Finishing tutu's

I have finished the four tutu's I was making for the Nutcracker this year. I still have 2 volunteers working on the other 4. 

Waltz of the flowers tutu's.

Still more work to do, I need to fit them on the dancers they were made for, and add the hook and eye closures, sew the back straps in to the bodice. 

While I was perusing the internet, looking for more tutu's I came across this.....The New York City Ballet Costumer shop.

This is fabulous.

So cool. Oh how I wish I could have explored that place and picked their brains.

While looking at other tutu's; (because I may be insane) I came across some really great videos, and tutorials. As well as a great website to buy tutu's Prima Donna Tutu's. 

I just want to show you guys some of the fantastic stuff they offer.

All property of Primadonna tutu's.

Man o Man. I wish I could create something like this. 

All property of Primadonna tutu's.

They make these either custom, or you can get basic. I would have loved to buy tutus' from them but they are not kidding around. They will cost upwards of $500 a tutu. Which taking into account the work and struggle that goes into making tutu's, it would be worth it. (But out of the question for a some student ballet company's)

Well, inspiration for another day.

,Ruth

How to make a TUTU

In 2011 I was taking classes as Ballet New Braunfels, for exercise. I hadn't performed in a ballet since 2004, or on pointe. I tried to take ballet classes when I could because I got bored doing the elliptical and treadmill at the gym, plus, I never stopped loving to dance.

One of the dancers in the Nutcracker that year got injured, and so the director asked me to dance in her roles.

Again, I was 30 years old, hadn't danced on stage in 7 years, let alone on pointe and I foolishly said yes.

Well, that year I noticed that the costumes we were dancing in (namely the tutu's) had seen better days. They had originally been recital costumes which are really only made for one or two uses and were falling apart, and didn't fit very well. They had been used 5 years in a row, and they just weren't the kind of costumes you really need or want for a production like the Nutcracker. (You want costumes that really show off from stage, and that will hold up well to many uses) I said I would like to volunteer to help make some nicer, long lasting tutu's. Let it be known that I had only made tutu's once before. So, I went about it like a dressmaker/pattern-maker would. As opposed to  a ballet costumer would.


Last year we tackled Snow Tutu's.

Here was my idea.

The final product minus sleeves

Look better on the dancers than on my dress form. Still, I don't like
 the way I had gathered the tulle, it was expedient, but hardly the
kind of gathers you want on a tutu. Each layer should have been gathered separately,
rather than together. Lesson learned.

It was really just a constructed bodice, with an attached skirt of gathered tulle attached. Due to budget restraints, we only had maybe 6 layers of tulle gathered together, as opposed to 10 gathered separately and attached to a basque (waistband). A proper tutu is supposed to be 2 pieces, and attached later (or tacked). I hadn't done a bunch of research because I thought I knew everything already. (Spoiler alert: I did not)

They didn't really pop from stage

Costumes in 2011

Up-cycled costumes in 2012

Last year, being that I was 8 months pregnant and the due date was right before the Nutcracker, we "updated" the original pink waltz of the flower costumes, and said next year we'd tackle them from scratch.


This year, we tackled Waltz of the Flowers costumes.

Inspiration for new Waltz of the Flowers costumes.

My sketch

Finished costume

Again, this year we used the netting from the original costumes from last year, which was good due to budget, but bad because it is really stiff and gives a weird shape to the gathers. I used 6 layers of tulle above it, but that netting is just too stiff to have the fluff you usually associate with a romantic tutu. All the different colors are gathered separately, and attached to a basque, as opposed to last years tutu's.  I would have liked to have 4 layers of tulle for each color, but again, it just couldn't happen with prices. We went with two layers per color.

A tutu of this kind of construction would probably sell retail for about $300 or more. (not handmade but made in a factory) A regular recital costume would go for about $50. I was able to make these for $60 cost of materials, not including labor or design or development. I volunteered as well as some others. 

Again, this year I used a store bought pattern rather than draping my own for the bodice because why? It's there already and all I have to do is modify it a bit. I added 2 inches of overlap, for the hook and eye closures on the back, and also to allow for different size dancers each year. This is a student company so it doesn't require a certain body size. We will be making 8 this year. I went and did a step by step instruction manual that totaled at about 31 pages. With pictures and drawings. I guess I went a bit overboard but I wanted something that would be easy to follow with just a moderate amount of sewing experience, and when I am no longer able to volunteer, would be able to be followed again without my input. 

I have gotten some feedback from my volunteers about the issues with the instructions, so always, perfection is unattainable. It was nice to have a few hours to remember my designer days of constructing product packs and living in Adobe Illustrator. 

Now, I've got 3 more tutu's to construct, and miles more yards of tulle to go. I'm just glad that the temperature has dropped enough to make sewing in my garage much better. If only I could get rid of the mosquitos. 

In all the years I was sewing, my friends would jokingly call my sewing room a sweat shop. I would love to have those back, now I work in a real sweatshop, a garage, fraught with all the horrible conditions that usually come with working in an overseas sweatshop. Well, it's not that bad. But I like to whine and complain. It comes with being me I guess. 

