Sewing Tulle Into A Dress?

Question

for my Halloween costume, I need a wedding dress & couldn't find one. [yes, I looked @ Thrift stores.] So I'm using what I have. Last year, I was Marilyn Monroe, and have her white dress, and I want to turn that into a wedding dress. I bought 8 yards of tulle. [4 thick, and 4 thin], but have no idea how I should utilize it. Should i layer it underneath the skirt? Should I layer it on top? Should I do both? Is there a certain way it should be cut to make it layer better? As you can tell, I'm cluless. Any help will be appreciated!!

Answer 1

It really depends on what look you want. Some tulle is stiffer than others and consequently works better when using under a garment. (I'm not sure how the thick and thin are, but a quick call to the fabric store and they can help you there!)

Not knowing how full your skirt is, I suppose I would just do it over the dress and go for a punk look. I would vary the lengths of the tulle too and make some sections longer than others, even from front to back.

You could make a waist band out of ribbon and attach the tulle to it and then tie it around your waist too. Then you are not hurting your Marilyn dress and you can sew it all to the waist band you are creating. (Kind of like an apron.) I would sew it to the band and then cover over that with another layer of ribbon so it's nice and clean.

If you want an undergarment to puff out the skirt some, then you should make a skirt with differing layers of tulle. Probably 3 or 4 should do the trick.

Hope this helps you some!

Answer 2

I am presuming you have some sewing experience. So...depending on the style of the skirt now, you could gather long strips of tulle as wide as the additional length desired, and stitch it to the bottom of the skirt. If the skirt was form fitting just past knee length, you would have a mermaid-ish style (like the first Barbie Doll dresses).Several layers of heavily gathered tulle would be required. You may want to go ahead & gather multiple layers of tulle together for time's sake, but you'll need to "fluff" it up the layers after attaching it.
To gather the tulle: 1/2 " from top of tulle using long machine or hand basting stitch, stitch the desired length of the tulle, (2 or 3 times the circumfrence of the skirt's existing hem) pull thread thread to create gather. Attach the tulle to the inside of the shirt at the hem. Since it is a costume you don't need to worry about finish work, so just fluff the tulle until the cut ends are not noticable or stitch them or use double sided tape to hold them together if you want a more finished look. Tada...
Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I would take some plain white fabric, a strip about 6 inches wide and 20 inches longer than your waist. Fold it so you can find the center back. Now baste the tulle along one edge starting at the center back and working out to the sides, so that tulle would be on your sides and behind, but not in front. Sew extra layers behind. Then fold down the strip and sew it shut. Catch the tulle inside. Tie it into a pretty bow in front, then have someone trim the tulle with scizzors so it fluffs out in the back. Instant wedding dress, silly enough for Halloween.
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Answer 4

The Answer is NO! You can not sew a zipper on tulle!! The correct way is to sew the zipper on the actual liner/under fabric & the Tulle should be sewn loose as a open loop around the zipper. I made gowns for 35 yrs. Tulle can be a ***** on first try! Good Luck!