How to Make a Crochet Tutu Dress

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If you’ve been following me lately, you’ll see that I’ve been busy making tutus. I’ve made an easy, basic tutu using crochet elastic and I’ve made a tutu with a crochet waistband. Now I’m expanding that by making a crochet tutu dress.

I just love the crochet tutu dress. It’s a complete dress and is simply adorable. I never got to experience the whole tutu thing as I have sons and so now that I have friends with daughters, I get to make these adorable garments.

A crochet tutu dress is essentially a crochet bodice with a tulle tutu attached. The tulle tutu part is attached the same way as you would make a tutu – there is no sewing involved.

This crochet tutu dress is for a special little girl who is turning one. Her mother requested pink and yellow. It’s just such a cheery and happy combination. I can’t help but think of pink lemonade when I see this colour combo.

What You Need to Make a Crochet Tutu Dress

• Crochet dress pattern of your choice – you’ll only be making the bodice so look at the details of the top to help you decide which pattern
• Yarn – I used a category 3 weight pink yarn for mine. I embellished it with yellow yarn in a category 4 weight because it matched the tulle that I have
• Crochet hook to go with your yarn – I used a 4mm hook to go with my pink yarn
• 6 inch wide tulle – you can either purchase 6 inch spools of tulle or purchase tulle fabric and cut it to size. I personally find the spools a little easier.

How to Crochet the Bodice for the Crochet Tutu Dress

For the crochet bodice, choose your favourite crochet dress pattern. The pattern I used is from Ball Hank n’ Skein. This bodice is crocheted from the neck down and so this pattern can be easily modified to be a crochet tutu dress. I like how this pattern uses HDC stitches in the front loop (you are working this pattern from the back) that create a lovely striped texture. I also wanted to have sleeves and this pattern seemed to fit the bill.

This pattern creates a dolman sleeve look – there is an “HDC, ch 1, HDC” sequence that is used in 4 corners and extends at an angle. These will eventually form the sleeves.

To start the crochet bodice I followed the pattern as is and continued until I got the chest measurement of the recipient. Since you are working from the neck down (and inside out!) it works up looking kind of odd – it’s kind of an odd circular item, but when you lay it flat and line up those “HDC, ch 1, HDC” sequences, you’ll see how it forms into a bodice.

Once I got the desired circumference, I did a row of HDC in the front loop but joined those “HDC, ch 1, HDC” sections together so that sleeves were formed.

In order to create a “waistband”, as well as to incorporate the second colour (yellow in this case), I did a complete round of alternating bobble stitches with SCs, as it gives a look of a waistband of rosettes. Do not cut the first colour – we’ll be coming back to that, so just leave it.

A crochet bobble stitch can be done in a variety of ways. I like to do the following for a bobble stitch:

• yarn over, insert hook into both loops of the stitch, yarn over and pull yarn through (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through 2 loops only (2 loops on hook).
• yarn over, insert hook into both loops of the same stitch again, yarn over and pull yarn through (4 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through 2 loops only (3 loops on hook)
• yarn over, insert hook into both loops of the same stitch again, yarn over and pull yarn through (5 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through 2 loops only (4 loops on hook)
• yarn over and pull through all 4 loops

Some alternate ways of doing the bobble stitch involve more loops. I like doing it this way as it uses less yarn.

Since bobble stitches are “fat” stitches – don’t forget to alternate with an SC in between each one. If you don’t, your bodice will be abnormally wide.

Once you reach the end, slip stitch to join the join and switch back to the main colour (in my case, pink). Now you’re going to crochet the part which will allow you to attach the tulle.

How to Crochet the Part Where the Tulle Attaches on the Crochet Tutu Dress

To make the part where the tulle attaches, ch 2 for the start of your row. DC in the same stitch, ch 1, sk 1 stitch, DC, ch 1, sk 1 stitch……continue in this pattern all the way around. Use a sl st to join the round. You will now see that you have “holes” in which you will be able to attach your tulle.

In order to stabilize it, I crocheted a couple more rows. Ch 2 and then DC in every stitch around. Sl st to join round.

Ch 1 and then SC in every stitch around. Sl st to join round.

In order to incorporate my second colour (yellow), I SC’d around both sleeve holes, as well as the neck hole.

How to Attach the Tulle to the Crochet Tutu Dress

Refer to my blog post on how to make a tutu with a crochet waistband for instructions on how to cut the tulle, as well as how to attach it to the crochet part. The only difference is that this has a bodice attached to the waistband. It is the same technique.

Once you cut your tulle to the appropriate length, fold it in half and weave it through from left to right. The direction really does not matter – I just find it easier to do it left to right.

For this crochet tutu dress, I only used 2 layers at a time. I love the glitter tulle (although once I was done, there was literally glitter everywhere!) and so I layered it with a colour. Since this was to be both pink and yellow, I alternated between the two.

I love how poofy and girly this crochet tutu dress turned out! Look at this adorable little girl celebrating her first birthday in her crochet tutu dress on a beach in Hawaii.

Want to remember how to make this crochet tutu dress? Be sure to save it to your favourite Pinterest board.