capes Archives - thesoutherninstitute.com

Creating for boys can be so easy and so much fun! Let’s face it, most little boys aren’t too picky about their apparel are they? You may think that you’re little guy needs the best of the best of everything, but really, sometimes, the most unlikely objects hold the most fuel for his big imagination. I learned this last year when I found myself in a bit of a pinch and found myself making…

The Superhero Cape Tutorial!

Luke is a little man of many interests, one of them being superheros (at least at the moment). I had been wanting to make him a little cape, but hadn’t been able to get any fabric to make him one at the time. That didn’t keep him from requesting one though. So, like any good mom of a superhero would do, I decided to look around the house and see what I could find. Then…

It hit me! I realized that I had the perfect thing for making a quick and easy cape… enormous t-shirts! I have a stack of them from the Goodwill that I use to make upcycled shirts for the boys. Here’s my superhero cape tutorial (technically, you don’t even need a sewing machine!): You can view the video version that I did for Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts Creativity Made Simple Campaign or scroll down past it for the pictorial tutorial. (Hint: the video tutorial has a little shortcut that I started using after I had made the pictorial)…

Disclaimer: Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts supplied me with a gift card which I used to buy supplies for the cape in the tutorial.

What you’ll need: One ginormous t-shirt, one piece of interfacing (2″ x 7 1/2″), velcro, sewing machine or hot glue gun.

1. Lay out one ginormous t-shirt.

2. Cut off the sleeves.

3. Cut up the sides and lay the shirt open.

4. Cut out the shape of a cape, being careful to keep the neck hole in tact.

I cut some off of the bottom too, so he wouldn’t trip.

5. The neck hole will be too big for your little guy…
cut out a section.

Even if it fits, for safety’s sake, make sure you make this cape detachable by adding the velcro closure.

Without the velcro closure this cape could be a choking hazard!

Here you have two options:

#1 Sew velcro on as a neck closure or,

#2 Use a hot glue gun to attach velcro for the neck closure

You have 1/2 of your little guy’s power outfit.

Now for the Superhero Power Cuff.

(Being a superhero doesn’t mean you can’t accessorize.)

1. Take your discarded sleeves and cut out

two 2.5″ x 8″ strips.

2. Attach interfacing to one of the strips, centering it on the fabric.

3. Right sides together, sew around the edges, 1/4″ in,

leaving one short side open. Clip the sewn corners.

4. Turn the cuff right side out and press.

5. Tuck in the open edge, press.

6. Sew all the way around the cuff.

7. Attach velcro pieces, one one the inside of one end,

one on the outside of the other end.

Your Power Cuff is done! You now have a complete outfit!

You can totally be creative when it comes to decorating your cape and cuff. I used a freezer paper stencil to decorate both of these (MADE has a great tutorial here). Here are a couple other capes that I have used fusible and machine stitched appliques on:

Simple but fun, I promise your little super heros will be fighting evil all day long in their capes and cuffs, and you will feel like…

SUPERMOM!

(And don’t forget to post your capes in

The Southern Institute flickr group!)

Thanks so much for coming by! Have a super day!

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