TutuToday

Easy Sew Tutu for Ballet or Play:

• The tutu described below for children makes a great Halloween costume.
• Use this approach for a quick and easy  tutu

How Much Net? How Much Elastic? How Much Ribbon

Elastic: For elastic just pull it around the waist until it is sufficiently tight then add an inch for joining. Some elastic has more give than others.

Net: The waist size times three is a good idea for one ruffle.  You will need at least three frills for a moderately full tutu.

A truly full tutu will require six to eight frills.

Consider that net is typically 54 inches wide. For a frill or skirt you can one circle cutting across the 54 inch width of the fabric the desired length of the frill.

You can stagger the lengths as you would for a proper tutu with a 10 inch, eight inch, six inch etc. length.

If your dancer's waist is 21 inches then you will not quite get the three times round -- that you really need.  Over that you may have to use two widths -- which is fine.

So one 54 inch width of fabric the length you chose can go round your dancer's waist one time or you can double that or any variation you desire.

Decide how many frills you want and multiply that times the length you want.

Take the length -- for examle 15 inches and add an inch to attach to waist so that is 16 inches. 

• Three sparse frills would be 16 X 3 or 48 inches or 1 and 1/3 yards.
• Three full frills would be 16 X 6 or 96 inches or 2 and 2/3rds yard
• Or any combination in between.

Ribbon: For the ribbon use the waist size plus the length for a good bow which is typically one yard extra.

Easy Child's Tutu Instructions

• Purchase six inch wide grossgrain ribbon. Satin is too slippery to hold a strong knot and bow.
• Fold long way down the middle and press in crease.

If you do not have a sewing maching -- it really takes no time to do this with a needle and thread. It is so easy. However, if you would prefer and adhesive tape technique is offered.

• Sewing Technique
• Gather net roughly three times the waist size.
• Can do a double stitch on the machine to gather - or - gather with needle and thread.
• Use heavy duty cotton thread. If gathering on machine uses the longest stitch your machine.
• Sew across the top in two rows roughly one half inch apart for gathering stitch.
• Leave the thread long.
• Take the long ends of the bobbin thread and gather by pulling the fabric taunt along the thread.
• Place gathered net against grossgrain ribbon.
• Fold grossgrain ribbon over.
• Use straight pins to go over the top and pin ribbon down on both sides over the gathered net

Sew this Down!

• Duct Tape Technique
• Follow the instructions above.
• Rather than sew with a machine -- use adhesive tape or Duct Tape!!!
• Lay a piece of double sided hem adhesive tape on both sides of the net and against the grossgrain ribbon.
• Press with hot steam iron to secure the double sided adhesive hem tape to the tutu.
• Or forget about the iron and the adhesive tape and go for the Duct Tape.  It comes in great colors.
• Double sided hem tape even comes in what is known as "welding tape."

Good site to review hem tapes.

TutuCouture.com: Love this site for great chidrens (and adult Halloween Costume) ideas!

 The Only Place for Cheap Net!

• Simplicity has a tutu pattern for children.
• Kwik Sew Pattern Number 2618, entitled, Costumes, on line for little girl's tutus.
• This is the easiest ballet pattern there is.
• The Simplicity pattern is a bit more complex.

KwikSew 2616

  Elastic Tutu Waistband - Child's Tutu

• You can use elastic rather than a ribbon which may not be as elegant but you won't have to keep tying it either!
• Elastic comes very wide if you want lots of rows.
• For elastic tutu's attach as many rows as you can to the elastic and it will not be seen.
• Sew the net directly on to the elastic scrunching it on with your fingers as you go and pulling the elastic taught.
• It really helps to have someone on the other side of the sewing machine pulling gently and helping you guide.
• After the net is attached to the elastic join the two elastic ends.
• Joining the ends after the net is added makes it much easier to attach the net than attaching the net to a joined circleof elastic.
• Use the cheapest net for this type tutu!

Vanella Leyonhyjelm for Stanton Welch’s Divergence made tutu from 15 metres of air conditioning filter mesh!

This pattern sent by a reader illustrates the concept of 'petals' over a tutu. While the image with the double row is the most attractive image in reality a single row works best.

Tulle v. Net

• Tulle can be interspersed within the net for a finer look and color modification.
• Tulle may be interspersed for color when net cannot be found in the color desired.
• A mixture of colors will give the intended effect.

Using tulle to modify color.

Usually one or two layers of tulle is all that is required to create the illusion necssary to soften the harshness of a single color. These few layers of tulle will be supported by the petticoat net and not interfere with the structural integrity of thepetticoat net for the tutu.

Fabric and Karinska

Karinska never used a pure white tutu and tried to never use a single color. She always added a light blue, or pale pink or even beige petticoat net to white in order to give the tutu depth. She sometimes used all three simultaneously. She did this when crafting "Snow" for Balanchine's Nutcracker. It is common to use white, gray or a nude color with black. With the blue or red tones it is common to use the lighter shades of blue with the blue or pink and rose with the red tones. Often black may be interspersed with red, a row or two of red brings its brightness down while the roses and pinks bring the shades up.

Karinska loved silks and it is true, they shimmer on stage in a way that other fabrics cannot. Karinska was opposed to the dying of fabrics. She believed the dyed fabric would not hold its color and would appear blotchy on stage. Dyes are somewhat better today but the risks she described are still quite real. Beware of the red petticoat/tutu net, it is a strange red indeed. Ask for a sample for any source you use.

The first image of the tutu is the color. If the color is not right, no matter how beautifully the tutu is constructed it cannot compensate for a failure in color.

Fabric at All?

One of my more interesting tutus was made of bathing suit printed fabric for the basque. I used a black and yellow bathing suit fabric, covered it in black lace and for the frills I used, waffled yellow drawer lining black lace, yellow tulle, and black net.

Gathering

NEED IMAGE HERE ....

• Gathering is the drawing up of fabric on two rows of machine stitching.
• The fullness is distributed evenly and the gathers stay in place without sliding.
• The two rows give the strength that is needed to allow the fabric to be pulled along the rows of gathering stitches.
• After two rows of thread are sewn parallel to the edge of the fabric clip them with long tails.
• Then pull the bobbin thread to draw up the fabric.
• The dual rows will hopefully keep the thread from breaking.
• It is fine to gather through a seam line.
• Put in a double gathering row, never try to get by with a single gathering row.
• Gathering the frills is a slow and tedious job.
• The zigzag stitch for the frills will be the most forgiving stitch.

Alternative: Zigzag over upholstery thread for gather.

Thread

• Use the sturdiest thread, NEVER USE THAT CHEAP ACRYLIC STUFF.
• Coates and Clark quilting thread is a good choice.

 Timeless Style Is Timeless Style!

This is really easy.

Scandanavian Translator

Digg

Stumble Upon

Del.icio.us

Buzz