In less than 10 years it will be possible to celebrate the centennial of one of the most beloved children's fairy tales. In 1934, a book by Pamela Travers about the nanny sorceress, Mary Poppins, was published in England. Since then, the relevance of the tale has not been lost, and every child would like to have such a nanny like her. The carnival costume of Mary Poppins is a rather unusual solution, but if you think it through well, you will recognize the image at first sight.
Elegant nanny
In our country, the story that happened in Cherry Lane in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Banks and their children, as well as gardener Robert Hey, is known in the translation of Boris Zakhoder. The easy syllable that told the tale made her a book for the night, so beloved by both children and adults. Mary Poppins, despite the fact that she flies on an umbrella with the wind, always and everywhere looks Perfection. And this is the basis of her image.
Sewing or making a Mary Poppins costume with your own hands is not difficult if you read the book again. A hat, a big bag, a starchy apron, a blue dress with gold buttons and, of course, cleaned shoes and boots to shine are the basis of such a carnival costume.
Dress of the beginning of the 20th century
In order to sew a Mary Poppins costume for a girl of 12 years old, you can use the standard patterns of a classic dress, cut-off at the waist, with a turn-down collar and a half-sun skirt. For example, like this.
Material can be taken cheaper if the child is not supposed to wear this outfit, say, to classes in a music school. A dress of a classic cut will always be relevant, so you can approach its production with all responsibility - high-quality woolen or mixed fabric, beautiful accessories will make such an outfit not only carnival, disposable, but also quite suitable for many occasions.
The book on the nanny sorceress (translated by Boris Zakhoder) mentions how Mary loves to admire her reflection in store windows. It has absolutely everything - from tiny buttons on brand new suede shoes to a hat sitting sideways on the head. The costume of Mary Poppins, which will be based on a classic cut dress, will become unusual, but easily recognizable at any holiday.
Striped apron and big bag
Mary Poppins can be recognized not only by an elegant dress, but also in other clothes. From the very first pages of the book, the reader learns that the nanny sorceress has a large umbrella with a handle in the form of a parrot’s head and a large carpet bag that contains not only clothes, but also a starched white apron, a laid-down folding bed with a duvet, hygiene items and a big jar of potion. So you can make a Mary Poppins costume for girls using several characteristic items. For example, an apron can be sewn on such a pattern.
White material is purchased in a fabric store, the finished thing must be strongly starched, as they said before, so that the fabric “crunches”. It is best to use not a button, but a tie in a bow to fasten the apron. You can also trim the entire apron with a shuttlecock. To do this, stripes of 5-7 centimeters wide are cut out of the fabric, on the one hand it processes the edge, then the shuttlecock is sewn in place, slightly tucking.
You need to decorate the umbrella with a toy parrot, for this you can use a rubber toy-squeaker, putting it on the handle. A large bag, sewn of variegated woolen fabric, will complement the costume of Mary Poppins.
Oddities
Carnival outfit should not be too complicated and easily recognizable. The Mary Poppins costume is easy to recognize if you use certain accessories:
- a hat, small, unusual;
- a white collar and cuffs on the dress, characteristic of women's wardrobe of the early 20th century;
- an umbrella with a parrot toy on the handle;
- a large bag of carpet fabric in which you can put a stylized bottle with potion and a spoon;
- shoes or short boots with a small heel and lace-up;
- gloves.
You can make a very simple suit - a white blouse, a black skirt, a red bow tie and a red belt for a skirt. White gloves, a hat and a large bag complete the look.
Mary Poppins is the world-famous witch nanny. Her costume should be recognizable, so that you do not have to explain at the festival who it is and where it came from. And in order to create such an outfit, you must once again carefully re-read the tale of Pamela Travers, paying attention to the details described by the author. This will help to understand how Mary should look in order to be recognized.