Cape In The Making

I have just recently started a cape coat out of 100% black wool. I have taken the pattern from a Burda magazine I borrowed from a friend a few weeks ago but have altered it slightly to shorten it and make a mandarin collar instead of a more traditional collar. It is not finished yet but here are a few photos of it so far.

I originally slip stitched the white ribbon detail on but found it too difficult to get a neat edge which can happen sometimes when slip stitching, I therefore decided to hand stitch the top and bottom of the ribbon with a contrasting black thread. I think this also gives a very handmade feel to the piece which is often found in the things I make.

Usually I would over-lock the inside edges of my work but as I spend a lot of time travelling on trains I chose to use a blanket stitch in contrasting white thread that links in with the detail on the outside.

I have also found some black and white buttons that follow the hand stitched theme that I will sew in place quite high up on the cape but will actually use large press studs to fasten the cape.