Johan, aka u/YohanXQsme, told Bored Panda all about his knight outfit that went viral on r/sewing. "The time spent planning takes the longest. Inspiration can't be forced. Additionally, lots of considerations need to be taken into account. I must be able to fight in it, it must be warm/cold enough to wear outside, and of course the look itself," he explained that he looked for inspiration on Google.

"Most of the pictures had a chainmail skirt, but I know the oil would ruin my robe, so I decided to use an underdress instead," he said that he adapted the designs he found to suit him best.

"Once that was done, and I had the money, I bought the fabric from a friend who owns a fabric shop. After that, making the actual robe and hood took a total of 10 hours. It's a really easy pattern, so it was not much trouble making it," the LARP enthusiast shared with us.

He noted that he didn't forge the armor himself, as that would be extremely difficult to do. For one, you'd have to invest in some very specific tools. "The armor is real iron, and in total (including the helmet which is not in the picture) it weighs about 30 kilograms [66 pounds]. That's besides the fabric. In total, it is around 35 kilograms [77 pounds] or more."

Johan added that walking around in the armor isn't as hard as you might think. "Proper weight distribution makes all the difference. Ideally, the only body part to be under more stress should be your legs, since they have to carry the extra weight no matter what. The only downside is your sprint speed is limited, but apart from that, you still maintain all your mobility. That being said, after a few hours, you do get tired. Good exercise though!"

Johan, from Denmark, shared how he got into live action role-playing in the first place. He said that he was first introduced to LARP at an event that was hosted by his local commune. He then got some of his friends who already did LARP and they all went on to do a campaign, a monthly event. "Then I never stopped," he told Bored Panda. "I've visited so many LARPs, and I don't intend to stop."

"My passion comes from the creative side of LARPing, not just making cool outfits," Johan explained that a core part of his hobby is expressing yourself through the characters you play. The only limit is your imagination.

"I can be a noble knight who will do anything to stop the evil of the world. Or I can be a bard who cares only for wine and women. Or I can be a pirate, seeking his own fortune, no matter the cost to others. Sure, it started as an escape from reality, but now it is a way to express and explore the different sides of me, and test my limits as an actor and warrior! Also, the community is a strong and loving one. I have never seen such inclusive people, making sure everyone feels welcome. No matter your gender, religion, or the color of your skin. That keeps me motivated."

LARP expert Johan shared some advice for anyone who feels like it's something they'd love to do but are a bit scared of taking the first step. "The best advice for someone who is new is to just get out and try it! Contact the local GM (gamemaster or event organizer) and ask them if you can try it out. Most places have some gear you can borrow, so make sure to ask them. If you love it, then go buy some basic stuff: a weapon, a shirt, some pants, and a belt with a weapon holster. Don't spend everything on a full suit of armor or something like that, before you know this is something you wanna spend a good few years on. LARPing is a hobby. And hobbies are expensive."

He pointed out that quality costumes aren't a necessity for LARP. "It may vary from game to game and what their standards are, but just getting out there and having fun is the most important part. Of course, if you wanna look cool, then put some time into your gear. But remember, it is a journey, and you don't have to sprint it to win it!"

He added that he's currently hosting a campaign in Løsning. "This campaign is Danish, but I will attend Krigslive, which is the biggest international event in Denmark. The outfit [in my post on r/sewing] was actually made for last year's Krigslive, and I will wear it for the next one as well."

Johan also explained that LARPing is very different from playing tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons. LARP is very active and social. "It is your own actual skills as a swordsman that matter. You gotta jump the creek, not your player character. It is your own self that portrays your character, and all he does. So if you suck at persuasion, so does your character. But if you are really good at flattering people, then so is your character. This is what makes LARP so much better, in my opinion. Because when you defeat an enemy, it is not some dice or the will of a Dungeon Master who made it happen. It was you! You did it! It is the best feeling ever," he said.

"Standing in a shield wall with literally hundreds of others, roaring a battle cry and making a charge that literally shakes the ground beneath your feet! No game or tabletop will ever give you that experience," Johan said, highly recommending that anyone who is a fan of fantasy or tabletop games give LARP a try.

The LARP enthusiast wanted to share a link to his favorite campaign, as well as a link to his own campaign. If you're living in Denmark, consider getting in touch with Johan.

One of the most awesome things about the r/sewing subreddit is just how much effort the moderator team has put into welcoming new members and sharing pertinent information with them. At the top of the subreddit, you’ll find the wiki and FAQ tab that’s split into a whole bunch of categories.

Each one deals with a specific topic, on which the mods elaborate in great detail: whether it’s tutorials that you’re looking for or if you need a detailed account of how the online community’s posting rules work. What this means is that if you’re a newbie to sewing, you’ve got access to a humongous support network right from the get-go. All it takes is the patience and curiosity to apply all of that knowledge in real-life.

