Tutu's are a fun addition to any little girls wardrobe. They are great for Birthday outfits, Halloween costumes, playing dress up, flower girl dresses, photoshoots, decorations and more! They also make a great addition to several Halloween costumes for adults.
Tutu's are a fun, colorful way to spice up your little one's wardrobe. You can personalize the tutu's however you want. You can change the color scheme, length and even the thickness (fluffiness) of the tutu to give it a different appearance depending on what style you are going for.
Last fall I made a tutu for my daughter's fifth birthday outfit. Since it was the big F-I-V-E I went a little overboard with food and decorations. I wanted it to be a magical party, a Magical Unicorn Birthday Party to be exact. I found a unicorn shirt and matched the colors of the tutu to the unicorn on the shirt.
We ended up deciding on a Safari themed family costume for Halloween last fall as well so I made the tutu in October so my daughter could get double the use out of it. My daughter chose to be a butterfly fo Halloween so the tutu worked out perfect!
Keep scrolling to see how I made the tutu!
DIY No-Sew Tulle Tutu
I made my daughter's tutu from ribbon and three things of tulle. I waited until the tulle and ribbon was 50% of at Hobby Lobby to buy it which made the ribbon around $1.99 and the tulle around $2.99 for a 6" spool. I could be off on the prices and of coarse prices vary by location and store.
Supplies:
- 3+ Spools of 6" Tulle
- 1.5" Ribbon - I prefer the silky looking ribbon for tutus
- Scissors
- Measuring Tape
- Lighter
Cost:
- Approximately $11 with left over ribbon. If you make a short tutu you will most likely have left over tulle too.
How much tulle will I need?
The amount of tulle needed depends on the length of the tutu, the thickness (fluffiness) of the tutu and the waist measurement of the person the tutu is for.
I learned that it is better to buy more tulle and have to return it than to run out and have to run back out and buy more and chance them not having the color you need.
My daughter was turning five and already in 5T clothes. She is taller for her age. For this floor length tutu, I used three rolls of tulle if that helps you calculate how much you may need.
You need to at least cut a full roll of tulle for a baby/toddler tutu. The thicker (fluffier) you want the tutu, the more tulle you will need to cut. If you are making a longer tutu, you will need at minimum, two rolls for a baby/toddler.
How To:
1. Wrap the ribbon around your child's waist and tie a big bow in the back. Cut the ribbon, leaving a little extra for the bow strands.
OR you can measure around your child's waist with a measuring tape and add an extra 20-40+ inches to the measurement to make the bow with in the back.
2. Measure from your child's waist down to where you want the tutu to fall. In this case, I wanted the tutu to fall around her ankles so I measured from her waist to just above her ankles. Remember your measurement or write it down.
3. Double the length measurement and cut the tulle accordingly.
Example: If you measured 20" in length you need to cut the tulle in 40" strips.
You need to double the length measurement because you will have to fold the tulle in half to make the tutu. If you forget to double the measurement, your tutu will be shorter.
I went ahead and cut all three rolls of tulle accordingly because I knew I would need all the tulle, plus I didn't want to have any extra leftover.
Example: If you measured 20" in length you need to cut the tulle in 40" strips.
You need to double the length measurement because you will have to fold the tulle in half to make the tutu. If you forget to double the measurement, your tutu will be shorter.
I went ahead and cut all three rolls of tulle accordingly because I knew I would need all the tulle, plus I didn't want to have any extra leftover.
4. Tie the ribbon to something and begin looping the tulle onto the ribbon. You don't have to tie the ribbon to something, but it makes it a lot easier to loop the tulle if the ribbon is pulled tight.
I made the tutu while sitting on the ground watching TV so I tied the ribbon to my feet. You can tie the ribbon to a chair or table leg as well, have someone hold the end of the ribbon, or try to do it without tying the ribbon to anything, it may just take longer.
I made the tutu while sitting on the ground watching TV so I tied the ribbon to my feet. You can tie the ribbon to a chair or table leg as well, have someone hold the end of the ribbon, or try to do it without tying the ribbon to anything, it may just take longer.
5. Loop the tulle on the ribbon. You can use one strip of tulle like I did OR gather a few together to make it fluffier. If you are making a multi-color tutu, make sure to rotate colors.
