Before I write a blog post like this one, I usually go to the internet to see if other people have already written on this topic. I do this to make sure I know my facts, and frankly, it’s a good idea to do a little pre-research on what has already been said so that my content adds to the conversation.
It surprised me to discover that AI used four quotes in its statement from three different websites. Two of the quotes came from this website!
So yeah… That’s a thing now. Google AI is using my content to answer people’s questions about sewing doll clothes. Hmmm… After you read my blog post today, maybe comment on what you think of this.
Before I go on, I need to make my required disclaimer statement: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how affiliate marketing works on my website, please go to the Privacy Policy page. Thank you!
Simplicity 8281 was one of my favorite doll clothes sewing patterns, back when I was in high school. I lived in the small farm town of Cottonwood, Idaho, where everyone was a German Catholic, and since the pope had not given his stamp of approval on the idea of birth control, most of my classmates had 10 or 12 siblings.
I know that sounds crazy, but I’m not making this up. I was one of three Protestants in my class. Everyone else had a huge family except Phil Hull. (I’m not sure why his family disregarded the pope!)
Anyway, for Christmas in about 1981, a bunch of my classmates paid me to make their little sisters a whole wardrobe, using this pattern, which they then gave to their sisters as Christmas gifts. And yeah, a lot of my friends asked me to make the cape.
You may not think of capes as a popular thing to wear in the 1980’s, but if you were born after the 80’s, you may have gotten some misconceptions about both the 70’s and the 80’s from movies, television, and social media.
The 1970’s saw a surge in fantasy fiction’s popularity in book stores and libraries. This was before the movie that we think of today as The Lord of the Rings. In 1978, there was an animated version of Lord of the Rings — and The Hobbit too — which many of my peers considered a favorite.
In 1985, I started college, and I joined the fencing team. They got together to play Dungeons and Dragons on Saturday nights, and this was before the related video games of course. Fencers from our college met at local Renaissance faires, and all of us dressed up for the occasion (even though Renaissance faire fencing isn’t the same as athletic fencing).
I remember one very cold winter, when my raincoat wasn’t enough to keep the cold out, I was a the Goodwill and found a huge chunk of wool in a bin labeled $2.00 per cloth. I took that wool home and made myself a medieval cape.
Of course I looked a lot cuter in my handmade cape back when I was twenty-something! In fact, people used to stare at me as I walked across my college campus, wearing that cape you see pictured above.
I guess I’ve always been unique.
People have had an interest in the middle ages for a long time, of course. You can see elements of this obsession in pictures of people dressed medieval-ish at Woodstock, and before that, think of the beautiful medieval-style paintings of John Everett Millais from the 1850’s.
While we’re on this topic, we can’t forget the popularity of timeless classic literature like Howard Pyle’s Robin Hood, Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, and the tales of King Arthur. As long as these stories remain in the zeitgeist, it will be popular to sew and wear capes.
But this is a website about sewing, so let’s look at capes from the perspective of someone learning to sew.
Which one looks easier, the cape from Simplicity 8466 above, or one of the coats from McCall’s 8531 below?
Yeah, the cape is definitely much easier to sew, even if you add a hood to it.
And although they weren’t officially in style, in the early 2000’s, I made my daughters a denim cape with a polar fleece lining to wear to school. Just like I experienced in college, all their friends envied them!
I remember being at a family gathering, and all my cousins’ kids wanted to “try on” my daughters’ cape. As soon as they did, they spun around, showing off, like “Oooh la-la! Look at me!” LOL!
So while the cape trend seems to come and go with other fashion trends, it never stops being cool to wear one, in my humble opinion.
Questions: Did you ever own a cape? Have you made them for dolls? And if so, did children enjoy playing with them? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.
Here are 3 ways you can help support my website and YouTube channel:
- Buy something from my online store on ChellyWood.com (including fabric, buttons, snaps, zippers, etc.)
- Buy something you need or want from my Etsy store
- For teachers or librarians, purchase something from my Teachers Pay Teachers store
To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.
Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:
*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on the ChellyWood.com site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.
Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with the pattern company or companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly finds inspiration in the doll clothes designed by these pattern companies. To purchase patterns from Simplicity, McCall’s, Butterick, Vogue, or other pattern companies shown and discussed in this blog post, please click on the links provided here. These links below the “Disclaimer” section do not help raise money for this free pattern website; they are only offered to give credit to the company that made these patterns.