Another tutu blog

A friend of mine in Perth who makes beautiful tutus has just started up a blog, I have put the link with the others in the list of links but will write it here too
http://www.sewdanceaust.blogspot.com/

Tutus made in April

I have been fairly busy and still have lots of orders for the next lot of comps in July. This tutu was made totally by email for Amelia who lives in northern NSW. Amelia and her mum chose the colour, decoration and design. Amelia is 9 and I think it is a perfect tutu for a young girl, the top layer of glitter net just gives it enough glitz without overpowering it.


These two tutus are for older girls to wear in ballet championships, so are a lot fancier. I have had this shot crushed taffeta in my stash for ages, waiting for someone who wanted a more unusual coloured tutu. I think it looks perfect with the deep purple velvet and greeny yellow oil slick sequins on this tutu.


I used lots of different colours of net, even adding a greeny yellow layer to pick up the colour of the sequins.


Here is a close up of the bodice decoration


and the headpiece I made to go with it


This one is in my favourite colours of red and purple


Here is a close up of the low back the teacher wanted. I like these backs especially with the drape type sleeves as they don't hang so low.


I dyed the lace to go on the overskirt as purple lace is hard to come by. Unfortunately as it is embroidered onto organza it made the bits in between the emnroidered parts really dull and the red velvet didn't show through. I ended up painting all the in between bits red, plus adding LOTS of sequins.


Here is the headpiece for this tutu.

Fabulous photos.

Last year I "made" some costumes for a contemporary troupe my daughter had choreographed. She wanted them to look like princesses who had been locked in a tower for a long time waiting for Prince Charming...after they had realised he was not coming, "princesses who have been through the wringer' was how she described it.
I envisaged sleeping beauty covered in windblown leaves and dying flowers.
I bought a set of ready made tutus from a fairy shop on ebay and added flowers and leaves I had spray painted to look withered. Maddie made the headdresses from old christmas decorations, lace tights from ebay and I made the lace sleeves.

I was REALLY happy with the way they looked on stage, it's not often that things turn out just how you had envisaged, and just today Annie's mum sent me these gorgeous photos.

Two new tutus.

I have just finished two new tutus for sisters, very happy with the way they both turned out.

This one is black velvet lycra with eight layers of white net. The top layer is this very sparkly silver glitter fine black net I got from GJ's in Melbourne, just gathered. I used motifs cut from the net and white guipure lace flowers for the bodice decoration and lots of Swarovski diamantes - I have really got hooked on them lately!


The second one is an unusual dusky pink velvet lycra with beaded lace that was originally from Recherche fabrics in Sydney. I used about four different colours of net in the skirt.

I also made headpieces to go with both.