Hello Peeps. How glad am I to  be back to normal every day life! We had a nice time in India (post to follow on the exciting fabrics I managed to get my hands on there, and also I KNOW I owe the churidar tutorial…I will, promise), but after almost 3 weeks of non-sewing, I am back with this camel coloured cape made using McCalls 5913 (OOP). 5913 was actually one of the first sewing patterns I attempted when I first stared sewing about 18 months ago. I would recommend it to any beginners considering making a cape.

This is a birthday present for my sister. Her birthday is on Monday. I bought the fabric on Saturday so I had to turn it around pretty fast. It’s made out of a camel coloured polyester/ viscose Melton fabric. I think it looks fab (even if I do say so myself!)…every woman should have a cape! It is lovely and warm and very comfortable. Just right for the chilly autumn weather. And I love camel!

Anyway, the cape is essentially 3 pieces of fabric joined together (2 for the front, 1 for the back), a collar and 2 front facings (I know, facings look a bit bleh). I made view C. It is an unlined cape so I would have liked to use a Hong Kong finish on the seams, but alas, time did not permit. You have to make facings for the belt openings too. But they are very easy and the instructions are all pretty simple.

I didn’t have to do any alterations to the pattern.  My sister seems pretty pleased with it. I am hoping to get a picture of her in it, but for now it is me doing the modelling. I am a selfish seamstress…I don’t like making things for other people 🙂 but I am glad she liked it.

The pattern includes a belt, which I made. But I think that home sewn belts just make everything look….homemade. So I have photographed it with a faux leather belt I had from another jacket, which I think looks much better. Sis is off to see if she can get a better belt to go with it.

Coming up, (apart from the churidar tutorial), I plan to make a black lace dress for myself in time for my birthday in a couple of weeks, a new tweedy winter coat and also a dress for Kezia and possibly a waistcoat for hubby made using some of the fabrics I purchased in India. So much sewing…so little time! Hopefully a new post soon. Till then…