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!
13 Comments
Wow! Very cute and shabby chic! I love it, i cant wait to make one!!!
I was thinking about how I would do this exact thing last night before I fell asleep. I have so many scraps and thought it would be super cute and it looks like it is! I am so going to do this. 🙂
Love it! I have been trying to find a way to make my daughter a pirate costume for Halloween and now I have my inspiration! Thanks so much for sharing!
I LOVE this! Saw something similar on piterest the other day. It was made with many different colrs of scraps and they called it a scrappy skirt 🙂
Hey creative! This is soooo cute. Wish I still had a baby girl ! Darn they grow-up too fast!
very easy and nice. I like your idea, its very cute.
Thank you so much for your comment and for stopping by! This tutu is really fun. We are so glad you like it! Have a wonderful day! Michelle 🙂
Do you put anything on the ends to keep it from fraying too much
Hi Tabitha! Thank you for your question. Cherie used Pinking Shears to help the fabric have a less frayed look, but using these shears will also make it so the fabric frays less as well. You could also use a product called Fray Check that will help prevent the fabric from fraying. Thank you again and good luck….I hope this helps! Have a great day! Michelle 🙂
I think I’m going to try to make one for my daughters first birthday. I’m not very crafty at all, so hopefully I am able to pull it off lol! I don’t have scrap fabric laying around, so do you know about how much material I would have to buy? I know people usually use 4 or 5 different prints, but wasn’t sure on how much of each I will need to purchase to use. Thanks!
Hi Jen! Thank you for your question. Your little girl would love a tutu like this! How fun! In regards to the amount of fabric, Cherie used approximately 1/2 yard total of fabric. She used about 1/8 yard of 4 different fabrics for a total of 1/2 yard. Her little girl was about 16 months old when she made her tutu and that amount of fabric was perfect. I hope this helps. Good luck and Happy Birthday to your little one! Have a great day! Michelle 🙂
I have been making tutus for about 2 years. I have always used tulle. I want to try to make one using lace, fabric and tulle. Any suggestions how to add without all of the bulk around the waist? Thanks.
Hi Kathy! That is so awesome…2 years? You are a tutu making pro! I love your idea of adding lace and fabric with your tulle. I bet your new tutu will be lovely! In regards to your question, the only thing I can think of is to use a wide Crochet Headband or Crochet by the Yard for your waistband. You could tie your lace, fabric and tulle to the bottom of the crochet headband/crochet and so it sits around the mid to lower part of the hip instead of right at the waist but the tutu still has a waist via the crochet/crochet headband. The top of the tutu portion (with the lace, fabric and tulle) will just start lower. I am not sure if this is what you are looking for, but I hope it at least gave you an idea (good or bad…hehe). Thank you Kathy, good luck and have a wonderful day! Michelle 🙂