I have seen a lot of inquirers on how to make tutus, etc. so I brought over some information from my site to share with y’all!
This is the one I made~ Make sure you scrunch your tulle together really well to have a really full tutu! I use about 20 yards of tulle in each of mine.
To measure your waist, make sure you measure your model and then take off about 2-3 inches of elastic. I know that sounds drastic, but as you put on the tulle and tighten it, it stretches the elastic out and makes it bigger..so if you don’t take down the waist size before, your waist will end up really big and you will be taking it half apart. Trust me, I did it twice.
On elastic size, that’s preference. I find with older girls, the 1 inch is a good size, but for the babies, you may want something less wide like a 3/4th inch elastic. They cost about $1.20 at walmart.
To add to these instructions since it isn’t listed in a lot of places, 6 inch tulle works really well, not the big tulle you find on the bolts. I use the big tulle on the bolts, so I end up having to cut in a lot of ways to get it to be not to thick. If you go that route, you generally have to cut the length and width.
Premeasure your tulle out and have it all ready so you can basically go from start to finish. A general rule is that it should be about 22-24 inches in length so when you fold it in half, it hangs long enough. If you measure out 24 inches, it will be 12 inches in length. So basically half your length to determine how long the skirt is. I do all the trimming at the end so I dont worry so much.
Where you did the sewing will be a little hard to close the last few pieces of tulle over the top. I always put an embellishment in that area to cover up any discrepancy.
TIP: Instead of Elastic, you can use big satin ribbon and the just tie in a bow. Its easy removal…but that’s half the problem…your child, especially if you have a young one, can remove it. Elastic is a lot more snug.
Some Halloween Ideas for Tutus:
- Red Tulle with Black Puff Balls glued on Make a LadyBug
- Orange, Purple, and Black tulle for a witch
- Yellow, Orange, White for Candy Corn
- Hot Pink and Lime Green for Strawberry Shortcake
- White and Light Pink for a “50′s” Look
- Purple and Light green for a Fairy
- Yellow and Black for a Bumble Bee
Make sure you add some embellishments like sparkles or pom poms when your done! I added flowers to mine!
Other Embellishments include things like Satin Ribbons, Rhinestones, Puff Balls, Flowers, Rose petals, or small premade ribbons that you can find at Micheal’s or Hobby Lobby.
I use hot glue.
Come see my newest tutorials
HOW TO MAKE A FAIRY WAND
Other tutu posts of mine I would love for you to check out:
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Other sites that may help you (but my instructions are probably as clear as you are going to find)
*coming soon will be Fairy Tutu instructions
- Free Tutu Instructions site #1
- Tutu Instructions site 2
- Tutu Instructions site 3 (these are good!)
- How to make a Fairy Wand (w/ crystal ball – i made this, its super cute!)
- How to Make a Tulle wand (my site! very cute!)
- How to make a Tutu Halter Dress site #1
- How to make a Tiered Tulle Skirt
- How to make a Tulle Halter Dress site #2
- How to make a Layered Tutu
- How to make a tutu for your Barbie (new!)
- try instructions on ruffled socks
- How to make a Pillowcase Dress
- How to make a Pettiskirt (martha stewart)
- How to make a Pettiskirt with pattern tutorial
- How to make a beaded headband
- My favorite place to shop, and they have tutu’s and tutu outfits quite a bit!
- Tutu Pour Mon Deux
- Mud Pie Baby Perfectly Princess Tutu Dress, 0-6 Months
- Cotton Candy & Bubble Gum Tutu for Infant
- Small Miracles Girl’s Glamor Light Up Tutu
- Pink Ballerina Princess Costume Tutu Party Dressup 6/8
- Danskin Girls Leotard with Tutu and Bow Detail
And my friend Koris page where you can find AMAZING princess hairstyles like this one she did!
(picture used with permission)
Thank you so much for the instructions. You’re absolutely right! It’s totally easy steps! I handmade the princess tutu for my daughter’s first birthday. Also, I sewed a satin rose petal with ribbons on the side, and sewed the satin ribbon to cover the elastic . It came out beautiful & adorable on her. Hope to see more of your creative works. Keep up the ideas!
I wanted to say thanks for making this easy for me! I am a 30 year old father of 2 with almost no creative ability, but I can follow instructions. Because my incredible wife is busy taking care of everything else, she asked if I could make a tutu for our 5 month old daughter as part of her Halloween costume (Army cheerleader – her 2 year old brother is going as an Army football player). It turned out great thanks to you! And trust me, if you have made this easy enough for a man to do, there is no reason why anyone else couldn’t do it as well.
