Fabric Tutu

I love tutus!  Who doesn’t?  As some have mentioned however; they can be itchy and the little ones don’t want to wear them.

I made a tutu using fabric left over from my Scented Fabric Decorative Balls.

Because the tutu is made of fabric it is very soft and a completely different look.

The fabric is Decadence by Riley Blake.  I love it for fall! It could really be used all year round for home decor though.

–Supplies–

Elastic
Fabric
Pinking shears
Needle and Thread

This is a great no-sew project!   I feel like my sewing machine has turned on me lately and I just love a good no-sew!  The only thing you need to sew is your elastic band.

I used a 1″ elastic band and cut it just a little smaller than my daughter’s waist.

After you have measured and cut your elastic, sew the ends together with your machine or a needle and thread.

Set the band aside and cut your fabric strips.   This could be done with regular scissors for a really frayed look or with pinking shears for a less frayed look.
I cut my strips with pinking shears.

As always when making a tutu cut the strips double the length you want the tutu to be.

I wanted my tutu to be 9″ so I cut my strips to 18″.
The width of each strip doesn’t have to be perfect, I cut mine to about 1 1/4″.  You can play with the width for different looks.

Here is my pile of strips just waiting to be a fabric tutu.
I used about 1/8 yard of 4 different fabrics for this skirt for my 16 month old.  So 1/2 yard total.

Now to tie on your strips.   You will tie the strips to the elastic with a slip knot.  To learn how to tie a slip knot click on this post – Pumpkin Tutu Costume.

Basically you fold your fabric in half, put it behind the elastic band and bring the ends over the top of the elastic and through the loop of your folded fabric.

Fabric is a little bit more tricky than tulle because of the wrong side of the fabric.  I tried to make sure the right side of the fabric was always showing.

Continue tying the fabric on until you have covered the entire elastic band.  If you want extra fullness push the fabric tighter together so you can add more.

I think mine could have used a little more fullness, but I used all the fabric I had left.   Still pretty cute though right?

Little one woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was NOT in the mood to be photographed. That is why you can’t see her face. LOL

Use of your left over scraps and make one for your girl!  Girls of all ages would love this!  I’m going to have my little one wear this out.  I think it doubles as a cute skirt!

There you have it!  A very fun alternative to the tutu if you can’t get your little girl to love the texture of tulle.

As always have fun adding Ribbon, Flowers, and other embellishments to make your tutu even BETTER!