Created all the way back in the spring of 2011, r/sewing has been around for over a decade now. During that time, the subreddit has grown immensely and is currently 815k+ ‘stichers’ strong. We don’t want to sound cheesy, but it’s heartwarming to see so many people passionate about their crafts. We said it before and we’ll say it again: everyone should have a hobby that involves creativity in some way or form.

Part of the beauty of r/stitching is just how welcoming the sub really is. “This is a community specifically for the hobby of sewing including, but not limited to: machine sewing, embroidery, quilting, hand sewing, tapestry, patchwork, and help/suggestion threads.” In other words, a lot of different hobby sub-categories fit under the umbrella.

The mod team reminds members to flair their posts appropriately and add details about how the projects were constructed. 

Meanwhile, all community members are expected to refrain from trying to sell stuff, promoting themselves, and spamming the online group.

“This is a no-hustle subreddit intended for the hobby of sewing. This includes mentioning or linking your own social media accounts, businesses and affiliate links as well as asking business or manufacturing questions.” You can find more information on what exactly this entails right over here.

Like on nearly all subreddits, members are expected to be nice, kind, and polite. Any comments that degrade people, tear others down, or are hurtful will be removed. Constructive criticism is encouraged. Bullying and comments that focus on a user’s appearance are not.

Meanwhile, redditors should try and limit their posting frequency to one project and one question every 24 hours. That’s to ensure that users’ feeds aren’t flooded. 

Naturally, the photos themselves ought to be focused on sewing. “Photo images need to clearly show sewing details without excessive editing. Lingerie and swimsuit projects should have a flat-lay as the first photo for the thumbnail. Adults posting about children’s clothing are limited to flat-lay or mannequin only, no modeled photos,” the mods explain.

If you know yours truly at all, dear Pandas, then you probably recognize the fact that I find any type of sewing extremely challenging. Even sewing on a button takes me far longer than I’d like. It probably has to do with my lack of patience and an overabundance of clumsiness. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

It’s because of my lack of sewing skills that I can greatly admire when people put in the time and effort to work on a magnificent project. And as a fan of Dungeons & Dragons, fantasy, and sci-fi, I think that people like Johan who make outfits like this one right here are as cool as anyone can get. It’s seriously inspirational. If I ever pick up sewing seriously, that’s what I’ll be aiming to make.

This isn’t the first time that Bored Panda has written about sewing and crafting-related subreddits. For instance, a while back, we reached out to the wonderful team running the r/quilting community.

One of the moderators had this advice for new quilters: "Personally, I recommend beginners start with a simple checkerboard of patchwork, which is made even easier with charm packs (5” squares of precut fabric); this way a new quilter doesn’t need to invest in the various tools of quilting, which can be pretty spendy if it’s your first project.”

Meanwhile, the quilter told Bored Panda that there’s no substitute for ‘live learning’ where you learn from someone who is skilled in the activity in person. For example, that might be your parents or grandparents or someone else entirely.

“I always advocate for live learning when possible, so you can get feedback and ask questions. With the current state of the world, that’s a lot harder though! The Internet age has definitely given a huge rise in video tutorials for newbies who maybe don’t have access to a beginner quilting class, for whatever reason, as well as offering skill refreshers or new techniques to experienced quilters,” the r/quilting mod told Bored Panda during an interview earlier.

Starting a new hobby is almost always fun, but it can get a bit difficult to motivate yourself through mistakes and failures. "I’ve been quilting for over ten years and have blocks all the time. There are tons of ways to re-inspire yourself! Check out local quilt shops, go to a quilt show, browse on Pinterest for new ideas, reorganize your fabric, check out new pattern books at the library,” the redditor suggested to us.

And if you find that sewing is a bit too difficult for you, there’s no need to worry, Pandas! Some time ago, Bored Panda spoke to one of the moderators behind the lovely r/crochet online community, and they explained that crotchet is “definitely the most beginner-friendly between crochet, knitting, and sewing. This is because, in part, it’s the easiest to rip apart (called frogging) and go back to fix a mistake.” So that might be more your game.

"Most beginners often find difficulty in knowing where to place the hook in each stitch and figuring out how to coordinate holding the yarn, hook, and work all at the same time!"

While there’s a lot of overlap between crochet and knitting (“They’re both yarn crafts that create fabric. Other similarities include knowing how to count stitches and read written patterns.”), there aren’t too many similarities with sewing.

“There is no real crossover with sewing, except perhaps that advanced sewers may have an advantage in understanding how garments drape and fit," the r/crochet representative told Bored Panda.

"Learning to crochet, like everything else, has a learning curve! Luckily, it’s pretty easy to get started—all you really need is a hook and a skein of yarn. Most people find it easiest to learn from YouTube videos, and they are a fantastic resource for learning new stitches and patterns. There are also some wonderful books out there that can teach every conceivable stitch—you want to look for something called a 'crochet stitch dictionary' or similar. Other than that, have fun and don’t be afraid to experiment!”