Cinderella Tutu - Happy Birthday Karyann

My daughter-in-law is running in the Walt Disney Princess Half Marathon in Florida at the end of February.  She needs a princess outfit with a pocket for her cell phone.   Karyann sent me these photos of what she had in mind.

Having never made a tutu before I jumped at opportunity for a new challenge.   I used this no sew tutu tutorial, but could not find anything with a pocket.  Karyann pointed out that the runner in this photo had pockets in the bustle. 

So Karyann's tutu will have a bustle.  I bought this pattern.

This is Dorothy, my dress maker's form, she usually wears a men's long sleeved shirt.  Now she is getting all dressed up in Karyann's cinderella tutu.

These are the materials:

The 1/2 inch wide elastic was cut three inches smaller than Karyann's waist measurement and then the ends were sewn together.  The elastic waistband was put on Dorothy while I cut tulle strips.

I cut nine yards of light blue tulle into strips that are six inches wide by 22 inches long.

The strips were folded in half width wise, then folded in half again length wise to make the loop that was looped around the elastic waist band, with the ends of the tulle pulled through the tulle loop to make a knot.

 

 

 

There is something magical about a tutu.  It got very poofy, very quickly.

The bustle is 100% cotton, I made two because the first one did not turn out it looked funny in the front.

So on the ironing board was the first effort,  made from a modified pattern piece to be shorter than the one in the photo on the pattern envelope.  I scrapped this piece and cut a new bustle using a dinner plate to round the corners on two long rectangles.  The only piece that worked from the bustle pattern was the waist band. 

 Bustle front.

 

 Bustle back without and with waistband.

I made this pocket without a pattern, it turned out exactly as expected.  I put a zipper in because Karyann will be running 22 kilometers in this tutu, I do not want her worrying that her stuff falling out of the pocket.

 

Pocket sewn into the bustle with my cell phone peeking out.

Zipped shut with my cell phone in it.

The pocket is on the right hand side of the bustle, designed to sit underneath the tulle.

 The pocket is invisible with the tulle down.

The bustle ties on in the front.

Next I attached the tutu to the bustle with white tulle strips.

Having the elastic tutu waistband attached to the bustle should make her costume stay put throughout her run.

 

 This is the back the tiny white ribbons were cut off after the photo.

  My Dorothy has never looked better.

 Oh I just love the way her pocket is concealed under the tulle.

Happy Birthday Karyann!  I love you with all my heart.  Your tutu will be mailed to you tomorrow.

May all your dreams come true.