Grand Thrift Autumn - How to upcycle a blanket to make a cape

A cape of new hope for an unwanted blanket!

You will need...

I also added a faux fur trim at the neck but that part's optional.

Difficulty

Quite Easy

It's a simple, straightforward method, in principle, but if, like I am, you're lacking in the height department and working with a heavy blanket, it can be cumbersome at times.

Time

2-3 hours, if you're working with faux fur - that part entails hand-stitching. Otherwise, it's 2 hours. tops.

So, to wrap it up...

Fold the blanket in half. Cut along the centre of the front (only through one layer)  and a 10cm slit at either side of the top.

I cut my area to accommodate the deer design so I wasn't especially paying attention to the precise measurements but the vertical line in the picture was roughly halfway across each side. The diagonal line was at a roughly 45° angle to the vertical line and ended about 10cm from the side edge.

The next step is to turn the blanket wrong-side-up and sew the newly-cut edges together with a 1.5cm seam allowance. Don't worry if they don't meet - they won't. I found that the jagged edge helped to create the three-dimensional angular drape that's hopefully apparent in the pictures I hastily took! Once the triangular gap has been closed up, do what an old sewing teacher of mine once described as a 'stitch in the ditch,' which entails pinning the seams together and stitching along them -the 'ditch,' geddit? Please say you do - my sparing descriptive skills can't cover it any better than that!

Finally, stitch along the raw edges - again., with a 1.5cm seam allowance - and into the corners (at that point, I just sewed along the edge of the blanket's binding.

Turn the blanket right-side-out. If you want to add a faux fur trim like I did, fold back the top corners at the front, pin them down and cover them with faux fur. Cover an area at the back that's the same width as each of the triangles. I sewed together three pieces of faux fur to make my trim. I would also recommend trimming back the fur inside the seam allowance so that it is easier to fold back and pin down at the edges.  I slip stitched the pieces in place along the edges.

...and there you have it!