Christmas Presents: Apron and Tutu

While coming up with Christmas present ideas this year, we tried to come up with things for our kids that were practical and that they would also enjoy. And that wouldn't lead to more toys being thrown all over the place and abandoned after 2 days. Here's what I came up with:

An apron for Noah--he loves to help in the kitchen



A tutu for Maren--she loves shoes and pretty clothes.


For the apron, I bought 1 yard of fabric (I had quite a bit leftover so if you're feeling stingy, you could probably get by with 3/4 or 7/8. heck just get the whole yard!) I didn't use a pattern and I wanted it to be a surprise so I got a shirt and a pair of pants from Noah's dresser and laid them together like they would look on a person. I used that to gauge the width and length of the apron. I fold the material in half and cut out half an apron on the fold. I cut it a little bit larger for the seam allowance. I cut out 2 4-inch-wide strips for the ties (maybe 12 or so inches long?) and then a longer strip for the neck strap. I cut out a square to add on as a pocket. I folded the seams under twice and then zig-zag top-stitched all of the seams. Can't wait to see it on him!

For the tutu, I bought 2 6-inch rolls of tulle. (one light and one dark shade of purple). One roll has about 25 yards and costs $3. I got a 1-inch elastic. I measured Maren's waist and subtracted 3 inches since the elastic will stretch as you are making the tutu. I sewed the elastic into a band. I cut the tulle into 24-inch lengths. I pulled the elastic band onto my thigh like a garter and watched The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency season 1. I layered 2 pieces of tulle together (dark+light), folded them in half. I put the fold underneath (just barely) the elastic on my leg, then threaded the 4 ends up over the band and through the loop, then pulled the ends back towards my body till the knot was tight. I used both rolls up completely although I could have used a couple more strands. My daughter is 18 months old so if you are making a larger tutu, you would probably need to buy 4 rolls of tulle if making a two-toned tutu, or 3 rolls if making a solid color tutu.