Have Tutu--Will Run

Ever tutu'd for an event? I have, a few times. Why not? It's a fun way to dress up for a race, but for me it's a once-in-awhile kind of gig. If I wore a tutu for every race, the novelty would diminish and wouldn't be as festive.

Recently I saw this adorable tutu picture...and I immediately knew it was something I wanted. I'm doing a 4th of July race, and I'm very patriotic, so why not celebrate Independence Day in a tutu?

SO, since I have a bit of art background, I decided to make one of my own. I headed to the store in search of red, white, and blue tulle. Unable to find blue tulle, I decided to substitute blue ribbon (with white polka dots).....not an exact replica of the tutu in the picture, but that's what I had to work with at 9:30PM with limited resources.

Here's how I did it:

Step-1---I laid out the tulle, and folded it several times before cutting it into strips. Mine came in a 54" length, and asked the gal for two yards of it (each in red and white).  She left a little extra on the edge...so my pieces were 54" X 84."  I folded the tulle in half width-wise (thus, it was "doubled" in thickness, but now 42" in width).

All laid out flat, ready for cutting

Step-2---Next, I folded the tulle length-wise. I folded it half -three different times (reducing the length to 26," then 13," and finally 6-1/2"). Trust me, it's much easier to cut a thick piece of tulle than a thin one. Also, folding it (three times) made the piece not only thicker, but also shorter. Less cutting!  I cut these into approximately 2" strips (they do not have to be exact).

Folded, and cut into strips

 Step-3---Repeat with the white tulle.

Step-4---To figure out how long of a piece of elastic I'd need, I wrapped it around my hips, and marked the spot with a pen.



Step-5---I safety-pinned the elastic and stretched it slightly around a bar stool. You will want the elastic to fit you snugly, but not tight. If it's too tight, it will ride up and not stay in place as you run.

Pinned and ready for color!

Step-6---Take a strip of tulle, and fold it twice (which gave me a 4-layer thickness that was 13"). Wrap it around the elastic and tie it into a slip-knot. Some of the tulle will have folded edges. You can cut those if you wish, but I keep mine as they are...it gives the tutu a little more fullness and "fluff."

Wrap and tie the strips into slip-knots

Step-7--Continue with a strip of white tulle....and alternate with red, then white.

Alternate with red and white strips of tulle

Step-8---After I had all the red and white strips in place, I decided to redo some of them....and double-up the strips of each color (two strips of red, two strips of white, etc.). Doing the double strips of red and white made the colors look more vibrant.

Doesn't it look better with the double-strips of color?

Step-9---Finally, cut the strips of ribbon (into the same approximate size...13" strips), and slip-knot them over some of the tulle strips. I used one roll of ribbon, but plan to buy another roll and add a few more strips of ribbons.

There you have it!

What do you think?

You can use this same method for other tutus, just use what ever colors you prefer. I have a black tutu, and I just substitute different colors depending on the event. The main tutu stays black, but since the strips are slip-knotted (and not sewed on), it's easy to remove or add additional colors as needed.