For my upcoming Worldcon costume I'll be making a long sweeping cloak. The cloak material is polyester crepe; I'm wondering what I should line it with to maintain the proper drape. Is there anything specific I should use? Thanks.
-- Maral

Toni Lay
To me, sweeping means flowing, so I'd pick a material that was light and very drapy, but not stretchy. Maybe something like silk. Then again, if you enclose the seams in really nice binding, you may not have to put in a lining.

Karen Dick
Try to pick a fabric with a similar stretch/drape as the outer. It'll save you a lot of headaches.

Also, hem the cape and the lining separately--it will also save you a lot of headaches.

--Karen (who went through this on Captain Harlock and Queen Emeraldis capes in the 80's)

Kate McClure
Good advice! Also, if you are going for drapy, try to cut your fabric on the bias (diagonally across the grain). It will give you a much nicer flow for your finished garment.

Sandy Pettinger
When it's done, but before hemming, try it on and move in it. Sometimes to get the right movement, you need to put some weight in the hem. Not much, as it's a light cloak, but some - either in just the front corners, or all around. Small fishing weights pounded flat with a hammer for point sources, or small chain (like keychain chain) inside the hem for all-round weight. The weighted cording they sell for draperies will probably be too heavy for this.

Karen Dick
If I were making 'em, I would make sure the inner and the outer were two different colors of the *exact* same fabric (yes, even spandex!). Would sew everything together right sides tgether, turn through the neck, topstitch all the way around, and attach the collar.

If you want extra "posing" capability for the cape, run coat hanger wire or dowels down the two front edges.

Years ago, I wanted to make the costumes from Battle for the Planets (aka Gatchaman), which had bird-wing capes, but I would have had to put them on other people, as I was no longer the right age/body type, and this is pretty much how I would have done the capes for that group.

Karen Dick
I've used steel washers as effective weights in costumes. I've also drilled holes in nickels (Yes, I know, defacing U.S. money!!!) to use last-minute as weights in the pointed tails of a fantasy tailcoat.