A while back, I posted about a ten minute tutu I made for Raina using this tutorial: http://samstermommy.blogspot.com/2009/11/10-minute-tu-tu.html . At almost 2, Raina is full-on into the tutus now. Tutus, crowns, silk scarves tied around her head, the works. The pink poof tutu has held up pretty well, but the tulle I used for it was, well, not the best. I used the most inexpensive rolls at the store, and I think it's showing. The tutu has gotten pretty "bunched up" and it's almost impossible to straighten out. Not that the wearer of the tutu minds one bit... but for the sake of my own crafting pride, I thought I'd give it another try with some slightly better quality tulle. And this time, my own pictorial step-by-step!
The tulle! This time I decided to go with lime green and robin's egg blue. My color choices lately are really just a plea to spring to hurry up and get here!
Get a good solid book (I'm using an old High School yearbook, and let's be honest... this is the most action it's seen in years!). Tuck an end of the tulle into the cover and start wrapping! I kept it snug, but without pulling too tightly.
Now here's the scary part. Time to cut! Another reason I like using a sturdy hardcover book is that it gives you a good places to slide the scissors along. That way you have some sort of a guide to keep the ends even as you cut.
Now you should have a nice fluffy pile of tulle!
Repeat these steps for any additional colors you want to use... For me, it's time for blue!
so pretty!
Now you'l need some elastic. I actually pulled mine out of a pair of old pj pants I'm saving to repurpose, but you can buy different widths at most craft and sewing stores. Measure the waist of something that fits the intended recipient, take stretchiness and the amount of time you want the tutu to be worn into effect, and cut the tutu. I really just guess at this part, to be honest, always erring on the side of too big rather than too small. You can always take it in! Sew the elastic into a loop, and stretch it over a book or the back of a chair.
Time to bring the tulle back in! Fold the tulle in half, and slide it up under the elastic.
Pull through the loop, and pull down to tighten. Basically, you're making slipknot after slipknot with your tulle.
Repeat, repeat, repeat!
If you're using more than one color, alternate every other, or every two, depending on the look you want. You can also vary how many you put on to achieve varying degrees of poofiness! The original pink one I made for Raina was VERY full, and every one I've made since has been more spare. It's up to you!
A side project I added on here... a matching hairclip for Raina using a few leftover lengths of tulle:
My spunky little sprite loves her new finery! If I can ever get her to stand still in it for long enough to snap a picture, I'll show you just how cute she is in it. :)
In the end, I would say to definitely spring for the tulle that's a little more pricey. The pink tulle from my furst tutu had more of a scratchy, almost velcro-ish texture and feel to it. This new stuff was just as poofy, but is oh so much softer, almost silk feeling. Love it!
No comments:
Post a Comment