October 24, 2010

Fancy Tutu! DIY

Want to make this?  (I looked into buying one very similar..but it was $85-NO!)
FIRST, check out my friends blog on how to make a regular elastic waist tutu.  Once you've read that, move on to my next step!:


You need:
4 spools of tulle (25 feet each), but more if you want multiple colors, I used very little of the black and white, and one of each of the (3) different pinks.
1 1/2" wide Elastic (1 package is plenty for one tutu)
Tape measurer
Scissors
Ribbon if desired (I used 4 yards of ribbon)
Lighter (to heat seal the cut ends of your ribbon)

(The rest of the supplies are for my daughter's costume..I'll post pics of that later!  She's gonna be a pink, posh kitty cat!)
Once you've selected your colors and patterns, choose how long you'd like for your tutu to be.  I wanted it to be abou 12" long, so I went with 27" pieces.  Cut them all at once..saves time!  (Save your spools for storing the tulle if you can't finish it all at once.)  Mine took three entire rolls (30 pieces of each pink, so 90 pieces total).  I also cut 6 pieces of ribbon aprox. 24" long.
Then I took the dark pink, black and white, and cut 2" pieces (just eyeball it..no need to use the measuring tape..I decided this very quickly!  Save yourself the time!)  I just cut a bunch of these, I didn't count them..and cut more as needed.
Got my 3 piles of 30 pieces all ready to go...I wasn't able to do this all at once because I'm a mom..and I only had little bits of time to do this, so I would take out 5 of EACH color at a time (so 15 pieces total).  The remaining pieces I rolled back onto the spools.  I also had the 3 stacks of  (black, white and dark pink) 2" tulle layed out and ready as well...
Pick a 27" (or whatever you've chosen) piece of tulle, and make a knot at EACH end.  Then, take a 2" piece and double knot it just above your first knot so it stays in place. 
On the 27" dark pink and medium pink I tied a 2" black (piece of tulle) to one end, and a 2" white (piece of tulle) to the other so it appeared to be even once tied.  On the light pink 27" pieces I tied  2" dark pink (pieces of tulle) onto BOTH ends..to add a little more pink into the bottom of the tutu.  I did ALL of each color the same so they were uniform.  I tied 5 of each color, so I'd have 15 total, then I'd move on to the next step..
Lay them out in order...and get ready to start making a tutu!
I placed the elastic around my knee to tie the tulle on.  I double zigzag stitched the elastic together..just to make it hold forEVER!  Tie the tulle tight enough that it doesn't slide around..but loose enough that the elastic stays flat.  As you go, keep pushing the pieces together so you can't see the elastic between knots.

This is one of my "sections".  Again, I did 5 of each of the three pinks, so 15 pieces total.  Then I have a piece of leopard print ribbon inbetween each of my "sections".  I tied the knots really tight..but still keeping the elastic flat. 

I tied on the colors in a pattern so it looked uniform.  Dark pink, medium pink, light pink...5 times in a row..then I tied the ribbon on...and did it over and over (six times)!

**Make sure you heat seal the ribbon BEFORE you tie it on.  I used a lighter..just hold the ribbon in one hand, lighter in the other.  Run the lighter QUICKLY across the very tip of the ribbon a few times.  That is all you need to do to keep it from fraying.**
Above is what 4 of my "sections" look like...really looking like a tutu! 

**Major tip!  To make the ribbons stay on TOP of the tulle, push the knots to the top edge of the elastic, instead of in the middle like the tulle.  This way, the ribbon naturally falls right on top of your tutu.**
Then sit back and admire your (aproximately 5-6 hours) of work!  It is totally worth it!  :) 
I will add pictures of the rest of my daughter's costume later!

Thanks for looking!

Stephanie

8 comments:

  1. love this....making two clowns this year and I really appreciate the tips...You rock. Thanks

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  2. Someone is using your photo and is selling your instructions:
    http://www.listia.com/auction/8036285-tulle-tutu-diy

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  3. Thank you so much for telling me Nazani. I greatly appreciate it. I am reporting them now, and I've messaged the "seller". People need to come up with their own ideas. I wanted this to be a FREE tutorial, not one someone steals my photos and makes money on. :(

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  4. Hi, I was wondering - if you were to make another of these in pink and purple, how much would you charge for it?

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  5. Love the tutu and the instructions are great . thank you. But, i dont get what the 2" tied strips at the top and bottom are for? It doesnt look right. Aren't you supposed to take them off at the end? It's just for keeping the strips of tulle easier to tie on right?

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  6. I love new ideas. This is a great one! I have been making and selling tutus lately and have become a bit bored with the same thing over and over. Now, thanks to you, I've become newly inspired to continue. Do I need to put a "Fusion Art Design" tag with the tutus I sell? Thanks for sharing.

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