Getting Your Hands on Rugs For My Red Cape Book
I picked up the Rugs For My Red Cape Book last year after seeing it recommended on a few forums. It's one of those niche products where the official site is hard to find, and the third-party sellers are all over the place with wildly different prices. Here's what I've figured out after buying two copies and returning one because the print quality was off. The official release comes through the creator's website, which is currently at myredcapebook.com. You can usually find a direct download link in the checkout confirmation email. The file is around 400MB when compressed, so expect a slow download if your connection isn't great. I've also seen people listing it on Etsy for $15 to $20, but those versions sometimes have color calibration issues. The print on the Etsy copy I bought looked washed out compared to the official one. If you're making the rug yourself rather than buying a pre-made version, you'll need to start with the printed template. The design includes a color-coded layout showing where each section should go. I use a Cricut for cutting, and the templates are sized for standard 12x12 inch sheets of felt. One thing that trips people up: the template uses a non-standard seam allowance. I wasted about two hours the first time because I cut everything with a quarter-inch seam when the pattern actually calls for half-inch. Check the notes on page three of the instructions before you cut anything.
The biggest issue I ran into was with the red cape section. The fabric I used initially was too thick, which meant the seams were bulky and the finished piece looked lumpy. I switched to a lighter weight fleece and it came together much cleaner. If you're following along and your rug feels stiff or doesn't lay flat, that's probably your fabric choice, not the pattern. Another thing nobody mentions in the listing: the backing material isn't included in the digital download. I found that a simple non-slip shelf liner from the dollar store works fine as a substitute, but it does add about a half-inch to the overall thickness. If you want it to sit flush against a wall or shelf, keep that in mind. I also discovered that the stitching instructions assume you know basic whip stitch and backstitch. If you're completely new to sewing, the section on joining the cape panels will be confusing. I ended up watching a couple of YouTube tutorials on sewn seams before tackling it. The whole project took me about four hours spread over two days. A friend who sews regularly said she could have done it in two.
If the creator's site is down, which happens occasionally, the Wayback Machine sometimes has a cached version of the checkout page. I've used that workaround twice. It's not ideal but it gets you to the purchase when the main site is having issues. Don't buy from any reseller asking more than twenty-five dollars. I've seen listings at thirty-five and forty on marketplace sites, and those are just people flipping the same digital product. The official price is nineteen ninety-nine. Anything above that is a markup with nothing added. The files come in PDF and SVG formats. If you're planning to modify the size, the SVG gives you more control. I scaled mine up to fit a larger floor space by adding eight inches to each dimension, and the proportions still held up fine. Just be aware that scaling past fifty percent larger starts to make the details harder to read if someone's standing on it.
Get the Full Details
There's a Discord server for people who make these, but it's invite-only and the creator doesn't share the link publicly. I got in through a mutual contact. It's active but small, mostly people swapping tips about fabric choices and color variations. Not essential, but useful if you get stuck on a specific step.
What to Do After You Get It
Once you've downloaded or received the files, save a backup copy somewhere. The download links expire after seven days according to the site. I learned that the hard way when I deleted the email and couldn't retrieve it again. The creator does not resend links, so consider that a permanent removal of your purchase access. The pattern includes a materials list with recommended thread colors. I deviated from the suggested navy thread on the cape outline and used black instead. It worked fine visually but created a slightly harsher contrast against the red. If you're going for the exact look from the source material, stick with the recommended thread colors. Washing instructions aren't included in the documentation. From what I've gathered, the finished rug can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth. I haven't fully machine washed mine yet because I'm not sure how the print holds up. If anyone figures that out, it'd be worth sharing in the community server.
I don't have any more advice beyond what's covered here. The project is straightforward if you follow the pattern, and messy if you don't. Most problems come from cutting errors or wrong fabric weight, not from the instructions themselves.
