Cape Fear or Cape of Good Hope?

Throughout the last winter I harboured a hankering for a cape but I never got around to making one. This year I decided to jump right in and make one before those nagging suspicions that a cape would look silly and be totally impractical stopped me.


Maybe a bit silly and only a little impractical!


Right now there seem to be quite a few patterns for capes in the current collections but, as it happens, I used a vintage pattern

What especially attracted me to this pattern is that it's reversible - two capes for the effort of one!


If this wind blows me away, will this cape help me fly?

Although a cape doesn't really have to fit very closely anywhere I did go to the trouble of making a muslin to get some idea of how this was going to look on me. I'm glad that I did because it made me realise that a long version was going to swamp me and that to look more modern it needed to be quite a bit shorter than the shortest version of this pattern. I also discovered that if the arm slits were longer it would allow a bit more arm movement. I should, perhaps, also mention that at this point my husband looked pretty dubious about the whole cape prospect, muttering that he didn't want to put me off something that I was clearly hell bent on making but he didn't have high hopes for the finished garment.

I used 100% wool in a dark grey for one side and pale grey for the other. Because I felt it needed a little glamour and cosiness I decided to experiment and make the collar in a white faux fur.


Nothing like a bit of faux fur for glamour!

Also, I used a metallic silver thread for the topstitching around the front, the hem and the pocket slits. The whole thing was super-easy to make. It only needed two buttonholes at the top, one on either side. These are fastened together by sewing two buttons together with a thread link so it can be buttoned up whichever way round I am wearing it -

I went through the construction process with mixed feelings - Fear and Hope. So, what's my final verdict on the cape? Well, I do like the way it turned out. I can also tell you that when my husband saw it finished he looked quite startled and told me that it looked a million times better than he had feared: in fact he really likes it. Since making it I have worn it twice and it is perfect for just throwing on when going out for dinner or to visit friends. I wouldn't, however, choose to wear it for a day of shopping because you can't carry a bag over your shoulder: you have to clasp it in your hand, which is a little restricting. I doubt if I will make another cape but I'm really happy that I have this one and have, finally, got the cape craving out of my system!

What about you - is a cape a garment that you would ever consider wearing, do you like the look, hate it, or does the sheer impracticality of a cape rule it out for you? I’d love to know ……

The coat chronicles continued .....

A big thank you to everyone who commented on my dithering over the Lady Grey coat pattern in my last post. Your extremely astute opinions helped me clarify what I really felt about my dilemma. The overwhelming consensus was, at the very least, proceed with caution! Some said don’t do it at all. Whilst I am not saying that I’m never going to make it, I have decided that I am definitely not going to make it now. I shall, however, be following the Sew-Along with keen interest and envious admiration.

I do love the pattern but, as I am small, top heavy, short-waisted and not particularly thin, I really don’t think this is the style for me. I have to confess, however, that I don’t always follow the ‘rules’ when it comes to determining what I might look good in and what I want to make. For instance, it is often advised that small ladies should avoid full length dresses and large prints, yet one of my favourite dresses is my maxi dress, made from Simplicity 3503 (blogged about here and here). It’s long and the print is huge. I totally agree with the advice that The Slapdash Sewist offered me: “if you're comfortable in what you're wearing, you'll look good. So just *decide* it's going to flatter you and it will”. I think that is very true of my maxi dress – it doesn’t really matter whether it actually flatters me or not because every time I put it on it makes me feel cool and carefree and makes me smile!

So I don’t mind taking risks when deciding what to sew but I’m not in the mood to do it with a coat. A coat is a lot of work and takes up a lot of space in the wardrobe so I want a coat that I am going to be able to wear often and always feel good in. Lindsay T commented that she felt I would “look better in a more streamlined and classic style”. As soon as I read that I thought YES, that’s what I really want – streamlined and classic is what my wardrobe needs. So I have been looking through pattern catalogues and my collection of Burda magazines to find something that fits the bill and have found some promising contenders.

Still obsessed with the idea of my coat being camel, I set off for the Goldhawk Road to do some research on cost and availability of camel coloured coating. I went into most of the stores before finding exactly what I wanted. My credit card came out and what was supposed to be a research mission turned into a buying trip. Here it is, pictured with the reference books I have been studying in preparation for the task!

It’s 100% wool, beautifully soft and is a delicious melted toffee shade. It cost £12 per metre.

So, last week I had a coat pattern but no fabric. Now I have the fabric but no coat pattern!

I have to tell you that I am quite exhausted by this coat before I have even begun so, for now, I am going to turn my energy to making a few less demanding items of clothing to get my autumn wardrobe going. After all, I am going to be needing something to wear underneath this coat, when it finally gets made!

In the meantime, what about you - do you know what ‘the rules’ for your particular body shape are? Do you care?

Is the Lady Grey for me?

For the last week or so I have been eagerly waiting for my Lady Grey coat pattern to arrive from Colette Patterns so that I can count myself in on Gertie’s coat sew-along. Finally, hurrah, it arrived today.

But, here’s the thing. Despite the delightful anticipation, despite my great interest in other people’s preparations for the task, I have been harbouring a few doubts. Is this Lady the one for me?

I would like to be part of a sew-in and I think that this one is going to be especially fun. The coat oozes style – that big collar, the flared skirt and wide sleeves are definitely eye-catching and I love them. However, those are the very things that are making me hesitate. I am short and easily swamped so, if I’m honest, I'm not sure if this would have been my first choice for a coat pattern to flatter my figure. I have looked at the pattern pieces and can see how I could reduce the lapels, the collar and the flare but I don't think I want to do that - wouldn’t I then actually be making a different coat? It is those style elements that make this coat distinctive. I like the look. Hmmm it’s a conundrum.

In the meantime I have been pondering on fabric. My first thought was to go for classic black – you can’t go wrong with a black coat. But then I was in the hairdressers (getting my highlights done – lot of time sitting about!) where I thoroughly perused the September issue of Vogue and I discovered that this season’s colour for coats is CAMEL. Those fashion-savvy people at Vogue say: “Invest in a classic camel coat and we guarantee you’ll wear it forever”. With that in mind I’m going to check out the discount fabric stores in the Goldhawk Road (London) to see exactly how much I’m going to have to invest to get 4 ¼ yards (oooh she’s a fabric hungry lady!) of camel wool for this coat.

I have to say that the thought of a coat in delicious caramel shade of camel – all expensive and elegant looking – is getting me quite inspired.

Also I must mention that along with the Lady Grey I ordered the Rooibos dress pattern and, I have to tell you that I’m definitely excited by it – I think this one (made a little longer than the model is wearing) is ‘me’. It’s gone straight into my autumn ‘to do’ pile.


In the meantime, what do you think of the prospect of me in a camel Lady Grey – at 5ft 2” am I too small to carry it off? Help, I'm in a frenzy of indecision ......