Twirltastic Tutu

Twirltastic Tutu

Difficulty Level = Beginner

A free beautiful ribbon tutu pattern with optional ribbon or crochet waistband with instructions on how to make the tutu more or less full. There aren’t any pattern pieces, the tulle and ribbon are cut to measurements.

Our Facebook group is a great place to get help, share your tips and creations! We are a friendly bunch, and we love to help and see what you have made.

Please read the full instructions before getting started.

Wash, dry, and press your fabric before starting your project. A bit of prep now prevents shrinking and means your garment will stay the same size you made it.

Never leave a child or baby unattended or allow to sleep in a garment made from one of our patterns with ties, snaps, buttons, or anything they could remove, choke on, or get caught on. Always use caution if you are unsure. We love our patterns, but we love your bundles of joy more!

Size Range

Newborn – 12yrs

Size Chart

The instructions in this tutorial can be used to make a tutu of any size, for any age. However, the measurements given have been worked out for the following sizes:

Finished Measurements (Inches)

• Tulle (soft or bridal netting) – the easiest way to purchase this is pre-cut into 6 inch width on a roll (see photo to the right). Alternatively you can also get it in full bolt width as you would when you buy regular fabric. If you get it in full width, you’ll need to cut it into 6 inch strips.
  • NOTE – if you want to combine colors of tulle, split the estimates below by the number of colors. EG for two colors you would get half of what you need in each color.

• Ribbon for the hemline – You can use any width ribbon for the ribbon on the hem of the tutu however the width used in the cover photo and throughout the tutorial step-by-step photos is 1 inch wide (2.5cm). The wider ribbon you use, the larger the ribbon effect at the hem will be. 
  • The ribbon in the main cover photo is ‘Satin Ribbon’. You can use any type of ribbon you like, however make sure it curls nicely so that you get the ‘twirly’ look at the bottom of the tutu.
  • To seal the ends of the ribbon, you will also need either a lighter/matches to singe them or a fray stop / fray check type product.
    

• Waistband – You will also either need another strip of ribbon, or a stretchy crochet headband. This is used to tie the tulle onto and will go around your child’s waist.
  
  • Crochet band option – This option gives a softer feel for the child around the waist and is often more comfortable than a ribbon waistband. If you are looking for these online, they are usually categorized under ‘children’s accessories’ or ‘tutu supplies’. You can use any width you like. The photo on the right (and in the cover image tutu) is a 1.5 inch wide headband and is great for making a skirt-style tutu. The tutorial refers to this style headband, but you can also get wider bands (great for making dress-style tutus), or even crochet by the yard that you can stitch together into whatever width you like.
  • Ribbon option – You can either measure this on the child or use the estimates below. I prefer to use 1 or 2 inch wide ribbon but you can use any width you like. The wider the ribbon, the more obvious the bow will be at the back. The narrower the ribbon, the more compact the knots of tulle will be on the waistline. If you are working it out yourself, you’ll need enough to go around the child’s waist plus enough for the bow. To get the same fullness as with a crochet band, you may find a ribbon waistband can be uncomfortable for the child over long periods as the knots of tulle are tied in larger knots.

Tulle & Ribbon Quantities

Before you purchase your supplies, you need to decide what type of tutu you’d like to do. You can either use ribbon for the waistband, or a crochet headband.

Estimate of supplies: The quantity of ribbon and tulle you will need can vary dramatically depending on your child’s waist measurement, their height and what type of waistband you use (ribbon or crochet headband).

If you don’t have your model to hand or don’t mind if you end up with a little bit extra leftover, we’ve done the mathematics for you! Here are some general estimates of what you will need…

Or you can work it out exactly:

For the most accurate estimate of supplies, you can work it out for your specific child. It takes a bit of calculating but it means you’ll end up with exactly what you need…

