Two-Sided Superhero Cape Tutorial

A Superman/Batman combo cape for my cousin's son, Jack.

You need:
Superhero symbols to trace
Red, Yellow, and Black felt (1/8 yard of each)
Red and Black cotton fabric (1/2 yard of each)
Red, Yellow, and Black thread
1 inch piece of "sew-on" velcro
Sewing machine
Iron
Scissors and craft knife
Fabric pins

Start with Superman and Batman symbols printed on cardstock. You can find several nice images of these online.

Cut out two Superman shapes, one red felt and one yellow felt. Also one oval for the Batman shapes. I just traced around my printed images using a pencil and then cut.

Next, cut out the negative space of the Superman symbol and the bat out of the Batman symbol. I used a craft knife. Take your time so it's nice and clean cut.

Turn over your bat to the white side of cardstock so you can trace and cut out a bat from the black felt. (Easier to see that way so it's not black on black)

Trace and cut out the "S" on the red felt for the Superman symbol using a craft knife. Once again, take your time. This is the worst part of the whole process right here....so not too bad.

Once you have everything cut, you are ready to sew. Take your yellow Superman piece and trim just a touch around the edges so you don't see any of it peeking out around the red felt when you lay it on top. (See my little yellow trimmings above?)

Sew a zigzag stitch using red thread for your "S" and black thread for your bat.

I did a pretty tight zigzag, but you could do it a little looser if you wish.
Your symbols are done! Now onto the cape itself.

I am making a copy of a cape I already have, so I just traced around the existing cape, and cut one red and one black. The dimensions of my cape are 26" long and 17" wide. Make sure you wash, dry and iron your fabric first to avoid shrinking!

Sew on your symbols to the coordinating fabric. Use red thread for the Superman and yellow for the Batman. (This step is not pictured, sorry.)

All that is left is sewing the two capes together. Place the two capes WRONG side out and pin all the way around. Sew around your cape, using a straight stitch. *Make sure you leave a 3 inch gap along one side of the cape open....DO NOT SEW IT CLOSED YET!*

Your cape is inside out when you finish sewing. Turn it right side in (surprisingly easy to do) and pin your gap closed. (See above) Sew your gap closed with a straight stitch. I sewed this step with my black fabric facing up, and therefore, used black for my top thread and red for my bobbin thread.
Sew one velcro piece to each end, one on a red side and one on a black side. You could also use a snap or a button if you wish.
Iron your now completed cape! Press the edges for a sharp, clean look.

Finished Superman side

Finished Batman side

(click on any of the pictures to enlarge)