You are going to want to hold the cloak together at your neck. Celtic brooches are okay, but leave holes behind. You can buy buttons, frogs, hooks, and clasps at any fabric store. They are such a various breed I shall not attempt to tell you how to use them; ask the salesperson.

I recommend that you put a loop at the points of the neck opening, in cloaks that have an opening. Get a nice heavy-duty shoelace; form a loop and sew it to the seam allowance after your collar or capelet is sewn on but before it is turned and overstitched (fig. 12). You can run the pin of a brooch through the loops and use it without making holes; yet the loops are unobtrusive enough they won't bother you if you later decide on something else.

There is also the matter of half-circle cloaks or copes that do not have a neck opening. It is easiest by far to get two buttons, and a strip of moderately heavy leather. A light belt from the Salvation Army would be ideal. Cut it perhaps 6" to 9" long (much depends upon the style of the times) and punch holes near each end, then slit the leather towards the center enough for the button to pass through. (Fig. 13) Put the cloak over its intended wearer's shoulders, and make sure each side falls evenly; then hold the leather strap up to the cloak and see where the buttons should go. (Fig. 14) Measure from the bottom of the cloak (to make sure they're placed evenly) and sew the buttons in place. It is good to sew another button on the inside of the cloak, using the same thread, to prevent the button from pulling through the material.

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