TuTu Tute

I considered calling this one Tie One On. (Because I crack myself up, :P)

The poodle skirt needs some pouf, and since I don't have time to make a pettieskirt with yards and yards of chiffon (the original plan) and I don't have time to run around searching for one ready made...I decided a tutu would work just as well...AND have the bonus of fantasy flitting around the house & yard with wings strapped to my, I mean Lu's, back.

Here's the quick & dirty Tied TuTu!

You need spools of netting (like they sell in the bridal or ribbon section of your crafts store):


For Lu's tutu I picked up a 100 yard spool of baby pink and two 25 yard spools of hot pink sparkle. (Bonus! It was 1/2 off so only $10 for all of it!) Lu is very tall, and we wanted her tutu to be roughly 18-20 inches long. You may not need as much for a shorter tutu (or girl!) We used every bit, but we got a very full tutu, too.

First, measure waist & sew elastic to this measurement in a circle:


Decide on your finished tutu length, and cut your tulle into strips double this amount. For example, for Lu's 20" tutu, we cut 40" strips.


This is easier than it sounds with the spools because I just stuck my thumb in the hole and spooled it off quickly on top of a measuring tape or ruler, then snip snip. Repeat. It went fast. I had all of the tulle cut in less than 20 minutes. You'll end up with piles of strips:


Now the fun part! You basically just tie each strip of tulle onto the circle of elastic in a square knot, leaving even tails:


Continue tying your strips, sliding each one snug up next to the previous one. Don't tie the knot too tightly until you get it in place.


As you work you'll end up with something like this:


When you get all the way around the elastic, take a length of coordinating ribbon, and tie it in the middle of one of your tulle strips as you tie it to the elastic:


This gives you a pretty bow!


Fluff your strips and Voila! Princess Puff! Vacuuming around here will never be the same.

(Just kiddin'. It really is Lu's. Altho I might have tried it on. Just for research purposes.)