How to make your own tutus using fabric
We have two different tutu tutorials. Cami's Craft Corner tulle tutu tutorial and Cami's Craft Corner fabric tutu tutorial (this one).
This is our first fabric tutu, and I couldn’t have
been more thrilled with how it turned out!
Fabric (I used four yards for a size 7)
Needle/thread
Elastic
Sharp scissors
Pinking shears (optional)
Rotary cutter and mat (optional)
FrayCheck (optional)
Start by measuring your daughter’s waist. I
usually just measure out the right amount of elastic and pin it, then let my kid
escape. Sew up the circle. I dab fray check on the ends, just in
case. I’ve never had elastic start to run, but no sense in taking chances.
Your fabric will already come folded in half, and
it’s best to keep it that way, unless you’re making shorter strips. My
daughter is a bit over 15 inches, from hip to knee, so I wanted the strips to be
about 17 inches long (folded! Would be 34 inches if the fabric was unfolded).
I used a rotary cutter to cut off the extra at the bottom and got started on my
strips.
You *can* use a rotary cutter or sharp scissors for
your strips, but I decided to use pinking shears to keep this one from fraying
(though that is a cute look with the right fabrics!)
I cut 4 inch strips (not neatly at all; I suck at
cutting straight with pinking shears, but luckily it all blends well) If
your daughter is smaller and you’re cutting shorter strips, you might choose to
use thinner strips. Cut a test strip to see how it works if you’re unsure about
widthJ
After I cut the strips, I folded them, lengthwise, to
snip the ends on a slant (forming points at the ends when you open them back
up).
To start, fold your first strip in half and position
behind elastic, loop side up.
Flip the bottom of the fabric up, over the elastic,
and through the loop.
Tighten it the knot a little, easing it around until
the fabric is pointing downward.
Tighten the knot a little more, but not enough to
bend the elastic.
Continue on, adding new strips of fabric. If
you’re using multiple colors, put on at least two of one color at a time, so
that the colors are distinguished. Otherwise, they tend to blend too much
together.
As you go along, you may find it helpful to attach
your elastic to something. Just make sure that you don’t stretch out the
elastic! You don’t want it to end up too big.
I love the way this turned out, but it was a bit clunky to use the fabric, rather than the tulle that I was used to using. I would suggest doing a couple tulle tutus first, to get the hang of it.