(A disclaimer for this post: I know I already posted a New Thing I Tried In April post a few days ago, but it didn’t feel fulfilling to me. Yes I did, yes I wrote about it, but it felt like a cope out to me. Yes I know with the current state of the world it makes it harder to try new things like I had in previous months and therefore it would be understandable that my new thing would be more home oriented, but I just felt like I needed to give more to the blog. So that’s why this post has been written and shared. I really hope everyone likes it).

With the current state of the world, we’ve all been staying inside a lot. With all this inside free time, it has led to a lot of people cleaning and decluttering, doing home improvements, getting creative, and catching up on their reading, chores, etc. If you’ve been productive during this time, that’s amazing! And if you haven’t been as productive as others, then I’m glad you’re taking some much needed time to rest!

Honestly, I’ve been a combination of both during this time. Some days I’ve been super productive, other days I’ve just been laying around and relaxing. But during this time I’ve been getting these creative bursts of energy… but not when it comes to writing. It’s weird because writing is my main focus and it’s what I’m dedicating my life to, but during this time I started wanting to do other creative projects as well.

As it is very well known by now, I absolutely love Harry Potter. Some might even say I’m obsessed with Harry Potter! So obviously one of my goals is to fill my home with Harry Potter items that make me happy. But home decor is expensive! Though I have some Harry Potter pieces that are on the more expensive side (mainly my replicas), the idea of paying $30 on a pillow makes me cringe (I get that from my mom). So one day I was thinking- Well what’s stopping me from making my own Harry Potter pillows? The truthful answer is I didn’t have the supplies to make one… The more truthful answer is I hate sewing. Besides my fear of needles (which is ironic because I have tattoos and a longing for more), I didn’t have the patience for it. I also didn’t see a need to learn how to sew. I guess that sewing class I was forced to take in sixth grade really rubbed me the wrong way. All I really remember from that class was the trauma of poking my finger, constantly tangling up the thread, and wondering why my little plush Tigger looked like it got ran over by a truck.

But over the past few months I’ve started changing my mind a bit. I started following some Harry Potter cosplayers on Instagram and was amazed at the costumes they were creating while also using pieces they purchased at a thrift store. After working at a Halloween store I can tell you one thing- Costumes are expensive and sometimes you’re not getting the quality you’re paying for. Then again most people buy a Halloween costume to wear it once, then either donate it or throw it out just to buy a new one next year. But cosplayers are a whole other level and I love it!

So I realized if I ever wanted to try my hand at cosplay, I needed to start somewhere. So I decided to take the plunge and one day while doing a grocery run at Walmart, I ventured over into the fabric section, bought some fabric, some thread, and some pillow stuffing and decided to make some decorative pillows for our apartment.

Admittedly, I didn’t watch any videos, read any tutorials, or anything else in preparation for this new creative venture. I did it all very much by the seat of my pants (which seems to be how all my creative ventures start). The only thing I really knew is what I wanted to create and that I wanted to use matching thread on whatever I created so you can’t see the mess ups I already knew I was going to make. I also remember seeing in a YouTube video that I watched ages ago that you should flip your fabric inside out when sewing it so no one will see all the ugliness that goes on inside. And let me tell you, the inside of the pillows I made are ugly! Oh, and I didn’t have pins to hold down the fabric, so I used paper clips (professional sewers, please don’t come for me)!

So here is the fabric I started out with. No surprise, it’s Harry Potter fabric.

And here are the two pillows I made!

The white Dumbledore’s Army pillow was the first pillow I made and overall, I think it came out decently. It might only be obvious to me, but I can see some of the flaws it in (mainly where I didn’t cut the fabric evenly, I need one of those fabric cutting things, the one that kind of looks like a pizza cutter). I made this pillow for the desk chair because after sitting on it for an hour or so, your back starts to hurt, so I made this to help with that. My boyfriend now wants me to make a cushion for the seat because for it, his butt starts hurting after awhile. So that is a future project. The Marauder’s Map pillow was actually the third pillow I made. I’m not showing the second one because it was made from an old t-shirt I didn’t want to throw out. I followed a tutorial to make it and it came out terribly. It was only halfway through making it that I realized the tutorial said to used a Large or bigger sized shirt and I was using a Medium sized shirt. Major oops, but now I know for next time! So the Marauder’s Map pillow is for the bed and we’ve been using it to prop ourselves up better when watching television in bed. I’ve been debating making a matching one because I think it turned out so well.

Honestly, I thought sewing was going to be stressful and anxiety inducing, but it turned out to be really peaceful. The Marauder’s Map pillow took me an hour to make, but it didn’t feel like I spent an hour making it. I kind of got lost in sewing it, so when I was done and found an hour had passed, I was shocked. Sewing actually feels kind of therapeutic, which I never thought I would say about it. I’m really enjoying it and I actually think I want to continue on with it. Maybe eventually try my hand at making some Harry Potter curtains.

With everything I bought to make the pillows, I think it came out to about $40 for everything (unfortunately I don’t have all the receipts anymore, so this is a total guess, could be more, could be less). So far I’ve gotten three pillows out of the supplies I bought and I still have a lot left over to make more pillows or other things (like maybe a Harry Potter face mask). The thread I bought came in a 24 pack for $1.77, which I think is an awesome deal. I’ve only used two colors so far and didn’t use all of those threads, so I’ll get more use out of those.

But overall, I’m just surprised at how much I’m enjoying this. Not as shocked as my parents were though. I wish I had been recording that conversation because the sound of disbelief and complete shock in my dad’s voice and then in my mom’s voice was hilarious. I was waiting for my dad to pass out when I said I had been patient while making the pillows (I’m not known for my patience). But my mom said the pillows looked good and my best friend called them cute and said she liked them, so that makes me happy.

And who knows? Maybe one day I’ll get good and confident enough to buy a sewing machine and start trying my hand at cosplay! But I need to learn to walk before I can run, so that probably won’t be for a while yet. Overall, this has been fun and I can’t wait to sew some more things in the future!

If anyone reading this is a sewing expert or just has a lot of sewing knowledge, please share your wisdom with me! I want to learn more about sewing so I can get better at it and start working my way toward making other things besides pillows. Also, has anyone else started new creative ventures during this time of being inside? I would love to know what you’ve been up to! Stay safe, stay health, and have a creative week!