No-sew Tulle Tutu Tutorial

One of my regular blog stops, posted her Fourth of July Tutu Tutorial a few weeks ago and it made me realize that I haven't made a tutu for baby Claire yet. By the way, I highly recommend checking out her skirt, it's so cute. I made one for Quinn (3) when she was a baby, but hadn't thought to make another. So, I figured I might as well make the girls matching skirts, because that's just what I do. The method I use is a little different from the above link, so I thought I'd share mine too.

These skirts take about 2 hours to complete (maybe less if you don't have distractions).
To get started you'll need: 1) 6 in x 25 yd tulle in a basic color 2) 6 in x 15 yd tulle in a sparkly color 3) 5/8 in (or wider if you prefer) wide ribbon 4) 1/2 in wide elastic (I used braided, but you can use the no roll type) 5) scissors.
The amount of tulle you'll need depends on your child and your skirt. I used 1 of each for baby Claire's skirt and 2 basic + 1 1/2 sparkly for Quinn's (3) skirt.

 There are 2 ways I use to figure out how long to make my elastic: wrap the elastic snugly around your child's waist (do not stretch the elastic) or use a pair of pants that fit well in the waist to be your guide. It's better to err on the side of too big than too small. Before you cut it to size, add an extra inch or so to the length so you have room to sew or tie the elastic together. I prefer to tie it, so I can adjust the elastic easily if needed.

Next, measure the length of the skirt. Simply, put one end of the tulle to your child's waist and mark with your hand how far down you want the skirt to go. Double the length and add about an inch to adjust for the knot. Cut the strip of tulle and use it as your guide cutting out the rest of your strips for the skirt.

1.  Cut several strips from your tulle. I like to cut a whole spool of each basic and sparkly, before I start assembling the skirt.  Make sure to keep your guide piece separate in case you need more. For each knot you'll need 3 strips stacked as follows: 1 basic, 1 sparkly, 1 basic. We'll refer to this as a set from now on.

2. Take one set and fold it in half so the ends match up and the middle is bunched together and creates a loop. Set it on top of the elastic
3&4. Place your pointer finger and thumb through the loop, under the elastic and around a lower portion of the tulle.
5. Pull the tulle through the loop.
6. Adjust the knot around the elastic as needed, so the top is the side of the knot where the tulle is parallel with the elastic.
7. Tighten the knot.
8. Repeat steps 2-7 until knots cover all of the elastic. Make sure to cover over the knot and extra bits of elastic too.

To make the bow:

1. Wrap the ribbon in a loose circle around your hand 2-8 times. I prefer the look of 4 or 5 loops best, but you may prefer more or less. Cut the end on a diagonal (this prevents the ribbon from unraveling).
2. Cut a second piece of ribbon a few inches long and use it to tie the center of your loops together. Make this knot as tight as possible to prevent the ribbon from sliding around.
3. Tie the bow onto the skirt between two of the knots. Knot it a couple times to ensure the bow will stay in place.

Optional skirt fluffing: You may want the skirt to be a bit fuller; to do this you'll want to fluff the skirt. To fluff the skirt, simply separate each piece of tulle from the ones next to it. Pull the pieces so that the pieces are going in opposite directions at the knot.

Put the skirt on your little girl and enjoy! Quinn (3) really did enjoy her skirt, she just wasn't in the mood to pose for pictures.

Do you think you could make a no-sew tutu?