Crafty/sewing Mamas, a Little Help Please?

Updated on July 25, 2012
J.M. asks from Cleveland, TN
10 answers

I found an ADORABLE costume for my DD for Halloween this year (yes, I know it's early... but I found it randomly and decided that's what I what I want to dress her up as... lol)

The problem is that the darn thing is $150.00!!!! There is no way in HECK I am willing to pay that much on a costume she will only wear once or twice...

So I have decided to make it myself. I am hoping to find a way to cut the cost of even that, because I will be needing a lot of tulle for this costume (it has quite the tutu on it... lol.) I am hoping that if I make it well enough, I will be able to sell it next year and recoup some of what I spend on material... If not, I will pass it on to my SIL for her daughter, because she LOVES the costume as well... or maybe even save it for dress-up. :)

So, does anyone know of a good website where I can buy tulle really cheap? Or maybe a specific craft store that usually has good deals, or when to find the best sales? I have already checked out Amazon, and will probably be going that route if nobody knows of a better site. TIA!

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So What Happened?

http://pinterest.com/pin/143763413075359577/

^That is the link to the costume. :) I'm going to tweak it a bit, add a little bit of a top to it, and a matching jacket in case it gets chilly. :)

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S.S.

answers from St. Louis on

So excited! I am making my son an angry bird costume this year! :)

Just go to Walmart! They have great prices on all fabric, even tulle!! A dollar something per yard! :)

4 moms found this helpful

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K.C.

answers from Washington DC on

I have probably 20 yards or more of shiny white tulle left over from our wedding. It's just sitting in the basement ... For 5 years or more. If you'd like, I'd be happy to pack it up in one of the small one price shipping boxes from the USPS and send it to you. DS is not likely going to be interested in tulle ... PM me your address if you want it. Best wishes.

5 moms found this helpful
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V.P.

answers from Columbus on

If you have a smart phone, download the Joann's app - you can get coupons right on your phone while you're shopping if you forget the paper ones, like I do!

4 moms found this helpful
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L.D.

answers from Dallas on

Tulle is pretty cheap to begin with. It should only be a couple of dollars a yard. You can get it at Joann's. Also - look online for a coupon and check their specials. You can normally get a 40% off coupon for one cut of full priced fabric. So you should be able to get it, with coupon, for @ $1.20/yard.

Eta: Just saw the costume - easy peasy to make and should be super cheap. I would be surprised if you spent more than $20 on supplies

4 moms found this helpful

R.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Ditto what Leslie said. I bought tulle at Joann's for a canopy I made for my granddaughter's room, 4 yards of 2 colors each, and a yard and a half of a third color to make butterflies, I walked out feeling as if I stole it!

Joann's has the 40% off, sometimes 50% off coupon every week in their ad, and had or has a 20% off entire purchase coupon, check their website. If not this week keep checking, you have plenty of time to get it all together ツ

2 moms found this helpful
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J.G.

answers from New York on

Sometimes craigslist has fabric, also try fabric.com or etsy.com (in supplies) Or, while I think about it maybe ebay?

2 moms found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Joann's has a 40% off coupon in the paper every week, and I've signed up for their mailing list so I get them in the mail and in my email. I bought some amazing fabric there with a 50% off coupon to make a pirate coat for my husband 2 years ago.

2 moms found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from Cleveland on

Just wed gave me the idea, if you don't get it from her, there maybe other people out there having weddings that will have left over tulle. I use Freecycle.org for things like this. Just be smart about it, it's like craigslist but for free.

Aren't you going to tell, or even better show us the costume????!!!!! I'm so curious!!

1 mom found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Tulle is often on sale at Hobby Lobby and other places for a very low price. We never pay over $.88 per yard for it.

This is a recital year and our teacher is already watching the sale papers to get the patterns for $.99 and fabric at bottom dollar.

This costume won't cost very much at all.

Let's say you buy 20 yards of Tulle. Maybe 4 yard lengths. You'd need to experiment a bit now so you can see how full, how many yards is needed for the effect you want. This is where you get your colors figured out too. This one looks like it has orange and yellow tulle. You might find a different color that you want to add too.

Then lay one on top of the other. Once you get then straightened you pin it where you can do a basting seam down the long middle. This will keep the fabric together while you sew.

Then take the layered fabric and iron it on the long middle seam where the fabric is half as wide. Then you sew a long seam about 1 inch wide next to the basting stitches. This is the casing for the elastic.

Normally I'd measure and cut the elastic at this point but since there is so much tulle I would just thread the elastic through the casing and then sew it once the costume is fitted to her.

The other option is to actually take a long strip of fabric that fits around her breast with a little bit more and make a band. Then sew the gathered tulle onto it. Once it's all on you fold the fabric over and sew the gathered edges into a casing type top. The elastic still goes through this casing but it's often satin or some sort of polyester and it feels very nice against the skin.

You are basically making a long tutu and putting a ribbon on the neck to hold it up.

There are tutu patterns in the pattern books for both Simplicity and McCalls. You just adapt them by making the tulle longer in length.

If you google "how to make a tutu dress" you are going to find pages and pages of how to do this. You can make this dress for less than $30. Way less if you buy the tulle on sale at some local store then you may be able to make if for even half that.

If you are going out of town to someplace like Billings or even over into Idaho that has fabric stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's I would certainly keep a close eye on their sale notices so that you can get the best deal.

Amazon isn't bad but you need at least 2 colors of tulle and you may have to buy more than you need for this.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

If its for a simple tutu look at the tulle on haloheaven.com. They have some cheap stuff on there.

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