Charlotte Holmes

This little number is a piece I recently completed. It had been sitting in my UFO pile (that's "unfinished objects" to all you non-procrastinators out there) for so long that tackling was really a cathartic act cause I was just so sick of looking at it! By the way, does anyone else have more clothes in their refashioning piles than in the wardrobe or do I just have a problem?

And were back. So this cape began it's existence as a hideous, humongous suit jacket that fastened with a suede ribbon thingy. The only extra supplies I used in the refashion were bias binding and a vintage button.
My process was far from exemplary (even if you ignore the 2 year gap) and it's not photogenic inside but it's still effective and of course, unique!
A brief outline of this method would be as follows:

1. Try on jacket and mark with chalk the length you would like the arms to be.
2. With the jacket layed out measure a straight line from your chalk marks to the centre point and then come down about three inches and mark with chalk. Draw a smooth curve connecting your marks. Check you like the length then mark the back similarly.
   
3. Pin lining to facing and cut your shape out.
4. Unpick collar and sleeves.
5. Pin the shoulders of your sleeves to the body and see what needs to be kept, add an inch or two for seam and then cut the excess from the sleeve.
6. Re-attach sleeve.
7. Bias bind bottom of your cape and up the open centre and collar if you like.
8. My collar was made from the suede ribbon which came with the jacket I simply sewed it over the raw edge left from the unpicked collar.
9. Make a fastener from a button, ribbon or even a cardigan clip (which I hope to have a tute up for very soon)

Do excuse the death stare. No future as a model I fear.

Now if you are looking for a cape How-To that's a little less rough then follow the link below and learn from the ever-resourceful Meg of Enderby Designs.
http://www.threadbanger.com/episode/THR_20081205