Tuesday, October 07, 2008

dust off those sewing machines ladies...

ok so christmas and halloween are just around the corner! (less than 2 months before christmas folks... lets get goin!)
every year at this time i break out the sewing machine and it stays out till december! last year i think sewed that i can remember 12 christmas presents and both of my kids halloween costumes! i have the best time with it. this year i started it of with this cute little tutu for my little princess for christmas(if i can wait that long to give it to her!).
lets talk about sewing for a minute. i hear so many people say "i can't sew i don't have the patience for it." the problem is, we tend to get into projects that are a little over our heads. so start small something you can have fun with. these tutus are super easy! you hardly even have to use your sewing machine.
this would also be a great idea for a little girls halloween costume (pam).



so first off all you need this fluffy stuff called tulle. you can buy this by the yard...

or on these spools like they use in weddings. the spools are really easy to cut because they are already 6 inches wide. i got these at joanns.
cut into strips that are 6 inches wide by 28 inches long.
if you are getting by the yard i used a 2 yards of light pink and 2 yards of dark pink.
if you are using the spools, you'll need one of each color.

next you need 3/4 inch elastic. measure your little sweethearts waist and cut the elastic about 1 inch shorter than her waist. this elastic was about 18 inches.

here is the 15 seconds that i spent on my sewing machine. just overlap the elastic and sew shut. you could even hand sew this as well. you just want to make sure that it has a strong hold.

take a strip of your tulle and tie it in a knot around your elastic. make sure not to tie it too tight. you don't want to squash your elastic.

i wanted my tutu very poofy so i used two strips of tulle for every tie.


keep tying the tulle around and around until the elastic is completely covered.



it looks really cute just like this but i wanted to take it to the next level. so i cut 28 inch strips of ribbon to tie on as well.

make sure to burn the edges of the ribbon so it doesn't fray.
(don't try this at home... i took this picture of myself burning the edges of the ribbon.)


tie the ribbon around where ever your little heart desires.

use a hot glue gun to glue on your flowers and your done! so easy and so fun! i timed myself and i can make one of these in about 20 minutes.


here are 2 little halloween costumes that i am in the middle of making. this one is a woodland fairy costume.

i got this little wand at the dollar store, glued leaves and a flower on top, and tied a little tulle around it. easy and cheap!

this one is a cute little lady bug. i got these wings at the dollar store as well, cut out black felt circles and glued them on!

HAPPY SEWING!



42 comments:

angela said...

can't wait to try it. thanks for sharing your ideas!

Kelly Munns said...

you...are...ridiculous! but super cool ok?

Em Russ said...

you are a genius!!

Whitney said...

you are my hero!! seriously i have a baby shower tomorrow and don't have the patience to make another diaper cake . . but with her 3rd little girl on the way this is perfect! i can make one for all 3 in less time it would take me to make one cake!! i really love (and appreciate) that you make these tutorials. i'll make stuff but it never dawns on me to do it step by step so someone else might learn! and i always send my sister's over to view your cute crafts :) hehe! so whenever you decide to finish writing your "how i became a cute mom and betty" book i definitely need the first copy!

Court and Brade said...

I LOVE YOUR BLOG TAN!!! Seriously, you are so creative and adorable! When I have kids... You will be my GO-TO woman when I need creative ideas. You remind me of my mom - which is a GREAT compliment! I always was hoping I would just magically turn into her when I got married... BUT it didn't happen!!! ha ha you are great.. LOVE the fairy halloween costumes!

RaeAnn said...

you should sell those on ebay or craigslist...seriously...seriously.

bendanielsfamily said...

Tanya THANK YOU I've been trying to figure out how to make Sadie a tutu and you've done it for me. A trip to JoAnn's is much needed. YEAH!!! Feel free to post all of your amazing ideas on your blog :)

Megan Marie said...

love your ideas!

Alison said...

These are adorable!!!My personal fav is the lady bug tutu costume!Great job!

Unknown said...

okay, so holy crap. . .:)I had to get on again to look at those suckers and they are way too cute. call me and tell me how the trip to the little shop went!!

Daisha said...

