DIY TU-TU!!

My niece Emma's 3rd birthday is coming up in a few months so I decided to make her a tu-tu. I was worried it was going to be hard, I have never made one before. So I wanted to get a jump start on it... little did I know I would finish it in one afternoon. It was fun and helped me get my craft itch scratched!

The Tu-Tu

Materials:

4-6 yards of Tulle(depends on the length you want)
1 package of Elastic Band

Needle

Thread
Scissors

Measuring tape

**And Maybe an extra hand for cutting the tulle while you cut it**

1. Pick your colors- I choose really bright cheerful colors; yellow, blue, purple, and pink with a sparkle. I bought 1 yard of each except for the yellow of which I bought 3 because I decided to use it to alternate it.

2. Decided your pattern- If you choose more then one color, you will need to decide what pattern you wish to do... do you want one color to be more pronounced then others or do you want it to be even. I choose to make my pattern Yellow Blue Yellow Purple Yellow Pink.

3. Measure, cut, and sew- Measure the persons waist you want the tu-tu to fit. Cut the exact length you measure(It will get a little bigger as you ad tulle to it from being stretched out). And then over lap the ends by about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch and sew them together. Remember to do multiple stitches so it holds tight! I did about 15.

4. Cut the tulle- This is the hard part. You have to cut the tulle double the length of the tu-tu you want to make. Tulle can be very blowy and hard to cut even at times. One thing I found that helps is if you cut a piece of cardboard 1/2 the length of of tulle you need(the length of the tu-tu you want to make) and wrap the tulle around the cardboard and then cut the tulle along one of the sides of the board. This will make all your strips pretty close to the same length which is what you need. The great thing about a tu-tu is it doesn't have to be perfect!

Now cut these pieces into 3 inch strips... I folded the piece evenly until it was 3 inches across and then cut the edges. Again it doesn't have to be perfect.

5. Find something to hold the tu-tu while you work- I used a big stew pot. You want it to stretch the elastic some, but not its full extent.

6.Assemble the tu-tu - Fold a piece of tulle in half long ways.

Fold the piece of tulle in half the other way.

Tuck the folded end under the elastic band.

Pull the loose ends through the folded end.

Pull it tight, but make sure that the elastic can still move under the tulle and that the band is not buckling under the tightness.

Repeat until you work your way around the band. Remember to take it off what ever is holding it, in my case the stew pot, to make sure it is staying stretchy and is not over done.

Towards the end, leave yourself a gap of about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch with no tulle on it. Then take the tu-tu off the holder and readjust the tulle to cover it and allow the elastic to contract a little bit.

And TA DA... You have a tu-tu!!

You can also make this with ribbon where you can tie it on to the person instead of them slipping it on.

I hope you try this for someone in your life... It makes a great gift for old and young!