Since tulle is a lightweight, “airy”, fine mesh material, it lends itself nicely to a variety of decorative applications.Especially more lighthearted events such as baby showers, wedding receptions, weddings and young girls birthdays.Tulle is a must for wedding favors and is perfects “fillers” at larger events. A nice spin on this timelessdecorating material are what are referred to as wedding “pom poms”, these consist of tulle and rhinestones.They can also be used as a tulle garland that you can string along door-openings, handrails or as a substitute forthe more traditional tulle pew bows. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Wedding Decoration Pom Poms
What you need:
50 yards of Tulle, the color of your choice (this will yield about 20 tulle poofs)
Rhinestone Stickers (8-12 per tulle poof) or thin wire
Wire Cutters
1 piece of scrap cardboard
Fishing line or ribbon
Scissors
Directions:
1. To make 1 poof, cut the tulle into 2 1/2″ long pieces.
2. Cut your cardboard into a 4″ x 6″ piece and wrap your length of tullewidth-wise around the cardboard until you reach the end. Then pull the tulle away from the cardboard without disturbing the shape.
3. Then take a piece of string or wire and tie it around the bundle of tulleto create a a bow-like shape.
4. Use the scissors and carefully cut each tulle bow end.
5. Proceed to make it into a “poof” by pulling the layers towards the center of the bow. This is where you fluff and shape it until it’s a nice symmetrical round poof. Some additional trimming may be necessary.
6. Randomly squeeze your rhinestones into place until they stick (glue can also be used).
7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 until you have the desired amount of tulle bows.
*For individuals:
slip fishing wire through the center of and then hang
*For garland:
slip the fishing wire through like you do for the individuals but keep stringing them along the line
Tulle tutu’s make great accessories for kids’ toys such as baby-dolls and stuffed animals. The following tutu tutorial requires little time, can be done with your child and can be done under a few dollars. I recommend that you create it with vibrant colors and that you experiment a little bit to put your own little spin on it. Enjoy!
What you need:
A doll or a stuffed animal
4 pieces of tulle netting cut into 1/2 yard strips
1 colorful ribbon
Scissors
Directions:
1. Take each piece of tulle netting and cut it into dimensions that are 3 1/2 inches wide and
14 inches long.
2. Tie the ribbon around the doll or stuffed animal (just above the waistline).
3. Fold a strip of tulle (start with color #1) in half.
4. Take the folded edge of the tulle and pull it under the ribbon that’s tied around the waistline making a loop. Finish by pulling both ends of the tulle through the loop you just made.
5. Keep repeating this process using alternating colors until the entire waistline is covered with tulle (keep in ming that you need to evenly space each one).
6. (Optional) Final touch could be to tie a piece of tulle around the head to resemble a tulle headband to tie the ensemble together.
Stumped for ideas on how to revamp and decorate an otherwise grim wedding reception? One simple solution that’s catching on is the use of Tulle as a plant base cover. This caught on as the result of some the restrictions that some churches place on what decorations they see fit to use. Meaning that some churches limit the amount of decor you can use inside, the workaround is making better use of the entry-way and steps via a tulle plant base. One great piece of advice that I heard recently was that to help maximize your budget one should utilize the decor that the church already available to cut costs. The plants might be all silk or they be a combination or real and silk, whatever the case you don’t want to pass on the opportunity to overlook free materials.
Tulle Plant Base
What you need:
1 to 2 inches of ribbon
1 to 2 yards of tulle for every plant and tree
Directions:
1. Place the base of the plant or tree in the center of your piece of tulle
2. Begin to wrap the tulle up the sides on the plant towards the top of the base
3. Using the ribbon, draw all sides of the top of the tulle together then make a bow
Remember when decorating that you should do so in threes, unless your doing something very symmetry driven (think lining each side of a staircase). Also, keep in mind of your surroundings to strategically cover up eye-sores such a utility box or light switch. Think and plan ahead then decorate, the decor will be much better and very little time will be wasted.
I stumbled upon a great complimentary article to The History of Tulle post that I made sometime back. Tulle time: the beauty of vintage tulle gives some backdrop as to the origins of tulle and what makes it a textile that has survived the fashion life-cycle time and time again. It also lends some great information about the modern day use of it and might provide one of you there with the inspiration to do your next project.
So go ahead and take a few minutes of your busy day to enjoy a very insightful article about what tulle is and what it was…fashion.
