Seamstresses - please help me strengthen neck of home made fleece cape!

[bumbling]

Ok so I started making Ds who's 3.5 a cape from a really simple pattern http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/no_sew_warm_cloaks.htmhere. Now I've got there however, the neck feels really flimsy and instinct is that I really ought to strengthen it somehow or it'll just rip on day one. Have just enough material lengthwise to make a small hem, but should I add another fabric in there to give it something to pull againgst, have some denim for eg. Have more of the fleece left over too. Could also bind it, with ribon or similar, if that's the right word but not sure this will help it enough. Any advice welcome.

In case it's usefulto anyone I used an Ikea fleece boanket, something like £1.50 or £2.50 and cut it up. They have four five colours or something including black, white, red and last time, pale blue. Very cheap polar fleece fabric and perfect for capes!

I'd add something like a length of ribbon or bias binding to stop it flopping and stretching - you'd have to look at whether you sew it into the seam allowance or over the top and sort of cover the original seam IYSWIM

That sounds sensible, the latter is binding if I remember ffrom my O level Needlework! (Yes sadly I am that old!) Don't have any bias binding, but do have some denim and some ribbon. Almost wondered if I just hemmed it or added a collar, that I could add in an extra layer of the denim, (err old jeans actually) just to give it extra strength. Do you think that would work as the ribbon I have is a bit flimsy and the denim doesn't really help the knight's look I@m hoping for!

You could certainly use a length of denim to strengthen it - I'd probably go for a collar with a layer of denim inside two layers of fleece, that would strengthen it invisibly.

Done exactly that - worked a treat. thanks so much. DS was hugely excited this am, and has run around wearing it as much as poss. So satisfying! Thanks for advice.