Tomorrow is Minor Snow, and it seems that the north is about to welcome its first snowfall of the winter. A cloak is perhaps the most fitting attire for a snowy scene. Setting aside the debate over whether it belongs to Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing), making a warm, beautiful, and versatile cloak to match your Hanfu while watching the snow is a wonderful idea. Today, I will introduce two methods for making cloaks. Here we go.
Pleated Cloak
The pleated cloak was a popular style in earlier years, similar to a pleated skirt. It is made by pleating the upper part to form a suitable neckline, and can be designed with a hood or collar. It is suitable for thinner, softer fabrics. The author of this tutorial is: Yun'er1789
Step 1: Prepare the Fabric
Fabric, at least 1.4 meters wide, 3 meters long; Lining, at least 1.4 meters wide, 3 meters long, using not too thick fleece fabric, such as thin coral fleece, lamb's wool, or professional lining fabric.
Step 2: Measurement
1. Neck circumference: Measure from the base of the neck, adding 15-19 centimeters. My neck circumference is 34 centimeters, and I added 16 centimeters for this project.
2. Cloak length: Measure from the intersection of the shoulders downward, with the longest reaching the ankles and the shortest covering the buttocks. For a long cloak, it is recommended to leave 10 centimeters above the ankles, which is more practical for walking and climbing stairs without stepping on or dragging the ground. For a double-layered cloak, the seam allowance is only 1 centimeter on both layers, while for a single-layered cloak, an additional 2-3 centimeters are needed for hemming the bottom. Since I have already made a long cloak, this time I am making a double-layered short cloak, 97 centimeters plus two seam allowances equaling 99 centimeters.
3. Width of the cloak hem fabric, suggested to be between 280-320 centimeters.
Step 3: Cutting the Cloak
1. Fabric width 140-150 centimeters, length about 300 centimeters.
2. Fabric width 120-130 centimeters, length about 350-400 centimeters. If the fabric width is narrower, you can continue to join the pieces.
3. Join the cut cloak fabric according to the diagram below, sewing with a 1-centimeter seam allowance. Of course, the right sides of the fabric should face each other, and the wrong side should be sewn. After sewing, the seam allowance will be on the wrong side. Since there is a lining, there is no need to finish the edges or press them.
Fabric width 140↓
Before sewing the double layers together, iron the seam allowances of the already sewn pieces. Otherwise, they will be difficult to iron after sewing. Please press them open, as shown in the before and after comparison below.
5. After ironing, place the cloak fabric and the lining fabric with the right sides facing each other (in simpler terms, face-to-face) and lay them flat neatly. Then sew the left, right, and bottom hems, and turn everything right side out. Before turning, the seam allowances will be exposed, but after turning, the fabric and lining will be perfectly combined, with all seam allowances hidden inside.
6. Pleating the cloak
After turning the right side out, start by ironing. Ironing can significantly enhance the quality of your work. After ironing, baste the unsewn top edge of the cloak, where the neck will be, to fix the fabric and lining together. You can set the sewing machine to the widest stitch or hand-baste.
7. Pleating the cloak is different from pleating a skirt. The direction of the pleats should be opposite on both sides, similar to the pleats of a mamian skirt.
This is just half of the cloak, i.e., one-half. The other side should be mirrored, forming a “gong” shape pleat in the middle (back center seam).
(Skip this step if you are not good at math and go directly to the orange part below)
This is a simple automatic sum table. “Half-side total” equals the automatic sum of AQ to BS, and “Total” equals “Half-side total” multiplied by 2. If you don't know how to set up Excel, just choose a suitable point data scheme from the diagram below and copy it.
If you know how to set up the automatic sum, you can adjust the size yourself. To increase or decrease the neck circumference, adjust A. To increase or decrease the total fabric amount, adjust B. There are 16 B segments on both sides, and each adjustment of 1 centimeter will change the total fabric width by 16 centimeters. The best fit is to match your fabric. Of course, if the adjustment is minor, simple mental arithmetic can also solve it.
The following point schemes are for those who do not know how to set up formulas. They are only for half of the cloak. After marking the points on the left side, mirror the same on the right side. For example, using the first set of data, the points on the right side would be 11.3, 1.7, 11.3, 1.7… 6, 1.7, 5, 1.7, 4, 3, which covers the entire cloak. The final neck circumference of the pleated cloak should be 15-19 centimeters larger than your actual neck circumference.
Note: For those who naturally cannot understand the data, the craft lady suggests you skip the calculation and directly use the pleat width data from the table above. Using the first set of data as an example, starting from the left side of the fabric, mark the points at 3cm, 1.7cm, 4cm, 1.7cm, 5cm, 1.7cm, … 11.3cm, 1.7cm, 11.3cm, 1.7cm.
After marking the points on the left side, mirror the same on the right side. After marking the points, pleat at the marked positions as shown in the diagram below. You can simulate this step with paper to ensure you understand immediately.
Step 4: Cutting and Sewing the Hood
1. The cutting diagram for the hood is as follows. Note:
All measurements include seam allowances. The measurement of 21 is not fixed. This measurement equals the neck circumference of the cloak minus 16 divided by 2 plus two seam allowances. For example, using my data, it equals (54 – (18 – seam allowance 2)) ÷ 2 + seam allowance 2 = 21.
When sewing, stitch the red arc segment to the red straight segment, and the green straight segment to the green arc segment. This forms the basic shape of the hood. The three black segments are now connected front to back, forming the brim, while the three blue segments are connected, forming the neck circumference.
If you are unsure, refer to similar fashion hats you own.
2. The neck circumference of the hood should match the neck circumference of the cloak. For medium or thicker fabrics, it may be impossible to fit into the sewing machine. In such cases, it is recommended to hand-sew using a hidden stitch. Finally, add two ties on the sides to complete the hood.
Panel Cloak
The pleated cloak method is not suitable for heavy fabrics like wool. Wool cloaks are mostly made using the panel method, which can be referred to in the Tang Dynasty six-panel skirt tutorial previously posted by the craft lady. (Click here for the tutorial)
Another method without panels can also be used to make a cloak, but the limitation is that the hem can only be 180 degrees. To achieve a larger and longer cloak, more fabric will be wasted compared to the panel method. Below is a cutting diagram for a short cloak with a length of 62 cm, which is essentially a half-circle.
The wearing effect of a 180-degree cloak is shown in the image below.
