Making the Tutu

When cutting the net for the tutu I learnt a really useful technique, you use a tool which looks a bit like a pizza cutter and this is used for cutting net and other thin fabrics and basically you lay a ruler where you want to cut and slice next to the ruler. It is alot quicker than using scissors and with a fabric like net (which is cut on the fold) it stops it moving around as much. This will save me alot of time when I'm working with net or other sheer fabrics.

Another method I learnt was how to scallop the edges of a fabric which is to create a continuous pattern along the bottom edge. I made a pattern out of card then layed this along the bottom edge and cut using the pattern as a guide, this could be used in anything I do in the future if I want the bottom edge to be patterned but it can only be used on fabrics that do not fray such as net.

My tutu is having 12 layers and using a specific chart I had to cut different lengths for each layer. This took quite some time because I had to use two different types of net and it had to be cut carefully.

Once I had sewn all of the widths together I could then go on to pleating the layers. When doing this I learnt a very useful method of pleating which is instead of making and pinning the pleats before sewing to use a pin and push more or less net under to create the pleate and basically guess the pleate sizes. I can use this in the future if the pleating doesn't hav to be perfect or if there is a mad rush to get something done. This was the best way to pleate the tutu because it would of taken forever to measure it out.

Once it was all pleated the layers are attached to the knickers, I was surprised when I realised that the ballerinas where nothing under their tutus considering the knickers are made out of a sheer bra net but once I had sewn all the netting on it became clear that the netting covers everything up.