Here is another pale coloured tutu to prove to myself I can work in subdued tones. This one is ivory satin with an overlay of pink/gold shot organza. I’ve just finished the decorations on the bodice.
The word bodice comes from the concept of a “pair of bodies” and here you can see that pair.
It took a while to decide on what I needed to get the look of textural confectionery I was after. The laces and braids on the side gave a lovely background but I was still stuck on how to embellish the all important centre front. I eventually remembered I had a bit of French lace stashed away that I hoped was the right pink. I snipped out a few little small bead and sequin pieces and placed these at the top of the pink embroidered applique I had in mind. All the pinks work so well together.
And this is what I came up with. I’ve also adorned it with Preciosa rhinestones; ss30 Rose AB and ss20 crystal AB, ans some sweet little cup shaped sequins in pearlised white.
Now for the skirt. I’ll use 9 layers of stiff ballet net and scallop the edges which will suit this fairy-tale style of tutu.
It makes it easier to sew the ruffles on if the sewing lines are marked, especially in such a little tutu where the distance between the layers over the hips is extremely narrow.
The magical part of the tutu is going from the dandelion puffball of netting sewn to the panty to the tamed flat tutu skirt that is so recognisable. The tutu layers are tamed but attaching layers to one another in such a way that they all pull together into a flat shape. For traditional tutus I will hand tack using individual knots. It’s time consuming but there’s a meditative quality about the work.
The last stage is the skirt decoration which will imitate the bodice decoration. I have 4 large petals and 4 smaller ones to go in between. I think I’ll add the beaded french lace as I have a wee bit left.