fabric tutu

My niece, Sadie, was in desperate need of a fabric tutu...Who isn't? They're just so cute! I saw a lot of different tutorials online, but I just ended up doing it my own way. I wanted a lot of little strips with fun colors and patterns and I think it turned out pretty cute. Look at her adorable little face...she liked it! :)

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Here's what you'll need to make your own:

a variety of fabrics (scraps work great too)

elastic for the waist band

pinking sheers or rotary cutter

sewing machine to make waist band

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Start by making your waist band (If you need help with sizing check out these measurement suggestions from create kids couture). I had my sister in law send me Sadie's waist measurements - 15". I cut my elastic a little longer than 15", stitched the ends together and then secured them to the waist band by stitching down the loose ends.

Next, you'll want to decide on the length of your tutu. Here is how I figured out how long to cut my fabric strips:

I wanted Sadie's tutu to be 10" long. I doubled that number and added an inch for tying the knot (10 + 10 + 1) for a total of 21". I made these strips about 3/4" wide (and had to make A LOT). You can choose whatever width you'd like. Also, I chose to use pinking sheers because the fabric tends to fray less this way, but you can cut straight strips if you choose. 

Once all of the strips are cut, it's time to get tying! I put the elastic around my leg and got to work. I loosely tied a simple double knot around the elastic (making sure not to smash the elastic). 

Here's a quick look at how I tied my knots (in case you need a bit of help):

I alternated colors and tied knots all the way around until the entire elastic band was covered. I think I used close to 85 strips (I had a lot more than a normal tutu because I used really skinny strips of fabric).

I'm so happy with how it turned out and my sister-in-law had Sadie wear it in her 6 month pictures :) Too cute! I hope this tutorial was helpful for anyone looking to make their own fabric tutu.

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