It’s CraftingCon! It’s Harry Potter! I’m as excited and nervous as a First Year about to be sorted into her house at Hogwarts. I’ve read the books (more than once), I’ve listened as Jim Dale read the books to me (more than twice), and I’ve seen the movies at the theater and at home (countless times). *cue music: Hedwig’s Theme* I can do this. I can sew for CraftingCon!
I can sew for Harry Potter ...in June! *needle scratch*
Merlin's beard! In my head, Harry Potter is fall/winter—I’d blame the release dates of the movies, but in truth the bulk of the story takes place during the school years, not the summer months. It was as if I was confunded. What would I make? A house scarf wouldn’t really fly for summer, even with a levitation charm. I went back and read the CraftingCon challenge to see if I could glean some insight or spark a brilliant idea, to see if some charm or spell would present itself to me.
CraftingCon: a monthly sewing competition with a different theme every month. Four competitors each month will each sew up one look. The looks should be inspired by the theme, but practical enough that they can be worn to the grocery store – in other words, no costumes.
Huh. Nothing. I was standing in Ollivanders holding a wand that clearly wasn’t meant for me.
I turned to my favorites, Lupin and Snape, to see if they could inspire some magic in me. True professors, they didn’t tell me exactly what to do, but led me—through brainstorm sessions with family and friends—to the Marauder’s Map. Sometimes blank, sometimes covered in ink, the map was transfigured by my printer and sewing machine into a reversible garment. (Head over to The Inspired Wren for more details how.) The original map was magicked for use by animagi; in this version [a modified Beach Robe by Dana of Made] the animagus wearing it magically transforms into her animal form when the map is active and the hood is up. Once her mischief is managed it’s simply a blank, hooded beach cover-up.
A beach cover over a witch in a bathing suit, natch. It’s summery! It’s Triwizardly! It works!
It meant sewing a bathing suit. That’s tricky spell-work for any sewist. First, it was hard not to simply copy the Hogwarts swim uniform from the Triwizard Tournament: a color-blocked tank and swim-shorts that already look like every day wear. Second, I’ve never sewn swim wear before (and I don’t own a serger). I decided to attempt a rash-guard with a raglan sleeve [modified from an Ottobre Design pattern] paired with swim-shorts/briefs/trunks/whatever-you-call-these [modified Euro Swim Trunks, to be exact, by Jessica Kelly of Running with Scissors].
I kept to Gryffindor colors but cast some visual magic with metallic fabric. Then I added the arm patch. It’s subtle, you won’t see it from down the beach without Moody’s magical eye, but that little addition to the suit, sewn on with gold thread, is my favorite part of the entire ensemble.
After the young Triwizard champion casts her Accio spell, she can store her extra gillyweed away from Snape’s abnormally large, prying nose in her beaded handbag. But her golden egg won’t quite fit. Undetectable extension charm to the rescue! [My wand happened to be a crochet hook, my charm a modified Crochet Market Bag by Tiffany Roan.]
This little Muggle-born is ready to holiday at the shore. She may not look quite right at the grocery store in her swimsuit and reversible cover, but she’ll blend nicely with the American Muggles vacationing on the beach this summer. Her new bag is also perfect for shell collecting. And maybe while we’re there I’ll finally introduce her to the magic of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Then we can keep vigil together until she receives her owl from Hogwarts.
I have so much more to say about this project. Be sure to visit The Inspired Wren to see more pics, to learn about the modifications I made to each pattern, and to read more about my love for Rowling’s enchanting creation.
Ren Murphy writes for The Inspired Wren.