So, Halloween is the day after tomorrow and your child is still costume-less. Fear not! You can easily whip up this all-purpose cape. All you need is a yard of polar fleece (for a child ages 3-6, for older children you can eyeball it) and some basic sewing skills. Two yards of faux fur trim and a hot glue gun are optional.

• Cut your fabric in a rectangular shape, making it as long as you would like. Mid-calf is a good length as it is still long without the "trip and fall" factor.


• Fold over about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of the fabric along the top edge and begin sewing to form a casing.


• Using the polar fleece remnants, cut one long strip which will be used as the tie for the cape.


• Begin threading it through the casing as you are sewing, since its easier than trying to feed it through afterwards.


• Be sure you tie a knot on each end of the strip to prevent it from sliding out. The end result will be quite similar to a drawstring.


• If you are making a royal cape, you can then glue the faux fur along the edges of the back of the cape with a hot glue gun. We added black dots, to make it look more "authentic."

If want to go with a king/queen/knight costume, you can also make a chest shield like the one shown in the photo above, by sewing two craft felt squares together (which cost about 25 cents each) with two strips of fabric and adding a fleur-de-lys, also made from polar fleece remnants, on the front square. We used our polar fleece remnants from the cape to make the shoulder straps and fleur-de-lys.

Happy Halloween!