First, lets clarify, this isn't an "Adult" costume. This is just a costume an adult could wear. I made this tutu for my Halloween costume and Im going to share how.
Well there are a jillion (and Im not exaggerating) tutu tutorials out there. Make that, a jillion and one. They are mostly for little babies, but I made one for me. I measured my waist with the elastic and then subtracted 3 inches. So I ended up with 33 inches of elastic Dritz 100007 Babyville Boutique Fold Over Elastic -Solid White (Google Affiliate Ad). The elastic was about an inch wide.You can get elastic at almost any fabric store. I sewed the elastic edges together and then melted the edges, with a match, so they wouldnt fray. For my materials I used 4 yards of purple tulle and 4 yards of black tulle. Found at JoAnn Fabrics for $1.49/ yd and used my 40% Off coupon.
Honestly I think the tutu could have used more tulle to give it more volume. But it was sufficient. Then I cut 4-5 in wide strips and folded them in half and then in half again to give the strip more volume. It really depends how long or how full you want your skirt. So just eyeball it. Then I used this technique, drawing found here. To tie the tulle to the elastic.
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Horizontal lines = elastic waistband U shape = strips of tulle |
I recommend sewing the elastic edges together first and making the waistband before attaching
the tulle. I alternated 2 purple strips and then 3 black.
I only doubled up the black tulle as opposed to quadrupling up the purple strips.So the black pieces were longer. I really like the contrast and less uniform shape it gives. Perfect for a witch costume.
Here it is with the tights I found at Target for $5. But you can also find them at most Halloween stores, but I found a great deal, here. With multiple colors.
Halloween Black and Purple Striped Tights (Google Affiliate Ad)
Oh and I found a witch hat also at JoAnns, for $2.50. It was 50% Off All their costume stuff was on sale. Which is why my toddler now has a huge plastic sword he swings around the house screaming "Wha-shing!" betchya cant guess who bought that...
Halloween Black and Purple Striped Tights (Google Affiliate Ad)
Oh and I found a witch hat also at JoAnns, for $2.50. It was 50% Off All their costume stuff was on sale. Which is why my toddler now has a huge plastic sword he swings around the house screaming "Wha-shing!" betchya cant guess who bought that...
So go hit up your local JoAnns for last minute costume stuff.
Oh and Ps. I totally forgot to mention that this was suuuper easy to make and was NOT hard and actually fun. Like as in, I would actually make another one, or two. If I had a girl, Id make some in staple colors like black, white, gray and pink, (pink's a staple) you know, for everyday wear.
Hope you found this adult tutu tutorial helpful! Let me know if you make one or have questions!
xoxo, Janean
UPDATE:
Check out this years peacock tutu!!
And the boys! Dino Tutorial here
Linking up...

Love that dress, so pretty xx
ReplyDeleteFinally a tutu for an adult! I have looked everywhere, thank you :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I could help! It was super easy to make too! Good luck!
DeleteXoxo
Wonderful! Gonna make that for halloween! Huge thanks!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I would love to see pics!! xo
DeleteIs it super light? I'm running a Halloween 10k race and I'm looking for something that's going to be easy to run in while still being a costume.
ReplyDeleteYes! Super light! This is the perfect costume idea for that. Good luck on your race! Xoxo
DeleteHow long where your strips?
ReplyDeleteThe purple are about 12 inches long and the black is about 18 inches. Hope that helps! Xo
Deleteso 24 inches to start off, and then doubled for the slip knot?
Deletethe slip knot should not shorten the length. the strips should be folded to that length already, from the 54 inches just fold them up shorter and adding volume at the same time.
DeleteHow long were the strips when you cut them? Before you folded them?
ReplyDeleteThe whole width of the tulle from top to bottom. Which is usually 54 inches. It will say on the bolt next to the price. If you don't know where to look, a worker should know. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
DeleteS glad you shared this. I've seen tons of kid tutorials but had no idea how much fabric to use for an adult! Awesome. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteWhat did you wear on top? I really like the tulle tutu but I have no idea what to do about the top. Just a black tshirt?
ReplyDeleteYes! I just wore a black top. It was a tight long sleeve shirt. Went great. Looked good too.
DeleteI love this. I went to the Halloween shops to look around and they are wanting $20 to $25 for their tutu's. Are they crazy? I can't wait to make this tutu. It's going to be so awesome and a lot less expensive than the store ones. Thanks for the "tu-torial". :-)
ReplyDeleteI know right?!! Ridiculous really. Glad you found this! It's truly super easy. Xo
DeleteHalloween is 11 days away and I have been struggling on how to make a "tooth fairy" tutu to wear to elementary school (yes, the staff dresses up too!). Thank you so much for posting this... I'm off to JoAnns!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad I could help!! What a fun costume!
DeleteI just bought a tutu at the Halloween store for $21. I'm so taking it back and making my own! Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteYours will be much cuter too!
Deletequestion I want to make a tutu but a longer one b/c I'm being the White Queen for Halloween...How long would my strips need to be for knee length tutu and how many yards would you suggest?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late response. I have thought long and hard about this. I think 20-25 yards will suffice if you want it to be knee length. You should ask how many yards are on a bolt. And I would cut the strips 5 inches wide, the width of the fabric so they are 54 inches long and then fold them in half making them 27 inches long. That would be knee length for me. But I'm tall. Fold them one more time if that's too long still. Let me know if you have more questions. xxoo
ReplyDeleteOh and that will be a full tutu. Use ur coupon!
DeleteThanks!!! I definitely will use the coupon!! I have another question....Is the amount of Tulle based on your measurements? Because I'm plus size.
DeleteI still think 25 yards will be good. Take into consideration the witch tutu is only 8 yards and the peacock tutu is 17 yards, and is SOOO full. 25 should be ok. If not, you can always buy more. But it should work.
DeleteHow much spools of tulle should i use if i was about the same size as you, since I do not think Micheal's sells by th yard, they sell by spools
ReplyDeleteIt should say on the bottom of the spool, how many yards are on it. But that will be different, as far as yardage on a spool compared to yardage on a bolt. The fabric is 54 inches wide on the bolt at the fabric store. But if you buy 6 yards on a spool, it's only going to be like 5 inches wide. I def suggest trying to find a fabric store. They all should sell tulle. Or else you will have to buy a lot of spools. I would imagine like 10-15.
DeleteAlso, was your tulle made in china, because they say that kind of tulle dosent work as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure. I just got it from JoAnns. I don't know what the difference is. It depends though what exactly they are referring to it not working "we'll" for. Is it not a s full if its from China? I can't imagine it being a big difference...
DeleteI can't wait to try this, this year, I thought about being the Black Swan, and I think this should work out good, but all black, Thanks
ReplyDelete