To loop the tulle onto the ribbon, Fold the tulle in half and place the fold to the back side of the ribbon. The fold should resemble a loop.
To loop the tulle onto the ribbon, Fold the tulle in half and place the fold to the back side of the ribbon. The fold should resemble a loop.
Fold the loop of tulle over the front of ribbon.
Pull the long ends of the tulle all the way through the loop.
Pull tight.
6. Repeat the above step until you are satisfied with your tutu or run out of tulle. If you chose different colors, make sure to rotate the colors, keeping the same pattern.
7. Optional - Trim the bottom of the tutu to make it all even.
I usually leave it as is unless I have one really long piece of tulle hanging then I will either trim the tulle or re-loop the strand of tulle to make it match the others.
I usually leave it as is unless I have one really long piece of tulle hanging then I will either trim the tulle or re-loop the strand of tulle to make it match the others.
8. Cut and burn the ends of the ribbon to make it look "fancier".
I like to cut both ends of the ribbon by folding it in half and cutting a triangle out of the middle. I then carefully burn the ends of the ribbon to prevent fraying. I like to burn the ends so the tutu ribbon will last longer. If not, the ends of the ribbon will start to unravel over time.
BE CAREFUL when burning the ends of the ribbon. You can burn your finger or light the whole tutu on fire if you aren't careful.
9. Pair with a top and some bicycle shorts/leggings and you're done!
As your little one moves around or walks around, the tulle may stick/cling together. If this happens, all you have to do is run your fingers through the tulle to straighten it back out.
Below is a picture of my daughter in the finished tutu. She went as a Butterfly last Halloween!
Incase you aren't sure how to put the tutu on, all you have to do is wrap the tutu around your little one's waist and tie a bow in the back. Don't tie it to tight, you want them to be uncomfortable.
When they are done wearing the tutu, just un-tie the bow and take it off.
Keep scrolling to see more pictures of tutus I made!
Tutu's are a fun and cute way to spice up your little one's outfit. This tutu was originally made for my daughter's fifth birthday outfit. The picture below is a little crowded but she was a beautiful unicorn princess for her birthday. She was so excited to wear the tutu and her new unicorn necklace she got for her birthday.
This is the fourth tutu I have made!
My first time making tutu's, I ran out of tulle and had to go buy more. I was making a floor length tutu dress for my daughter and our flower girl for our wedding and had no idea how much tulle I would need. I also made two-three rows of tulle to make it fluffier which is why I may of ran out faster than expected.
My first time making tutu's, I ran out of tulle and had to go buy more. I was making a floor length tutu dress for my daughter and our flower girl for our wedding and had no idea how much tulle I would need. I also made two-three rows of tulle to make it fluffier which is why I may of ran out faster than expected.
Like I said above, it is better to buy more tulle and have to return it than to run out and have to run back out and buy more.
I did not have my blog when I got married and made the flower girl tutu dresses but it is pretty much the same concept. I sewed a few pieces of crocheted headband ribbon together then looped the tulle to it. I then attached ribbon to the top to tie the tutu dress around their neck to hold it up and added a clip on flower to the front.
I think the tutu dresses turned out really pretty, especially for my first time making one and having no clue what I was doing.
I think the tutu dresses turned out really pretty, especially for my first time making one and having no clue what I was doing.
I also made my daughter a floor length tutu for her first birthday party. We threw her a Pink Elephant Birthday Party so I made a pink tutu using two different shades of pink tulle. I made her first birthday tutu the same way I made the tutu in this tutorial. I used pink silky ribbon and two shades of pink tulle.
***Check out the Letter Name Block Tutorial HERE!***
Since my daughter was little, I had leftover tulle from making her tutu so I used it to make a tulle high chair garland. I didn't want to waste the nice ribbon so I looped the tulle onto some string I already had. You can use this same concept to make a tutu table skirt.
If you can't tell by the pictures, tutu's make everything cuter! Or maybe it's just me but I love these pictures of my daughter in her tutus.
Tutu's add a pop of color and fun to any occasion. Theses no-sew tutus are pretty easy to make and affordable. I love how you can make them for any occasion and in any color scheme. You can make solid tutus, rainbow tutus, short tutus, long tutus; the possibilities are endless!
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