Are you ready to get your Bat on?! ~Bat Cape Tutorial

I love when my boys dress up and pretend to be something they are not. It isn't about saving the world. It is about pretend. Who doesn't like pretend? My nephew is having a Batman party today. For Christmas I made bat capes for all the younger nephews. I also made freezer paper stencil bat shirts. For Halloween my little family of 4 all had bat capes and bat shirts. Today's party we are all going to get our bat on! I had intended to make a cape and shirt for my girlfriend's son for Christmas. But I ran out of time...sigh. So I made one yesterday. Just in time for today's party!

In an effort to keep my kids pictures off this blog, I'll have to see if I can get an action shot at the party today sans faces. For now, these will have to do.

Gather your supplies. I used a yard of black material, pinking shears, a plate about 4 inches across, and some sort of marking utinsil. I choose a fabric with polyester blend. A good super hero needs to look nice at all times. Irons are not something they carry to save the world.


I left the fabric folded just as it comes off the bolt. I folded it in half the other way. In the corner where both folds meet, I lined up the plate and drew about 1/4 of a circle for the neck opening.


Now I backed up and drew the basic shape. This is my guide for the scallops. Just a big quarter circle usning most of the length and width of the material.



Sorry about this one being out of focus. I had a little helper with me the whole time. With your plate and the quarter circle guide, draw scallops to make the bat wing shape.



Using your pinking shears, cut the neck and scallops. **If you sew close to the pinked edges you will not need to clip your curves. There are lots of curves in this and I was happy I used my pinking shears;)


This is the shape still folded in half and laying on it's side apparently;)



With some scrap fabric, trace a half circle using your plate. This still needs to be two layers of fabric.


You are making the neck piece. From the half circle, draw another half circle about 2 inches out from that. And then draw a line right in the center of that to seperate this into two sides. See the picture for details.


Cut that out with pinking shears.


Sew the neck pieces on three sides leaving the bottom selvege edge open for turning.


Clip the corners


Turn both neck pieces. I LOVE my handy dandy turning tool. Saves so much time!!


Topstitch the same three sides of both neck pieces.


Go to your bat shape. Open it up. Cut along the top fold. **You could have cut it out with this as the selvege edge, but I like to cut those off, and this way it held the pieces together for me for a little while. Less pieces to loose.


Sew the neck curve


Lay the neck pieces down below the newly sewn curve. This is for placement. ** I measured the neck at this point and adjusted the length of the neck piece accordingly. If I wanted a bigger neck opening, I would have tucked the neck piece further in the sandwich. If I wanted it shorter, I would have put less length in the sandwich.



Lift up the top layer and put the neck piece right along the curve seam.


Put the top layer back over the sandwiched neck piece. I highlighted where the piece is inside the two layers just for reference.


Sew just the neck piece in at the shoulder seam. Don't sew anything further. Sew both neck pieces the same way.


We are going to sew around the entire cape now. Leave an opening for turning. I like to use a straight edge for openings for turnings. It is easier to finish it off nicely with just a straight stitch. I left an opening on one of the shoulders.

I should have done this one step back...cut off the excess neck piece. You don't have to do this, but it will have a bit of a lump inside the cape if you don't.


Sew around the cape leaving the opening mentioned above.


Turn the cape right side out through the opening you left.


Using your turning tool or knitting needles or some other not too sharp tool, make sure the points of your scallops are nicely pointy. Topstitch around perimeter of cape. Make sure you sew closed the opening you left for turning.


To keep the neck on my kids, I like to use sew in Velcro. I don't find the iron on Velcro stays over repeated wear. And I don't like a snap or anything else. This thing is around my kids neck. I want it to come apart if it is pulled on. Sew in the Velcro on both ends of the strap.


Pair it up with a freezer paper stenciled bat shirt and you are good to go!


Don't forget, if you make this, please take a picture and put it up on our flickr group. Leave us a comment that you liked this tutorial. If I don't get feedback, I have no idea if you found this useful.

Also, don't forget to leave a comment for our little give away. As a way to thank you for your comment love, people that have previously left us comments get extra entries. Just remember that for future give aways;)
~~Anjeanette

Ok this is Rebecca here. I just thought I'd add a few pictures of a few of the kids in their batman capes, from the party. Hard to get pictures of little ones actually holding still! Aren't the shirts Anjeanette made super cute, too!?