Lucy's Birthday Giveaway!

Lucy's 3rd birthday is coming up, on Friday, July 5th, and in honor of my Little Princess's big day, I'm doing a triple giveaway--and everyone is a winner!
First, all of my Facebook Fans can get 30% off!  All you have to do to qualify for this coupon code is check-out my Facebook page. I would love it if you would "like" my page but all you have to do to use the code is "like" this post: Lucy's Birthday Giveaway!

Lucy's birthday giveaway!

Secondly, you can enter to win this adorable satin and tulle tutu skirt, simple share this status on your Facebook page.  You could also Tweet it if you prefer, just message me or leave a comment so I know you did it. It's a $35.00 value, shipping included.

A layer of satin, three layers of tulle, and a gorgeous satin sash.  Your choice of color, in pink, red, light blue, black, purple, or yellow.

Finally, to win this adorable ballet-style tutu skirt, sign up to follow this blog.  All existing followers are already entered to win. It's a $60 value and right now my followers have a 1 in 13 chance of winning. Pretty decent odds!

6 layers of tulle, 4 with ribbon trim, and a gorgeous satin sash, in your choice of colors, light blue, royal blue, red, hunter green, yellow, white, shimmery pink, or ivory

Giveaway ends Saturday, July 6th at 9:00 PM Central Time. Please check back to see if you are a winner.  Facebook makes it very difficult for me to directly contact winners, though I can contact you through Blogger.

Thank you for your continued support of Glitter and Tulle Boutique and thanks for helping us make Lucy's birthday so special! If you have some words of encouragement for my tiny model, please leave them in the comments section or send me a message and I'll make sure she gets them.

 

As Requested, Circus Ringmaster Tutu!

I got a message from a wonderful lady in North Carolina over the weekend wanting to know if I could make a ringmaster tutu for her 6 year old for Halloween.  I just love it when customers ask me if I can do something because I always say yes--even if I'm not sure--which means I have to figure it out.  She was very specific about what she wanted, which is always very helpful.  After some discussion, a lot of thought, and some major plans, I put together the Circus Ringmaster Tutu!

View from the front of the new Circus Ringmaster Tutu

A view from the side

The contrasting lengths add movement and texture

A few from the other side

It's obviously shorter in the front and longer in the back.  She asked for two layers in the front and multiple layers in the back but I actually added more layers to the front and a lot in the back.  If she doesn't like it this way it can be changed but I wanted it to be as spectacular as possible. I also added yards and yards of satin ribbon to give it some contrast.  I wanted to try it on a 6 year old to make sure it fit just right--luckily I have one of those, too.  You can tell from the pictures she was not as excited about this as I was.  She refused to change out of her pajamas and wouldn't smile so we got lots of headless shots.  I think it works for the purpose of showing fit, though it's certainly not the ideal picture for an Etsy listing, which you can find here. It will have to do for now!

Front view of Imma trying it on over her PJ's

View from the side

Back view of the Circus Ringmaster Tutu, as modeled by one angry 6 year old!

I was really surprised how few ringmaster tutus there are posted on Etsy.  I am hoping this will fill a void for more than one customer.
Can I also just say that I love that this mama is already planning ahead for Halloween? Now, that's my kind of mommy--or at least the kind I would like to be someday!
Are you thinking about Halloween yet? I bet your kids are, just ask them! ;) What can we turn your little cuties into this fall?  Message me if you'd like for me to start working on something special for your little prince or princess!
**Update**
Imma let me take these new pictures this afternoon.  Love this girl!

Set Your Mind To It--And You Can Do It!

