Monday 22 April 2013

Mermaid Outfit...


Making a tutu has been on my To Do list for ages. I've seen a lot in my travels online and pinned a few, thinking they'd be a quick and easy project to do with a little one.


Joining the elastic to form a waistband, is the only sewing required. After that, it's basically tying lengths of tulle, fabric, lace or t-shirting to the elastic waistband.

I was lucky enough to score a full card of lace on sale at an Op (thrift) Shop, so that was what we used. Little Miss and I spent time together tying lace and strips of t-shirting to the elastic. The lace did not stay tied on as well as the t-shirting. I had to tie extra knots for it to stay securely in place, perhaps because it was slippery.


Once the tutu was put on and the elastic was stretched, it was evident that we needed more lace and t-shirting. I didn't push the lace to the front. The photo above shows the exact position of the lace when it was put on. Little Miss had had enough of helping and didn't want to stop to attach any more and besides, she couldn't see the gap at the back. I'll add more lace and t-shirting at a later date.


Initially we talked about making a Princess skirt. The reaction when it was put on... This is not a Princess skirt! It's the wrong colour! Apparently, a Princess skirt has to be pink. A few months ago, blue was the colour for the Perfect Princess Dress. Little Miss was not happy, until Mr TMW suggested a Mermaid skirt, saying that the lace looked just like seaweed.


Little Miss ran with the idea and grabbed the bag of spare lace, saying that would be the seaweed in the water.  I found a blue sheet and without any direction Little Miss began taping the seaweed to the sheet with masking tape. All I was required to do, was cut the tape.


A pink, net scarf became hair and a cardboard mask, co-incidentally coloured in a few hours before, finished off the outfit. It was just a cardboard mask from one of those cheap colouring books of masks. Little Miss was happy!!!


Obviously this is not an example of a perfectly made tutu. It's only to be worn at home and doesn't have to stand up to wear and tear. Who knows what this mermaid skirt will be next time it's dragged out of the dress up box. Quite possibly we'll take the lace off and it will become something totally different. 


The purpose in making this skirt, was to have fun spending quality time creating together and to provide an avenue for creativity through role playing. And I just wanted to use what I already had on hand.

A beautifully made tutu, on the other hand would not only provide hours of imaginative play, but would also last longer and could probably be worn outside the home. Perhaps you wouldn't be willing to have it dismantled after only one or two wears, however. For an example of a beautiful tutu, have a look at the Mardi Gras Tutu, made by Annie, from Peaches and Bees.

If you would like to make your own tutu for a little one, these tutorials will show you how:

For more pretend dress up clothes ideas for children, have a look at the collection here on Threading My Way.

As always, children should be closely supervised when playing dress ups and make sure the items you include for them to play with are age appropriate.

Have fun playing with your children, as they develop their imaginations and creativity...

... Pam

16 comments:

  1. So sweet and adorable. Like a fairy dress.

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  2. I LOVE the use of the lace! It really is mermaid-y :) I will sure to use a lots of lace if my daughter ever wants to be a mermaid! And thank you for the link in your lovely post!

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  3. As a little girl I would have KILLED for a tutu like that -- Little Miss is a very LUCKY little miss - the tutu is bling (and blinged) to perfection! I think I might even wear it to get the mail, lol!

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  4. Wow, Pam! I would have LOOOOVED something like this as a kid. Looks awesome.

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  5. Great mermaid outfit Pam! Little Miss has so much fun creating with you!!!

    Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
    Hope you have a fabulous week!
    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

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  6. OMG, Soooooooo lovely!!!!!!!
    Marisa.

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  7. Clever Mr. TMW! The lace does look like seaweed.;)

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  8. Adorable! Aren't those little misses fickle sometimes? I know in our home everything has to be pink these days! Thanks for sharing the creative fun you had with your little one.

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  9. What a simple and imaginative tutu you made and the mask is very cute too!

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  10. That is beautiful! My girls just love dress up and I can totally see them LOVING this! Thanks for sharing on We Made That!

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  15. It is very amazing like a fairy dress and the mask on the face is looking very awesome and the design and the style of perfect princess dress is very fantastic. thanks for sharing such a great post . share more most like this and want to look more better vava store has best quality leather jacket with good style quality and durability like Spider man tuxedo you can take it on events and trips too.

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