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Hi all. I'm not that experienced at dressmaking and seamstressing; I only know how to make bears and am self-taught thru trial and error! Therefore, I'm hoping you can help me out with something more related to clothes construction than bruin construction.
I have done a lot of research online and have figured out the big picture of how to make a tutu; what it's called; how to assemble it, in what order; etc. I have tulle netting in hand.
However, the smallest details of this process -- like exactly how to gather the stuff, which must be used in enormous amounts! -- escapes me entirely. And, given that it's tulle, it won't be likely that it should be gathered in the same way as other fabrics might be gathered.
If anyone has any tips and pointers to offer I'd appreciate it. I need to figure out how to gather the tulle, and then, how to attach it to a wide ribbon band, row after row after row, so that it looks neat and pretty. I "get" how to cut it, how to space it, and how to assemble it; I just don't get how to gather and attach it! That part is missing from all the instructions I've been able to find. I guess they figure that, if you're making a tutu, you already know the basics of dressmaking. Um... not.
Any finishing suggestions you might have for this fabric -- such as how to bind or finish the edges, etc., or should I skip that entirely? -- will be most welcome.
Thanks in advance, my friends.
Sassy Bears & FabricsHey Shelli,
This is getting really fun!
I've sewn more dresses and gowns than I can remember, even dance recital costumes. I come from a long line of seamstresses.
Tutus are pretty easy if all that tulle doesn't drive you crazy! Just run a thread through the holes along the top (about 1-2 holes down, you don't want the very last 1) and just pull the thread to gather it up.
Now, I've done people-sized ones and you sew each row onto a band. For a bear-sized one you will want to take each layer and stack them. Stitch them all together along the top. Use some satin ribbon or binding and fold it in 1/2. Insert the edge of the 'stack' into the ribbon and sew along the edge of the ribbon to catch the tulle. You'll get a nice finished satin band this way.
Hope this helps.
I made a tu-tu for my Zsa-Zsa bear that a made for this years British bear artist awards... there a more pictures on my website..i had made one or two before but never fancy enough for my liking. I just cut loads of long pieces of tulle...the really good stuff that costs more than ordinary netting...it just looks nicer. Then I machined them up one edge using a long stitch ( separately) then gathered them you just tie the two thread together one end and then pull one of them up from the other...voila!!...pinned them all together in a pile...tacked them...(I don't ever tack but I did with this as it's easy to missed bits when machining) the machined it...I added a little silk bustier top to hide the raw edge and put diamante straps on. There's no need to do anything to the hemline...it won't fray.
I didn't put a seam in the skirt just a huge bow at the back with a press-stud to hold it together.
I made little silk ballet slippers too...
You girls are rock stars; Jenny, that's pretty much what I had in mind.
The "official" pancake tutu instructions state that a "real" tutu is made with rows of tulle (which, of course, are cut shorter and shorter as you move down from top layer to bottom) that are stitched on separately, in rows, onto the basque. Like I'm going to make a basque for a teddy bear.
:|
As best I can figure, for those (like me) who don't know... a basque is a kind of panty/waistband/combination thingie that fits beneath and sorta inside of the corsetry upper portion of a couture-constructed ballet costume.
For my ted, I plan on attaching the tulle in rows, for best effect, like you mentioned, Stephanie -- I really want that "pancake look" like you'd get in a real person tutu -- so that's what's hanging me up more than anything. I keep imagining that I will gather this stuff, which I am swimming in right now, and attach it to my thick satin ribbon band, row after row, and the raw edges will look all... blicky.
Thanks for the ideas on how to gather and work with the tulle. I'm desperately afraid of it, I admit. Not sure how to cut it. I'm thinking I'll fold it over and over itself and then use a straightedge, my cutting board, and my rotary cutter, and just slice it into size, kinda like I would a paper snowflake, in one giant sandwich of layers, all at once.
In the meantime, I have six colors of tulle stuffed in a giant shopping bag in my studio. Even though I'm trying to keep it tucked away, one of my (ridiculous, apparently pica-afflicted) cats keeps eating it at the corners, and then cacking it up again, all covered in saliva and digestive juices. Lovely. I think I will cut that portion off. (laughing here)
Keep it coming!
