Sugar Plum Fairy

I remember as a little girl going to the Fox Theater in Detroit to see the magnificent Nutcracker ballet at Christmas time. Woodward Avenue would be decked out in Christmas lights, and the whole evening seemed magical. The fox is a beautiful theater, the walls are adorned in intricate carvings of cherubs and scrolling leaves. Gold leaf and heavy velvet draping makes it feel as though you've stepped inside an antique music box.

I love the theater. Especially the ballet,... it is timeless and breathtaking. A perfect mix of poetry, beauty, strength and art.

As a child it is overwhelming, and I longed to be like the dancers on stage.      

In the spirit of this memory, I made this tutu for my 4 year old niece for Christmas. She loves to dance and dress up, so I thought this would be a perfect gift. She's a peanut, so this giant fluffy skirt will swallow her up like a cotton candy cloud. So fun! I can't believe how easy and inexpensive this project was!

I purchased 1 yard each of different "girly" colored tulle. I caught a 50% off sale at Jo-Anns and it was only $.88 a yard! I threw in a sparkly pink tulle to add a little something extra.

I took each of the yards of tulle and bunched it up so I could cut it into strips with one swipe of the scissors. Snip, snip, snip all the way down the length of the yard about 2 to 3 inches wide. You can be somewhat careless as the multitude of tulle will hide any flaws. Then I took 1 1/2 yards of a pink ribbon, glittery on one side, satin on the other, (this will be the waist band) and began tying each ribbon of tulle onto the band. Like a slip knot. Once tied I slid it tight down the waist band and sort of smashed it into the other tulle knots, this gives the skirt lots of volume.

It took a while to tie on all the bands. So I hung it in the kitchen and would tie at odd times, as I waited for coffee to brew, or the milk to filter etc. and in no time it was done. I hope she likes it...secretly...I kinda want one too. He he!