This post is brought to you by Danielle.

If you’re anything like me, you love all things girly for your little princess. But all those dresses, tutus, hair accessories, and more really add up! Thankfully, even if you don’t consider yourself a crafty person, you can still make lots of these things yourself for a fraction of the cost. One of the easiest (and cutest) things you can make yourself are tutus! They really are super simple and are great for photos, birthdays, holidays, playing dress up—any day really! All you need are a few supplies that you can find at any craft store. Follow this simple tutorial and you’ll have a tutu in no time!

Supplies:

  • Tulle (either on spools, or by the yard) in your desired color
  • 7/8″ ribbon in your desired color
  • Scissors (or rotary cutter and mat)
  • Measuring tape

Step 1: Measure the child’s waist, as well as from the waist down to the point where you’d like your tutu to fall. My daughter’s waist is 19 inches (you need this measurement for the ribbon), and I want the tutu to roughly fall 12 inches from her waist (you’ll need this measurement for the tulle).

Step 2: Cut your strips of tulle. If you buy tulle on spools it’s much easier because it’s already cut to a width of about six inches, which is perfect for tutu making. (If you can’t find it on spools you can also buy it by the yard. You’ll just have to cut it all into six-inch wide strips before cutting those strips to the length needed for your tutu). You can use a little or a lot of tulle, it’s up to you. I like my tutus to be super fluffy and full, so I usually use about 75 yards of the tulle on spools. You need to cut strips that are twice the length you measured previously. I measured 12 inches down, so my strips will be 24 inches long. Cut the tulle into strips of your needed length and set aside. I used my rotary cutter and mat for this, but if you don’t have those, just lay your tulle on a cutting surface alongside a measuring tape and cut.

Step 3: Cut your ribbon. Add 48 inches to your waist measurement and cut the ribbon this length. This will ensure nice, long ends to tie a pretty bow with. I heat seal the ribbon ends with a lighter so they don’t fray, but if you don’t mind a little fraying you can skip this step (you can use Fray Check, too). I then found the middle point of my ribbon and folded it, measured out 9 1/2 inches and tied a knot on each side right at the 9 1/2 inches mark. Now I have 2 knots 19 inches apart in the middle of my ribbon. Between these 2 knots is where you’ll knot on your tulle.

Step 4: Start knotting on your tulle! I tie my ribbon around my leg so it’s easier to knot the tulle. Since I make super fluffy tutus, I use three strips of tulle for each knot. Gather your three strips together, fold in half and slip the folded part underneath the ribbon. Grab the two long sides of the tulle and bring them up through the fold, pull tight, and slide all the way over the the left knot in your ribbon. Continue knotting on and sliding the tulle all the way over until you reach the other knot in your ribbon.

Step 5: You’re done! You can trim up the bottom if you’d like, but I like the not-so-perfect look of it when it’s finished so I don’t do any trimming. Put the tutu on your little princess (by tying the ribbon in the back) and enjoy!

See theYouTube video tutorial allitrippy did from our article! Thanks Alli


Danielle lives in upstate New York, where her husband is stationed with the US Army. She is a stay-at-home mom to one little girl, Zoey. They enjoy reading, walks and staying active in a local playgroup.