Tutu Cute! (Updated 12/15)

This may be the cutest Christmas ornament I ever made!  I made two, a red one and a pink one.  Yesterday I made the red one and worked all the bugs out.  It was too big and I used too many layers of net.

Also, the coat hanger I used on the pink one is cuter, but I didn't find that one until today.  The over all  size of the pink one is about 6 inches and the red one about 7.  I'm going to give the dimensions for the pink.

You will need:  a piece of felt 5.5" by 6", about 1/2 a yard of tulle, a few beads, some ribbon for straps,  and a doll's coat hanger.

Fold the felt in half so that it measures 2.75" by 6".  Sew a very narrow seam as shown below.

This will be your center back.  Turn to the right side and turn down the top edge about 1/2 inch.  Now make the leg openings.  See my photo.  I cut out an opening on one side and used the cut out as a pattern to cut out the other side.  The crotch area should be about 3/4 of an inch in width.

Cut ribbon for the straps.  These should be about 3 inches long, but cut it slightly longer so that you can adjust them to what looks right when they are on the hanger.  I sew the ribbon on the front first using the beads to help secure the ribbon.  Sew the beads on anyway you like.  I used bugle beads on the red tutu and large silver seed beads on the pink.  Once you have the straps sewn in front and the beads sewn on, sew the straps to the back.

The next step is to make the net skirt.  I used 6 layers of tulle for the pink tutu.  You will need to fold the tulle in half until it measures 24" by 18"(2 layers).  Then fold it the other way twice  to give you 6 layers.  It should now measure about 24" by 6".  Stitch down the middle of the long side to gather.  Make two rows of stitching, leaving a long thread on each end.  I'm showing the red below, because it is easier to see.

Now pull both threads until you have gathered the net up to about 6 inches.  You will sew the net onto the body of the tutu before you trim the net. This makes it much easier to handle.
Using a fairly large needle and double thread, secure the gathered net at the back seam at about where you think the waist should be.  You could use a vanishing marker to mark the stitching line if you wish.  Sew through the middle of the two lines of stitching as you go around the tutu.  Adjust the gathers as necessary so that it fits with just a little overlap at the back seam.
Once you have gotten the skirt sewn into place, you can sew up the crotch.  Leaving it open until this step allows you to get your hand inside as you sew on the skirt.  Lap the front of the crotch over the back and secure with a few hand stitches.
Now you can trim your skirt to the desired width.  Cut through all layers of the tulle trimming off at least one inch or more depending on your preference.  Separate all the layers to "fluff" the skirt and put it on the little hanger. 

I think my granddaughter, who is coming for Christmas, will really enjoy seeing this little ornament on the tree.

Update for 12/15:  I have entered this ornament in the CSI Handmade Ornament Challenge.  You can click on the title for this blog to visit the site and see all of the entries.