Tutu Shirt for Valentine's Day

Create an adorable Valentine's Day outfit for any little girl (even a baby) with these easy-to-follow sewing instructions. Make and add a festive red tutu to any shirt or onesie.

Materials:

• 2 1/2 yards each of two different colors of tulle (There will be enough tulle left over to make two more t's.)
• Child's T-shirt (I love the Cherokee perfect t's from Target.)
• Coordinating thread
• Rotary cutter, ruler and self healing mat, or scissors and a really steady hand.

Instructions:

On this Tutu T-shirt I am using red for the top shorter layer and pink underneath.

Cut the top, shorter layer 12 inches wide by 90 inches long.  (The 90 inches is why you need 2 1/2 yards.)

Cut the bottom, longer layer 14 inches by 90 inches.

Fold each layer in half, separately. Stack them on top of each other with the raw edges lining up. The folded edges will be staggered on the bottom. Pin the two layers together near the raw edges.
 

Using a basting stitch  (the longest stitch on your machine and the least amount of tension)  sew the entire length of the tulle near the raw edges.  Do not backstitch on either end and leave lots of thread hanging on each side.
 

Pull one of the threads and begin gathering the tulle.  It will start to look like a tutu.  When it seems about the right width to go around the t-shirt move on to the next step.
 

Starting in the middle of the back of the t-shirt start pinning the tulle. The shorter top layer of tulle should be the one laying on top of the t-shirt.
 

Continue pinning it as close to the bottom of the shirt, all of the way around.
 

Overlap it when you return to the middle of the back of the shirt.
 

Place the shirt under your needle and foot.  Return the stitch length and tension to normal.  I like to use a medium size zig zag stitch.  It makes it easier to catch the layers of tulle, as well as helps the t-shirt stretch.  Backstitch at the beginning and end.

This is what mines looks like.  Don't worry that it is a little messy.  It will be covered by the rest of the skirt.

Here is the underneath of the finished product.  You can carefully trim any wayward tulle if it is driving you crazy.

Hooray!!! Look what you made!!! It wasn't so bad was it?

I couldn't leave Janey out right? I made a few changes to make her a little onesie. I cut just one piece of tulle 8 inches by 90 inches. I gathered it a bit more than the bigger girls' shirts. Then I pinned it starting in the back of the onesie.

Continue pinning it all of the way around. Overlapping at the beginning.

Same zig zag stitch, trying my best to keep it straight without the benefit of a t-shirt seam.
 

Find more ideas from Julie at her blog, Joy's Hope.