How to make an ‘Easy Peasy Poncho’ without a pattern

What’s the difference between a poncho and cape? This is what my daughter asked me when I told her I had made her a poncho. Errr! A poncho is a rectangular shape and a cape has a curved hem. This is what I told her, but I wasn’t quite sure. Well, do you know?

Anyway I made her this poncho and she loves it. It was simple to make, I didn’t even use a pattern. If you want to make one too, here’s a tutorial, happy sewing :-).

I used Denim Look College, Dark Petrol fabric which was given to me by NOSH. The weight is perfect and the fabric is such good quality. It looks like denim but it’s knit, so it’s soft and it stretches. I lined the hood with Organic Cotton Jersey, in dark petrol and vanilla. Dark petrol is a colour that I don’t come across often, if Nosh hadn’t called it dark petrol, I really don’t know what I would have called it. A greeny, bluey, aqua kind of colour probably, but that doesn’t sound as good.

Before I made the poncho I made the romper. The pictures above were taken whilst playing musical statues, a great tip from Elizabeth.

But I found another way to keep my 3 year old still during a photo shoot. That well known kids toy, the iPad, that kids love and are amazingly good at using, without the help of an adult. In fact they are sometimes better at using than an adult.

The romper pattern is from Brindille & Twig, I made size 6 because I was going for the big, baggy, drop crotch look. I didn’t bother measuring Scout against the size chart, I just looked the the pattern pieces and thought ‘size 6, that should do it’, and it did.

I decided against the front patch pockets included in the and instead added pockets to the side seams.

For the older sizes (ie not baby sizes) the pattern suggests that you use very stretchy fabric so that you can get in through the neck. I wasn’t happy with that ‘solution’ so I made a slit down the back, finished it off with facing and overlapped at the neck with a contrast yellow snap.

The fabric is organic cotton jersey, it’s soft and thicker than your average jersey, it seems like it would pass the ‘rough and tumble’ test. NOSH organic fabric really is high end in terms of fabric quality, I am obsessed with it.

Living in the UK you can never rely on the weather, even on a hot day it’s advisable to take another layer just in case. I considered making a cardigan but a poncho sprang to mind after seeing Darcy in her hooded towel.

It’s not often that I make complete outfits, but now I’m thinking this is the way forward.