Let's make a Tutu: a Tutu-Tutorial with Pictures!

In my opinion, the best thing about Christmas is watching your loved ones' faces light up as they open the "perfect" gift. For me, those perfect gifts have often been hand-made. My Grandma Imogene used to make me beautiful gifts for Christmas this year. So, you still have some time to make your little princess a beautiful hand-made tutu. Let's get started! You will need: app. 4 feet of ribbon (I prefer satin ribbon in 5/8 inch but just about any ribbon will do.) Length is app. because it will depend on the child's waist exactly how much ribbon you will need. app. 25 yards of tulle in any color(s) fabric tape measure (optional) caredboard (optional) scissors about 30-45 minutes. That's it! Step 1: Measure the child's waist. You can do this with the tape measure, or just use the ribbon. If you choose to use the ribbon, make a knot on each end where the two sides come together. So, you will have some ribbon (at least a foot) then a knot where you begin measuring, the length of the child's waist, and then another knot, followed by the rest of the length of the ribbon (again, I try to leave about a foot.) !

Step 2: Measure from the child's waist to where you would like for the bottom of the tutu to fall. This is actually optional. If you know you want a short tutu, then you'll just need to calculate for a 6 inch tutu. If you want it a little longer, 9 or 12 inches will work. I don't make any children's tutus over 24 inches and when I do, they are generally floor length on most 5T size children. Measuring is helpful but not essential. Step 3: Once you know how long, in inches, you want the tutu to be remember that you will want to double that number because your tutu needs to be at least 2 layers. So, if you want a 6 inch tutu, you will want to measure your tulle at 12 inches. Here's a tip: It is much faster to wrap the tulle around a pre-measured length of careboard and cut it that way. So, you would pre-measure 6 inches of cardboard, cut the cardboard to 6 inches, then wrap the tulle around the cardboard and then cut one end of the tulle. This will leave you with 12 inch lengths of tulle, which is exactly what you need to make a 6 inch tutu. Whether you choose to use the caredboard or not, measure and cut app. 60 lengths of tulle to the length you have decided upon. Step 4: Using a simple slip knot, tie the tulle around the ribbon. Fold the tulle in half. Make an opening at the fold (the half-way point of the tulle), place the fold behind the ribbon, and take both loose ends and slip them through the loop,around the ribbon. Pull tight. Now, the tulle is securely fastened to the ribbon and the ends are even.

Step 5: Slide the slip-knot completely down to the knot on one end of the ribbon. Step 6: Repeat until the ribbon is covered from one knot to the other. The amount of tulle it takes to cover the ribbon will depend upon a number of things: how long the ribbon is, how thick you want the tulle, how tightly you tie the tulle. Continue to add tulle until the tutu looks the way you had envisioned it.

Step 7: Use the ribbon you left on each end of the knot to tie a bow around your child's waist. As my two year old would say, "All done!"

Just a couple more tips: When I tie the ribbon on, I actually hold the loose end of the ribbon behind my knee because I can pull the knots in the tulle tighter that way. I also go back through and put a quick stitch in each knot of tulle to ensure it's not going to come off. Finally, I seal the ribbon with a candle to ensure that it won't fray. I hope you learned a lot from this first tutorial! Please message me or comment if you have any questions. You can buy these supplies from any craft store or even Wal-Mart. I also sell Tutu kits at my etsy store (www.etsy.com/shop/glittertulle). If this is just not up your alley or it seems too complicated, feel free to order one of my tutus and just tell people you made it--your secret is safe with me