PS Jenny -- LOVELY bear!!! And here I thought my idea was original, as I hadn't seen a ballet bear before. Figures (see thread on copyright infringement, and how no ideas are ever truly original!)
:)
This costume is waaaayyyyyy more elaborate than my usual bear dress (I'm no Fran!) and will be for a contest piece, too, if it turns out, and if it looks "right" on the bear I've got in mind.
Matilda Huggington-beareOH! Jenny your wee bear is to die for CUTE. She's adorable!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Flying Fur StudiosJenny,
I'm not a big fan of girly bears, but this one is to die for!! Just amazing.
THanks for asking this question Shelli, always good to know.
Heather
Kim-Bee BearsI do what Stephanie does...
Apple Dumpling DesignsJenny, as always you little girl is divine...love her.
A couple months ago I bought a bunch of tulle in various shades of pink to make a tutu myself. I have a "real" tutu from childhood and was going to use it as a pattern guide (without taking it apart)...I've just never gotten around to actually doing it. My thoughts were similar to those of Jenny. I just got a little overwhelmed with other things.
Have fun Shelli...can't wait to see what you come up with!!
Shantell
Wild Thyme OriginalsHi Shelli!!! Cats REALLY have a thing for tulle! Something about that texture, they just really love it chew it, don't they! Maybe they think it shapens up those little teeth. Every cat I've ever had has always sought out my tulle!
Jenny... your little girl is SO pretty!
Shelli... it sounds like you are on the right track! I would think that for a bear, you would be able to get away with not using the bias binding on the layers where they attach to the basque... certainly your bear won't moving around too much or getting caught on scenery or anything! If you get stuck... do e Mail me... I was a professional dancer in my youth, and I studied 16th-18th century corsetry (and other underpinnings) for quite some time (thus my bizarre eBay Seller ID of 'antique-corsets'!)
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Ahhhhhhhhh, Kim; another mystery solved. I always wondered how one went from "Wild Thyme/Mini Bears" to "antique-corsets." It all becomes clear.
As a dancer AND a historical costumer, you'll love the link I found for one couture costume shop, during my tutu research process. Their web design isn't the best, but the costumes are lovely! Check it out: http://www.rossetti.vispa.com/index.html
Wild Thyme OriginalsWow! Those are gorgeous! I see what you mean about the web design... looks kinda yucky, but some beautiful costumes there! I like this one as well, because Drea really goes into the historical aspects of it all....
It's fascinating stuff! I always say that I must have been born a few centuries too late! I'm just absolutely fascinated by the ways that women have manipulated their bodies using under garmets! Not that I think all of it was at all healthy, both body image wise, and physically.... And certainly I am VERY comfortable in my Levi's and T-shirts, thank you very much!
Yes... that's why I have antique-corsets as my eBay seller ID.... I've always been Wild Thyme Originals though... back when I was making the authentic reproduction corsets for SCA groups & other historically obsessed folks, when I was doing dolls, and now bears.... Why on Earth didn't I make that my seller ID? And now of course, everyone is so used to it, I just can't seem to change it. Maybe someday! And 'Wild Thyme' is from my favorite Shakespeare play... A Midsummer Night's Dream from Oberon's speech in Act II, Scene I....
"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,......"
So, yes... mystery solved, and I can't even tell you how many times I've had to explain that whole progression to folks! Way back when, I used to get e Mails about custom bondage outfits.... the custom corsets thing in combination with 'Wild Thyme' I guess..... never responded to those! That's for sure!
Beary truly yours,
Wild Thyme Originals
Past Time BearsLOVE your story/history, Kim . . . wow, I'm impressed!
Jare Hares & BearsShelli -
Do you have a serger? or do you know what one is?
I would layer the tulle together and then use the knife on the serger you cut the excess away while binding it all together nicely. Plus you can change the rate at which the feed dogs move in order to gather the tulle. I did this when sewing fleece hats a few years back. That way I never ended up with thick bulky seams. They were all nice and smooth.
That reminds me I have a ton of hats that I need to get posted on eBay... Before Christmas.
