There are many, many online tutorials for making a simple, dress-up tutu for kids. Since we have found Abby running around daycare with a tutu and refusing to leave because she didn't want to take it off many many times, I had been checking consignment stores and online stores in an effort to get one for her. However, the simplest tutu costs anywhere from $20 to $45!

Last week, though, I came across a tutu tutorial in the archives of Design Mom, a blog I frequently visit. The instructions for making a no-sew, elastic waist-band tutu were really easy to follow and made me think, "I can do that!"

A few more internet searches turned up various other no-sew instructions for tutus - some made with a ribbon waist-band, details on figuring out the right waist size for child, length of tutu, embellishment ideas, etc.

We went to Jo-Ann Fabrics yesterday and came away with 3 rolls (25 yards each) of 6-inch wide, different colored tulle, chosen by Abby, and a package of 1/2-inch wide elastic, said to be the perfect width for baby/toddler tutus. The material can easily make 2 toddler tutus of the fullness you'll see in the pictures below. I cut 16 2-feet long strips of each color and tied them along the elastic, alternating colors. (The elastic band was cut to 20.5 inches, recommended for kids in the 2T -3T size.) Once all the tulle got tied on, I did need to thread a needle and sew the two ends of the elastic together to form the waist band. A bit of scrunching was required to fluff the tutu to the fullness it needed.

The project started when Abby went down for a nap and was complete well before she woke up. She absolutely LOVES the tutu and starts twirling around the house with it on. What a girly-girl! I had some spare green ribbon, which I used for embellishment.


Total cost of project: ~$7 and 2 hours of labor, even though I was not able to get anything on sale.

A few notes on what I would do differently next time:

1) To make a "fairy" tutu, I might cut the ends of the tulle strips at a point, rather than straight across. The straight cut makes it more like a ballerina tutu.
2) If she was a bit older, I would have used a ribbon for the waistband rather than the elastic. Elastic makes it a lot easier for her to put on and take off by herself, but with stretching, the tulle knots pull out of place and need to be adjusted every now and then.
3) No-sew is nice, but the tulle strips will pull loose after time, so a few stitches per strip would be very useful.
4) I do not like the ribbon embellishment and the silk ribbon I used keeps coming loose, so I'm thinking of finding some cute silk flowers to glue on with a hot-glue gun. Pom-poms might also be fun. If I keep the ribbons, either add a few stitches to hold the knots in place or tie with a more permanent knot.
5) If I can find cheap, shimmering tulle, that would have been awesome. Maybe next time for a Halloween costume I'll invest in it.
6) Since Abby wants to wear this thing for hours on end and in the car and for naps, I think I could have gone with a less fluffy tutu - maybe 1/3 fewer strips. I like the way this one looks, but for playing around the house, it is a tad inconvenient.