Red Riding Hood Cape, by Oliver & S

This cape is the reason I wanted the Oliver & S book "Little Things to Sew."  I fell in love as soon as I saw the little illustration on the cover... but I was sure the pattern would be too complicated for me.  Turns out I don't give myself enough credit :)

If you've read any of my previous sewing posts, you'd know tat I don't follow patterns well :)  For this cape, which I wanted to come out perfect, I tried my hardest to stick to the pattern.

Some things I changed:
*I left out the armholes.  I don't think Raina would like them... she gets easily annoyed by sleeves she can't pull down to her wrists!
*Topstitching most edges.  Not in the pattern, but I like topstitching and the finished look it gives.
*Pom pom trim.  Why not?  I added this between the layers when they were sandwiched right sides facing.  It adds a really fun touch!

 *Instead of a button, I used a small butterfly patch, sewn just in the center.  It functions as a buttun without being a button!

Next time:
*I would add pockets inside for treasures!
*I think a drawstring feature might be nice for the hood.  Or some elastic (but not too much).  The hood can be floppy, and while it's really cute, I think giving it the ability to pull a bit taughter would also be cute.
*I'm thinking about adding a ruffle to the hood, like I do on my bonnets.





What I used for fabric:
*Lining - quilting cotton
*Outside - Red wool suiting
*I'm pretty much in love with the fabric.  The suiting wasn't inexpensive, but it was worth it.  The color is great, and the drape is exactly what you want from a cape.  (rhyme!)
*Just as a note... I'd like to give this pattern a try in a variety of fabrics now!  I think a fleece one would be a cute and cozy play cape!

Pattern pros:
This is actually a pretty simple and easy to construct pattern.  The instructions are clear.  I have no complaints about following the pattern.  But...

Pattern Cons:
The book comes with a giant sheet of patterns for every project in the book, and they are all printed on top of each other.  I was totally overwhelmed by the pattern sheet when I first opened it.  I had NO idea what to do with it.  First I had to decipher which pieces were for thecape, then I had to figure out how to use them without ruining the rest of the patterns.  I ended up using a roll of Raina's easel paper, tracing the pieces out one at a time, copying all markings, notches, etc over, and then cutting them out,  It was a lot of work.  I'm interested to see if anyone has a better solution for this kind of pattern!

I wish I had some pictures of Raina in her cape to show you.  Every picture I've attempted is blurry though. That girl cannot stand still!  She does love it, and she's sure that this is the witch's cape from Snow White!  Her favorite thing to say while wearing it?  "Here's an apple, dearie!  Now go to sleep!"