I started making tutus about a year ago! It’s so much fun and pretty cheap too! Here’s how you too can make a tutu….

You will need:

Elastic or a headband

Spools of tulle (6 inch width, 25 yard roll)

Needle and thread (if you make your own elastic band)

*I buy my tulle from Hobby Lobby when it’s on 50% off (which is usually every couple of weeks). I typically use one to two rolls of tulle per tutu. If you want a fuller tutu, you will use more.

Directions:

1. Let’s cut the tulle into strips first. Here’s a quick trick to cutting the strips. Grab a piece of cardboard (I use a diaper box). Measure out a rectangle that is twice as long as you want the tutu. For instance, I make my four-year-old’s tutu 10 inches, so I cut a cardboard rectangle that measures 20 inches. Here is a picture of my cardboard rectangle I use to make 9-inch tutus…it’s 18 inches long and about 10 inches wide. Grab a couple of rubber bands to help you hold the tulle in place.

2.  Take the tulle and wrap it around and around this cardboard rectangle until you get to the end of the roll.

3.  Grab a couple more rubber bands and secure the tulle to the cardboard. Then cut at each end. You now have strips of tulle each measuring the same measurement!

4. Now for the elastic band. You can do a couple things here. When I first started making tutus, I just bought elastic. I would measure the child and cut the elastic accordingly. Sew the ends of the elastic together so you have a closed circle. Lately, I have decided I much prefer using the pre-made headbands. See pics below!

5.  Let’s get started tying the tulle. First wrap the headband or elastic band around a book.  Take one piece of tulle and fold it in half. Pull tulle through the hole on the headband as shown above. Next place your finger in the loop and pull the tulle ends through and pull tightly to complete knot.  Kinda hard to explain but maybe a few pics will help?!

6.  Keep going all the way around the headband until you have completed the entire bottom row.  If you want a fuller tutu, go ahead and repeat this process on the next row up.  I usually only do one row.  Here’s the completed tutu on the pre-made headband.

* If you are using a piece of elastic that you have sewn, the process is exactly the same.  Just tie the knots onto the elastic. The elastic has a tendency to twist so be careful when tying knots. You don’t want to pull the knots too tight.  The tighter knots will create a fuller tutu that will use a ton of tulle but also tends to stretch the elastic band which increases the size of the tutu. Might end up with a tutu bigger than you expected.  Just a few reasons why I prefer using the pre-made headbands now instead of making my own bands.