I do know what a serger is -- and wow, what a convenience it would be for dressmaking applications -- but I don't have one and even if I did, I don't know how to use one. I hate that the world requires a learning curve for every new gadget lately. Whenever I replace my cell phone (which isn't often; only when I have to) it's one week of pure chaos and confusion!
Great idea with the serger, Jared, but no can do.
I actually finished my tutu last night. Took a lot of hand-stitching to get right, bound, and secured in place. I used invisible thread, which is like sewing with human hair. I was squinting and my face was all scrunched up screwy, cause I could hardly see the stuff, even with every light I own poured onto my work table! I think it turned out quite nicely and am still working on the finishing of it (sequins, embellishments, etc.)
Thanks, all, for your tips and pointers!
PS Just FYI for those interested... I ended up not being able to sew the six tulle layers on in separate strips like I had wanted to, in imitation of a real pancake-style tutu, because there was simply not enough available work area to which I could attach so many layers onto the "panty" part of the costume. So I did what was suggested, above, and laid the strips of tulle on top of each other; stitched them together to secure; trimmed the excess; and then gathered by hand, using a very small (less than 1/4") running stitch.
I think I spent about nine hours working on this thing yesterday! Aargh!
Wild Thyme OriginalsHey, now that you have the experimentation done and the kinks reasonably worked out... it will be a breeze the next time around! That is if the meowsers don't find the tulle and "enjoy" it to their little feline hearts' content before you get around to making another!
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Ha! You read my mind, Kim! I actually left the poor bear standing up, costumed, with a shopping bag pulled down over her head and especially that costume!, and the "handles" completely, tightly wrapped around her feet, so that there was NO WAY my especially tulle-loving weird kitty GINGER could get at it. She was literally at my sewing table, sniffing those yards and yards of crunchy, delicious tulle, even as I was running it through my machine! I had to shoo her off numerous times. Idiot cat.
This is GINGER the tulle-and-paper-eating-feline, with my kids; pic taken a few years ago.
Apple Dumpling DesignsCongratulations on winning the tulle war!!!
Your boys are absolutely adorable...and so is Ginger. She looks like a little stray that has adopted us here. I call her Skippy because she has a broken foot...I think she's been caught in a trap. She insists on getting under my feet but when I put my hand out for her to smell it she either swats me or jumps back a few feet...as if to say..."watch it lady".
Past Time BearsGREAT pic of Toby, Noah, and Ginger!! Congrats on getting the tutu finished . . . photo, please!
Photos to come later, I promise. I know we're all picture crazed here. Can't post photos yet for these reasons:
1.) Not quite done; much finishing to do
2.) Haven't, therefore, taken any pictures yet!
3.) Will be a contest entry, therefore, I'd prefer to keep the pictures under wraps until the deadlines for entry pass. The latest deadline of those I'm considering is mid-January.
Thanks for the nice compliment about my cute kids. I wub them with all my heart. They are just too much fun! Little stinkers. Don't they just LOOK like little stinkers? But those are the best kind!
Jare Hares & BearsShelli -
You could put the serger on your Christmas Wish List and maybe the Hubby and kids will buy it for you.
If you plan on doing any costuming at all it will be helpful.
Besides the ones I have bought always come with an instructional Video. They are really easy to use.
I have blown two up, just from using them.
That reminds me...
I need to go finish up my homework and then I can get pictures out there of my fleece hats and get the silly things out the door. 
ooh Shelli I can't wait to see your ballerina - I looove ballerina bears and I almost always have one on my sales table - it's kind of a "thing" of mine. I think there's a frustrated ballerina in me somewhere....
Here's a couple of mine. Whew - I can imagine how long it must have taken you - it takes me long enough to do the 4" ones.
Jenny your ballerina is sooo cute I love her sweet face.
Just Us BearsMelissa's ballerina bears are so cute...and even cuter in the fur! :love:
Shelli...it doesn't matter if the ballerina idea isn't original...your bear will be stamped with Shelli and be so adorable. :dance:
I came up with an 'original' idea too and made up a bear. I was so chuffed with it, until I found that another bear artist makes bears with a very similar concept and says they are her trademark...so now I'm too scared to show mine publicly. And I thought I was onto something special..... 
