DIY: TuTu Tute!

How to make your very own TuTu!

First, you'll need some supplies:

A ribbon, cut to length and tied off.  You'll want to make it the right size for the waist you're making it for, also accounting for some extra length so it can be tied into a bow.  You could also make this using an elastic waistband, but I didn't so I have no advice about that!

Tie the ribbon off towards the ends to give you a guide on the placement of the tulle pieces as well as to keep them from sliding off the end of the ribbon once they're on there.  The space between the two knots will become the actual waist-area (if that makes sense) and the ribbon outside of the knots will be what's used to tie the tutu on.

Next, you will need some tulle.  This kind, which can be found in the wedding area at both JoAnn Fabrics and Michael's is handy because it's already cut to width.  With this, you only have to worry about cutting length.  You could also use tulle by the yard (you would likely need several yards), but then you'd have to worry about rolling and cutting by width and length.  Just buy the rolls if possible!  I used purple and pink and needed the majority of both rolls to complete this tutu which I'm making for a 2-year-old.  The amount of tulle you will need will ultimately be determined by the size of tutu you're making. 

Now, cut A LOT of pieces of tulle!  I think I cut nearly 100 between the two colors.  I measured the pieces to be approximately 18-inches in length because they will be halved once tied to the ribbon making 9ish-inch pieces in the skirt.

Take your pieces of cut tulle and begin tieing them onto your ribbon.  Fold a piece in half and then loop it through itself around the ribbon.

Pull it tight and you'll have something that looks like this:

Now push your knotted tulle down to join the rest of your knotted pieces:

And see, I just alternated colors.  Every so often I threw in a skinny ribbon that I had in my craft stash using the same knotting technique as I did with the pieces of tulle.  It added an extra little splash of color and a different texture.

Keep knotting and squishing the tulle close together - remember I did this about 100 times! - and you'll end up with this:

Cute, right?  Perfect for a little girl or toddler's party dress, or a fun dress up prop! 

And, the possibilites are endless!  You could make holiday themed tutus - black and orange for Halloween, red and green for Christmas, red, white, and blue for 4th of July - or you could even do princess themed ones - baby blue and white for Cinderella, royal blue, yellow, and red for Snow White.  I think it's a great addition for any little girl's dress up wardrobe!