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    Last Modified: May 24, 2022 by Tara Ziegmont 101 Comments

    How to Make a Tutu: A Tutorial

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    My easy tutu tutorial was originally posted it in 2009, and it has been viewed and shared all over the world as parents make tutus for their little princesses, fairies, and ballerinas. This easy tutu tutorial will help you to create your own No-Sew Tutu skirt for children or adults! Check out the step by step instructions with lots of photos below.

    A little girl wearing a big tutuPin

    For her second birthday, I made Grace a no-sew tutu. It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

    You know we're anti-princess around here, but I thought a tutu would be a perfect dress up piece. Tutus are all about imagination and whimsy. Tutus can work for ballerinas or fairies or special birthday girls.

    A little girl wearing a big tutuPin

    It was the perfect project for a momma who was injured and lying on the couch. It's very simple and most of it can be done while lying down.

    How to Make a Homemade No-Sew Tutu

    Tutu Materials

    • Tulle - I used about 10 yards of tulle, sold by the yard. You should be able to get rolls of 4" or 6" tulle, but I couldn't find any. I allowed Grace to choose her colors, and she picked purple and yellow. I bought 5 yards white, 3 yards purple, and 3 yards yellow, but if I was starting over, I'd just do half purple and half yellow. The white diluted my colors more than I would have liked.
    • A length of ½ inch elastic or ribbon
    • Spools of matching grosgrain ribbon

    Measure Your Child

    1. Waist - If you're going to use elastic, cut a length of ½" elastic that is 2 inches shorter than your child's waist. If you're using ribbon, you will need to cut her waist measurement plus 2 feet or so, enough to tie the tutu onto her body.
    2. Waist to knee - This one is simple. How long do you want the skirt to be? I think Grace might have liked her tutu even more if it was shorter. I made it knee-length, but I'm thinking about cutting it off at the bottom.

    Instructions

    1. Joe did this part for me. Cut the tulle into strips that are 4" to 6" inches wide and twice the finished skirt length. I made my tutu 18" long, so my strips needed to be 4" by 36" wide. I had more strips than I thought I'd ever need. That's just about the right number. (Note - 18" is far too long. Go with 12" or even 8" instead. The longer tutu got really scraggly over time and overwhelmed my little girl.)
    2. If you're using elastic, overlap the ends and sew. I couldn't use my sewing machine, so I did it by hand. I would have preferred my machine. No matter.
      Sew the ends of the elastic together A waistband of elastic
    3. Grab 3 pieces of tulle and stack it nicely.
      Lay out the strips of tulle, one on top of the otherPin
    4. Fold it in half. Loop the center point under your waistband.
      how to make a tutu without sewingPin
      Next, pull the ends down over the waistband and tuck them into the loop. Pull the ends so that the top makes a loose knot.
      Tie a knot with the tulle around the waistbandPin Tighten the knot but not too tightPin
    5. If you pull the knot too tight, it will curl and stretch the elastic, be difficult to work with, and need to be loosened later. I'm just saying.
      A close up of the tied knotsPin

      Good. Not too tight and not too loose.

      A closeup of the tulle knotsPin

      Too tight. I had to pull these all out a bit.

    6. Repeat that process another thirty or thirty-five times. I started out with a pattern, but I abandoned it in favor of whatever looked nice. I ended up with 38 knots, and my tutu is sufficiently fluffy.
      The tutu beginning to take shapePin
    7. If you're going to use ribbons, you can tie them over top of the tulle in the same way. Alternately, you can tie them in shoelace-type knots over top of the tulle. Either way would look nice and leave long tails hanging down in the tulle.
    8. That's it. Your tutu is finished.
    9. I considered a waistband to finish off the top and make the whole thing less scratchy. I also considered gluing some little flowers or some glitter onto some of the pieces. Both would be nice additions.

    Alternate uses for a homemade tutu

    If your husband spends two hours cutting tulle, and then you spend four or five hours tying knots in tulle, and your child refuses to even put her feet in her tutu, you will find alternate uses.

