Make Your Own: Super Simple No Sew Kids Hooded Cloak

Our super-simple no-sew hooded cloak is our most popular post ever, so we thought we'd reshare it, in case anyone is in the market for a last-minute Halloween costume make. So easy – just grab some fabric and follow the step-by-step instructions below.

We love World Book Day and Halloween, but Lola is VERY fussy about what she will or will not wear to such things. I decided to get the sewing machine out to make her a cape so I can convince her to go as Little Red Riding Hood. My thinking is that once she realises how much she loves wearing this cape, she'll be desperate to go as LRH and I'll make her a red one! That's the cunning plan anyway.

I grabbed some beautiful silk velvet from Jake & Maya's #sharingourstash project for £1 a metre and fired up the sewing machine with a masterpiece in my head. However, within minutes I realised that sewing silk velvet is a pain in the arse! It's stretchy and slippery. I had plans to line this cape but was struggling to even sew a few inches – even though I had pinned it to within an inch of its life. So I had to come up with a new, no-sew idea, that would achieve the desired result. After a few false starts and a couple of hours later I had an idea that worked...

The second cloak took less than ten minutes, so I thought I'd share how to make a really easy hooded cloak! And the beauty of this one is, it doesn't take much measuring either - winner.

Disclaimer: My 6-year-old helped make this - I don't normally cut quite so wonky! Honest!

What You Need

• Fabric. At least the length of your little person plus  5 inches or so. Width as per roll.
• Fabric glue/hemming web/no-sew tape – whatever works for you. You can stitch this bit if you prefer.
• Scissors.
• Tape Measure.

Making The Cape

1. Measure your child from shoulder to wherever you would like the cape to end and add 2 inches.
2. Cut along that line.
3. Put the material the right way up, and fold down two inches from the top
4. Cut half an inch (or thereabouts) every two inches across the top of the fabric.
5. When unfolded, you should have your fabric with a number of holes along the top.

You'll end up with a length of fabric that looks like this (probably neater unless you too have a six year old helping!)

You can hem it if you wish – I have some lovely (easy to sew!) fabric for the little Red Riding Hood cape which I will hem and line.

Making The Hood

It's worth noting that oversized hoods look best, but do what works for you. The dimensions are what I used for my six-year-old. Next time I will make the hood slightly smaller.

1. Cut a rectangle 22" by 26" * Update: A number of people have commented that they would have made the hood slightly smaller, and I agree. Before you cut and fix, make sure the size works for you.*
2. Fold the rectangle in half along the short side.
3. Turn inside out and join one side together (sew, fabric glue etc). This will be the top of your hood.
4. Turn back the right way and lay flat (at this point you can iron if you like!)
5. Fold up from the bottom an inch or so.
6. Cut from the back of the hood, half an inch one inch in. Then, every two inches as you did before. Make sure that first cut is only one inch though.

You should now have a hood and cape, ready to be joined. Easy!

Joining the hood and cape

This is super-easy...

1. Cut a length of the fabric (or you can use ribbon), it needs to be pretty long, at least a meter if you're using fabric with no stretch.
2. Find the two middle holes on both your hood and cape and weave the ribbon between them, carrying on to either side as shown.
3. When you run out of hood holes keep weaving until the end both sides.
4. Pull tight.
5. Trim your ribbon (if required).
6. Find your little person and put their cape on them! Job done.

If you're looking for World Book Day inspiration, you have to check out last year's BG reader efforts. They're a talented bunch!