How to Make an Easy Basic Tutu
Making a tutu is just so much fun. I never had the opportunity as I had boys but now I have friends with daughters and I can live vicariously through them! Here is a way to make an easy basic tutu.
Tutus are not just for babies or little girls – I’ve made them for Halloween costumes so they are great for any age.
I’m going to share with you an easy basic tutu that doesn’t require a lot of supplies and doesn’t involve any sewing.
Supplies Needed to Make an Easy Basic Tutu
- tulle fabric – typically found in fabric stores or you can buy 6-inch spools in crafts stores and even the dollar store. Note that netting is similar but stiffer. You can still use it. It will produce a stiffer, overall tutu. It depends on the look you want.
- crochet elastic – a special type of elastic that has holes in it. It comes in a variety of colours and can be found in the notions section of a fabric store. Cut your crochet elastic to the length specified in the chart below and with right sides together, sew (either by hand or a zig zag stitch on your machine).
- scissors
- cardboard to make a template
How to Prepare the Tulle for the Easy Basic Tutu
To make a tutu, you will need 6-inch wide strips of tulle.
If you purchased your tulle from a fabric store, you will need to cut it down into 6-inch widths. I will admit that I am lazy and purchased the 6-inch spools of tulle instead.
Determine the length of the tulle strips that you need, based on this handy chart from the PinningMama.
The tulle strips will be folded in half and so you need to double the length. You also need to add 1 inch to allow for attaching it to the crochet elastic.
So the formula of how to cut your 6-inch strips of tulle is as follows:
(Tutu Length in inches X 2) + 1 inch = The Length in inches of Tulle Strips You Need to Cut
So I’m making a tutu for a 1-year-old. According to the chart, the tutu will be 8-inches in length. Let’s plug that into the formula:
(8 inches X 2) + 1 inch = 17 inches (the length of tulle strips I need to cut)
So I need a bunch of 17 inch long strips of tulle. The number of strips you need depends on how poofy a tutu you want.
To make this easier, I made a cardboard template. Since I am winding the tulle around the template, it only needs to be half the length. So my cardboard template is 8.5 inches long.
Just cut up part of a box or use whatever you have laying around. I labelled mine for future use. I also labelled the size and which way was up as mine almost turned out square.
Secure the tulle at the bottom with a piece of low-tack tape and wind around your cardboard template.
Using scissors, cut the BOTTOM only.
The result will be a whole bunch of strips that are the length you need for an easy basic tutu.
Optional Colour Variation for an Easy Basic Tutu
To make mine a bit fancier, I decided to incorporate 2 colours – purple with silver glitter. I want the tutu to be mainly purple, however. So I cut fewer strips of silver glitter tulle.
The crochet elastic that I found was really wide so I just folded it in half. Don’t forget to join the short ends so that it makes a circle. You can hand sew this or use a sewing machine with a zig-zag stitch to join.
Note that glitter tulle is a little stiffer than solid colours – using a lot of glitter tulle will result in a poofier tutu. You will also find that you will get glitter everywhere – I mean everywhere. I’m still finding it long after the fact. But the glitter sure looks nice.
How to Attach the Tulle to the Crochet Elastic
As mentioned, this is a no-sew craft. All you’re going to do is weave the tulle through the holes of the crochet elastic.
Note that in these pictures, I used some royal blue crochet elastic so that you could see how I did it more clearly.
To weave your tulle through the elastic:
- fold the tulle strip in half
- if you haven’t noticed already, the crochet elastic consists of various little holes – stretching it will make it more pronounced. Push the folded end through one of the holes of the crochet elastic – just enough to get the loop through
- tuck the ends through the loop and pull through to make it snug
There are different variations that you can do to attach the tulle strips
- you can attach one strip of tulle in various holes to create a full tutu with a lot of
drape - you can attach multiple strips of tulle in a single hole to create more volume- this will make the tutu poofier
- to incorporate the second colour in my tutu, I wove 3 strips of tulle in to each hole. I sandwiched a silver glitter piece in between 2 purple pieces.
- the more tulle you add, the fuller it will be
Did you know that you can apply hea
The tutu can be worn alone or pair it with a top or onesie for a special outfit. Look how cute this easy basic tutu is!
