How to Make a Costume Cape with a Hood
Learn how to sew a simple cape with a hood that’s perfect for a Halloween Costume.
Need a last-minute Halloween Costume? Today, I’m showing you how to make a hooded cape easily. Throw it over a dress or black pants, and you’ll get an easy DIY Halloween costume. If you like this project, you may also like this tutorial teaching you how to make a kid’s Mummy costume.
I love to make Halloween costumes. I’ve made them in years past for my kids, myself, and even my husband.
He’s a dentist, and the kids always get a kick out of it when he comes to work dressed up for Halloween (which helps take the edge off).
One of the items that I seem to make over and over again is a Halloween cape. Many costumes have capes (witches, jedi’s, vampires, etc), making for easy “last-minute” costumes if you’re short on time or ideas.
Cape Tutorial Details
Over the years, I’ve figured out how to make a simple hooded Halloween cape and how to resize it to fit the recipient.
The tutorial I’m sharing with you today can be used to make capes for both kids and adults. NOTE: This costume should not be used for small children.
This cape features a lined hood and would be perfect for a Red Riding Hood costume, but you can also change up the colors of the cape and use it for a Witch costume or even a Jedi Knight.
Costume Sewing TIP!
A note about fabric choice: since this is a Halloween costume, I purposely chose a fabric (stretch velour) that did not fray and did not need to be hemmed. Not hemming the cape will save you a lot of time during construction.
Supplies Required
- 2-3 yards of fabric for the main cape and hood, depending on the size you are making
- 1/2 – 1 1/2 yards of fabric for hood lining (again, refer to size measurements taken above)
- 1 1/2 yards of ribbon
- Matching Thread
- Piece of fabric for neckline facing 2 1/2″ times the final neck measurement (for the hood) PLUS 1″ added (mine was 27″, so my neckline facing piece is 2 1/2″ x 28″)
- Pins
- Pattern Weights
- Chalk
- Sewing machine
Where to Find the Free Tutorial
I’ve created the tutorial for BERNINA’s We All Sew blog. You can find it there. I post projects over there a few times a year as a part of my brand ambassador partnership with them.
