Things 1 & 2 + A Tutu-rial

We went cliche for Halloween this year, donning the girls in Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes.  Who better to pull that one off than twins though, right?  And then, as pregnancy would have it, I got sick halfway through trick or treating/walking around a friend’s neighborhood so we didn’t get to take any pictures on that night, plus it was dark and Thing 1 just wanted to walk it out while her counterpart was happy in the stroller much of the time.  So, the other day I dressed them back up and we went out back for a little Halloween photo shoot.

The wigs go with two red, flannel Thing 1 and Thing 2 jumpsuits (thank you Cindi!) but giving that it was 70 degrees on Halloween night down here in LA (Lower Alabama as I’ve come to find out), we skipped out on those and went with tees my mom found for the girls at a consignment store and some leggings.

I think we got close enough to the real mischief-makers, don’t you?
 
(Image from here.)

Except I added the tutus and headbands - I forgot the headbands on Halloween but I thought both were a cute feminine touch, no?

As for the tutus, I made them in the few days before Halloween and they’re seriously the easiest dress-up item to make…no sewing required.  (You might remember I made this little tutu last year, but these are even easier than that one!)  I got the instructions off the vortex we all know as Pinterest from a few different sources, all the same idea.  Here’s how to do it:

First, you’ll need a ribbon to tie around the waist.  I used some cotton twill ribbon I had laying around.  I cut each 12 inches longer (six inches on each end) than the girls waist measurements to allow for tying and adding to later, however, I should’ve cut them even longer – 24 inches + – because I feel like the end strings are too short now to be added to.   I also used some OK To Wash It fabric adhesive (found at Walmart or any craft store) on the ends to make sure they didn’t fray and let them dry overnight.

 

After the ribbon was set, I grabbed the tulle.  I bought eight yards of tulle in Peacock at Hancock Fabrics, four yards for each tutu ($1 per yard on sale).  The tulle was folded into fourths off the bolt so I slipped a scissors down each fold to make four large sheets.  Then I cut those sheets into smaller strips about 2 – 3 inches wide.  No measuring needed, just wing it.  :)  (Update:  My household (kinda like a sorority) sista Jerilyn told me you can buy tulle ribbon which would make this part a little easier by eliminating most of the tedious cutting!)

 

Next up, tying the tulle to the waist ribbon.  I found that tying each end of your ribbon to something stationary helped the process rather than trying to tie tulle to a limp ribbon,  hence the kitchen cabinet photo bomb.  So, I grabbed two strips together,
 

made a V shape/folded them in half behind the ribbon,
 

and pulled the two ends up over the front of the ribbon and through the hole made by the tulle at the top, making a knot.

 

Then, while the tulle knot was still a little loose, I slid it over to where I had made the other tulle knots,

and pulled to tighten it.  (Be careful when pulling tight!  Tulle is tough but can rip if you pull too hard!)

Fold, loop, slide, and tighten over and over and you’ve got yourself a bonified tutu!  So easy!  It probably took me 10 minutes to get the tulle on each.

Awhile back I used the same process to make the girls some pink tutus for a photo shoot we never got around to (still on the list).  Here’s C modeling one right after I finished it (plus a matching tulle flower to be attached to a headband – get that tutorial here):
 

I mentioned above that you can add to these tutus.  All you have to do is buy matching tulle (or use extra if you have it) and add to the allowance you left on the ribbon ends as baby girl grows.  And the tulle options are ENDLESS!  You can do multi-colored by alternating different colored strips, sparkled…heck, you can even do this with some awesome patterned fabric cut into strips!  Pretty much anything goes!  Make them short or make a huge ball gown tutu if you fancy it!  So, so fun! 

Per the usual, if I didn’t explain something well enough, give me a holler or leave a comment and I’ll get right back at cha!  Otherwise, I leave you with some more outtakes of the Things themselves.  Have a great week!