Tutu Tutorial

This ribbon-waisted tutu is for a newborn.  You may need to adjust the length of your strips to accommodate a larger size.

My husband made so much fun of me for crocheting during my last three pregnancies that I let my pride get the best of me and decided not to crochet a blanket for this baby.  Instead, I took on a much smaller, simpler project - making a tutu.  There are so many adorable tutus on Etsy, I figured I could do it!  Well, it's more difficult than I expected! The desired effect would have been much cleaner had I purchased tulle ribbon instead of cutting strips myself.  Next time.  

But, for my fellow non-perfectionists who want to attempt this, here's what I did...

Materials needed for this project:

approx. 3-5 yards of tulle (two or more different colors)

ribbon

scissors

STEP ONE - CUT RIBBON

Cut a length of ribbon twice as long as the desired waist measurement.

STEP TWO - CUT STRIPS OF TULLE

Note: I cut each strip as close to 1.5 inches as I could, though I admit I wasn't very meticulous.

Cut 1.5 inch strips, then fold and cut in half - should be 18-24 inches long.

STEP THREE - GATHER, CUT AND TIE TULLE

Note: Because my tutu is for a newborn, I found it easier to gather, cut and tie the final tulle strips at the same time. If you are making this for an older child, gather 8 of the longer strips together and don't cut them in half again.  If you are making it for an adult, perhaps 10-12 strips will be necessary to achieve the desired fullness.

 

Gather four strips together.  Fold in half and cut in half.  You should have 8 strips.

Loop the 8 strips in half again, place below the ribbon and tuck the ends through the loop, as in the illustration.

Pull taut

Repeat until tutu is full and desired length has been reached.

STEP FOUR - TRIM AND TIE

Trim the ribbon, folding end in half to get a finished edge.

Tie your bow!

And the finished product looks like this...a little messier than my Etsy counterparts, but still pretty cute!