Introduction: How to Make Faux (fake) Fur-Lined Wool Poncho
Estimated Cost: ~$25-$30
Estimated completion time: 5-8 hours
Difficulty: Easy
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This poncho is made from cashmere wool and imitation fox fur. It is great for climates
such as ours (Las Vegas), where it can be quite cool in morning then intermittently warm up
throughout the day. The soft wool is very warm but the loose fabric breathes really well so you
don't get sweaty when it gets warmer. The fur lining also does a great job of keeping the hood
open so your vision is not compromised.
The pattern is included in step two. If you would like to convert this into a cape. Leave the center
front seam open and add a clasp just below the ends of the fur lining.
Step 1: Tools and Materials
Materials
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- 4 yards cashmere wool
- 1/4 yards faux fur
- Matching thread
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- Straight-stitch sewing machine
- Hand sewing materials (Needles, basting thread and a lump of wax)
- Scissors
- Seam ripper
- Overlock machine
Step 2: Prepare the Pieces
Part One: Create a physical copy of the pattern
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The one size should accommodate most people.
1. The pattern is placed on a 1-inch grid. To see the grid properly you will need to view
the image in its original size. To do so, click on the I in the top left corner of the image.
Note: My other instructables have patterns that you can print out and tape together but
I figured this pattern is a little too big for that. But if you would like a copy of the
printable version send me a message and I'll post it.
2. Transfer the pattern to a length of pattern paper or light poster board. The easiest
way would be to use red dot pattern paper, as it already has a once inch grid
printed on it. You could also use a transparent pattern paper or light weight interfacing
laid atop a cutting mat with a one-inch grid.
Part Two: Transfer the pattern to the fabric
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1. Lay each pattern piece down on the fabric.
2. Align the center front and center back edges along the bias. Make sure as you mark
the fabric that you are taking into account how the pieces will fit together and how
obvious diagonals and other features of the fabric fit together. My fabric contained
streaks of dark colored wool that choose to have radiate down and outward from the
center lines. Let aesthetics be your motivating factor in how you orient the hood pieces.
3. Trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the fabric with chalk.
1. Cut a one inch seam allowance around your chalk line.
2. The chalk line will quickly fade with loose weave fabric so it may be in your best
interest to thread trace the lines as I have, immediately after cutting the fabric.
Use a light basting thread, that easily breaks when you pull it apart, and stitch about
four stitches-per-inch along the chalk line. This is much quicker then it might seem,
especially if you use a long needle that allows you to insert 3-4 stitches in one go.
________________________________________________________________________
The one size should accommodate most people.
1. The pattern is placed on a 1-inch grid. To see the grid properly you will need to view
the image in its original size. To do so, click on the I in the top left corner of the image.
Note: My other instructables have patterns that you can print out and tape together but
I figured this pattern is a little too big for that. But if you would like a copy of the
printable version send me a message and I'll post it.
2. Transfer the pattern to a length of pattern paper or light poster board. The easiest
way would be to use red dot pattern paper, as it already has a once inch grid
printed on it. You could also use a transparent pattern paper or light weight interfacing
laid atop a cutting mat with a one-inch grid.
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1. Lay each pattern piece down on the fabric.
2. Align the center front and center back edges along the bias. Make sure as you mark
the fabric that you are taking into account how the pieces will fit together and how
obvious diagonals and other features of the fabric fit together. My fabric contained
streaks of dark colored wool that choose to have radiate down and outward from the
center lines. Let aesthetics be your motivating factor in how you orient the hood pieces.
3. Trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the fabric with chalk.
Part Three: Cut out the pattern
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1. Cut a one inch seam allowance around your chalk line.
2. The chalk line will quickly fade with loose weave fabric so it may be in your best
interest to thread trace the lines as I have, immediately after cutting the fabric.
Use a light basting thread, that easily breaks when you pull it apart, and stitch about
four stitches-per-inch along the chalk line. This is much quicker then it might seem,
especially if you use a long needle that allows you to insert 3-4 stitches in one go.
Step 3: Assemble the Front and Back Pieces
Part One: Join the front and back pieces
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1. Pin the front pieces together along the center line, right sides together.
2. Pins don't stay put very well in loose weaves so you will need to hand baste the
seams together. After you are finished basting remove the pins.
3. Before stitching the seams practice making seams on a piece of scrap wool. Make
sure that your machine is not severing the strands of the weave. If you are successful
you should not be able to pull the seam apart with you hands. It can be a challenge to
sew loose weaves.
4. Stitch the seam by sewing over the basting.
5. Remove the basting and the thread tracing.
6. Repeat for back pieces.
7. How you finish the seam is a matter of preference. The front and back seams wont
ever be visible from the outside so I used a 3-thread overlock stitch to encase the seam
and trim them short. A better method would have been to press the seams open and then
fold them under and slipstich them in place, as I will do with the visible seams of the hood
and collar.
Part Two: Join front to back at shoulders
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1. Join the front to the back at the shoulder seams in the same way you joined the
center front seam above.
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1. Pin the front pieces together along the center line, right sides together.
2. Pins don't stay put very well in loose weaves so you will need to hand baste the
seams together. After you are finished basting remove the pins.
3. Before stitching the seams practice making seams on a piece of scrap wool. Make
sure that your machine is not severing the strands of the weave. If you are successful
you should not be able to pull the seam apart with you hands. It can be a challenge to
sew loose weaves.
