Fabric Strip Tutu Tutorial

Okay, I know we have all seen this tutu on Pinterest:

I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it, but was sad that the link took me to Etsy instead of a tutorial.

I wanted to make my own version of the skirt, so I thought it would be a perfect Christmas dance costume idea!  We always keep our Christmas dance costumes simple, so handmade costumes are perfect!  I have 9 5th and 6th grade girls in my class that I teach, but this tutorial can be adjusted for any age and size.

Supplies:

3 yards of fabric total

Elastic

Pinking Shears

Ruler / Measuring Tape
Sewing Machine

Directions:

Step 1: Begin by prewashing and ironing your fabric.  Below are my nine coordinating fabrics.  I love these because they are different colors but they still go together.

I want the skirt to end up 12 inches long, so the strips should be 26 inches lengthwise.  This gives 2 inches to fold the fabric over the elastic.

Step 2: Cut the strips into 3"x26" strips with your pinking shears.

Step 3: You will need to know the waist size of the recipient so that you know how long to cut the elastic.  Cut the elastic the exact measurement of the girls' waist.

Step 4: Next, you will want to overlap the elastic strip at the ends one inch and sew them together.  I used a zig zag stitch on my machine and sewed where the elastic overlapped.  If you don't have a sewing machine, then you could hand stitch this.

This means that the final elastic waist band will be one inch smaller than the girl's waist.  Don't worry, they will fit perfectly.  If they were any bigger they might slide off.

Step 5: Stretch the elastic around a chair or bucket for ease during this step.  This will keep the elastic stretched and you will be able to get as much fabric tied on as possible.

Step 6: Fold one fabric strip in half.  Lay it over the elastic perpendicular on top creating a loop at the top. 

Step 7: Bring the two ends of the strip through the loop. 

Step 8: Be sure to pull tight so each knot is the same size.  Be sure to slide the knots as close to each other as possible.  

Step 9: Continue to slip knot the fabric around the elastic until it is complete. 

You can pull the tutu off of the chair and try it on!

Enjoy!

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