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Sewing a Pleated Tutu

Tutus are worn by female ballet dancers as part of their performance outfit, and their frilly, feminine appearance makes them attractive to little girls. Sewing a small pleated tulle tutu at home for your child to wear as everyday attire does not require a sewing machine or advanced sewing techniques.

Materials
- Tulle is the foundation of tutus because its fairly stiff characteristic helps the tutu retain its puffy appearance. One layer of tulle is sufficient, but the more layers the puffier the skirt. A single tulle color or multiple colors are sufficient. Two ribbons hot-glued together with the sewn pleats between the ribbons helps strengthen the sewn bond because tulle contains many holes, which makes a sewn seam partially sturdy. Hot-glued ribbons over tulle at the hem lines covers exposed tulle edges.
Instructions
- Cut a strip of tulle that is triple the child̵7;s waist length. The extra material beyond the child̵7;s waist dimensions is used for overlapping the material to create the pleats. Extra material is also helpful for creating the skirt̵7;s vertical seam. Pin down each pleat and test the skirt size on your child before sewing or gluing. Ribboning over the sewn waistline pleats results in a seamless waistline. Constructing pleats just at the waistline and not taking them down to the skirt̵7;s hem gives the skirt its fluffy aesthetic.
Variations
- Add embellishments such as flowers to customize the tutu. Hot-glue or sew the flowers in place. A pleated tutu assembled by folding tulle in half so a compartment is created between the layers allows you to put plastic flowers and petals inside. The flowers and petals move throughout the skirt with your child̵7;s movements, and the tulle̵7;s holes allow you to see the decorations. Enhance the strength of this pleated tutu by using a few layers of tulle, then folding the group in half lengthwise.
Considerations
- Most pleats are set by a hot iron, but you should not not iron tulle because it melts under high heat. The pleats in a tutu are not meant to be seen as neat, paneled pleats; instead, tutu pleats at the waist are a way to neatly gather the material so the rest can jut outward freely. Sew pleats down the skirt a few inches for a section of the skirt that sits close to the body and then expands. Ribbons are necessary to hold down the pleats in this case.

Sewing