Autumn matinees for parents whose child has begun to attend an institution for the public education of preschool children - a kindergarten - can become a real test. In addition to the fact that with a child taking part in the performance that will be performed at the holiday, you need to learn a small quatrain, you also need to prepare a costume suitable for the role. The theme of autumn matinees is aimed at studying the features of this wonderful time. During the performances, people get acquainted with forest animals and the main autumn gifts - fruits and vegetables that ripen in the autumn months. That is why the main characters in the performances are carrots, beets, cabbage and, of course, potatoes.
Features of a potato costume for a girl
The role of potatoes at a children's party is given to both boys and girls, however, it is most often the girls who play it.Many parents are upset when they learn that their princess will have to portray such a seemingly simple and ugly vegetable.
Important! How a child depicting potatoes at a kindergarten party will look completely depends on the parents. If they try and show imagination in the process of preparing a carnival costume, then even the most ordinary potato can outshine the key characters.
A ready-made suit can be rented or bought in a special store, however, as practice shows, outfits that cost relatively little are neither of good quality nor decent appearance. A dress or suit can be sewn to order, then you can be completely sure that the item will be original and exclusive, but the price is higher, which is unacceptable for many mothers and fathers.
Based on the above information, we can conclude that it is easier and cheaper to make a potato costume yourself, using useful information and photos. There are three ways to create a suit of this type:
- make from cardboard;
- make from foam rubber;
- sew.
It is not recommended to use in a children's costume:
- Large and voluminous masks. Masks worn over the face can disturb little fidgets, block vision and make breathing difficult. In addition, it is quite difficult for educators to understand which child is which if several children have the same role;
- Potentially hazardous elements. In a potato costume, such an element can be a shovel or a rake, which, on someone’s advice, parents can give to the child to create a complete image;
- Too many decorative elements. Sequins, beads, stones and rhinestones that are poorly sewn or glued to dresses and shirts can fall off during movement and fall under the feet of others.Even though the outfit looks more beautiful and original this way, it is better to avoid a large abundance of decor.
Cardboard suit: what you need and how to make it
It will not be possible to make an entire potato suit from thick, non-plastic cardboard. This option is a “firefighter” option for situations where there is practically no time for preparation.
The top will be made from cardboard - a headband with a cardboard potato attached. The lower part may consist of a dress (sundress) stylized to match a given theme, a sweater with a skirt.
To make the headband you will need:
- drawing supplies (in case mom or dad want to draw a figure of a root vegetable themselves);
- finished image printed on paper;
- white paper for the rim or rubber band;
- thick cardboard for the base;
- scissors;
- glue stick;
- stapler.
A printed or hand-drawn image of a potato should be medium in size (10-15 cm long and 5-6 cm wide). It should be bright and catchy, for which you need to use high-quality felt-tip pens and paints.
A paper potato cut out of paper is glued onto cardboard to give it greater rigidity and stability. The rim can be made from thick white or other paper that matches the color. Also, a wide and soft textile elastic band can act as a rim. A cardboard potato is carefully attached to each material using a stapler.
After the headband mask is ready, you need to work on the lower part of the costume. If your child has clothes in shades of brown and sand, this is what is best suited for styling as a carnival costume.
So, for example, on a light beige golf shirt and a brown skirt, several “eyes” of sequins are sewn in the most visible places: on the chest, stomach, elbows and along the hem of the skirt. Using a stapler, you can attach several miniature paper images of root vegetables to a brown sundress, which will look good and fun.
On the legs of a little fashionista-potato, you can wear white or green tights with shoes to match. You can also sew paper potatoes onto the toes of shoes or shoes.
If there are no clothes that match the color in the preschooler’s wardrobe, ordinary burlap will come to the rescue. From a large piece of this dense fabric you can make a sundress-cape, which in appearance should resemble a bag for transporting and storing root vegetables. It is important not to forget to leave slits for the arms and head.
As decorations, you can use potatoes made from nylon, which are loosely sewn on top of burlap. To make them you will need:
- sewing supplies;
- brown or beige nylon;
- padding polyester
Small pieces of nylon are sewn together like a bag, which is stuffed with a small amount of padding polyester so that it looks like a potato. For one suit, 10-12 potatoes are enough. To accurately resemble the root vegetable, “eyes” are made on them using a needle and thread (several stitches are made on top of each other in several places). Potatoes can be sewn to burlap with thread, attached with a stapler, or glued with a glue gun.
