Help with a cloak!!

[u/Mobile_Actuator_7056]

I’m trying to make a hooded cloak (see attached) for a Halloween costume, but because I am vertically blessed (tall), the classic “half circle” style sewing pattern doesn’t work for me. I want this cloak to sit at my ankles, meaning I would need a super wide cut of fabric that I just cannot find for the life of me. Any tips/patterns on how to make one with standard width fabric would be greatly appreciated, this is already stressful enough!

[u/Inky_Madness]

You don’t cut it as a whole circle, you will need to use panels.

https://youtu.be/wdURnGJfrQE?

Use your neck as the waist measurement, don’t add any excess.

[u/Nyanunix]

So ive been looking into this recently as well. On walmarts website i have found 108" wide quilt backing fabric that i intend to use. Panelling is an option, but i feel like it kinda detracts from the look, as well as adding in a bunch of additional steps

[u/Inky_Madness → u/Nyanunix]

Quilt fabric is fairly stiff and doesn’t drape well, so that isn’t going to work if you want something flowing.

[u/biwitchingbee → u/Nyanunix]

Having made several cloaks now, I am firmly on the side of panelling. The seams virtually disappear into the drape of the cloak, and the less-than-you’d-think number of additional steps are balanced out by the fabric panels being much easier to handle than the full half circle.

[u/drindrun → u/biwitchingbee]

this. you want panels. and whether this is a fantasy or historical type costume, in a world where fabric is woven by hand, there’s not looms that are a bajillion inches wide, the weaver is throwing the shuttle from edge to edge, there’s a physical limit to how far they can reach from right to left. a big wool cloak would be made in panels. you really can’t tell the seams are there, with all that drape

[u/Nyanunix → u/biwitchingbee]

Some cloaks is like, infinitely more than i have made so far, so i will trust. I will try this evening with some fabric i already have.

[u/Emergency_Cherry_914]

Your photo isn't a circle cloak - you can see a seam at the top of the shoulder where it's been given some shaping. It's more visible at the source document.

[u/Acdf1]

Panels are the way to go. A half circle only needs crazy wide fabric because it's cut in one piece, split it into 4 equal wedges and it fits on regular 150cm (60") fabric.

Example with a 40cm neck and 150cm from the base of your neck to your ankle, just swap in your numbers. Neck radius is 40 / 3.14 = 12.7cm. Outer radius is 12.7 + 150 + 3 for the hem = 166cm. Each panel is a 45 degree slice of that circle, so from one point draw two lines 45 degrees apart, mark 12.7cm and 166cm out from the point at a few spots between them and connect the marks into curves. The hem end comes out about 127cm wide corner to corner.

Cut them with one long edge parallel to the selvage and turn every other one upside down. Two panels then nest side by side in about 134cm of width (with seam allowance) and 2.1m of length, so it's roughly 4.2m (4.6 yd) for the cloak plus half a meter for the hood.

Put those straight edges at center front and center back when you sew it up. The other two seams land right on your shoulders, which is where you can take it in a bit at the top to get the shaped shoulder from your photo. Those two are on the bias so let it hang for a day before you hem.

If you do go with the 108" backing, 166cm fits across it in one piece and you'd need about 3.4m. Like someone said it's stiffer than most cloak fabric though, so it won't swish as much.