beach ballerina (tutus part 2)

Hooray for the 1st of September and the beginning of spring! Couldn't be more ready for it!

We took a dip in the sea for the first time in months on Saturday (my toes anyway--although Sophia would have dipped her whole self quite happily). It was one of those moments where I so wished I had my camera--a crisp, balmy morning in our little piece of paradise. The sea was ice but the sun was warm--mmm it gets me excited. Won't be long before the daylight will start to linger a little in the evenings, and the smell of BBQs and fresh cut grass will linger too. (Now, that is when I get really excited.)

Well, as if the sky knew we were celebrating today, it pushed back clouds and poured out warmth on us again. Our perfect opportunity to officially hit the new spring beach--camera in tow--take those tutu pics I promised a while back, and bask.

So here is a slice of our afternoon: the beach, the ballerina, and her new ruffles (tutu DIY detailed below).











And, as you can see, my jandals. (Just had to dig my way through to the back of the closet and fish them out for this afternoon!)




















Nearly time to break out the sun-block for these little legs, I think.




















No, not Fiji ladies and gentlemen, St Heliers Bay.


































And this is how it makes us feel...













...Sophia danced and sang (if you can't break out the twirls in a tutu, when can you)...













...jumped and splashed...




















...and let the waves 'chase' her up the beach.



























As far as we're concerned, a perfect start to spring.




















And as for the scrumptious tutu with the serious poof, I am pleased to tell you that it was a relatively simple process. Here are the details...













You'll need:


soft tulle--I used around 2 metres, maybe not quite that much (be guided by how much poof you want as to how much tulle you'll need). I also used two tones, a light blue underneath and a soft coffee colour on top.
a scrap of fabric for waistband 30cm (or so)
a few inches of velcro
thread


Begin by stitching your scrap of fabric together to make a waist band that fits your little. Cut your tulle into long strips a foot or so wide (fastest and neatest way to make matching strips is to fold the tulle onto itself a few times and cut). Begin to gather the tulle onto the waistband as you sew. Keep sewing the tulle around and around until the strip ends, then begin on the next piece, until you've reached your desired level of poof. You quickly get into the rhythm of sew and tuck, sew and tuck. It's a relatively fast process, just be sure to keep the ruffles neat as you sew to avoid catching bunches of tulle and having to unpick.

Once you're done, the next step is to cut an opening. Place pins (as seen in pic below) and sew in a rectangle to hold the fabric together when you cut.









Slice inside your rectangle and zigzag stitch over the edges. Pull the slit open and sew another piece of scrap onto the edge (for ease of sewing create your own bias binding by cutting the scrap piece diagonally across the grain). Fold over onto itself and sew down to create binding over the opening.

Next, cut a thicker strip out of your scrap fabric (2-3 inches). You'll want it to be a couple inches longer than the circumference of the waistband. Hem the ends and sew to the base of the waistband (as per picture). Make sure one end meets the edge of the opening neatly, and the other passes it by a few inches.









Fold the strip over the waistband, tuck under and pin in place. Sew together.


Next stick your velcro on (I like to use sticky sided velcro to hold it in place, then sew over the top). Ensure that the loop (fluffy strip) is longer and is sewn on the inside (the hook side will scratch your little's waist). Making it longer means you can adjust the size to your child's waist. Sophia wears hers on the tightest fitting at the moment, and there is plenty of room to let it out. She'll probably fit it until she's 8! :)









And there you have it--your poofy doofy tutu. As Swan Lake as you can get!











Ahh...I love it...


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