Make your own Super Jayn cape
Every hero needs a cape — and Jayn made hers from one simple piece of pale yellow fleece. Here’s exactly how she did it, so your Super Hero can make one too.
- Pale yellow fleece or sweatshirt fabric, about 44″ wide and at least 40″ long
- Fabric scissors (a grown-up does the cutting)
- A tape measure, or a string tied to a pencil, to use as a compass
- Fabric marker or chalk
- Washable fabric glue, for the child-safe decorating and attaching the closure tab
- A hot-glue gun, used only by a grown-up, for anything that needs a stronger hold (like feathers)
- One small piece of Velcro
- Extra fabric scraps — save these! They become Jayn’s patches later in the story
- Any additional decorations you want to add to the cape — buttons, glitter, fabric markers, feathers (use your imagination)
Fold the fabric in half
Bring the two outer edges together so you have one folded edge. This fold becomes the seamless center of Jayn’s back — you’ll never cut it.
Mark the neck point
Near the top of the folded edge, mark a single point. This is where the whole cape pivots from.
Sweep two curves
Hold your tape measure at the neck point like a compass. Mark a small curve for the neck opening — about 3″ out is a good starting size — then a long, sweeping curve for the hem, about 36″ out for Jayn’s length.
Cut along both curves
A grown-up cuts the small curve, the big curve, and the straight raw edge connecting them — the scissors are sharp, so this part is for adult hands. Leave the folded edge alone — that part stays whole.
Unfold
Open the fabric up. The two quarter-shapes you cut become one seamless half-circle cape, with the uncut fold running down the back.
Add the closure tab
Cut a strip of fabric about 5″ × 2″. Attach one end permanently to one side of the neckline — fabric glue works fine, no sewing required. Add Velcro to the underside of the free end, and the matching Velcro piece to the other side of the cape. The exact overlap can vary depending on the child’s neck — just make it snug enough to stay closed.
Save your scraps
Keep the leftover fabric in a safe spot. It’s exactly what you’ll need to make patches as your Super Hero earns them.
Outline your Super Hero’s name
Trace big letters across the back of the cape — their own name, or a hero name they invent, just like Jayn’s mom did — then let them color it in.
Decorate
Let your Super Hero decorate the edges of the cape with whatever they can imagine — buttons, glitter, fabric markers, feathers, and more.
Helpful reminders
- The shape matters more than perfect measuring — a wobbly curve still makes a great cape.
- Every Super Cape looks a little different. That’s the whole point.
- Being Super isn’t about the cape — it’s about what’s already inside you.
Be brave. Be kind. Be you.