1. Length of strips – The tulle will be tied to the waistband, with both ‘tails’ of tulle hanging down to the hem. Measure how long you want the tulle, then multiply this by 2 to get the full length of each strip of tulle.
   • • EG if you want a finished length of 12 inches, tulle needs to be 24 inches long (12×2)
2. Quantity of strips – 
   • Ribbon waistband – For sizes newborn to 24 months, you will need 2 strips of tulle per inch of waistband. For sizes 2-12 years you will need 3 strips of tulle per inch of waistband. Measure the child’s waist in inches and then multiply it by either 2 or 3.
     • EG if their waist is 20 inches and they are 4 years old, you would need 60 strips of tulle (20×3)
   • Crochet headband – Count the number of holes around one row of your headband. One strip of tulle will get tied to each hole. For sizes 0-18 months you will need 1 row of tulle tied on. For sizes 18 months to 12 years you will need 2 rows of tulle. So take the number of holes and multiple it by either 1 or 2. 
     • EG if there are 40 holes and they are 5 years old, you would need 80 strips (40×2)
3. Total quantities – 
   • Tulle in 6 inch wide rolls – Multiply your number of strips by the length of strips to get total inches. Then divide by 36 (number of inches in a yard) to get total yardage. 
     • EG if you need 60 strips that are 24 inches long, you would need 1440 inches (60×24) which is 40 yards (1440 / 36).
   • Tulle by the bolt – Multiple your number of strips by the length of strips to get your total inches. Then divide inches by 36 (number of inches in a yard) to get your yardage. Lastly work out how many 6 inch wide strips you can get from your width of tulle. Divide your total yardage by this amount.
     • EG if you need strips that are 24 inches long and if your tulle is 60 inches wide, you’ll only get 2 full strips end-to-end per width (60 divide by 24 = 2.5). Per yard (36 inches) you’ll get 6 x 6 inch wide strips next to each other (36 divide by 6). So per yard in total you’ll get 12 strips per yard (6×2). So if you need 60 strips you’ll need 5 yards (60 divided by 12 strips per yard).
   • Ribbon – The tulle is 6 inches wide so each strip of ribbon will be 6 inches long to fit the tulle. Take your quantities of strips, multiply by 2 (one strip of ribbon for each end of the tulle), and multiply by 6 inches long. 
     • EG if you need 60 strips of tulle, you’ll need 120 strips of 6 inch long ribbon (60×2)

Alternative Options

If you love the look on the cover photo, then use the estimates/calculations above to work out how much tulle & ribbon you need. 

If however you prefer a less fluffy tutu, or you live somewhere tulle/ribbon is costly to purchase, here’s a few alternative ways you could customize this pattern to the exact look and cost you’d prefer:

• Stitch ribbon only to the top layer of the tulle (will reduce the fluffiness but still give the ribbon look)
• And/or if you are doing a size which usually has 2 layers of tulle on the crochet band, you could try just one layer, or even only put tulle in every second or third hole instead of the second layer.
• Or leave off the ribbon for a quick no-sew tutu! 

For added fullness, just add more tulle & ribbon!

NOTE – Some of the lovely sewers who initially tested this pattern were lucky enough to live somewhere with great local suppliers of tulle and ribbon. However, those that weren’t found it most cost effective to search on Amazon and eBay for good deals.

Tools needed are scissors, ruler, measuring tape, thread, and a sewing machine.

PREPARATION

A. Make sure tulle is in 6 inch wide lengths:

• If you have purchased bolt-wide yards/metres of tulle, first cut these into 6 inch wide strips. 
• It doesn’t matter whether you do this down the length of the tulle or across the width. 
• For economy, have a glance at the cutting chart below at how long you need your strips to be so you can cut your strips in a direction where you waste as little tulle as possible. 
• If you have purchased a roll of tulle, it will already be 6 inches wide, so you can skip this step.

If you worked out your supplies exactly using the calculations on page 5 & 6, you will already know how many strips and how long they need to be, so you can cut out now and skip to step 1 to assemble your tutu. If you used the estimates to get your supplies, continue on below…

B. Decide how long to cut your tulle strips:

• If you have your model available, measure on the child how long you want the tutu to be from waist to finished length. Each strip of tulle will be folded in half and tied onto the waistband. So the strips need to be twice the length you want. You do not need to add any more to account for tying the knot as the ribbon will add a little extra length.
• If you don’t have your model available, use the cutting chart on the page 9 for a below knee-length tutu on an average height child. This will be quite long on most children so it will last a while as they grow. Alternatively, for a shorter knee length tutu, use the lengths from one size smaller than you need.

TIP – Look through your bookcase and see if you can find a book (or cut a strip of cardboard) that if you wrap a measuring tape around it, is the correct length. Then you can wrap the tulle around and around the book/cardboard, and cut several strips at once. Much faster than measuring them out individually!

TIP  – Don’t use your best fabric scissors to cut the tulle. Tulle is rougher than fabric so in large quantities it can blunt your scissors.

C. Work out how many strips of tulle you will need:

• Ribbon Waistband – For a relatively full tutu, you will need approximately 3 strips of tulle per inch of waist measurement. If you don’t want your tutu as full, then use 2 strips of tulle per inch of waist. If you can, measure the child to get an exact waist size in inches. Then multiply the number by 3. If you can’t measure the child, use the cutting chart below for how many strips you will need.
• Crochet Headband Waistband – You need to complete step 2.1 before you can work out how many strips of tulle you will need. Once you are happy with the width of your headband, count the number of holes in the bottom row of the headband. We will be knotting one strip of tulle to each hole. For sizes 0-18 months you will tie one row of tulle on. For sizes 18 months to 12 years you will tie two rows on. So the number of holes around the headband times either 1 or 2 is how many strips of tulle you will need.

