Sewing a cape (Piccolo Cosplay)
Hello again! Here, I will be detailing how I made Piccolo's cape for my upcoming cosplay. I didn't take many pictures, so hopefully my poetic words will be enough (lol)
First, same as always, find some references. Draw some pictures. Especially if there aren't many references, or if the design is inconsistent, take some creative liberties!!! This is your piece of art.
I especially took some time to find the perfect shape for the shoulder pads. I just redrew lots of patterns on scrap paper until I found one that I liked.
I did the cape in three separate pieces. The cape, the shoulder part, and the collar. I went to Goodwill and purchased a King sized white sheet for less than $10, and it was more than enough fabric (especially since I'm not that tall).
For the cape part, I just lay out the sheet and using a meter stick, cut out the basic shape of the cape, keeping in mind how much I wanted to hem. I had a super overabundance fabric so I ended up cutting a lot off.
I cut out a sort of triangle pattern, the bottom being much wider than the top, so the overall shape would allow lots of flowing and it would sort of curve around my body.
After I cut out the shape, I basically repeated the steps of trying on, measuring, cutting, and sewing, until I was happy with the length and shape. (Also lots of running around pretending to be a superhero).
I found a random strap of fabric and sewed it to the front of the cape (one the shoulders) so it would stay on. I didn't care about how this strap thing looked because this part will be covered up.
Again, I apologize for the lack of photos. I got lazy....
Next, I procured some cardboard that was thick enough to hold shape but thin enough to mold the shape a little. I cut out the shape I decided on.
Next, I took my bag of worbla scraps (you might have to be a bit resourceful at this point) and heating them up, haphazardly smooshed them together on the cardboard until the cardboard was properly curved in the correct shape.
Then, I used more sheet and cut a sort of rectangle with a hole in it for my head. Lots of struggling, hot glue and cutting later, I had covered both cardboard pieces in fabric and created a sort of shoulder pad piece that would rest on top of the cape.
Lastly, I took a large rectangle of sheet, and sewed it into a big loop. Then I trimmed a little and hemmed a little until I got it to the size I wanted. This piece sort of sits on top of the shoulder piece and it's supposed to look big and fluffy and messy, so I didn't need to do a lot, just situate it correctly.
And there we go! I finished the cape. This probably is a pretty specific process for this costume, but hopefully you can find it helpful!
