Sew a costume for Vasilisa the Wise with your own hands: pattern, diagrams and description

creativecommons.org

Vasilisa the Wise is one of the most charming heroines of Russian folklore. She becomes one of the key characters in school plays, you can dress up as her for family Halloween, in this costume you can go to a carnival and even to a New Year's corporate party or even to a Christmas tree. However, buying a dress for this heroine is far from the cheapest waste of money; it is much more reasonable to sew Vasilisa the Wise’s costume with your own hands and add the necessary details yourself. In this article we will tell the story of the heroine, and also conduct a step-by-step master class on what you might need to sew such a costume, and provide a convenient pattern for beginners.

Vasilisa the Wise and her image in folklore

Vasilisa the Wise in Russian fairy tales represents the archetype of the Wise Virgin. The character occupies one of the leading positions: most often Vasilisa the Wise is the daughter of the king, the ruler of the underworld, and sometimes the main antagonist - Koshchei.In addition to conventional wisdom, the heroine is endowed with a number of bright positive qualities, which makes her a role model for children. She is in love with the main character, despite the circumstances (in some cases, her fiancé falls out of favor with her father, and in others, in the literal sense of the word, Ivan the Fool). Rather in spite of, rather than because of, the real state of affairs, Vasilisa the Wise is faithful to her lover and determined in her desire to save his life.

Vasilisa the Beautiful is one of the favorite heroines in Russian legends; she appears in several fairy tales at once and always in slightly different images. In fact, this archetypal character has many names under one guise: Marya the Mistress, Elena the Wise, Marya Morevna and other female characters.

In the original fairy tale, the heroine, represented by Vasilisa the Wise, helps the royal son, who finds himself in the sea kingdom, go through all the trials sent by her father, and then runs away with her newly-made husband.

What is Vasilisa the Wise wearing?

The classic image of Vasilisa the Wise is taken from Russian folk tales. It is noteworthy that narrators and authors spend a lot of time describing the character and beauty of the heroine, but never describe her clothing. Perhaps that is why in film adaptations of the fairy tale and in cartoons, the Russian version of the Wise Virgin archetype most often appears in folk costume: a sundress and a kokoshnik. But this is a rather familiar image that does not tell the story of this heroine. The lack of an exact description of clothing is rather a plus for an artist or designer, since this vagueness of the image allows one to show imagination.For example, since Vasilisa the Beautiful is the daughter of a sea king who has untold wealth, artists often depict her adorned with necklaces made of sea and river pearls. And her clothes are sometimes decorated with transparent capes imitating a seine, as a symbol of her dependence on her father, the owner of the sea kingdom. Having the gift of transforming into other creatures, Vasilisa can also have “hints” in her outfit: for example, bird feathers can be woven into her dress along with pearls, as a reference to the image of a dove, into which she can transform.

What is needed to sew a costume for Vasilisa the Wise?

creativecommons.org

As mentioned above, a lot depends on the designer’s imagination, his capabilities and the time allotted for making the outfit. If you need to appear in the image of Vasilisa the Wise tomorrow and you have one night to sew, it is better to choose a simple-to-cut Russian folk costume for women - a sundress and a kokoshnik. This is a win-win move that will allow you to get into character and get some sleep. But if the event is known about a week in advance, then you can spend more time and sew a very thoughtful costume for Vasilisa the Wise, which will further reveal the image of the heroine.

Materials for sewing dresses and making accessories:

• A piece of fabric. The material is selected according to your wishes. It can be a plain cotton fabric with a ready-made pattern, stylized as a Russian traditional pattern, or it can be a more difficult-to-handle satin fabric of pearl-ash color. The second option involves more painstaking work and more complex decor.
• Sewing supplies (needles, threads, scissors, pins, glue gun).
• The pattern is presented at the end of this article.
• Braid.
• Strings of artificial pearls.It is advisable to give preference to uneven pearls that imitate river pearls. For decoration, you can also take ready-made pearl stripes.
• Cardboard.
• Fabric for decorating a kokoshnik. It should match the fabric for the dress.
• Fabric for the veil (optional).
• Decor for a kokoshnik: these can be ready-made appliques, braid, strands of pearls, or (if you have enough time and patience) you can embroider the headdress yourself, decorating it with a pearl mesh.

The first stage is the dress. Below you will find a pattern of the most optimal option. This model vaguely resembles a sundress and can be sewn from any type of material.

1. Adjust the pattern to the model parameters. A fundamental point may be the length of the dress. It is believed that the optimal length of a sundress is just below the ankle.
2. Attach the pattern to the fabric, focusing on the grain thread. Cut out, keeping an indent of 1.5 cm. You should have parts of a sundress and a collar.
3. Connect the parts of Vasilisa the Wise's sundress using a running stitch or secure with pins.
4. Try the resulting sundress on a model. If necessary, adjust the length or adjust the size.
5. Connect all seams with a stitch seam and finish the edges of the product.
6. Decorate the edges with braid or embroidery, decorate the clasp with braid, covering it.
7. Finish the edges of the collar and decorate it with embroidery.
8. Attach the collar to the dress.

The kokoshnik can be of different sizes; when decorating it, be guided by the parameters of the model. On average, the height of the product should be about 12 cm. If time allows, you can additionally decorate the kokoshnik underneath with a net of pearls, which should cover the forehead of Vasilisa the Wise.

1. Cut out the frame for the kokoshnik of the required size from cardboard.
2. Cover with fabric, securing the material with a glue gun and stitches.
3. Sew an elastic band to the back of the headdress.
4. Decorate Vasilisa's kokoshnik with beautiful embroidery or braid.
5. Add accessory below.
6. If the image allows, you can attach a transparent veil to the back of the kokoshnik.