Oh it’s a Jolly Holiday with Mary. . .
In the sprit of Halloween, I have decided to dedicate a post to my Mary Poppins Jolly Holiday dress. When I initially decided to create this costume, I scoured the internet for a pattern. I ended up having to pull from several patterns to achieve the end result. Today, I am going to share the patterns I used.
Bodice and Sleeves:
For the bodice and sleeves I used McCall’s 7083 View C:
I cut a size 12 – but ended up having to make significant reductions in the bodice sizing. I used a white silk for the top and and white organza for the sleeves. I bought the insertion lace for the trim and ran a red ribbon through it. I then topstitched in to the sleeve edges. The dress bodice is fully lined and has an invisible zipper.
Skirt:
For the skirt, I wanted something fuller than a pleated skirt. I needed a circle skirt. In my pattern stash I had Butterick 5748:
I used the skirt from this pattern and gathered it at the top to fit into the McCall’s pattern bodice. The skirt was cut from the same silk fabric I used in the bodice. I then cut an overlay from the organza I used for the sleeves. The skirt was hemmed and the organza was roll hemmed on a serger. I tied several little red ribbons and hand tacked them to the organza overlay skirt.
Petticoat:
For the petticoat, I probably could have made something up on my own. Petticoats are also pretty cheap to buy online. However, I decided to make one myself and I used Simplicity 5006 as a pattern:
I used View E, which was the shortest petticoat. The pattern calls for crinoline. I used this petticoat netting from Joann’s Fabrics:
The material is pretty cheap so I probably came out better making my own.
If you’re pressed for time, this seems like a great petticoat for the price –
Kumeng Women’s 50s Vintage Rockabilly Petticoat 28” Length Net Underskirt Petticoat Half Slip
Corset/Belt:
I was very intimidated by the thought of making a corset – especially just for a costume. I could not find a corset that scooped low in the front like the real Jolly Holiday corset does. I opted to make a belt out of red silk that had a corset closure in the back. I used Daenerys Targaryen’s gold belt for my belt pattern –
I put grommet holes along the back and ran red cord across it so it came together in a corset- like manner. I added heavy fusible interfacing to the wrong sides of the belt fabric so that it would maintain its shape. I also made it much wider and top stitched white ribbon to look like boning.
Jabot/Neck Collar:
These two parts of the costume cause a lot of headache. I studied several pictures and tried to free- hand a pattern of what these should look like. If I were to do the neck again – I would suggest this new simplicity pattern as a template:
Hat and Accessories:
I purchased a buckram bridal hat from a variety/crafts store. I then glued silk fabric and white faux flowers to it. I added a tulle strap to keep it in place.
For the umbrella, I purchased a cheap bridal umbrella like this:
For the gloves, I purchased something from Amazon that looked like these:
Shoes:
I purchase these black & white spat style shoes from Amazon (I swear they were much cheaper when I bought them):
They were a closer match to the original Mary Poppins shoes (which were pink and white) and they were better than ballet flats. I wore them for a whole evening and found them to be very comfortable.
Side by Side Comparison:
It’s not an exact match, but this isn’t Disney lol. I think the essence of the Mary Poppins Jolly Holiday dress is there and it was significantly cheaper than buying a 200+ dollar costume off of Etsy.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments if you decide to tackle this project for yourself!
Thanks for stopping by!
Handmade and Sew Forth 