How To Make A Boutique Tutu

How about some tutorials?! For starters…Tutus!

The number one reason I started this blog was to be able to put all of the things I’ve made into one place. I love to search for tutorials, even if I know how I want to make something, just to see how others make it! This will be the first of MANY tutorials I will post. Some are going to be my own and some will contain links to tutorials that I used!

Most of the things I’ve made are mainly for girls (it’s so hard to find things for boys). I’m a girls girl, love the frills and accessories! My youngest rarely has a day were she isn’t wearing a bow, and on a good day I can talk my oldest into wearing one still 🙂

So the majority of my tutorials are going to be for little girls! It’s hard for me to figure out what to start with so in honor of Miss K turning the big ONE (it so doesn’t feel like it’s been a year) I thought I’d start out with learning how to make TUTUS!

Miss K’s Birthday Tutu 🙂

I’ve made countless tutus in the past 6 years. They are so much easier than they look and you don’t have to have that crafty gene to make one 😉

Supplies:

1 inch Wide Non Roll Elastic
Spool of Tulle – 6in x 25yds (they carry these at Hobby Lobby, the number of spools you need will depend on the size of the tutu you are making)
Rotary Cutter (or Scissors)
Cutting Mat (only if using Rotary Cutter)
Sewing Needle
Thread
Dowel Rod (optional)

First you want to start out by figuring out how long you want your tutu to be. I’ve always preferred the shorter style over the knee-length, but that’s just me! I’ve used this chart for all of my tutus, it’s for the shorter style so if you want your tutu to be longer all you need to do is measure from the waist to the length you prefer and plug it into this (Length x 2 plus 1) the answer will give you how long your strips of tulle should be.

Here are the measurements I use:

0-6mos – Waist 14″ – Length 11″ – 1 Spool
6-12mos – Waist 16″ – Length 13″ – 2 Spools
12-24mos – Waist 18″ – Length 15″ – 2 Spools
2T-3T – Waist 20″ – Length 19″ – 3 Spools
4T-5T – Waist 21″ – Length 23″ – 3 Spools

Keep a few things in mind the more tulle you add to your tutu the fluffier it will be (and I’m all for fullness!). I have been known to add 2 1/2 Spools to a 12mos tutu! The more tulle you add the more the waistband will stretch so don’t worry if you make the tutu and it’s too large around the waist, you can always adjust it at the end. Also the longer the tutu the more spools you will need.

Ok now for the steps on putting this tutu together!

First you need to cut your tulle to the desired length. This is the part that takes the most time! (I insert a Dowel Rod through the spool of tulle, it speeds up the cutting process for me. This is completely optional!)

After all of your tulle is cut, measure out your elastic for the waistband.
Take your needle and thread and over lap the ends of the elastic and stitch them together.

You should now have a waistband. Now your ready to add tulle. You will need something to hold your waistband sturdy in order to add your tulle ( I put my leg through the waist band, it’s just what works for me, you can use an oatmeal can, a roll of paper towels, the back of a chair. Whatever you feel comfortable with.)
I start at the stitched spot when adding my tulle. Take one strip at a time and go under the waistband, bring your ends together making sure they are even. Then tie a knot.

Take the 2nd strip of tulle and repeat until you have a completed tutu!

Note that if you get to the end and, as mentioned above, the waistband is to large all you need to do is cut a bit off and stitch the elastic back together. You can move the tulle around pretty freely. I like my tutus to not show any elastic even when stretched. They just look more professionally put together, in my opinion.

Also if you like a more “boutique” style tutu you can add ribbon! Just take some satin (or grosgrain) ribbon and weave it through your tulle around the waistband when you get back to where you started tie a bow and you will have one snazzy little tutu!

UPDATE: I have made a new post on how to add the Satin Ribbon to the TuTu!! Check it out HERE!

I also took some satin ribbon and stitched it onto my tulle before I made this tutu. You can get as creative as you want!

PS you can also make tutu dresses using this same method. Just figure out how long you need it to be use (Length x 2 plus 1) and follow the same steps but instead of the waistband you will need the chest measurements and you will have a lovely tutu dress in no time!

I hope you find this tutorial useful! Please feel free to tell me what you think! I love to hear feedback!