How to Make a Harry Potter Marauder's Map Costume

Recently I took my kids to the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" book release party. There was going to be a costume contest, and I knew that most kids would be dressed as either Harry Potter or Hermione Granger. I wanted to do something different, but couldn't figure out a good costume idea. I browsed the books and suddenly, I knew what I wanted to do. I made a Marauder's Map costume. Here are the steps I used, and how you can recreate this costume, that also doubles as an interesting t-shirt.

First, you need to purchase a blank t-shirt. I used a heather grey shirt, but any light color will work. You will need to buy two packages of small iron-on letters, a spool of red grosgrain ribbon, approximately 3/8" to 1/2" wide, a fabric pen that does not bleed when you write on the ribbon, and blinking t-shirt lights, which can be found at most large craft stores or online.

First, you are going to write the Marauder's Map phrase, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" on the front, and "Mischief Managed" on the back, using the iron-on letters. You should make sure that you have enough letters to spell out these phrases. Make sure to place them at the top of the shirt, and to space them so that the entire phrase can be seen without disappearing into the armpits of the shirt.

Next, you will begin to plan your map. I began with an image from Britta.com, which she graciously allowed me to use once I explained my plans. Unfortunately, the colors did not translate well when I tried to use an iron-on sheet, and I needed to write over the top in order to make the colors darker. I liked this image because there were some empty spaces where I could put character names, which is essential for this shirt. It also looked very similar to the movie version. If you decide to draw one for yourself, make sure to sketch it out ahead of time. There should be several empty areas where you can place characters, but also details that are located at Hogwarts. For a version that is similar to the movie, you should write everything in words. Rather than drawing a line for a wall, you should write something such as "WALLCASTLEHOGWARTSWALLCASTLEHOGWARTS". When I did the Forbidden Forest area to the side, I wrote the words "Forbidden Forest" over and over, with no spaces in between. You can even throw in various jokes that are there for you. When I made the space for the lake, I wrote, "Lake" and "Water" repeatedly, but right in the middle, I wrote the word "Squid". Do not write in the character's names into the map at this time.

After you have your map drawn so that you are satisfied, you should copy it to the shirt. You can do this with either iron-on transfer sheets, which are inserted into a copier, or you can draw it freehand. Make sure to center it properly, and don't place it too low. Then you will begin drawing the character names. Take a piece of the red grosgrain ribbon and fold it so that it overlaps and leaves a tail on each side. Stitch the ribbon so that it stays folded. Write the name of a Harry Potter character on each piece of ribbon, and cut a triangle piece from the middle of the tail of each ribbon. The folding and cutting will make it look like the ribbons on the movie version of the Marauder's Map. Pick a place on the map that is rather empty, and sew the ribbon to it, so that it is slightly askew. For a child's shirt, I recommend using only three or four names, because otherwise, the shirt can look crowded.

The final step is to install the t-shirt lights. If you are only using three names, you will need to remove some of the lights, since these typically come with a set of ten lights. This requires quite a bit of concentration, and there is no way to easily fix it if you make a mistake, so it is very important to make sure you remove the right ones. First, test the lights to make sure they work. Then, you need to open the battery area so that you can see where the lights are attached. Divide the lights up so that you can see how they are attached. Typically, there are two wires to each light, and each one attaches in two different places. You will need to cut and remove both wires, but make sure not to remove the wires for the lights you want to keep. You can use normal scissors to cut through these wires, but make sure to cut them close to the base. Once you have the proper number of lights, make a tiny cut in the t-shirt directly below the ribbon, so that the light can poke through and be seen. It is better to make the cut too small than too large, because the t-shirt fabric is stretchy and will easily stretch to allow the lights through. Poke them in, and place a black rubber washer that comes with the lights on the outside. This keeps the lights in place while you're wearing it, and allows the lights to be removed for washing. Finally, secure the battery pack to the shirt with velcro.

This t-shirt can be worn for a fun look, or a nice, subtle Harry Potter costume. It's a lot of fun to turn on the lights and show people how the lights give some movement to the t-shirt. This is an unusual costume that is not likely to be seen elsewhere, and is certain to impress anyone who sees it.