DIY Simple Costume Cloak With Fur Trim
This year for Purim one of my favorite acheivements was designing and whippping up this fur trimmed DIY costume cloak for a toddler, well three to be exact. I’ll admit my daughter actually saved the day by commenting that my original design (before I made the front really short) was just way too much fabric for a three year old, and she was sooooo right. This cloak turned out perfectly and apparently was comfortable to wear, as little Queen Esther did not take it off all Purim, which means we got to enjoy seeing her dressed like a queen for hours on end! While I did sew this cloak on a sewing machine, one could glue the seams or even make the cloak from fleece or any fabric like thick jersey (sweatshirt material) that doesn’t unravel, and use only one layer. Of course, part of the beauty of this cloak is the purple lining, but maybe your costume will be just fine with a cloak in one color. Go for simple I say, and add accessories, so that no one element of the costume has to be such a masterpiece, but rather the total look is fun and creative. Okay, shall we learn how to make this simple DIY cloak? (I know, I want one for myself too, so will just have to make one next year to wear over the Moroccan robe I wore this year!)
You’ll Need:
- satin fabric in silver and purple, or the fabric of your choice
- fun and fur tassels, I too, both off of a winter hat that my daughter didn’t like, here’s to upcycling!
- hot glue
- measurements as provided in photo above
How To:
- With two pieces of fabric with right sides facing one another, sew all around, leaving hole for turning fabric.
- Now make the neck hole by simply cutting a slit that is 20cm long down the center from one end. Sew up both sides of the slit.
- Now shape the front of the cloak by rounding the edges of the front panels such that the measurement at the armhole is 13cm. I know we haven’t made the armhole yet, but just pretend that we have. This helps reduce the volume of the fabric that hides the front of the costume too much. I made a little pattern for this from paper so both sides would match. draw line on fabric or pin pattern to fabric. Cut off excess and sew new seam.
- Now you can turn your whole cloak rightside out and sew the sleeves. Fold the front panels down at exactly the end of the neck slit, and make an armhole by stitching the front portion to the back portion.
- Cut fur to appropriate length (make sure to zigzag on any edges as it falls apart) and adhere with hot glue. Sew on the fur tassels as a closure, and voila!
- My apologies is my instructions aren’t so clear I am not a sewer really. I’m sure you can figure it out!
As you can see, this cloak is quite open in the front, so if you prefer you can add some hooks as well to for better closure, but in our case the necklace steals the show so we wanted it to be totally visible. Enjoy!
