Tutu ruffles

2) Tutu ruffles

After making the pants, the layers of tutu net (or tulle) need to be cut. Tutu ruffles are cut in sections, which are overlapped when sewn onto the pants so that they look as if they are one piece. There are two reasons for that:

1) net and tulle are hard to work with; they are scratchy and tend to become statically charged. It is easier to cut the fabric as strips rather than one long piece and this also allows you to get even pleats and an even looking tutu.

Cutting tutu net.

2) To "dag" (cut the tutu's edge into shapes such as points or scallops), each piece is folded to a 1" strip and than cut once.

Dagging layers of tutu net

Tutu ruffles are not sewn together to form one piece. Something very important when overlapping the tutu ruffles is avoiding what I call "the gap" and the worst of all is the crotch gap. Nothing looks worse then when the ruffle overlap is placed in the same place on the tutu causing vertical lines. European tutus have a slight slope to them, with a modest dip in the front. This is achieved by alternating the direction of the ruffles seam allowance (one row has the seam allowance or raw edge facing up, the next row will have the seam allowance/raw edge facing down) not by misplacing the ruffle overlap.

The top row should always be sewn with the seam allowance facing down so that the ruffle falls down, creating a smooth finished look. If cording has been added to the bottom edge of the basque, the top row needs to fall smoothly below this cording.