The Great Cat Caper

Pet costumes are so cute but you probably balk at paying money for your own costumes, much less your pets! Plus, cats are not known for being cooperative when it comes to clothes-unlike their doggo counterparts. A cape is a good compromise as it is basically a blanket, and it goes around their neck, where they should be used to feeling their collar. A cape is also a great base for lots of different costumes. I made my cat a vampire, but this could also be a wizard (or witch), superhero, or Zorro!

Giving his best JCPenney fall catalog pose.

Supplies

Black fabric

Black felt

Red fabric scraps

Cord, twine, ribbon, anything to tie the cape together.

Sewing supplies-scissors, sewing glue, thread, pins

All these supplies I had on hand, scraps from one project or another. If you don’t have a supply to draw from, the scraps pile at Joanns is a great place to look for the material you need. The red cord was from when I was making my own COVID masks, glad to finally be rid of it!

Measure your pet around their neck, or grab their favorite collar and use that as a guide. We are going to make the pattern for the top part of the cape. The length you measured is going to be the bottom part of the pattern. Draw the length on a piece of paper. To make the sides, angle your ruler about 50 degrees and draw a line about 3.5 inches. Repeat on the other side. Connect both sides with a line at a top. You should have a trapezoid shape.
Measure your cat, or if they aren’t into it, guesstimate how long your cape should be. Mine was about 12 inches long, and don’t forget to include some length for the seams.
Cut out the pieces for the top part of the cape. I used the same pattern for the lining, but just trimmed off a little more around the edges. The scrap of black fabric I had to trim down the length, but the width was perfect for this project. We are going to pleat the top part of the cape so you don’t have to exact, a couple of inches on either side should work. You should have a rough rectangle shape for the cape itself.
Glue the red lining to one side of the black trapezoid.
Sew the pleating across the top of the cape. If your fancy, hem all around sides and bottom of the cape.
Place your cord along the top of the cape, ensuring enough overhang on either side to allow you to tie it in the end. Tuck the fabric under the cord, making sure the cord is completely covered. Pin trapezoid on top. Sew along the edge. While doing this I worked an inch at the time, since the pins I have are big and weren’t really keeping things in place.
Finish off your cord. I knotted mine at the ends and cut off any hanging threads. Joey of course was very interested in playing with it.
Take pics of your pet! My cat didn’t make a fuss wearing this, much to my surprise, and he looked so cute!