How To Make a Tutu in an Hour or Less (No Sewing Required!)
Tutu skirts are a great stand-in when you don’t have a costume planned for a party or you need something fun to wear to a race. This fabulous, totally customizable tutu-orial is easy, inexpensive, and takes hardly any time at all, so grab your measurements, your toddler’s measurements, or your dog’s and have a blast with this goofy costume idea!
You can purchase tulle off a bolt or from a spool, depending on how wide you want your strips to be. For smaller tutus, the spools work great because the strips are only about 6″ wide. Bear in mind, all tulle is not created equal and some can be scratchy and uncomfortable to wear, so be on the lookout when making your purchase.
What You Need
Materials
- 6″ strips of tulle (I used a pre-cut spool)
- Long strip of ribbon (cut to your measurements- see below)
Tools
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Masking tape
Instructions
1. Find a cute person or animal in need of a tutu.
2. Decide where the tutu will sit on the body and measure the circumference of that area. Add an extra 14″ to the measurement (7″ on each side should allow you enough room to tie the leftover ribbon in a bow, which will hold the tutu in place) and cut the piece of ribbon to that length.
3. Once you’ve determined about how long you want your tutu to be, wrap the tulle around a piece of cardboard cut to that exact length.
If you want a really poofy tutu, wrap a good amount of tulle around the cardboard. If you end up cutting more tulle than you need, make another tutu! If you get to the end and find you haven’t cut enough, just go back to the cardboard and wrap some more.
4. Cut through the tulle along one end of the cardboard. Slip the tulle off so that you have a nice, clean stack of strips to work from.
5. Secure the ribbon to a flat workspace by taping each end to the surface. Allow slack so that you can easily work the tulle under the ribbon.
6. Grab a strip of tulle, pinch the middle and fold the two ends (tails) downward (the shape should resemble a caret sign: ^). Slip the top point under the ribbon, bring the tails over the top of the ribbon and tuck them through the loop at the top of the point. Pull the tails taut.
8. Repeat step 6, packing as many strips onto the ribbon as you can by sliding them as close to one another as possible, until the tutu looks nice and full. Remember to leave at least 7″ of ribbon on each end so that you can easily tie the skirt in place.
8. Position the tutu and tie it in place with the excess ribbon. To disguise the tails, tie the largest bow you can, tuck it under the tulle and wear it in the back. You’re all set- commence twirling!
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