    • Tulle makes nice scrubbies for the shower. I didn't take it apart. I was hoping that some day, she would change her mind (and she did!).
    • All of those panels would work nicely for dusting knick-knacks.
    • You can play peek-a-boo with a tutu around your neck.
      a woman with the tutu around her neckPin

    No Sew Tutu Cost

    • I bought tulle at 99 cents a yard.
    • I bought two small rolls of ribbon, each for 99 cents.
    • I had elastic in my sewing stash already.
    • Total cost - Under $13

    Try these other simple and easy crafts:

    • Washi Tape Butterfly Magnet Craft
    • Washi Tape Heart Suncatchers
    • How to Make No Sew DIY Lavender Sachets
    • Step by Step String Art Tutorial for Beginners

    This easy no-sew tutu was a huge hit for years after I made it! I made many more using this same tutorial, and they all came out wonderfully puffy and full of fun. I did make the tulle 16" long in subsequent tutus so that the finished piece was only about 8" long. That was a lot less overwhelming for my little girls.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kara Brooke says

      October 07, 2010 at 4:38 pm

      Thank you for this tutorial! I almost paid $30 for one, when I came across this. Now I'll only have $10 in the project, and I will be proud to say I made it myself! It's going to be perfect for my 22 year old Fancy Nancy costume 🙂 Thank you again!

      Reply
    2. Tiffany says

      October 15, 2010 at 9:39 pm

      Thanks for tha guide! Just used it to make my 3 month old a tutu for Halloween, it turned out awesome! Thanks!

      Reply
    3. Tara @ Feels Like Home says

      December 31, 2010 at 11:49 pm

      That is hysterical! 🙂

      Reply
    4. Tara @ Feels Like Home says

      January 10, 2011 at 12:23 am

      The tulle I got was about 45 inches wide, so we cut 11 strips across the width of the fabric. That's about 110 yards of strips. I had a lot left over, though. You could probably go with 3 or 4 rolls per tutu and have plenty.

      Reply
      • mom22girls says

        January 11, 2011 at 2:22 am

        Thanks! That'll work out great since I was planning on doing 3 colors per tutu (and of course, they don't like the same colors;).

        Reply
    5. Ejdtholmes says

      January 28, 2011 at 4:55 am

      I love the tutu...I started making hairbows for my daughter and she won't keep them in(she is 17 months) so I started making them for my niece and friends. I decided to add more projects and wanted to try a tutu for my little girl. I just finished it. It is adorable. I didn't use as much tulle as I probably should have, but next time will. Didnt want to lug 4 kids back to the fabric store:) Thanks for making this so easy!! YOU ROCK

      Reply
    6. Crystal says

      June 18, 2011 at 1:53 pm

      I sat down and made two of them tonight for my husband and I for an upcoming race.  I need to make one more, since they will both be destroyed shortly after the race starts, and I refuse to spend the rest of the day in a dirty tutu.

      Reply
    7. Reeves says

      July 11, 2011 at 3:31 am

      This is really cute. I just made a couple of red tutus for a class I used to teach her in Thailand and the little girls loved them. It only took me a couple of hours, yet they will be the best dressed girls in the school show, LOL.  Thanks for the nice photos too!

      Reply
    8. DeeDee says

      July 28, 2011 at 1:17 pm

      Thanks for the great instructions!! I'm going to make one for my 16 month old grand daughter.

      DeeDee

      ps: fabric.com and joanns.com have the tulle in the 6 inch width size. fabric.com has it for 2.99 a 25 yard spool. 🙂

      Reply
    9. Becca says

      August 24, 2011 at 7:01 pm

      I made one of these for my 3 yr old. She loves it! I bought smaller spools of tulle that were 6" wide. I think they were thicker than regular tulle, so I ended up just knotting each individual strand. The only drawback was the sparkle purple tulle I used was a bit scratchy. Otherwise, a success. Thanks for sharing the tutorial!

      Reply
    10. taylor says

      September 11, 2011 at 12:50 pm

      can you wash theese in the washer???

