Hello!

In a fit of laundry-procrastination Saturday, I decided to move the whole TexasNorth blog from blogger to wordpress.  I know, right?!  Crazy.  Here’s what I need you to do:  change your bookmark or favorites or bloglines to: www.texasnorth.com  That address will always bring you to me.

Everything from the original blog has been moved here, but I’m still working out a few kinks.  A couple videos and the last few comments never transferred over… so I’ll work on that.  I know a bunch of you link to other sites from here, so I’ll bring all those links over, too.  Why the change?  It was needed to help with the future website design, I love the extra control over my comments, and it’s just cleaner over here. I hope you like it.

Hi!  How are ya?  Shall we talk about tutus?  Great.  I’d love to. This weekend, Rylie attend her very first birthday party.  It was required that all guests wear pink.  I figured it was high time to find my crafting mojo again and head to Field’s Fabric.

Extreme details:  I bought 5 yards of pink and then a roll (pre-cut to 6 inches wide) of white and a roll of light green.  The pink tutu cost $7.50 plus extra time for cutting and such.  The green and white one cost $9.90 because the rolls are a bit more, but already cut for you.  You also need some elastic- I used 1/2 inch elastic. I think 1″ would work lovely as well. 

Now, simply take a measurement around the waist, or use their pjs as a guide if your child is peacefully napping when your crafting mood strikes.  Sew the ends together… or knot them, or glue them, or safety pin them.  Whatever floats your boat.  Tutus are made of tulle and will not last forever.  They will be worn as veils and hats and scarves and then pulled to within an inch of their elastic as a cage for a wild beast and then stomped on and thrown in the costume box.  Don’t knock yourself out.

Take your tulle.  If it’s on the 6″ roll, fabulous.  If it’s still in a big sheet, cut it down to long strips of 6″ wide pieces.  Now cut those 6″ wide strips into ribbons twice as long as the length you’d like.  The pink tutu was cut to 24″ (so, it hangs 12″ inches from the waist).  The green tutu has pieces that are 30″ long.

Now.  You should have a stack of tulle about 6″ wide and maybe 25″ long.  You should have a waistband of elastic.  Grab yourself a Coke and have a sitdown in front of the Gilmore Girls.  Slide the elastic up onto your leg- just over you knee.  Take one ribbon of tulle, slide it under the elastic, and tie a square or double knot to secure it to the elastic.  Slide that knot to the side, grab another ribbon of tulle, and repeat until all your pieces are gone.  It doesn’t matter how you make your knots… just make them the same way every time.  It’ll look fabulous, I promise.  

And there you have it.  Just a bunch of knots, Folks.  These are all over the web, all over craft fairs, all over everywhere.  It’s not a new idea.  But, it IS a quick and satisfying project for an hour.  Have fun 🙂  And, of course I’ll make you one if you just can’t handle the tulle.  I’d be happy to.  Just yell.

See you Thursday.  Right here.  Because this is where I live now.