If i was to make one of these tutus do you think I could use this dress net:
http://www.cheapfabrics.co.uk/thestore/product_info.php/cPath/538_629/products_id/385
or will it be too stiff?
also i will be making it for myself, I am 5ft 2, and my waist is around 27in, I would like the tutu to be around 30 – 35cms in length so how many metres do u recommend me to buy?
please reply asap ! !!
thanks
Yourr So Great At Making Thesee Girlyyy Thingss(: I Needed To KNow How To Make A Tutu And Here It Is(: Thankss!
So I am making a tutu for my daughter and found that if you use an extra large Folgers can (Costco size) it makes tying the knot so much easier. The little indents/handle is the perfect size to get the tulle in there and no stretch the heck out of the elastic.
okay, so i see that you say you use 20 yards of tulle, and like a few others, i guess, i’m hoping you can help me with a clarification. you use 20 yards on the big bolt and then cut it down? so how many yards of the 6 inch would you recommend?
How much tulle do you recommend using for a 3 month old, I know you said you use 20 yards but I am thinking that is way too much for a 3 month old??
i’m 16 and i’m wondering how much tulle to buy
Remember that you can do the tutu to ponytail holders too and hot glue little pony beads or other things on the ends of a few of the peices of tulle to match the tutu!
I saw some asking how to make a pettitutu.. If you have Facebook and look up under pages Tiffany’s Tutus and “Like” her page. The profile pic is the back of a lil’ girl in a tutu running in some grass. She has a tutorial on how to do a layerd petti tutu that is great! She also has other links of great projects she did with pic and some of her tutus. They are AMAZING!
oh i dont sew either…
i have seen on some websites where they are using the no sew tutus and tying them off at the bottom to make a makeshift petti… didnt know if you had any advice!
I am going to try and make one this week… ill let you know how it goes…
oh i dont sew either…
i have seen on some websites where they are using the no sew tutus and tying them off at the bottom to make a makeshift petti… didnt know if you had any advice!
I am going to try and make one this week… ill let you know how it goes…
i would try to make a tutu this weekend but i will let ya kno how it turns out if i follow your steps and dnt mess it up and have me to start all over again but juxx kno i will update you wen finished i hope it turns out to be so beautiful.
I was wondering what you attach your embellishments with??? I have tried a few different glues but I was wondering if there was a better way???
i use hot glue
really???? ok… yay! one more silly question… do you put something behind the embellishment or just hot glue it to the tutu???
like a rhinestone for example, ill put it on the rhinestone and then press it on the tulle with either my finger on the underside (if its not too hot yet) or something like a pair of scissor blades on the back..i use scissor blades because it peels hot glue easy so it doesnt get stuck.
thank you!!! I’ll try that for sure… i need to find some flowers or something to try as well… do you use the foam ones?? or what kind of embellishments do you use?
Also, any advice on petti-tutus?
I like ribbons, premade bows from the craft section at hobby lobby, little puff balls for like snow flakes or dots, rhinestones…i also buy flowers w/ stems from the store and pop the flower off and throw the stem away..put the flower at the waist.
i dont know how to make pettitutus..i mean i have never tried. I hate the sewing machine. HA
Im want to make one for my 13 Year old. is it kinda like making one for a kid only double the stuff or how should i do it?
same way, just make sure you push your knots together close to its big and fluffy
Just made this tutu! Too too cute!
I LOVE your tutus! Which instructions did you use to make them and how many yards did you use? I would like the one I want to make to be really full like the ones in your pictures. Beautiful!
i actually just made my own instructions and i will be printing pics this week right in this post
i added instructions…btw, i use about 20 yards
how many yards did you use for the pink and green one?
lmlarrison786@gmail.com
please let me know..i love it and would like one that full!
lindsey.
ps. love. your. blog!
im sorry i just saw this. I use about 20-30 yards of tulle in general..i know, its a lot. But i buy tulle wholesale.
what if you are trying to make one that is really colorful and big but appropriate for a 13 year old at school
I’m trying to find instructions for a pettitutu, but I can’t find them anywhere? It’s a regular tutu with more tulle tied onto the bottom of the skirt and it’s super cute! Could you post instructions for that?
I’m making an Alice in Wonderland costume for my adult self and this is very useful. Yeah, I know…
Did you make it yet? How much tulle did you need? I am making one too. Wonder how much to buy.