      Reply
      • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

        September 11, 2011 at 2:37 pm

        I've never tried. I think it would be okay on my washing machine's hand wash cycle, but it would depend on your machine. It might get tangled or fall apart. If you don't have a hand wash cycle on your machine, you might be better off to do it by hand. Let me know how it comes out?

        Reply
    11. Ash says

      October 06, 2011 at 9:00 pm

      Are the pieces of tulle just cut into little rectangles or did you have to do anything to the ends that show to make them look good?

      Reply
      • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

        October 06, 2011 at 11:30 pm

        The pieces of tulle are cut into very long rectangles. You don't have to do anything to the edges because tulle doesn't fray.

        Reply
    12. Angie says

      October 06, 2011 at 9:04 pm

      Hi I was wondering , where did you buy the tulle ?

      Reply
      • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

        October 06, 2011 at 11:31 pm

        I got mine at Walmart, I think. Fabric stores always carry tulle, too. I think there are also online retailers where you can buy it. That might be the easiest because you could get a roll that's already cut to the right width.

        Reply
    13. Charlotte says

      October 31, 2011 at 10:38 am

      How would I go about putting a band around the waist? I would like to use satin ribbon. Would it need to be something stretchy? or should I stretch out the elestic then sew the ribbon around the top?
      Thanks!

      Reply
    14. Shannon says

      November 24, 2011 at 8:24 pm

      I just found your blog because i was looking for how to make a tutu. Great tutorial!! Very funny too! I'm going to be your new follower, haha!! Happy Thanksgiving!

      Reply
    15. Dawn says

      November 28, 2011 at 3:22 pm

      I was searching for 'tutu tutorial' and I found you! I love finding out that my peeps have all my answers for me 🙂

      Reply
      • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

        November 28, 2011 at 8:14 pm

        THAT is a riot, especially since you are my hero. 😉

        Reply
    16. Charlotte W. says

      January 11, 2012 at 5:53 pm

      How did you get the tulle so gathered in step 4?? No matter what I do, it doesn't even come close to looking the same. When I pull them tight the "knot" at the top is HUGE! :/

      Reply
      • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

        January 11, 2012 at 6:24 pm

        The tighter you pull the ends, the smaller the knot should get. Can you take a picture of what you're talking about?

        Reply
        • Charlotte W. says

          January 11, 2012 at 9:42 pm

          I can't. But, if I pull the ends tighter the elastic curls? If you take 3 pieces of 6" wide tulle and fold it in half, the loop I get does not look that together and when pulled into the 'knot' it's big and puffy.

          Reply
          • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

            January 11, 2012 at 10:00 pm

            Yes, the elastic will curl if you pull it too tight. It sounds like you're not getting the tulle pinched tightly enough to start with. It has to be stacked together for the knot to pull down nicely. You may just have to adjust the layers of tulle so that the knot looks better.

            Reply
            • Charlotte W. says

              January 11, 2012 at 10:14 pm

              I'm going mess around with and see what I come up with. Lol. I'm sure I'll figure it out. Thank you so much for replying to me. 🙂 It's refreshing to comment on someone's blog/page and get a response. Have a wonderful night, I've got tulle to tame. 😉

            • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

              January 11, 2012 at 10:57 pm

              It's my pleasure. 🙂 I hope you get it to work!

    17. Annette S says

      February 05, 2012 at 10:10 am

      How do I get my tutu to NOT BE SO PUFFY?

      Reply
      • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

        February 05, 2012 at 12:55 pm

        Two things. Put fewer layers of tulle on the stack before you knot it. Put fewer stacks of tulle on the elastic. I'd first try to put fewer layers of tulle on each stack because putting fewer stacks (and hence, fewer knots) might make it sparse-looking.

        Reply
    18. Susanna says

      March 29, 2012 at 4:41 pm

      This is so pretty gonna try it for my daughter & grand baby

      Reply
    19. Cheryl Pflaging says

      May 27, 2013 at 10:02 pm

      They look so cute

      Reply
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