The Cape: Originally, I bought 2 yards of waffle fleece at Hancock Fabrics. Couldn't find anything closer to the pictures anywhere at the time. Later, I found tablerunners at Walmart that had the right look, so I sewed them all together before moving on to actually making the cape. If I ever make another version, I'll use waffle muslin, as I really like the weight and drape of it.
Note: The amount of fabric may need to be adjusted for your height. I'm only 5'2" so 2 yards cut out as directed below leaves the fabric very close to the back drape length in the reference pictures.
Instructions:
1. Lay out fabric, fold in half. You'll have one long thin stretch of fabric.
2. Cut into a wide 'U' shape on outside edge. Do not cut on the fold!
3. At top, along the fold, cut curve to soften folded corner, then cut 1/4" in and down along the fold to just past halfway down the length.
4. I plan on taking a few stay stitches along the inner curve where the two pieces meet, but if you don't plan on wearing this more than once, then it's not a necessity.
5. Drape, tuck about shoulders and pin in place if necessary. I added a couple heavy duty snaps to help keep it in place.
Honestly, the fleece version is so warm and cozy, I tend to use it like a sweater around the house anymore. The table runner version doesn't get as much use, but I do use it when temperatures really drop here, as in below 20°. I believe the directions are fairly straight-forward, but if there are any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
The Boots: This is what I did.
Shinguard -- I cut a piece approximately 9"x11" (check your own measurements)
Boot Covering -- I cut a piece approximately 14"x18" (check your own measurements)
1. Cut 2 pieces of vinyl.
The first piece is simply a boot covering if you don't have knee high boots. My boots only came to mid-calf, so I needed something behind the shinguard. This needs to be long enough to reach from knee to ankle when hemmed and should overlap in the back. *Remember to measure over the boot you plan to wear or the piece will be too small. Add Velvro to close it snug about boot and leg.
The second piece is for the shinguard. Measure from the left side to the right side of the calf. This piece should rest about 1" below the top of the first piece to 1" from the bottom of the first piece and 10" or 11" wide. Again, measure yourself. My measurements are just for reference. This piece I did not hem at all.
2. Cut 6 strips of vinyl for each boot. Make these about 1" wide. 4 of them will go around the leg to hold it on and two will be running vertical, dividing the shinguard into 3rds.
3. Sew 4 pieces on the shinguard in a Roman numeral 2 pattern. I didn't hem each strip, though you can if you want. I think it looks fine without.
4. Make cuts to place the remaining 2 strips.
5. Add stitching to give a visual effect. There are 6 rectangles in the lower two thirds of the shinguards.
6. The boot covering and shinguard can be sewn together or left separate. I'm leaving mine in two pieces. It worked pretty well.
The Hairpiece:
A picture of my hairpiece before I added any hair to it on the left below. This is the framework. When I added more loops, I wound the braided yarn about the wire before twisting it into the shape I wanted. It worked a whole lot better than twisting the wire first.
I'm a lot happier with the hairpiece so far than I've ever been with the armbands. I never did end up with armbands I liked.
