count on mom (part 2)

With part 1 (The Counts "suit") out of the way, the missing piece of the Halloween costume puzzle was the familiar green cape.

To begin here, I purchased two yards of fabric in (each) solid green and a colorful number pattern. The green would serve as my top layer of the cape, and the numbers would serve as the lining underneath.


I decided to sew the cape in two parts ... "Part 1" was the actual cape and "Part 2" would be the stiff, triangular part that would stand up behind Malcolm's head.

After making my cuts for "Part 1" (I used one of Malcolm's hooded bath towels as a pattern to get the length right), I turned both pieces good side facing inward and sewed them along three sides with my sewing machine.



Then I inverted everything, turning the good sides outward.


Next, I constructed "Part 2" in a similar fashion, using two pieces of the green fabric (one of Malcolm's board books served as my square template here) and turning the "good side" inward.


Using my sewing machine, I sewed all four sides, but left enough space at the bottom of one point to insert some craft foam (to make the piece stiff enough that it would stand up on its own). For the craft foam, I created the same shape, but slightly smaller, and cut off one of the corners. then I rolled it and stuffed it into the that it could be pushed inside the three sided pocket that I had created.



Once the foam was in place, I secured and sewed the triangular piece to the top of the flowing cape. I cut off the excess fabric, rolled the remaining length under, and sewed it in place to create a more "finished" look.




To attach the cape to Malcolm, I created a green tie by cutting a long strip of green fabric and folding over both sides to create a tube.


I placed this tube horizontally across the top of the inside of the cape and sewed it in place. This helped to cover up the area where the triangular piece of fabric had been added, but was also the obvious place for a fastener.



I created a couple extra vertical stitches for added support and used the hot glue gun to smooth a few areas and make everything lay correctly.


And, there you have it, Count Von Count's familiar green cape.

It took a little coaxing and bribery the week leading up to Halloween to get him comfortable with wearing it, but, in the end, Malcolm absolutely loved it!