Snowflake Blanket Cape
Introduction: Snowflake Blanket Cape
This cape/blanket was inspired by a game called Sky: Children of the Light. There was a limited time in-game purchasable Snowflake Cape for Christmas, but I couldn't justify spending $15 for virtual pixels.
Instead, I put that $15 toward making my own real life versions (a single layer one that's grey and another that's blue with two layers) to keep me cozy while working from home. This was made using standard 50x70" blankets and adding sherpa to the ends for an extra floofy touch. I ended up designing a hood also so that my neck and head would have some love, and after a few hours, voilà!
Step 1: Materials
I made two different versions of this cape: the grey one was more of a prototype as I finalized how to use up all of the 50"x70" blankets and only has one layer with no hood, whereas the patchwork blue one has two layers and has the hood. The grey one is for a lefty and blue is for a righty. The tutorial will have pictures from both processes, based on which pictures were better.
Materials:
* blanket fabric
+ You can find mink fabrics in conventional fabric stores like Joann, but it's pretty pricey so I bought cheap blankets (was $10 for 50"x70"). I was able to make a single layer cape from one 50"x70" blanket, but you could also buy 2 yards of fleece or similarly warm fabric. If you want a two layered cape, double that. I'm 5'3" so this size was enough for me, but if you want to scale and make a longer/larger cape, keep that in mind.
* buttons
+ You'll need two sizes: one smaller button for the inner button that fixes the inner edge of the cape, and a larger button for the outside cape closure. The inner button isn't visible so design doesn't matter for that, but the outer one will be visible so choose with that in mind. I bought snowflake buttons to match the snowflake aesthetic. 644
I actually took the inner button from the extras that collared shirts come with (check along the left side seam and on the label with washing instructions, you'll see extra buttons sewn on)
* 1/2 yard of sherpa fabric for the edges
* 10cm of 1/4" elastic for the inner closure. I harvested from an old mask
* 15cm of shoelace, ribbon, or rope; something that can loop around buttons for the closures. I harvested it from some old gift packaging
* paper to draw out the panels
* measuring tape
* scissors
* thread
+ The blankets I used were mink, which is a knit fabric so it stretches. You'll want to use a low-lint strong thread, so preferably industry or heavy duty weight thread (not serger or overlock). If you don't know what that means, I also got away with just using regular ol' polyester sewing machine thread so it's not a deal breaker.
* sewing machine
+ If you want to sew this by hand, be my guest but be prepared with a TV series. Otherwise, you'll want to use a sewing machine with a zigzag stitch to accommodate the stretch of the mink fabric. I used an industrial Consew sewing machine though since it was all I had access to, and could only do the straight stitch. Even so, that worked out fine for me (albeit not ideal).
Note: I'm sorry for the mix of imperial and metric measurements: I'm in the US so purchased items are measured out in imperial, but I'm more accustomed to metric since I work in engineering.
Step 2: Cutting the Panels
I changed my pattern slightly from the grey cape to the blue cape: the blue one is narrower and longer. You can see the comparison of the two shapes in the first and second pictures above, and see which one you prefer based on the pictures in the intro step. Keep in mind that I'm a 5'3" (160cm) tall so you might want to extend or shorten the length of the shape based on your own size and shape. Honestly the cape is already pretty roomy and flexible so it should fit most people; make adjustments based on your preferences.
To get the full use of a 50"x70" blanket (I'll be talking in terms of blanket but same thing if you bought fabric by the yard), I've mapped out where you should cut the shapes in the fourth picture above (this is also so that the pattern of my fair isle blanket would look mirrored and continuous). For those asking if I took the nap/stretch of the fabric into account, the answer is no because a) I'm a noob and b) I wanted to use just one blanket without much waste. 316