When It comes to sewing rooms, I'm pretty lucky
because I have a space to do it. Most must just deal with
having no space at all to sew. 

finishing up projects--or not

The snow tutu's on some of the dancers

6 out of 8 finished-lets hope the last two get done before my little girl is born

finished arm bands

Finished the backing for the Big Brother Quilt, most likely will wait to quilt it till
after Lucy is born. (much after) My son getting ready to walk on it......
he's such a silly dude.

Halloween witches, me and my son were very very scary witches.
Especially me with my carpal tunnel wristband and my streaky (almost)
invisible green makeup.

tulle

I finished the top for the big brother quilt.

My pants-less assistant designer. aka, the big brother this quilt is for.

Then I started on the tutu's for The Dance of the SnowFlakes, in the Nutcracker.

This was a bigger job than the Waltz of the Flowers tutu's because we are starting from scratch.

Here was my original sketch.

Not quite finished but still looking good.

Now that the first is finished, next come seven more. I have volunteers for this part, so I will be only making three more. *Whew* load off my mind. I did put together a 9 page, how to with pictures and only 20 steps to just make the bodice. I'm still working on the same how-to for the tulle skirt. I had originally wanted to add sleeves, just little wisps to add some dimension, but depends on how much time we have. I have a big deadline (my delivery of this little girl) and of course it is 4 days before the Nutcracker premieres. It's like she KNOWS.

The tulle was a big of a pain to work with. I've worked with it  before, and still I forget how well, obnoxious it is.

Anyway, luckily, it doesn't show too many issues when you layer 7 layers upon one another. I still think it needs more layers of tulle, but because after 10 yards of tulle, 8 times over can get expensive. Even if it's only $1 a yard. (on sale) I used the tulle from last years tutu's and only got half what I would have liked at the store. Still I managed to get, hmnnn, about 40 yards of tulle. It took many trips to many Hobby Lobby's since it being around Halloween, tulle has been a hot seller.

Here are the headpieces that my Mother lovingly and kindly found and donated.

Until then,
Ruth

Project round up

So, I'm almost 8 months along in this pregancy. So that means that the nesting "urge" is pretty damned strong.

I've been working on a lot of projects, which was a bit of an issue since my sewing machine had to be repaired. I just got it back on tuesday, and am working on stuff I wasn't able to for awhile.

Here's one of them.

Working on the Big Brother quilt

Just sewed the strips together today on my wonderfully working Bernina. Its like butter!! I'll muck it up soon enough, but oh, I could barely even hear it working. Even with all the oiling and cleaning I do, (probably not enough) it never sounds like that except when it's been serviced. Thanks go out to the Sew Little Time Bernina and Quilt Shop in New Braunfels.

Snow Tutu bodice

I'm in the process of updating/making new tutus' for Ballet New Braunfels "The Nutcracker".

 Let's hope I finish them before the time I have this baby. I will need volunteers to make this a reality. ........anyone willing?

My mother made this for the nursery. I LOVE IT, but I'm not sure if I like
where i've put it, so  I'll have to find a better
spot. It's got the bluebird of happiness on it :)

Shelves above the changing table, and a print from my
lullaby book, "Somewhere over the rainbow"

I thought since so much of what I was doing
reminded me of rainbows, then this was perfectly appropriate.

The picture quality is so bad, I don't have any ability as a photographer, and also, I just have a point and shoot. And not a lot of time or inclination to take beautifully staged and well let photos. SO, well, it all looks better in person I'm afraid.

Just take my word for it.

Ruth

works in progress

Idea for the headpieces for Waltz of the Flowers. 

I know it looks HUGE, but for costumes you need to make things big. Remember the audience is at least 30 feet away, and under harsh stage lights, "subtle" washes out.

The big brother quilt

I started packing it up before I realized I hadn't taken a picture of it all laid out. Oh, well, here it is almost laid out completely.

Thanks to everyone who helped me, I was in a crazy daze yesterday and was no fun to be around. Thanks for putting up with me. I was at my wits end due to what I consider "crazy pregnancy hormones" and emerging allergies.

Ruth

Big brother quilt and tutu's

I've gotten all the pieces of the big brother quilt cut, now onto the piecing.

I haven't laid it all out yet, just trying out the rainbow effect so far. I'm actually hurdling through another project.

I'm re-making tutu's for Ballet New Braunfels' production of The Nutcracker.

I was in the Nutcracker last year, as a snowflake and a flower. This year, what with me being pregnant and delivering my daughter a couple days before the show, I wasn't up to performing.

So I took on a helping roll. I knew the costumes needed some help. I had worn them last year. They were recital costumes so not a lot of thought or care was put into their creation. So, I began jazzing up the flower costumes which were in better shape than the snow, and starting from scratch on the snow costumes.

It's a big project, especially since my sewing machine broke and is a the mechanic for the next two weeks. I hope for lots of volunteers from the parents to help.

This is what we started with for Flowers costumes.

Not bad, just not very WOW.

With a little rick rack and glitter, they are more fun to look at .

While working at my Mom's since her sewing machine still works.

Wish me luck you guys.

Ruth