Cousins in capes

A few weeks ago I sewed capes from this book for R and her little cousin M. As my sister and her family live out in the country, I had to wait (impatiently) to see them and to give M her new cape. Happily, they came to stay with us this weekend, and at long I was able to see the cape on its owner.

It took a whole day to persuade M to be photographed - she's going through that stubborn three-year-old phase (at least, we think it's a phase...). Eventually the gift of a plastic ring did the trick, and it was well worth the wait. The cape is a perfect fit and looks incredibly cute. As for R, she wore her lovely soft cape all weekend while she played with lego, coloured in, scooted, chased cats and played in the park. I began to feel a little jealous of its blanket-like cosiness, and wondered if I could get away with wearing one (I think the answer is no - so I'll just have to go for a woolly shawl instead).

The book calls this garment a 'poncho' but I think of ponchos as things without front openings, so I'm dubbing these 'capes' instead. The capes have snaps down the front and a removable button tab at the top. They are unlined, but I modified the pattern a little to include a hood lining in cotton, which I attached to the facings so it's set in a few inches from the edges. This makes the hoods look much better when they are hanging down.

R's cape is a lovely soft fabric which was sold as wool, but which I suspect has some polyester in it; M's is pure wool. Both are from the wonderful Kim Anh Fabrics in Oakleigh.

Isn't M the cutest? I hope she enjoys wearing her new cape. Now, what should I sew next...?