Lindsey's Tutu Couture

Wow, what a busy, busy week the Newman Family has had... well actually, busy month is more like it!! It has been a madhouse here! I keep thinking it is still August, but we are nearing October already. Where did September go?? We took Elle to Kerri King's Studio on Thursday to get her pictures made (I am thrilled about these - she was just precious!) We go back next Thursday, October 1st, to view the proofs - check back next week for pictures! BJ and I ran the Franklin 4 the Cure - 5K in our neighborhood on Saturday (got up at 6:30 AM and ran in the rain, but hey at least we finished!) Then on Sunday, we had Elle's Baby Dedication at church. It was an awesome service, and Elle had a big time visiting with family. (Huge post to come with plenty of pictures!) What a wonderful weekend we had!



So, on to my subject of tutus! In my quest to find Elle a tutu for her photo shoot, I finally came across one I liked in the baby section of the Sak's Outlet (I wanted a fuller one in certain colors.) I probably paid a little more than I should have, but I was in one of those moods where I didn't really feel like shopping around, and wanted to avoid ordering one online since you never know what you're going to get! Well, once I bought it, I realized that it was made using a pretty easy concept. The best part is that there is no sewing involved! I ended up making one that looks almost identical to the one I bought, and all of the materials only cost me around $8.00!

Can you tell the difference?

I made the orange one and bought the purple one. I am excited about this! I can now make Elle one in any color - for pictures or for her to play dress-up one day. (All little girls need several, right?!) I just thought I would share this idea, especially for those moms on a budget!

How to make a tutu:

1.) Go to your local fabric/craft store (like Joann's) and get about 3 1/2 yards of tulle and a 1-inch wide (or similiar) elastic band.

2.) Cut the tulle into (approximately) 6 x 19 in. rectangles. Cut the elastic down to about 18 inches unstretched. (This fit my 7 month old daughter's waist, and should stretch out with her into her toddler years.) The ends of the elastic can be overlapped a half inch and hot glued together on both sides to form a ring.

3.) Simply tie the tulle in a knot around the elastic with the tails facing the outside of the skirt.

4.) Keep scrunching the pieces together as you add on each knot, so they are pretty tight - this is what makes the tutu fuller.

Voila! The finished product!

I am not going to lie, cutting the squares can be a little time consuming - but don't worry about them being perfect. You can't tell in the finished product. You can use scissors to shape up any unevenness once you have finished.