Double Layer Tutu's

Warning: this is going to be a LONG post! lol 

Tutus are all the rage right now! They are a perfect prop for photos shoots, great for a little girls B-day party outfit, Dance classes, or even just dress up! 

I have had lots of people ask me how I make these... and although its really quite simple its super hard to describe without the use of pictures or just plain showing someone in person! 

So here we go! 

first lets talk about tools! I have made these tutus a few different ways.. and these tools make things go very smoothly! 

(pictured is a self healing cutting mat, large quilting ruler, and a rotary cutter)

                                              

For this tutu I am using 2 colors of tulle (teal and hot pink) The rolls of tulle are about 1000 times easier to work with than the stuff off the bolts and you end up with a much better looking final product!

The wide pink polka dot ribbon is what will be used to bind the waist together and make the big bow on the tutu 

the solid teal ribbon is an accent ribbon and the polka dot teal ribbon will be used to make the layers for the tutu (this ribbon does not have to match...because in the end it is not seen in the finished product)

alrighty... now you need to decide how long you want the actual tutu to be. This one is for an infant and I made the length 7 inches. What ever length you choose when you cut your tulle double that number. Which means I cut 14 inch sections of tulle.

Repeat this for all the colors you want to use in your tutu. How many you will need will depend on how big the waist measurement is. (This tutu I made for an aprox 18 inch waist. and I used aprox 55 pieces for each layer. )

take your "layer" ribbon and cut it several inches longer than your desired waist size

tie a knot on either end of the ribbon

gather up a section of tulle in the middle and tie it in a slip knot along the "layer" ribbon

repeat this in what ever order you want your colors to be in 

now.... if you increased the ribbon measurement enough to tie a bow you could just stop here and you'd have a cute single layer tutu!  

but... the extra layer adds SO much to these IMO!! 

to make the next layer repeat the same process 

I decided I wanted to add some extras peeking out from the middle of this tutu. 

I took the "finishing" ribbon and cut three 7 inch section of it 

then I took a needle and thread and tacked one end to the waist between 2 sections of tulle

( make sure you heat seal with a lighter or use an anti fray liquid on any cut sections of ribbon that will remain exposed)

for the thinner accent ribbon I decided to slip knot it just like I did the tulle so that I would have 2 strands. So I cut the ribbon at 14 inches just like the tulle 

I liked how this looked with these accent ribbons just in the middle of the tutu... but you could also do them just through the top layer or through both of them! 

To get them through the middle I put the second layer on top of this one. 

Line the tops of the "layer" ribbon up and

Use your needle and thread and tack the ends and the middle together and make it a little easier to work with.

Now we are going to use your "finishing" ribbon. Leave yourself a decent length of ribbon at the end to tie a big bow, and weave the rest through both "layers" in between the sections of tulle. 

and there you have it... an adorable double layer tutu :D 

(feel free to make these as gifts or for yourself  :) 

but I do ask you dont use this tutorial to make products to sell ;) )