How can I make my own cloak? Patterns?

Question

I'm going to be a woodland archer for Renaissance festival this year and cannot seem to find a cloak for sale in the color and fabric that I am looking for (woods people would not wear cheesy crushed velvet capes w/ silk lining). I need one that's forest green, half circle with a hood and made of canvas or some other rugged material. Should I just try to make it on my own? I'm not that good at sewing - any ideas? Patterns?

Answer 1

Simplicity Pattern #4947 one size fits all ,from the Vintage Closet collection....I Love this Pattern ;)))))

Answer 2

The pattern cited above is just wonderful. I would not make it out of canvas however. Too hard to sew. For Ren Faire you can do any plain weave material, so how about some coarse cotton muslin lining on a cotton fabric that is not too fine in the weave?

These are mostly straight seams so are easier to do than trying to do a bunch of fancy seaming. Hand stitching would be in keeping with Ren Faire standards, three small stitches forward, one back stitch then three more forward, You will be more authentic than some who use machine stitching to do their items.

Answer 3

Simplicity pattern #4947 is a good one for what you've described. One place I find a lot of excellent fabric is at Goodwill stores or any second-hand shop. I don't know if I would use canvas, but a loosely wool knit would be great. I have made cloaks and capes from dresses, men’s suits and even bedspreads I have found at Goodwill.

If you find burlap, it dyes up well in a darker color and when washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer will shrink up nicely to an authentic weave. Burlap can be found at most craft stores. Be sure to purchase twice the amount needed in order to allow for shrinkage. Wash it first and do not use any fabric softener in the rinse cycle. When you dry it, do not use any fabric softener at all. After it's dried, wet it again, then add your dye to the hot water you will use to dye the burlap. Use twice the amount of dye recommended on the package. If you use Rit dye, be sure to add salt to the hot water---it helps the dye "set". Rinse our the burlap in cold water, then wash it warm water, but do not use fabric softener. Dry it again in the dryer and you can add a dryer sheet to it then. If you use Rit dye, get the dark green. When you look at the forest green color, it will have some blue and brown in it. I mix my colors to approximate nature. When I want to dye something to look like the red-gold of a sunset, I use red, gold and yellow. Depending on the fabric, I may also add orange. Sometimes you have to experiment with the dye itself before using it on the fabric.

Good luck!