Super easy Superhero Cape Tutorial

Today’s idea is an EASY (and cheap!) almost no-sew (just one easy seam) Superhero Cape. You could make a bunch of these as gifts for friends or party-favors in an hour.

The inspiration for this tutorial came at the beginning of November. My 6-yr-old came home from school saying he needed a cape for “Superhero Day” at school. Because he puts up with me sewing all kinds of other “un-useful” things I figured I owed it to him to at least make a superhero cape. But since the last thing any mom wants to hear the week after Halloween is “I need a costume” I wanted to make it as simple as possible. When it worked I figured it was worth sharing and so the Lazy Mom Superhero Cape tutorial was born.

Because I don’t have a serger and I felt strongly opposed to the idea of lots of pressing and hemming something that would only be dragged heaven-knows-where I went with the worlds easiest fabric. Fleece. I let my boys each pick out their own color – this was the first time they have EVER been excited to go to the fabric store.

I used 3/4 yard. (You may want to get a yard for a longer cape on a bigger child.) Because the fleece is usually 60″ wide, you will get two capes out of each peace of yardage. (I found it on sale for $3.99 a yard. That means each cape is between $1.50-$2!)

Open up the fabric. Measure a piece of string the length of the yardage (in this case 27″) and tie the string to a marking pen. Tape the string at the center of the yardage.

Using the pen as a compass (or protractor or something) draw a large half circle.

Shorten the string to 6″ and draw a similar half circle at the top for the neck line.

Use scissors to cut on both drawn lines. Also cut on fold line (to end up with two capes. Or keep it one piece to make a cloak.) Finally, cut about 2″ off both selvage edges.

Take a selvage edge, wrap around neck and measure for length

(you want it to be loose.)

Trim unnecessary end.

Mark center of selvage collar and the neck end of one of the capes.

Match centers and pin collar overlapping the neck of the cape by about 1/2″.

Sew one seam to attach collar to the cape.

Attach velcro to the ends of the collar.

And yeah, you’re done.

When I stop being lazy, I promised to sew a felt letter to the back of the capes, but I haven’t got that far yet.

In a short time, success. And I don’t worry for a half a second about what happens to this superhero accessory because I can make another one in a snap.

Can I just say here how much I enjoy 4-year-olds? Especially this one. (He’s particularly lucky because he gets Mom all to himself most days – none of my other previous 4-year-olds had it so good.) While sharing a particularly cozy, sentimental moment in front of the Christmas tree one morning he looked up at me with those charming blue eyes and responded, “Mom. I see tiny hairs in your nose.” Not the response I was anticipating.

I honestly wish I could freeze him this way forever.