Wild Thyme OriginalsShelli... adorable little boys you have there! And Ginger is a beautiful cat! I miss having cats so much.
Melissa.... I've never seen those bears of yours! How precious! I can see why you want to have on on your sales table at all times..... they MUST go fast!
Haley.... We all know that that area can be really tricky at times.... but I bet that if you came up with the idea on your own, it's still something that you can do without stepping on toes. And as many of us have said before, no one want to be considered a "copier" (oh, just saying that reminds me of 4th grade and shielding my math quiz with a folder from the little boy who used to sit next to me and was a "copier!") But, if you've already made up the bear, I'd search the internet a bit and see if there haven't already been many other folks who have "done" that idea aside from the person whom you are worried you are infringing upon. If you are interpreting the idea in exactly the same way, I'd say just keep the little guy for yourself so as not to step on any toes.... but I bet that you'll find that your interpretation is completely different, and your bear style is probably completely different as well. Honestly, if every idea had to be 100% completely original, with no one ever having done it before... I don't think any of us could EVER make any bears! That's not to say that there are no original characters or themes out there... I'm sure that there are. One of the first ideas that I wrote down in my bear journal was to do a Queen Elizabeth bear complete with 16th century costuming.... Well, I thought that was completely original... that no one else would have ever done that before. In the very few years that have past since that idea, I've now run across maybe 7 or 8 of them! At least! That's without even really actively looking! Now, I never have done any bears with what I would consider costuming that elaborate for various reasons, and I may never get around to doing that bear! I guess I'm saying, maybe you are being too hard on yourself! We'd never have any more angels, or faeries, or Santas, or flower inspired bears, or Red Riding Hoods, or ballerinas..... etc.... etc.....etc......
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
I agree with you Kim - Look at Shelli - she totally conceived the idea of a ballerina without any other influence thinking it's new - and it will be - as her ballerina will be unique! (and knowing Shelli it'll be a knock your socks of "wow look at that ballerina bear - I must have it" kind of bear!!!). 
Far out, I can't imagine that people would get persnickity over the fact that they made a ballerina bear so no one else should. That's like saying, I make bears that wear keys so no one else can.
Hayley - This seems to always be happening to me - right from when I first started making bears. I remember a few years ago deciding to make an elephant wearing a little cardigan - that very week I bought the new Australian Bear Creations and Marlene de Lorenzo had an elephant pattern wearing a cardigan!
Then about 3 years ago, I decided I really wanted to make a Princess and the Pea bear as it's my favourite fairy tale. I had the image in my head for a year or so, then I found the perfect fabrics and then it took me 12 months to get around to making it. It got to the point where one of my friends was saying "would you make that damn bear already instead of talking about it!!" Of course, by then it was this year and the anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen, author of the story, and of course as soon as I made mine, I discovered there was one nominated for the Toby and one made by Robin Rive here in NZ. Everywhere I looked there were Princess and the Pea bears!! I panicked and thought everyone would think I was copying but Alexis convinced me to take it to Melbourne and she was the first thing that I sold.
Hayley, if you are executing the concept in your own style go for it. If this is another local bear artist then that can be kind of awkward, I know. If you feel really worried about it, maybe you could offer these bears on your website and ebay and not at shows, however do ask some others that know both styles of work - they may be able to give you some fresh perspective.
Maybe we teddy artists are going to have to think like crazy patent inventors and post ourselves an envelope containing our designs. You then keep it sealed up so that if anyone challenges you, you have proof of your idea and the dates you conceived it!!!
Posts: 3,177I hate tulle/netting - drives me nuts and should be banned by all those countries of the free world.
The only way to get a good finish is to spend a lot of man hours basting,tacking and stitching or it looks like a dogs dinner
One tip though - if you want good gathers don't do one row of stitching do two, knot the ends at one end then pull - it allows you to fiddle around with the gathers until they are perfect much nicer than gathering on one row of stitching.
If that's not clear - sorry but i have a cold (again) - just ask and i'll do my best to make it clearer
Penny
