fairies, ballerinas, and princesses oh my!

I'm still here!!

This week turned out to be a busy one so I didn't get to post nearly as much as I would have liked. I have a lot to make up for so I'll jump right in!

When I was a little girl I took ballet classes and dreamed of one day having a big poofy tutu. I wanted one just like the Prima Ballerinas. In the end, I didn't follow through on my dreams of dancing professionally but I know that this is a common fantasy for many little girls. And any little girl who wants a tutu, should probably have one. Wouldn't you agree?!

I made this easy, almost no-sew tutu to add to our dress-up box. I used three different shades of tulle: a meter each of dark purple and pale violet, and about half a meter of soft pink. It doesn't come across well in the picture, but the mix of the three colours really adds depth and visual interest. 

To make the tutu, I cut out 3 inch strips of tulle (the length of the fabric) and folded them in half. Then I stitched the ends of an elastic together at the desired length.

I placed a tulle strip over the elastic at the fold and tied it into a knot around the elastic (so that the tulle was the same length on both sides). I repeated this step all the way around the elastic, alternating the colours of tulle. 

Once the tutu was at the desired fullness, I took a whole spool of matching ribbon and wrapped it over top of the elastic and tulle knots, leaving some extra ribbon at both ends for the bow.

That was it! A project easy enough for anyone to make for their little fairies, future ballerinas and even princesses to enjoy!