Faux Petti Tutorial

I made this super simple "petti" to fit under another skirt I'm making.

But it would look very cute all by itself.

It's basically very easy to sew, but the tulle ruffles can be time-consuming.

Please ignore my thread - none of it matches!
I always forget to buy more white thread when I'm at the store.
I also didn't feel like changing the thread in my serger.
Oh well!
Since this will be under another skirt, I didn't worry about it.

Materials Needed:

spool of tulle (6" x 25 yards)

1/4" elastic (not pictured)

safety pins or bodkin (not pictured)

coordinating thread

bobbin with upholstery thread

1 piece of fabric 10" long, cut selvage to selvage

Serge the top of the material or zig-zag the edges.

Fold down 1/2" and iron.

Unfold the hem you just ironed.
Fold the material in half, right sides facing.
Sew down the length of the material.
Serge the seams (or zig-zag the edges).
Iron the seam flat, fold the hem back down and iron.

Top stitch to creating a casing.
Make sure to leave a 1" opening for the elastic.

Load your machine with the bobbin of upholstery thread.
Set your machine to it's longest stitch, or gathering stitch.
Run the gathering stitch about 1/2" from the top of the tulle.

---------------
I folded the tulle in half before sewing a gathering stitch.
If you'd like the tulle longer, don't worry about folding it.
I gathered almost 5 yards of tulle - or 3 times the width of my fabric.

Because you'll be using upholstery thread instead of regular thread, you won't have to worry about it breaking.
To gather the ruffles, simply pull on the upholstery thread not the regular thread.

Carefully straighten out the ruffles.
This will take some time, but be sure to go slow and do a good job.
I always want to rush ruffles and I end up making mistakes that take forever to fix!

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Pin the ruffled tulle to the right side of the skirt.

When you've come around back to the beginning, overlap the ruffles about 1" or so.

Serge or zig-zag the edges.

Being very careful not to scorch the tulle, work on the right side and iron the seam you just created UP.

Top stitch to hold the bottom seam in place and for a nice, finished look.
Carefully remove the gathering stitch from the tulle.

Measure your child's waist and cut the elastic 1/2" longer.
Attach it to a safety pin (or bodkin) and run it through the waistband.
Overlap the ends of the elastic 1" and secure with a triple stitch.

Tuck the elastic into the waistband, and then triple stitch the opening in the waistband closed.

All Done!

Have Fun!!

Cut Tulle for a Tutu QUICK and EASY!

Top row: Bethany, Sarah, and Kelsey
Bottom row: Lauren, Sierra, and Lizzy

I've been making tutus for about three years now - mostly for Serenity, my nieces, and my friends' girls.

When I make them, I don't usually make just one - I make lots of them!

I even had a tutu-making slumber party for my nieces (Sierra and Lauren) and my friends' little girls a couple of years ago, and I taught all of them how make tutus - smart, huh?

I certainly didn't want to make SIX tutus!!

Besides, they had fun and learned a neat new project!

That's all of the rotten little stinkers in the picture above wearing the tutus they made themselves!

You can learn how I taught the girls to make their own easy No Sew tutus by clicking HERE!

If you already know how to make a tutu, then you know the most aggravating part is measuring and cutting the tulle.

It's so time-consuming!

But not for me - 'cause I figured out a super quick and easy method.

Listen up!

I was complaining to my friend Teensie a few years ago when I was making around a hundred tutus (well, it seemed like that many!) - there just had to be an easier way!

She said maybe I could figure out a way to wrap it - then something just clicked (you know how it is), and this is how I ended up doing it!

I'd never seen tulle cut this way before, and I never, never, never cut tulle any other way now!

I'm planning Princess Packs for Serenity's upcoming 3rd Birthday Party and I'm making tutus for the little Princess party guests as part of the PPs.

I need to make a least ten tutus - just to make sure I have enough.

TEN!

Of course I'm gonna use my quick and easy method, and that gave me the idea to share with y'all.

If you'd like to learn how I satin wrap tutus, check out my post,

DIY: Satin Wrap A Tutu!


Here's My Super QUICK and EASY Method:

Cut out a piece of cardboard 15" long and about 7" wide.
The width doesn't have to be exact, but the length does.

I like to use the flap from a cardboard box.

You'll need two rubber bands too.

When making a baby or toddler tutu or even a super short tutu for tweens & teens, I cut my pieces 15" long.
You can make it however long or short you prefer.
Remember to cut the cardboard about twice the length you'd like your finished tutu to be.
My tulle pieces are 15" long so my finished tutu is around 7" - 7 1/2" long.
I like to label my cardboard pieces too.

Next, wrap your tulle (I use the 6" spools) around the cardboard evenly.
Make sure you're not wrapping too tight - if the cardboard is bending in the middle, then it's way too tight.


Once you've finished wrapping (I usually wrap the entire roll so I don't waste tulle - I'll show you how to store leftover tulle in a minute),
secure both ends with the rubber bands.


Carefully and slowly, cut the ends of the tulle using the edge of the cardboard as your guide.
Make sure you don't pull up on the tulle while cutting it or it'll be shorter on one end.


Remove any scraggly pieces you might have.
Here's a picture with both of the ends cut - you can see my scraggly pieces in the front.


Pull the tulle off the cardboard, and ta-da!
You're done!
Perfectly cut pieces of tulle - quick and easy!
Below are the pieces I cut for a Snow White tutu:


Store any leftover tulle pieces on the cardboard.
All nice and neat and tidy!


Here's my finished tutu!
I usually use a slip knot when I make tutus, but this time I tried a double knot for the first time.
It came out pretty good and it was quicker to make.
This is also the first time I used a satin ribbon to wrap the waist of the tutu.
I really like how it turned out!
The tutu may look a bit uneven in the picture because of the hanger, but it's not.

Making a satin wrapped tutu is easier than you think - for sure easier than I thought! I used 3 yards of ribbon, but it all depends on how big of a tutu you're making.

I'm sure people do it different ways, but I wrapped my tutu like this:

Leave a "tail" of ribbon at the beginning (to tie into a bow), and wrap from the inside-out, threading the ribbon between every two pieces of tulle until you've work your way around. Be sure you don't pull the ribbon too tight as you're wrapping. When you've finished wrapping, tie the ribbon into a bow, cut off the excess, use a lighter to seal the ends, and hot glue the bow in place so it won't come undone.

Here's my picture tutorial that will show you how I wrap a tutu:

DIY: Satin Wrap A Tutu.

You can find the 6" spools of tulle at JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, Nashville Wraps, and many other online stores.

Look around - you can probably find it cheaper than your local stores - and that includes shipping and handling charges!

To learn how to make a tutu, you can follow my No Sew Tutu tutorial or Google "how to make a tutu" for almost 560,000 results!

EDIT 1/11/11:
I created this tutorial over two years ago, now when you Google "how to make a tutu" there are over 14,500,000 results!
WOW!

Little Birdie Secrets shows you how to make and inexpensive Baby Chick tutu costume! Tutus make GREAT costumes and cool holiday outfits! Here's Serenity all dressed up for the Mardi Gras earlier this year! I crocheted her leg warmers and sewed her bead bag too.

POST-IT-NOTE:

BTW people, this was taken in February - have you noticed that Serenity is wearing shorts under her tutu?!

The leg warmers ended up coming off later too 'cause it got very warm (you would say "hot") that day!

Blink - and our "Winter" is gone!

Of course little girls don't need a reason to dress up in a tutu!
Here's a picture of Serenity and her friends Cobee Lynn and CeeCee wearing tutus while playing outside.
Why?!
Because that's what all little girls should wear when they play outside!

POST-IT-NOTE 2:

I would like give a HUGE thank you to One Pretty Thing and Everything Your Mama Made and More and Tip Junkie for linking this post!

Have fun!