Tutu DIY

My nieces turned 3 and 5 this month and I wanted to give them something that they would love.  They just started ballet classes and also really like to play dress up now. I scoured the blogosphere a few months ago looking for a diy tutu tutorial.  I found a basic project and made a few changes and really liked the results. 

What you'll need...

• A few yards of tulle.  I used white and pink for the above tutu.  You can find rolls of tulle as well and it will save you the time of cutting the strips. 
• Elastic band
• Sewing Machine or Needle and matching thread

Cut your elastic to one inch more then the final size you'll need to fit the child's waist.  20 inches fits most kids well. Overlap the elastic band one inch and sew it together so it forms a loop.  Before sewing check to make sure there are no twists in the elastic band.

Cut your tulle into strips.  I used 4 inch wide strips that were varying lengths between 24 and 30 inches long. 

Slide the elastic band up to your thigh like a garter.  This will make it infinitly easier to attach the strips.  Fold the strip in half.  Take the loop end and slide it under the elastic towards you.  Take the two loose ends and pull them through the loop to make the knot.   Here is a diagram...

Pull tight and continue to attach your strips around the entire loop.  I used pink and white strips in a random pattern.  Get creative.  I used approx 35 strips of each color to fill up my elastic band and as you can see it turned out to be nice and full. 

After I was satisfied with the amount of strips, I used my sewing machine to sew a zig zag stich along the band to ensure that the strips stay attached.  This step is probably optional, as the knots seem very secure and shouldn't require the stitching to stay attached. 

Now, grab scissors and trim your tutu to your liking.  I trimmed the top pieces shorter to give the tutu a fluffier, fuller look.  Tada...your tutu is ready to wear. 

Idea Originally found on http://mamasdoodles.blogspot.com/2007/08/tutu-tutorial-tuturial.html

Breast Cancer Walk Team Logo

Jessica Malone, a friend of mine in VA, asked me to help out with a team logo for an upcoming walk they are doing to help raise money to find a cure for Breast Cancer.  The Avon Walk is on Saturday, May 5th 2012.  I was SO excited to help out with this project that all the house stuff got shoved to the side...hence the reason for a lack of recent posts.  She and a team of 4 additional women will be participating in the upcoming walk.  Here is a blurb from their website http://doublejs4doubleds.weebly.com/our-story.html

In 2011, founding members of JJ4DD, Jen and Jess, met around Mile 8 of the Washington, D.C. Avon Walk for Breast Cancer (http://www.avonwalk.org/). Both participating by themselves, they started chatting and by mile 39.3 they formed a friendship and a desire to walk together again in 2012! Along the way they picked up three more enthusiastic walkers and are up to a solid 5 member team!

This page is to spread the word that we are "In It To End It" and are dedicated to raise funds and awareness to finally bring Breast Cancer to it's knees!

We do this for our moms, daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmas, friends, each other, ourselves and Y-O-U! Thank you for your support.

So, after talking with Jessica and learning a little bit about the team from their website I put together the following idea for their shirts...

Each unmentionable represents a member of the team, and I offered to customize the bras to their specifications (the fun part!)

After several reviews and changes...here is the final product I think...

It really was so much fun working on this project and feeling like in a small way I am helping with their mission to find a cure for breast cancer. 

I encourage you to check out their website and learn a little more about the JJ4DD team. Have fun! 

Here are links to the JJ4DD team member pages
Donna

Jen
Jessica
Michelle
Stacie