Tnaya- you choudl seel your stuff on etsy! it's so cute! I acutally just made tessa a tutu for her halloween coustunme, but havne't embellished it yet . . . love the ribbons and flower - I'm gonna do that!

bendanielsfamily said...

me again (am i allowed to comment twice to one post? :) ) so i wondered if you had any good gift ideas for xmas for my mom and grandma....you mentioned sewing lots of gifts last year :) i can sew (not like you) and be crafty so hit me with your ideas :)

Eve said...

Those are SO CUTE!!!

henline crew said...

seriously, you are so creative and ambitious, I love it!! I'm so "stealing" this idea and doing it. so cute

Lyndsie said...

TANYA!!! i can't wait to try and make one!! way too cute! thank you thank you for taking the time to make a tutorial!! you could call me lazy when it comes to the tutorials!! :)

aunt choody said...

SO cute!

Erin said...

These costumes are too cute! I love it because I feel like I many actually be able to pull that off! Thanks for visiting my blog the other day! I love being introduced to all these new blogs!

Unknown said...

not to sound repetitive, but you are so talented and those tutus are darling!

The Jen said...

If I pay you money will you start telling me your ideas so I can use them for personal gain and popularity?

ERIN said...

So cute! I think there might be a lot of girls walking around in Tutus for halloween after this post. Do you find your craft ideas somewhere or do you just think of them?

Anonymous said...

So cute. I wish I had a girl too. I think someone has already said this, but you should sell these. And your other cute craft ideas.

Suzette Coates said...

You are so talented and I knew that when we roomed together. Those are so cute. I think you need to go for your dreams and get your own bussiness going. I love you so much and I am so proud of you. Keep up the good work.
Love ya
Suz
PS you still owe me a temple dress. remember you where going to make mine.

Valarie Lea said...

Oh that is just adorable!!!!!

Chris said...

These are absolutely adorable! When I saw "sewing machine" I starte to panic, but the more I read I though, "I can make that"! I love them, and so will my nieces! :)

Victoria said...

Oh these are wonderful! I have been wondering how to make them. Thanks for the tutorial!

Heather said...

very cute! I love the addition of the ribbons and flowers. I made a plain version of one of these for my own Halloween costume last year adult size takes a long time LOL

Astrid in Bristling Acres said...

OMG! Those are the cutest tutus I've seen!

Jennspiration said...

Those are so darling! I've never tried to make tutus but I'm willing to try!

Lorie said...

I made tutus for my girls for Halloween and I wish I would have thought to use the rolled tulle! Cutting it into strips was the most time consuming part (because my daughter kept walking on it!!)

Missy Wertz said...

That is positivity adorable!

Amanda@Imperfectly Beautiful said...

Those are the cutest! I've wanted to try making one, but didn't really know where to start...now I do! THANKS for sharing.

Amber said...

This is a great idea, and my daughter would love one of these for C-mas.

Tamara Jansen said...

nicely done.....especially like the lady bug costume. The lady bug is our logo :)

Anonymous said...

those are ADORABLE!!

Corinna www.myscrapbooklife.com

Natalia said...

I'm making this! My hands are shaking just typing that, lol. I actually think I might be able to do it. Thanks so much for breaking it down.

Cassie said...

Came over from Just a Girl! These are so cute, and I can tell you are really talented. Thanks for sharing!

Natalia said...

We made these today! Thanks so much for the instructions, the girls are thrilled. They are beautiful.

RN and OSHP said...

I am so excited to try this. My dausghter has been wanting a fancy TuTu! Thanks fo rthe instructions.

Heather said...

Thank you for the tutorial! My daughter is absolutely in love!!!

I kept mine simple...
http://heatherscreativebug.blogspot.com/2009/04/fairy-fun.html

Heather

AKKnoll said...

I just found your blog and I am so excited!! The clothes you make for your little girl are so simple and doable. I have a 3 year old niece and am definitely going to try out the bandanna dress and tutu very soon!! This is so perfect!!

AKKnoll said...

I decided to try your tut tutorial and my tutu for my 3 yr old niece turned out so beautiful!! (I think I made it a little too long though) Thank you so much for this simple, yet so beautiful option!! I don't know how to post a picture on here, but I'd love to show it to you. From one a little intimidated beginner project seamstress, thanks!!

Fastbet said...

Mate this is a very nice blog here. I wanted to comment & say that I enjoyed reading your posts & they are all very well written out. You make blogging look easy lol I’ll attemp to start a blog later today and I hope it’s half as good as your blog! Much success to you! Berita Prediksi Bola