It's a short, like shoulder cape, two layers heavyish fabric with a little bit of weight on the bottom. Mine had soft rope the length of the bottom seam sewn into it. I was taught to hold it by the collar seam and you can use it to deflect or sometimes even capture your opponent's sword. It can also be waved around, kinda figure eight like, as a distraction tactic. I suppose you could throw it at your opponent, but then you have no off-hand tool. It was a lot of fun. The SCA is a hobby full of hobbies. The more stuff you do the more gear you need and DIY is how you get most of it, but you're also surrounded by folks who do all the stuff you're doing.

Edit: I drew you a bad picture