Girls may not like this costume, since it does not have bright and shiny details.If the outfit is being prepared for a little fashionista, then it can be decorated with a shiny strap, which will also tighten the bag on the girl’s belt so that it becomes a skirt. To make the skirt look full, a tulle petticoat consisting of several layers is worn under the bottom of the bag dress.
Making a potato costume from foam rubber
Foam rubber is a fairly popular material for making masks and costumes for carnivals and other children's parties. It is highly wear-resistant and practically does not cause allergies, which allows it to be used for working with children. An outfit made from this material will not deteriorate and will not lose its external qualities for quite a long time - from 5 to 15 years, therefore, if the costume turns out to be successful, it can either be sold or rented out.
This material is quite cheap and can be found in any fabric store. To make the necessary suit, you need to purchase non-laminated foam rubber, 3 mm thick. It is necessary to draw a pattern on paper that would make it possible to sew the parts together to create a voluminous oval shape.
The finished parts are sewn or fastened together with a stapler, not forgetting to leave gaps for the arms and head (a cut must be made on the back for ease of removal). The finished frame can be painted in the desired color with watercolors or from a spray can. It can also be covered with satin or silk fabric of brown or beige color, or you can initially purchase foam rubber necessary for a given color role.
Under the frame, made of soft material that holds its shape, wear a green or yellow golf shirt and matching tights or trousers. A cap of the same color or a headband mask with a cardboard potato attached to it is put on the head.
How to make a potato costume for a girl from fabric
An excellent and interesting option for a carnival costume for an autumn festival in the garden would be the image of the heroine of the cartoon “Toy Story” Mrs. Potato Head. In order to sew an outfit you will need:
- a piece of light brown satin or cotton for a sundress;
- a small piece of light pink fabric for sleeves;
- felt for appliqué in red, white, black, lilac, yellow and pink;
- elastic band for clothes;
- scissors, needles, threads.
To sew a suit, you need to follow the instructions step by step:
- The fabric chosen for sewing the outfit is folded in half so that it turns out something like a rectangular bag, where the top part is narrower than the bottom by about 10 cm;
- Next, the fabric is folded in half again (in length) and 2 points are placed on the inner fold, along which the neckline is cut out;
- Afterwards, the fabric is unrolled and the neckline is carefully cut out with sharp scissors, not forgetting to make a longitudinal cut on the back for ease of putting on;
- The sides of the suit are connected with needles, leaving free space for the sleeves;
- Using a sewing machine, the parts of the sundress are sewn together, not forgetting to overlock the fabric sections in the area of the neckline and the slit on the back;
- In order for the costume to resemble Mrs. Potato Head as much as possible, sleeves made of light pink fabric must be sewn to the sundress. They should be shaped like “lanterns” and be mid-shoulder length. Since the sleeves in this costume represent the character’s ears, it is important not to forget about their decoration. Mr. Potato Head's wife had a yellow bead earring in each ear. You can make them from yellow felt;
- After the sleeves are sewn on, you need to start making felt appliqué. The “face” of Mrs. Potato Head is cut out of material according to templates prepared in advance. The colors are distributed as follows: lips are red, nose is pink, whites of eyes are white, eyelids are lilac, eyelashes, pupils and eyebrows are black;
- The applique is sewn to the sundress by hand or using a sewing machine;
- The bottom was not specially treated with overlock, since it is necessary to insert an elastic band into it, which will beautifully fit the bottom around the child’s legs so that the sundress takes the shape of a balloon;
- A button and loop are sewn to the incision located on the back.
The following will help you get as close as possible to the image of a cartoon character:
- white cap with a sewn flower;
- long white gloves;
- red tight tights;
- red shoes.
Accessories to complete the look
A wire sprig with flowers, reminiscent of flowering potato tops, will help the little actress fully get used to the role. It can be made from thick wire and green and white yarn.
Face painting will also be useful. Leaves or flowering twigs are painted on the face. A leaf drawn on the cheek with a Colorado potato beetle or ladybug sitting on it looks great. They can be painted using special water-based paints that do not cause irritation to children’s skin.
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