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As I mentioned in my post yesterday about the Bit’s Halloween costume, I learned a new trick for making tutus that made the process of making this particularly tutu a little quicker and easier than it usually is. If you’ve on Pinterest, you’ve probably seen it, too, but just in case I wanted to share.
The tip comes from a 2009 post from Treasures for Tots, which shares a way to make cutting the tulle for a tutu a lot quicker. She actually uses rolls of tulle, which is easier still than the method I use, but to find orange and black I went with the tulle on bolts. I’m pretty sure it’s cheaper, too. So here’s what I did.
What You’ll Need
- 3 yards each of two different colors of tulle (or 6 yards total of whatever number of colors you want)
- a piece of elastic about the same length as your child’s waist measurement
- scissors
- a ruler (optional)
- a piece of cardboard of any width cut to about 16 inches in length (or twice the length you want your finished skirt to be)
- two rubber bands
What You’ll Do
Lay out the tulle, which can still be somewhat folded, and cut into long strips. Mine are about 4 inches wide, but do what you like.
It’s really OK if this gets messy. Really.Straighten out your strips and wrap them loosely the long way around the cardboard.
Secure each end with a rubber band.
Cut along each short end with scissors.
Take off the rubber bands and you have a stack of tulle strips ready to tie onto your elastic.
To make the actual tutu, I tie a knot in the elastic (I used three-eighths inch for this one, but you can use whatever somewhat thin elastic you have on hand) then tie on the tulle. I did two pieces of orange held together, followed by two pieces of black. Really fill it up. I did not quite use the whole 3 yards, but you probably could if you tried a little harder.
And because I can’t resist another cute picture of my kiddo in her costume, here’s what it looks like when you’re done.
