieces

Seperate your two pieces – front and back. The front pattern piece has to be cut by the middle.

Step 4. Join the 2 pieces of hood

Sew the two hood pieces by the top edge – as it is a curvy seam, you will have to clip the seam allowance every 1/2 inch for getting it turn smoothly.

Step 5. Hem the edges of the hood

Sew the edges of the hood with zig zag stitches. Just fold the edge twice to the inside and sew with zigzag stitch. 

Step 6. Join the shoulder seams of the cape

Keep the cape pieces (back and the front pieces) right sides to the inside and join them together at the shoulder seams.

Step 7.Attach hood to cape

Use a bias tape to make a facing to join the hood to the cape. For this cut out enough bias tape to the measure of the neckline edge of the hood.

Keep the hood and the cape edges together, rightsides touching together; keep the bias tape on top and sew the edges together. Turn the bias tape to back and sew in place (hand sew or stitch in the ditch). If you are new to sewing bias binding, checkout this tutorial for binding edges.

Step 8.Hem the edges of the cape