Cloak Trim Tutorial

CLOAK TRIM TUTORIAL by Leanne Mallory The 'trim' which is seen in a few scenes from ESB is actually the hem of the lining showing below the wool, but as I am often asked how to trim a cloak, here is a tutorial for how to do it. Remember, you will be cutting your fabric/leather in arcs to match the curve of your cloak. Trying to use a 2" wide rectangular strip results in bunching and the cloak will not look right, hang properly, or move correctly.
		Supplies
		2m of satin 45" or 60" wide black top-finishing thread lots of pins sewing needles if you are attaching the satin by hand OR piece of leather approximately 60" x 45" heavy cotton thread pliers leather needle alligator paper clips or tailor’s hem clips
		Pattern
		I don’t work from a set pattern since every cloak is hemmed at a different length and each triangular panel will have a different arc around the bottom. Instead, I lay the cloak over the satin (shiny side up) and mark where the bottom of the cloak is with pins. Make sure you leave enough satin above the edge (under the wool at this point) to give you the 2" needed for the trim and 1/2" to fold under and give a smooth upper edge to the trim. Also make sure you leave enough at each end to turn under at the front center and where the end of each strip of trim meets (trim seams).
		Cutting
		Cut along the line of pins, giving yourself about 1/2" allowance. You will be turning this under in the next step.
		Preparing the Bottom Trim Edge
		Fold along the line of pins, and pin the allowance in place. Next, lay the edge you have created along the bottom edge of the cloak, matching the curve. Pin in place. At the center front and where there will be seams in the satin, fold the raw edge under. I match the seams in the trim to the seams in the wool. It looks odd if these don’t line up.
		Marking the Upper Edge of the Trim
		Measure 2" up from the bottom edge and mark a line with pins. This is your fold line for the upper edge of the trim. Cut any excess fabric away, leaving yourself 1/2" allowance to fold under.
		Pinning the Trim for Sewing
		Fold allowance under and pin in place.
		Sewing the Trim in Place
		You can sew the trim in place by hand or machine. Since I handsew, I add one trim section at a time. If you are machine sewing, you might want to pin all the trim on first - that’s why you need lots of pins! It takes about 12 hours to sew the trim on by hand if you are making a 3/4 circle cloak. Seams in the trim. I hand sew these, catching a bit of fabric from each side with the needle so that no stitches show.
		Finished Trim
		Finished cloak with 2"satin trim. For leather trim: Lay the wool cloak over the leather just like you would do with the fabric. Instead of using pins to mark the bottom and top edges of the trim, use a white tailor’s pencil. Mark outside of where you will be cutting since you don’t want the white to show on the trim You do not need to worry about turning the edges under like with fabric, so when you cut the leather, don’t leave an allowance. Lay the leather over top of the wool and clip in place with alligator style paper clips or tailor’s hem clips. Don’t use pins as this will put holes in it. Measure 2" up from the bottom and mark the upper edge of the trim with your pencil. Cut the leather along this line. You can sew the leather in place by hand or with a machine.