No-Sew Superhero Capes

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I feel, in my unending quest to be Awesome Auntie Lizz, that I have a responsibility to help my nieces know and celebrate how awesome they are. (Their parents are doing a great job, too, but this is a responsibility for all of the grown ups in their lives, so it's important to me as well.)

This Women's History Month, I wanted to help my three favorite girls celebrate their awesomeness with some custom superhero capes made in their favorite colors. It's vital that our girls see strong women in their lives, in all parts of their worlds. They can be their own heroes, and they can watch others in the movies and shows they consume.

These capes are so simple to make, they take almost no time at all. I used my Silhouette cutter to create custom appliques for mine, but you could totally skip that part and just have it plain and then it takes almost no time at all! Which reminds me… did you know you can cut fabric with your Silhouette? So freaking cool!

Simple no-sew superhero cape

1/2 yard fleece
Scissors

Fold fleece lengthwise on flat surface
Cut folded fabric into trapezoid shape, so top is about 10″ and bottom dimension is about 16″
Cut long 1″ strip off remnant you just cut off, to be used as neck tie.
Fold top edge over about 1″ then cut a series of small slits, evenly spaced across top.
Unfold top piece and lace the neck tie through the slits you just cut.
And you're done! Keep reading if you want to applique a design on, but this part is finished. 🙂

Cutting fabric appliqué with Silhouette

Silhouette Cameo cutter
Fabric blade for Silhouette
Cotton fabric (quilting weight works well)
Heat'n Bond adhesive
Iron set to Medium heat (no steam)
Masking tape or transfer tape
Superkid applique design (This PDF file has all 26 letters, it's free to download)

Pick up some Heat'n Bond iron-on adhesive, and follow the instructions to attach to backside of your applique fabric.
I cut the adhesive to about a 12 inch square, the size of my cutting mat, and then cut the fabric down once it was adhered.
Place fabric, adhesive side down, on your cutting mat. You'll want to do a test cut first, but try to leave about a 1″ margin around your design, so keep the blade from catching on the edge of the fabric.
Silhouette settings: Blade 4, Speed 5, Thickness 33
Once it's cut, weed the excess fabric from around your design but carefully peeling up both layers, the fabric and the adhesive webbing. Don't forget to remove the centers of letters with loops, like P and R!
Use transfer or masking tape to move the pieces off the backing and onto the cape.
Once you're happy with the placement of your applique, remove the tape and iron in place.
Go forth and save the day!

Research tells us that girls as young as six are influenced by gender stereotypes, so it's never too soon to start thinking about this. If you've got some special girls in your life, Netflix has a bunch of great shows you can share with them…