That's Really Super, Supergirl

This afternoon, before it was time for the sitter to leave, I grabbed a few minutes to run out and go to the store. I still had a few minutes to spare, so I thought I'd stop in at the little toy store in the strip mall across the street from the grocery store and see if they had any superhero capes. Devon, the 2-year-old, has been using a tiny red bandanna and a pinkish red fat quarter as capes, and though she is perfectly satisfied with them, I find it a bit sad that her capes don't exactly fly in the wind behind her when she runs around yelling "SUPER DEVON!"

So, I discover that the toy store, which has been around for over 30 years, has just gone out of business. I'll spare you any boo hoo-ing about that particular tragedy, but it made me hit the JoAnn Fabrics a few doors down to see if they had any decent patterns that looked easy enough for someone who only knows how to sew in semi-straight lines. They didn't. In fact all the pattern books were loaded with these really elaborate Marie Antoinette, whalebone corset and bustle-type costumes. Which, beside the fact that I could no more make one of those than I could put my leg behind my head, don't exactly seem conducive to fighting crime. I figured a cape can't possibly be that hard, so I bought some red and black Kona cotton and decided to work it out on my own.

After looking at several tutorials online that just weren't what I wanted, I set about cutting the yardage into a trapezoid shape, I hemmed the sides and bottom, and made an opening in the top to thread a tie through. I made one in red for Devon and one in black for Harper, and somehow, they both kept themselves occupied so I could make them. Once Devon's was done, she immediately wanted to strip down to her diaper before she put it on. I'm not sure why, but I was happy to oblige. Harper was too busy to keep hers on for long, but Devon agreed to show off her new, Justice League-worthy cape for the camera: