Dancing girl

Just before Christmas I took the kiddo to see a dear friend dance the part of Drosselmeyer in the Nutcracker. I suspected that she was a bit too young to sit through the entire production and, indeed, we watched the end of the second act from the back of the theater instead of from our complimentary fifth-row seats. But apparently the ballet made an impression, nonetheless; she adores her new ballet shoes and has been more than a little excited about her new tutu.


There's one problem: we can't seem to find music she likes. More time is spent swapping out CDs in the stereo than actually moving, and the trouble seems to lie largely in the fact that she selects her music based on the cover of the package. (The kid takes after her mom in more ways than I care to admit, except in my case that decision-making factor applies mostly to wine and craft supplies.)


In any case, the tutu is a big hit. I sewed it, essentially, like a tulle apron, which made it really easy to assemble. I wanted to avoid the itchy elastic waistband I saw on the expensive ones I found at ABC Carpet. I sewed the tulle layers to a ribbon and then sewed a second ribbon on the opposite side to encase the gathered layers. And hey! It's reversible as a result; now she can choose a cool palette (blue, green and dove grey layers) or a warm one (pink and peach layers). Of course she's at the age now when she only wants pink, but I can keep hoping, right?


Update: Here's some additonal information about the tutu, since so many of you have asked:

1. I bought tulle at B&J Fabrics. They have lots of colors, and you don't need much. I purchased 3/4 yard of the five colors I used for just $10. You'll need a little more than twice the final length of the tutu. Tsia is short, so 3/4 yard was plenty for her.

2. I used 1" wide grosgrain, which sews much more nicely than satin ribbon. You can find great ribbon at M&J or at So Good Ribbons here in the city.

3. Cut each color of tulle in half lengthwise so you have two pieces of each color. It's easiest to cut the tulle by folding it in half, widthwise, a few times and cutting through all the layers in one go.

4. Tulle is really wide, so find a nice big spot on the floor where you can work, preferably uninterupted since it's a pain to get all that tulle lined up. Then line up all ten layers of tulle along the top edge and hand-stitch them together with a long (1") running stitch. Use a heavy quilting thread so it doesn't break easily when you start gathering.

5. Gather the tulle to be slightly less than your dancing child's waist measurement, and stitch the gathers to the lower edge of a 2-yard length of ribbon, centering the tulle on the length of the ribbon.

6. Cut a length of ribbon to be slightly longer than the gathering/waist measurement. Fold the ends of the ribbon underneath, and stitch the second ribbon to the first ribbon along the top edge.

7. Sew the bottom edge of the ribbons together, stitching through all the layers to encase the tulle and create the smooth waistband. This part is a bit bulky, and I loved my walking foot when it came to this step. But I always love my walking foot.

Is that all clear? Do you want a tutorial with photos? Let me know; I'm always happy to oblige.