Swashbuckler Cape #2

Last Autumn I whipped up a quick swashbuckler outfit the night before Halloween weekend at the Carolina Renaissance Festival. It was a good start but for DragonCon this year, I decided that it was time to step it up a bit.

The new cape is made not of linen but sateen modal. The same crushed satin is used in the collar but this time I didn't forget the fusable interfacing which makes it stand out more. The sides are trimmed with matching 3/8-inch cord and the bottom is trimmed with matching fringe.

Rather than tailored shoulders, this time the neckline is gathered from about 8-feet down to 18-inches. This adds a great deal more body and allows for it to billow more dramatically when I walk. To reinforce and set the gathering, I used an inch-wide strip of nylon strapping on the outer surface of the cape. This adds a great deal of strength and also prevents all that gathered material from binding and torquing. The collar then sandwiches the nylon and satin-stitching wraps the neckline.

Underneath the collar, a series of four 1-inch steel loops are sewn directly into the nylon. These hold the 1/2-inch thick cord that can be used to secure the cape onto a surcoat/jerkin or a clasp could be added to secure it at the throat.

Thanks to Carrie Anne both for her assistance as a photographer and model.