There are bunches of tutu tutorials on the web, (I know, I looked at many of them) but I thought I'd share some tips and shortcuts that I learned along the way. If you haven't already guessed by my previous posts, I'm all about finding a faster and less complicated way to do EVERYTHING. I'm short on time and often short on patience. My first tutu was a flop even though I followed the directions. It took a lot of time, I was using more tulle than what was recommended (meaning my inexpensive Christmas gifts were becoming quite expensive), it was ugly and I had less than a month to make eleven tutus. Before giving up, I took my first tutu apart and tried again....and I found some tricks to help me accomplish my goal!
THE SUPPLY LIST:
The waist can be made from ribbon (something wide ~ I used ribbon with a 4 in width) OR elastic (this will need to be sewn ~ I did mine by hand) OR elastic headbands. I loved the ribbon because I left long tails to be tied around the waist (making it adjustable) and it was SO PRETTY! But the easiest to work with was the elastic headbands.
TULLE: can either be purchased by the yard from a bolt at the fabric store or purchased in "spools"
The spools were EASIER but much more expensive. Cutting the fabric into the right widths, and then lengths, took more time but was much CHEAPER. I did both as I tried to find what worked best.
Good scissors are a plus. A tape measure is handy but this project can be "eye balled". :)
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| Ribbon (both for waist and for adding bows to the elastic-made tutus) and spools of tulle (6in width/25 yds) |
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| Cutting mat and rotary cutter made cutting my big pieces of tulle much easier. |
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| Elastic Headband |
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| Elastic |
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| Cutting my yard of tulle...found that 2-3 in strips were too narrow. 5-6 in works better. |
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| Length of tulle approximately 24 in. this can be shorter or longer depending on your preference for the length of tutu. I found that holding one end in my hand and taking the other end to my shoulder was the perfect length.
TIP: Cut all of the tulle FIRST. Don't cut a piece and then tie it on. This will slow down the process.
To tie on the tulle:
*Fold piece of tulle in half, make a loop.
*Put loop end under the waistband
*Bring tails up over the waistband and through the tulle loop.
*Tighten....but NOT too tight.
TIP: If you tie the tulle too tightly AND space each strip too close to one another you won't only have a very expensive tutu (you'll use 2-3 times more tulle than you need) and spend 2-3 times longer to complete it, but you will also have a very full and UGLY tutu. Believe me. I know.
TIP: Make sure to tie each strip in the same direction....or the tutu will be a chaos of tulle. Not attractive. Again, I know.
    EASY TIP: If the tutu is on an elastic waistband, put the elastic on your leg!! This makes is easy and FAST! I did two tutus while watching "Castle" (hubs favorite tv show) one night. I sat in my favorite chair with a bag of "pre-cut" tulle next to me and my elastic band around my leg.   |
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