Ok guys, for this week’s Tutu Tutorial Tuesday I’ve got an extra special treat, Jessica from Happy Together has oh so graciously agreed to write a wonderful “Dress up Skirt” tutorial for the Tutu Drive! (read all the Tutu Drive details here) I’m SO excited to have her be a part of this, I’m sure you all read Happy Together but if you’ve somehow missed it please go take a peak (after you churn out the following project of course) it’s an amazing craft/mommy blog & has been one of my favorite reads for over a year now. But enough rambling, I’m gonna let Jess take over…

Hi everyone! My name is Jessica from Happy Together.

When Natasha contacted me about her tutu drive, I knew I had to help out. I have known young ones who have gone through some serious illnesses, like cancer, and I know how even the littlest thing can bring such joy to their lives.

Little things like fun dress up clothes 🙂 So they can pretend to be pretty princesses or astronauts in space….

I decided to do a tutorial for a dress up skirt, which you can use all tulle (to make it more “tutuish”) or you can add other types of materials as well. Enjoy and I hope you are able to contribute to this cause some way if you feel led to.

*The above chart indicates the size (I stuck to Natasha’s chart she posted earlier), the length of 3/4″ braided elastic needed, and the height x length that the material needs to be. For the trims, you need enough that is the length of the fabric tier.

*Suggested fabrics: The easiest to deal with will be fabrics that don’t fray, like tulle, nylon chiffon, lace, etc. But I also used satins, organza, and silk for them to be fancy.

*I didn’t have enough time to calculate the specific yardage, but some simple math can help out. I ended up using fabric from my stash and just had to sew some pieces together to make it long enough.

*I did several layers on mine, but you could even just do one if you like.

1. Take your piece of fabric and sew the height (short) sides together, right sides facing if applicable. Repeat for any other layers you will be adding.
*Tip: If doing more than one layer, you can make the heights differ so they are more tiered like.

2. Sew on ribbons, pom poms, lace, other trims, etc. onto the bottom of the layer(s).I found some amazing $1 spools that had plenty of trim on them for one layer at JoAnn’s and Micheal’s. I also had some stuff from $1 grab bags that I had bought from Hobby Lobby.

*If using fabrics that fray, I suggest one of the following: -add a bit to the height so you can make a hem; -use a zigzag stitch over the edge; -or leave if for a frayed look on purpose.

3. Place layers together and pin together.

*Note: I made some layers longer in width than others, so I just kind of pleated them and pinned them on to equal the other layers length.

4. Sew 1/4″ in at the top and finish the raw edge (Meaning: use a v or zigzag stitch on your sewing machine to catch the edges)

5. Turn inside out and fold top down (towards the inside part) 1 inch. Sew in place right on top of where you sewed in #3, but make sure to leave about a 1″ opening for the elastic to go in.

6. Place a safety pin on the end of your elastic piece. Thread it into the 1″ opening all the way around the casing you just made. Bring it out and place the ends on top of each other (make sure elastic didn’t get twisted inside). Sew together.

7. Push elastic in opening and sew that opening shut.

Thank you to all who are able to help, even if you can just say a prayer for children in these situations, you have done more than you will ever know……

Oh my goodness Jess, those are ADORABLE!!! Seriously stinkin’ cute. I’m definitely going to churn some out & after the tutu drive is over you better believe Samster is going to get one like the light blue one you made! Thank you SO much for taking the time to write us such a great tutorial!

Samster readers, please go check out Jessica’s blog, Happy Together, you won’t be disappointed!

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