The Tutu Model

Lu loves her tutu. 

Frilly little lovelies.

The last two days I’ve only wanted to sew frilly little things.  I think partially to avoid hemming the two dress pants and suit of my husband’s (that have been sitting around my sewing room for almost a year).  Tulip-Lu is home while the big kids go to first grade.  Yesterday she wanted to wear Bird’s Belle dress.  When I told her it was too big for her she responded, “Mama, plweeease make me a tiny Belle dwess.”  I told her I would and she promptly took my hand and escorted me to my sewing room.  “Make it here.”  I told her I could do that except we didn’t have any tiny Belle yellow fabric. “Its okay.  We’s go to da store.” 

So we did.  When we came home she watched a 20 minute show, Kipper, and ran into my sewing room to ask if the tiny Belle dwess was completed.  It was a little tricky getting if finished because each time I put it on her to try on she refused to take it off.  I finished it last night while she slept and already washed it once.  She loves it.  The material is easy polyester from Joanns.  I drafted the pattern because I couldn’t find anything that was on sale and her size.  I didn’t want to pay $8 for a pattern when the dress cost a total of $20 (including the zipper).   It features a full circle skirt with a petticoat which makes for very impressing little girl twirling. 

 

I also bought some glittery material for tutus while I was at JoAnns.  Both my girls love to dance and love to dress up in little dance lovelies.  I made Lu and Bird matching tutus in this silver with white netting underneath.  I’d be tempted to make about 400 of these if I knew where to store them.  Total for two tutus, $9.00.  Like how I only post the totals for some projects.  Let me assure you that sewing is not a cheap hobby.  I don’t save money. 

Extender Slips

My sister Emily is on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Santiago, Chile.  Its important to missionaries to be modest.  The other day (okay, last month—I’ve been procrastinating) I got a letter saying essentially, “I’d like some slips with lace on the bottom to make a few of my skirts a bit longer.  Oh yeah, I love you too.”  No measurements or anything silly like that.  I made her an ivory, black, and white one.  We’ll see how well they actually work out because it seems like measurements kind of might matter.  That’s a flashback dress of mine (2009 maybe) to illustrate how I think these are supposed to work.  The white slip I bought and just added lace.  Then I got to thinking that it was too expensive of a project this way ($15.00 for the slip) and thought I’d pick up the tricot to make my own.  Tricot isn’t easy to place anymore but I finally tracked some down.