An actual cape

 Every time I go through the fabric pile down the coast in the cooler months I keep coming back to this beautiful heavy wool. I bought it at the first church craft de-stash sale a couple of years ago - 2.5 metres for $15. It is lovely, super warm and super bulky and - which I didn't know when I bought it - made in England.

Isn't that cool? I hadn't seen a marking like that before (and it doesn't rub off or anything, which is why it is now firmly inside the hood). The trouble with this heavy blanket style is that it does not lend itself to easy sewing. I have pulled it out for various coats and jackets and then rejected it for anything with lots of seams or bulk. Which is most coats. And then, when I was looking for something else, I found Vogue 7641 from 2002 which I bought when I was pregnant, because apparently pregnant ladies need capes? Or wraps? 

Anyway I never made it, because who wears capes? Nobody, but dammit once I saw it on the weekend I really wanted to sew one. How much fun.

And it was fun, although the hood is ridiculously huge - it has pleats at the neckline for added space. You could fit Voldemort in there, as my husband kindly pointed out, and when I have the hood up it looks more than a little Ewok/Gandalf/hobbit. There are limited seams, which was very kind on this wool, and I bound the edges with bias binding, so just one turn-up layer of fabric. I hand sewed it down, (and pressed it, although it doesn't look it) which took a while, then a snap at the neckline and away we go!

I wore it to work on Tuesday because my husband dropped me off and picked me up so number one could have the car, which inevitably means a few minutes waiting outside, and it was COLD. Except for me, in my giant wearable blanket. It is so heavy it creates its own microclimate of happy warmth. I thought it might be a pain  not having arms but it's not at all, and it's sooooo swoooshy. I probably looked odd but I felt very happy. Capes!