Sew The Line: Wednesday's Child - A Crochet Tutu-Torial

Wednesday’s Child: No Sew Tutu-torial!

Every little girl wants to be a princess, right? With the tutu craze still going strong, anyone can be a pretty princess. Lately I have seen them everywhere; at the mall, the grocery store, and at kindergarten. Even my 3 year old granddaughter will not go to bed with out a skirt or a tutu on. I kid you not. So, I thought for today’s blog I would post a crochet tutu tutorial.

Most tutorials and patterns call for tulle, a finer, softer mesh which unfurls gracefully like a blossoming flower when a little girl twirls. Tulle is easily bought and available in the colors of the rainbow!

You will need:

Tulle

A small amount of yarn

Crochet hook

Scissors

I used scrap (about a yard and ½ to 2 yards) tulle, a bulky weight yarn and a size J hook to make a baby size tutu. There is no real pattern to this, but it can be made in any size - just make sure you have enough material to finish your project.

Measure the waist of the person you are making this tutu for. I measured about 21” or 56 chain stitches.

1. Chain 56

2. Single crochet in second ch st from the hook. Sc in each ch st to last ch st, chain 3, turn. (55)

3. Double crochet in each single crochet stitch to the end, chain 1, turn. (55)

4. Single crochet in each double crochet stitch to the end, finish off. (55)

Weave in loose ends. The waist band is now finished.

5. Lay out the tulle lengthwise, fold in half. Cut a 2” strip from the short side of the tulle. Cut the 2” strip in ½, giving you 2 strips. Cut as many as you want.

6. Insert the crochet hook into a hole, fold a 2” strip of tulle over the hook, and pull about half way through. Pull the loose ends of the tulle through the loop you just pulled through halfway (this is the part you folded over the hook) until it is pulled tight. It will be self knotted. Repeat this step from end to end of the bottom of the band.

7. Cut a piece of tulle long enough to pull through the holes on the end of the band, tie together, trim tulle (if needed), and you’re finished!

This is a super beginner project! It would also be a good learning project for a child. My friend Bev and I sat down and did one each. I used red and purple tulle while Bev worked with red. It took us about 2 ½ hours from start to finish. If you don’t want to use a strip of tulle as a tie, you could sew on buttons or Velcro, or what my friend Bev suggested: leave a long tail of yarn at the beginning and end of the band, using the tails as a tie. We also found it easier to lay the tulle out flat, then folding it and cutting it. We started out by holding it out and cutting it while sitting on the couch. The strips were not even and they had jagged edges, but the end result was still great.

My friend Bev’s first tutu!