From placement, measuring, cutting, marking and, finishing, you may learn how to turn a blanket into a cape. Being fashionable is just five easy steps away.
People may think of alternate resources to use to stay fashionable and not feel like they are way behind the trending fashion ideas. One of the many reusable objects found in your home are unused blankets and other materials.
What Materials Should You Use?
1. Fabric
Your blanket should be five by six feet or longer. For fabrics, use wool melton, moleskin, wool coating, corduroy, and velveteen on the cape’s exterior part. For tropical climate areas, you may use lighter wool in terms of weight.
The fabrics mentioned above do not serve as the only basis on what you should use. You may use the design you want in particular, as well as what the texture of the final product will be.
2. Pair of fabric shears
You wouldn’t be able to cut a piece of fabric or blanket with just a simple scissor. Fabric shears can make clean cuts on the material.
When talking about precision in cuts, these shears have a longer length than an all-purpose type of scissors. Scissors affect even the tiniest details of your project. There may be another pair of scissors that might help you cut more easily.
You wouldn’t want loose threads and uneven cuts seen in any part of your cape, would you?
3. Measuring tape
Sewing wouldn’t be too easy without the use of measuring tape or a tape measure. The flexibility and the softness of this ribbon, along with the measurements printed on it, had become one of the tailor’s close friends. It had become an iconic professional image for a tailor to have a tape measure around their neck.
You may also compare this to a doctor’s stethoscope. Having this around the house, not only in a tailor’s shop, is indeed very handy.
4. Marking pen
Achieving a perfectly straight line while cutting a piece of fabric may be gained through using marking pens. These are pens specifically made to be seen on the material once they have drawn their design, lines, or curves.
These pens come in different colors, depending on what shade of fabric you’ll be using, to provide a better view of your outlined design. Ceramic lead pens, water-soluble pens, Chaco liner pens, and tailor’s chalk are a few of the many kinds of marking pens.
5. Yarn
Knitting, weaving, and other fabric sewing methods can use textile yarns. It has continuous strands of filament fibers or staples.
These are products of considerable length with small cross-sections of threads twisted and filaments that won’t tangle. Yarns keep the fabrics connected and retain the shape of the product intact. Aside from textile yarn, there are many threads used in sewing, such as spun yarns.
6. Tapestry needle
When sewing fabrics that use yarn, tapestry needles are the ones you should be using. These needles have a large eye that makes them easier to put through a yarn thread.
Thick needles make it easier to sew thick blankets or even fabrics pieced together. The large size of these needles makes them harder to break once you pull them through a cloth.
Basic Steps On Turning Your Blanket Into A Beautiful Cape
Step #1. Placement
Start by choosing a flat surface to lay down the blanket or piece of fabric. Fold it lengthwise. The width of the material on the folded state will be the shoulder line.
Step #2. Measuring
Measure the fabric on the half portion of its width on the top and bottom parts of the fold. Mark those measurements and connect both dots vertically. The line should be running straight up to the middle part of the blanket.
Step #3. Cutting
Cut the vertical line. Keep in mind that you will snip only one side of the folded blanket. Double-check the layer of fabric that you are going to cut before you trim it.
Step #4. Marking
On either of the two cut sides at the topmost part of the folded blanket, measure a 4-inch horizontal measurement. Then, mark both of the sides with the marking pen and cut the fold towards each point. These cuts are for the opening of the neck.
Step #5. Finishing
The last step is to stitch the edges to avoid a raw finish, but you may leave it if you prefer raw edges. Use a blanket stitch to add a visual element. You may create this finish if you have the inclination and time.
Conclusion
Perhaps making use of the old blankets and fabric may not be that fun to others, but there is always a guide to doing anything properly.
It is not late to try new things once in a while. You may use blankets and fabrics from garage sales if you have second thoughts about using your old ones. Remember to follow the steps above on how to turn a blanket into a cape.