Work out how many strips of ribbon you will need: 

• You need to cut your ribbon into 6 inch long strips. 
• You will need twice the number of strips of ribbon as you have tulle (one piece of ribbon will be stitched to each end of each piece of tulle). 

TIP – There will be a natural curl to the ribbon. As you cut your ribbon, keep all your strips of ribbon the same way up so you preserve this curl. You will use it when you attach the ribbon later.

TIP – If you have a wood burner tool (and you know how to safely operate it), you can use it to cut and seal the ends of the ribbon in one step. This means you can skip step 3 in the instructions below, saving you quite a bit of time.

Settings

The pattern is a separate download. Choose either the US letter paper, A4 paper, or A0 paper size based on the printer you wish to use. If you are in the US or Canada then your printer will likely use US letter paper. Other regions normally use A4 paper. Some people prefer to print their patterns at a print shop: A0 is best in this case.

Print at 100%.

On the second page, you will find a 1-inch and a 3-inch square test box. Print this page first, on its own, and measure these squares.

Once you are happy that the test box is accurate, print the rest of the pattern pages.

Please follow this video for information and assistance on assembling this pattern.

Also, please note that some Rebecca Page patterns and projects also come with cut files and a printable design page which you can use to plan your project if you wish. These are provided in a separate section below to avoid any confusion!

Preparation – 

1. IF YOU HAVE bought tulle in bolt wide width, cut into 6 inch wide strips
2. CUT TULLE TO LENGTH. Cut to twice the height you want, plus 1 inch for the knot (or use cutting chart on page 9 for approximate lengths). 

• • A. For the ribbon waistband, use cutting chart to check quantity. 
  • B. For the crochet headband waistband, count the number of holes. For sizes 0-18 months cut one row’s worth, for ages 18mos to age 12, cut 2 rows worth.

Sewing –

1. RIBBON WAISTBAND – If you are doing the ribbon waistband, follow this step, otherwise skip to step 2, and do the crochet headband waistband. Fold your waistband ribbon in half and mark the center point with a pin. Take the first piece of tulle. Fold it in half to get a center point. Then pinch the tulle width-wise at the center point. Keeping the center point pinched together, bend the tulle into a rough “U” shape. Place the U of tulle over the center point of your ribbon (remove the pin first). Bend the top of the U so it folds over the other side of the ribbon. Tuck the tails of the U into the bend so it forms a little knot. Tighten the knot. Repeat with the rest of the tulle going outwards from the center towards the edge. When the tutu is your desired width, stop adding tulle and make a knot. 
2. CROCHET HEADBAND WAISTBAND – If you are doing the crochet headband waistband, follow this step, otherwise skip to step 3. First make sure the waistband is the correct size for your child.  If you have your child to hand, turn the headband inside out, try it on them, pin in any excess and stitch. If you don’t have your child to hand, check the approximate waist measurements of their age group on page 3. Measure around the waistband, stretching it slightly. Pin and stitch the excess. Leave any excess inside the waistband. Do not just cut it as this type of headband often frays and eventually come undone. Take your first strip of tulle, find the center and fold it in half lengthwise. Poke the edge you just folded through the hole. Open the fold out so there is a hole in the tulle. Poke the two loose ends of tulle through the hole. Pull the two ends tightly so that the tulle forms a knot in the headband hole. Continue to knot tulle all the way around the bottom row of the headband.  OPTIONAL for sizes 18 months to 12 years – If you wish to have a full tutu (like in the cover photo), now knot tulle through the next row up. 
3. SEAL RIBBON – Most satin ribbons will fray over time (especially when attached to a tutu a child is jumping around and playing in!). To keep the ribbon looking nice, seal the ends. You can either use a fray-stop type product or singe the edges slightly with a lighter. 
4. STITCH RIBBON ON – You now need to stitch a strip of ribbon to the bottom of each strip of tulle. The strips of tulle will already have started rolling into a curve (from the knots you’ve tied at the top). If you can see this easily, try to match the ribbon curve to the tulle curve (e.g. so they both curve the same way). This will help give the beautiful roll effect you see in the cover image. Place the ribbon right side down (so that it curls upwards) onto your sewing machine. Place the tulle right side down (so that it is also curving upwards) on top of the ribbon. You want the tulle to extend about half way across the width of the ribbon. Stitch close to the edge to secure. Repeat with all of the rest of the strips of tulle so that there is a strip of ribbon on the end of each one.

Congratulations, your Twirltastic Tutu is done. Enjoy! 

We would love to hear how you got on and see photos of your finished project!

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