Fairy Godmother Tutu Tutorial

It's inevitable, your kids, (toddlers especially) will expect you to have all sorts of fairy-godmother, Mary Poppins, Bibbity-Boppidy-Boo magic up your sleeve! You know, that magic ability to provide our sweeties with just what they need at the exact moment they need it. :) Thankfully, my kids aren't asking for pumpkin-coaches (yet) - but the need for new dress up costumes is an everyday occurrence at our house! My little ladies can change from doctors to doggies to brides in 15 minutes time - so our dress up closet can never have too many costumes!

With the tutu drive in full force, I thought I'd share with you a SUPER easy tutu-tutorial. I call this tutu "The Bibbity" because it is SO easy to make, you'll be able to whip one up in the time it takes ol' Cinderella's Godmother to sing that Bibbity-Boppidy-Boo song! ;)

Supplies:

1 yard of 54 in. tulle

1 inch ribbon (You will need enough ribbon to equal four times the child’s waist size) 

{Ex: 20 in waist = 80 in of ribbon.}

Before you begin, you will need to determine two measurements: 

Measurement A = waist size +10 inches

Measurement B = desired length

{The measurements I am using are: A=30in and B=9in. This style tutu is designed to fit a wide range of sizes. The measurements above will make a tutu that will most likely fit children sizes 18months - 4T, or larger!}

--Clicking on a picture will enlarge it!-- 

To start, cut tulle into four pieces equaling Measurement A x Measurement B

{In my example, that meant 30 inches x 9 inches}. 

Stack all four pieces.

Sew all four layers together by sewing a gathering stitch along one long-side.

Tulle is a bit slippery to sew with, but boy, it sure gathers up nicely! :)

Next, cut your ribbon into two pieces. 

The first should be as long as the child’s waist size, and the second, should be three times the size of the first.

{If the first piece is 20 in. then the second piece will be 60 in.}

Locate the center of your tulle skirt. Take your 20" piece of ribbon & find the center of that as well, pin the center of the ribbon to the center of the tulle. Gather and spread your tulle, until the length of your tulle skirt matches the length of your ribbon. Pin in place, stitch together.

Next take your 60" piece of ribbon & find the center. Lay this piece of ribbon on top of your tulle skirt, aligning the center of the skirt with the center of the 60" piece of ribbon. Pin in place. Your skirt should now be layered – ribbon, tulle, ribbon.

Now it’s time to stitch it all together. Starting at one corner, top stitch around the entire 20 inch piece of ribbon.

To finish, trim any loose bits of tulle and “seal” the ends of your ribbon. {I “heat seal” the edges by quickly running them over a flame, but they do sell products (fray check) that will do the job too!}

Done! All set! A super sweet lil' tutu ready for some dress-up, make believe fun! 

These little tutus are SO easy to put together, I made these three while my sweeties were napping!

Give it a try! Then the next time your little lady needs to be a princess/fairy/ballerina/bride - you can dazzle her with your Fairy Godmother magic and present her with a one of a kind, made by Mumma tutu! :) Awesome!

To donate a new tutu to the Princess Alexa foundation please visit Samster Mommy's Tutu Drive 2010 for all the details!

This is my very first tutorial, I hope it is clear! :) If you have ANY questions, please contact me!