Tutu Cute!

Elle was invited to her good friend, Maya's, Princess birthday party. The girls were supposed to dress in a Princess dress, so Elle and I designed hers. Elle picked the color of tulle she wanted, the ribbon, and the flower. Putting it all together was super easy (it's no sew!)here's how:

1. I used 125 yards of 6" wide tulle. You can find the tulle on spools in the wedding section of Jo-Anns. Elle picked purple and pink and I added some ivory.
2. Cut the strips of tulle 2 times the length of the dress plus an inch and a half. So if your Princess is 26" from underarm to ankle, you would cut the strips of tulle 80 1/2 inches long.
3. Stretch a piece of 1 1/2 inch wide non-roll elastic around your little one across their chest and just under their arms. Cut the elastic and stitch it into a loop (if you're sewing challenged you can even staple it closed instead).
4. I found it easiest to tie the tulle on when the elastic was stretched around something that was the right diameter... I used the back of a chair, but you could try a lamp shade or a garbage can maybe?? Stack two strips of tulle on top of one another. Fold the strips in half and place the folded part of the tulle under the elastic. Pull the ends of the strip up, in front of the elastic, and through the loop created by the fold. Pull tight.
5. Repeat a bajillion times until you can't see anymore elastic.
6. Unroll a bit of satin ribbon from the spool (don't cut it). Wind the ribbon around the elastic and between each of the tied strips of tulle. Cut it when you've made it all the way around the tutu and tuck the starting and ending bits into the ribbon.
7. Cut a length of ribbon, fold it in half and tie it around the elastic in the center front of the tutu to create the halter tie.
8. Cut a length of wider ribbon for the belt.
9. Snip the stem off a silk flower, drill a hole in the plastic cup that holds the petals and thread the belt ribbon through the flower.
10. I also found some crystals with adhesive backing. I placed them randomly throughout the tutu by sticking one crystal to the front side of a piece of tulle and placing another crystal on the back side of the tulle in the same spot, creating a crystal-tulle-crystal sandwich.

There you have it... go make the little girl in your life the happiest Princess ever!