Y'all will recall that I have been pretty adamant about my lack of sewing skills. You will remember the post I wrote about how terrified I was of my sewing machine (read it here) and numerous other posts that mention I do not feel confident assembling a pattern or putting the peddle to the metal. Well, I decided a couple of weeks ago that I really wanted to learn how to make a sewn tutu.  I feel like I've mastered the tied tutu and though I'm sure I will come up with more inventive ways of creating tied-tutus, it was time to look at other areas where I could grow.  I started off with a basic tulle tutu with a satin ribbon at the top.  Then, I moved to a tutu with ribbon trim and a sash at the top.  Next, I made Lucy a pleated satin skirt with three layers of tulle and a satin sash at the top. Then, I found some really gorgeous black and white scrap fabric at Hobby Lobby, and the wheels in my brain started turning.
I wanted to make it in a size 3T because Lucy is starting to out grow her 2T's.  So, I measured her waist and then added an inch.  (I probably should have only added 1/2 an inch because it ended up being a little big.) Next, I cut a length of white satin wide enough to pleat and added 6 inches of pleated black tulle to the bottom. This is where I decided to get really creative.  I decided to cut that gorgeous black and white fabric in half. I could have just used it as it was as the top layer of the skirt and it would have been really pretty but I wanted this skirt to be extra-fabulous.  So, I cut it in half, hemmed it, and finished the side on each one that would be exposed.  Next, I pleated the satin and attached it to a waistband.  I centered each half of the black and white fabric, pleated it and attached it to the waistband. Next, I added the elastic waist. I measured white satin ribbon for both sides of the sash, sewed it on to cover the elastic and tied it in the front.
Then, I sewed up both the satin fabric and the cotton fabric in the back. Finally, I enclosed the satin sash at the top in the back to make sure the elastic was completely covered.  I also decided to sew all of it by hand because I'm still not comfortable with my sewing machine.
I can honestly say, it turned out almost exactly like I had imagined it would!

New black and white skirt

The side view shows the pleats very well

I pulled the top layer of fabric back so you can see the satin under-skirt

I'm really happy with how it turned out!

I think this is just a testimony to the fact that, you can do anything you set your mind to.  Maybe not as well as someone else might, maybe not as well as you would be able to someday, maybe not even quite as well as you thought you  could--but you can do it. If I can do this, you can do anything!
Fellow crafters and artists, I would love to know, what one creation are you most proud of?  What did you attempt thinking you didn't know if you could do it but then it turned out fantastic? I would love for you to leave a comment!
Also, next week is Ms. Lucy's 3rd birthday and she is gearing up for a giveaway!  Stay tuned!!

Tulle Boas Are Toddler Resistant!

I created my tulle boas because a customer had a problem.  She is a party planner and she was tired of picking up feathers after her little princesses destroyed her boas. Feather boas just don't last. The feathers fall off easily and leave a mess.  Tulle boas are so much easier!  They last a lot longer, don't leave a mess behind, and can be used time and again.  Mine are even more durable because of the way they are constructed. Most tulle boas are made by taking a really long piece of tulle and running a thread through it, scrunching the tulle together. If the thread breaks, buy buy boa. Mine are hand-tied, which means that every single tiny piece of tulle is knotted onto a ribbon core. In order for the tulle to come off, you'd have to untie every single piece of untie the knot at the end of the ribbon and slide them all off, which would be very hard to do because of the way the end is knotted and concealed in the boa.  Since my first order of 6 tulle boas for the wonderful party planner, I've sold boas to other professionals, such as theater directors and photographers. It just makes sense, if you are in a business that needs sturdy props or if you have children like my little princess who want to look pretty but don't want a mess, why not invest a few dollars in a tulle boa?  They are inexpensive and last an extremely long time and you know they are hand-made with love.

This pink boa is one of Lucy's many accessories!

Imma really liked this red one on it's way to Missouri!

If Imma's willing to let me take her picture, you know it's a good piece!

Lu  was getting a little sassy!

This boa completes the look 

Smile for the camera, my little diva!

You can find the length to this product in my Etsy shop here.  Can you believe they are only $8?

Satin and Tulle "Boutique Style" Tutu

This is my newest satin/tulle creation!

Pink Satin Tutu 

I made the under skirt out of pink satin and then added three layers of shimmery pink tulle.  Then, I added some elastic to the waist, enclosed in a 3 inch satin sash. I stitched up the satin in the back but left the tulle free to flow. I tried it on my little model to make sure it fit and she loved it!

Lucy is working it!

Though I did have some trouble getting her to stand still.

Maybe a little too much!

Or stand up.

Taking a break

But overall, I think it turned out really pretty!  I think the pleats add some elegance and I love the two lengths.  The satin sash is really the finishing touch, in my opinion.  What do you think?

Hamming it up

Now, that's just silly!

Though the back is sewn and there's elastic in the waist, it's still finished off with a gorgeous satin bow.