Mary Poppins Costume (And Bert)

I have to admit, I had some fun dressing up for the Trunk or Treat last night. There were some things about the costume I loved (mostly everything about Robert) and some things about the costume I did not love (I think my hat should have been more petite, and my umbrella was all wrong).

Here's how I made everything:

Bert: vest and hat were found at Goodwill. The hat was literally the catalyst that got these costumes under way. If I couldn't find a hat like that, the whole thing was going to be a no-go. I sewed the neckerchief out of half a yard of red cotton. Robert already had the shirt and pants and rubbed a little charcoal from our fire pit on his face.

You can read about how I made the chimney sweep here.

Mary: I wore black tights and shoes that I already owned, and the black skirt was from Goodwill. The bag was also from Goodwill (I would have made a shell out of upholstery fabric, but I couldn't find a cheap remnant).

The shirt: The white shirt I found at Goodwill was actually a lot nicer and fit me better than the white shirt I already owned. So I put the Goodwill shirt into my closet and pulled this one out. I removed the collar and sewed in lace in its place. I also sewed lace around the wrists and down the button front on either side. I made a little bow out of red ribbon and attached it to the shirt with needle and thread.

The hat: Not perfect. I think it should have been smaller to show more of my hair. But oh well. I found it at Goodwill for $2.99, purchased some daisies and red berry things at Dollar Tree and attached them with hot glue.

The umbrella: Do not get me started. It was way too big and didn't even look good open in the photos. Ugh.

For my hair, I purchased a "bun kit" in the hair accessories section of Walgreens. It was not easy. My neighbor had to come over and help me. I don't think the bun kit was necessary.

Ideally, I will add a nice overcoat to this costume for next year and get a better hat. And a better umbrella.

But I have a whole year to worry about that.