4. Stitch the seam by sewing over the basting.
5. Remove the basting and the thread tracing.
6. Repeat for back pieces.
7. How you finish the seam is a matter of preference. The front and back seams wont
ever be visible from the outside so I used a 3-thread overlock stitch to encase the seam
and trim them short. A better method would have been to press the seams open and then
fold them under and slipstich them in place, as I will do with the visible seams of the hood
and collar.
Part Two: Join front to back at shoulders
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1. Join the front to the back at the shoulder seams in the same way you joined the
center front seam above.
Step 4: Attach the Hood
Part One: Combine the hood pieces
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1. Pin hood pieces together, right sides facing.
2. Stitch a 5/8-inch seam along the edge indicated by the dotted red line in the
image above.
3. Press seam open.
4. Fold raw edge of each seam allowance under and slipstitch in place.
Part Two: Join hood to body
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1. Pin hood to the body of the poncho, aligning center seam with center back seam.
2. Stitch in place.
3. Trim the seam allowance attached to the body of the poncho to 3/8-inch.
4. Fold the other seam allowance over the cut seam allowance and slipstich the
folded edge in place.
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1. Pin hood pieces together, right sides facing.
2. Stitch a 5/8-inch seam along the edge indicated by the dotted red line in the
image above.
3. Press seam open.
4. Fold raw edge of each seam allowance under and slipstitch in place.
Part Two: Join hood to body
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1. Pin hood to the body of the poncho, aligning center seam with center back seam.
2. Stitch in place.
3. Trim the seam allowance attached to the body of the poncho to 3/8-inch.
4. Fold the other seam allowance over the cut seam allowance and slipstich the
folded edge in place.
Step 5: Attach the Fur Lining
Part One: Cut fabric
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1. Measure the length of the raw edge formed by the the union of the hood and body
pieces.
2. Add three inches to the above length and cut out a 5-inch wide strip of fur.
3. Cut a 2.5-inch wide length of wool the same length as the fur.
Part Two: Form lining
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1. Bring the fur and wool strip together, right sides in. Align the wool to one of end of the
long edge of the fur.
2. Fold the unaligned edge of the fur over the wool and pin to other edge, effectively
sandwiching the wool between the right sides of the fur strip. Pin in place. As you are
pinning the fur make sure to push all the fur piling inward and to keep the unaligned
edge of the wool from shifting up into the what is soon to be the seam allowance.
3. Stitch the piece leaving a half-inch seam allowance.
4. Now turn the piece right side out. (The polar opposite of fun is this step)
Part Three: Attach lining
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1. Trim the wool strip to one inch from seam. There was a bit extra to facilitate
turning the piece inside out.
2. Turn in one inch of fur trim on each end and slipstitch mouth of tube closed.
3. Pin lining to the raw edge of the hood and collar so that the ends meet at
the bottom of the V-neck.
4. Hand baste a one-inch seam along the full length of the lining.
5. Stitch on the basting.
6. Remove basting.
7. Trim the seam allowance of the hood and body of the poncho to 3/8-inch.
8. Fold the seam allowance of the lining over the raw edge and slip stitch in place
in the same way you did with the collar seam.
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1. Measure the length of the raw edge formed by the the union of the hood and body
pieces.
2. Add three inches to the above length and cut out a 5-inch wide strip of fur.
3. Cut a 2.5-inch wide length of wool the same length as the fur.
Part Two: Form lining
________________________________________________________________________
1. Bring the fur and wool strip together, right sides in. Align the wool to one of end of the
long edge of the fur.
2. Fold the unaligned edge of the fur over the wool and pin to other edge, effectively
sandwiching the wool between the right sides of the fur strip. Pin in place. As you are
pinning the fur make sure to push all the fur piling inward and to keep the unaligned
edge of the wool from shifting up into the what is soon to be the seam allowance.
3. Stitch the piece leaving a half-inch seam allowance.
4. Now turn the piece right side out. (The polar opposite of fun is this step)
Part Three: Attach lining
________________________________________________________________________
1. Trim the wool strip to one inch from seam. There was a bit extra to facilitate
turning the piece inside out.
2. Turn in one inch of fur trim on each end and slipstitch mouth of tube closed.
3. Pin lining to the raw edge of the hood and collar so that the ends meet at
the bottom of the V-neck.
4. Hand baste a one-inch seam along the full length of the lining.
5. Stitch on the basting.
6. Remove basting.
7. Trim the seam allowance of the hood and body of the poncho to 3/8-inch.
8. Fold the seam allowance of the lining over the raw edge and slip stitch in place
in the same way you did with the collar seam.
Step 6: Hem Poncho
Part One: Hem the bottom edge
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This is another step where I took advantage of the overlock machine. I used the
blind hem feature. A comparable, and in my opinion superior, hem can be done by hand.
1. Press under 5/8-inch
2. Fold under again and slip stitch the pressed edge in place.
3. Press again to flatten the hem.
________________________________________________________________________
This is another step where I took advantage of the overlock machine. I used the
blind hem feature. A comparable, and in my opinion superior, hem can be done by hand.
1. Press under 5/8-inch
2. Fold under again and slip stitch the pressed edge in place.
3. Press again to flatten the hem.
You're finished
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Thanks for checking out my instructable! Please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions.
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Thanks for checking out my instructable! Please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions.
Runner Up in the
Sew Warm Challenge
