Easy Superhero Cape

My little girl has been on a superhero kick lately, and she's been taking my nursing cover and tying it around her neck and running around the house, just to let the cover flap behind her as she runs, pretending to be a superhero.  Needless to say, I didn't relish the thought of my precious 2 year-old wrapping long fabric ties around her neck, so I thought I'd make her a superhero cape of her very own!

First I took two lengths of 40" wide fabric that was as long as the distance from her chin to her heels (about 28" for her).  This makes a cape that is about floor length on her (I wanted it to be big enough to play with as she grew.)  I laid the pieces good sides together and folded them in half, then rounded the corners with my scissors.

This is the finished cape, folded in half, but you get the idea.

You can see the lining and the velcro fastener here.

 To secure the cape around her neck, I used a velcro fastener on tabs.  The tab with the hook side got a little feature to protect my other laundry when it's washed - a little flip-pocket that works like this:

 
To cut the tabs out - you want three pieces of the lining, and two pieces of the outer, each 3"x5" with one side rounded.  Take one piece of the lining fabric, and cut about an inch off, then double fold the flat end and stitch it down, so that you have a nicely finished edge.  Sew your velcro pieces down, the loop side to an inner piece, the hook side to an outer piece.  Use a zigzag stitch to catch all the edges of the velcro. Put your loop tab face up and lay a plain outer tab on top, then sew them together, turn and top-stitch.  Lay out the other tab as follows:

1. Lining tab, face up
2. Short lining tab, face up.  Line up the rounded edge, not the flat one.
3. Outer tab with hook velcro, face down.

Sew that together, turn the piece so you have a pocket on one side and the velcro on the other, and only top-stitch the part that's not pocket.  Otherwise your pocket will be hard to flip and puckery, allowing the hooks to come into contact with other clothes in the washer.

Now that you have your tabs done, sew the perimeter of your big pieces together, leaving the side that will be the top open.  Do the rounded parts, but leave the flat open.  Turn and topstitch all but the open stuff.  Put your tabs in, making sure that they are as far apart as you want them (I put mine about 13 inches apart).  Topstitch the opening closed.

-The Messy Mommy