Sisu Inspired Dress: Attach Tulle Skirt to a Dress

Attach a tulle skirt to a dress for a one-of-a-kind outfit.

My now 6-year old daughter loves Sisu, the blue and purple dragon from Raya and the Last Dragon. Interestingly, she hadn’t seen the movie when she chose Sisu as her birthday theme.

Our Sisu birthday wouldn’t be complete without a birthday dress. Check out how we celebrated the Sisu-themed party. Making a dress from a pattern is rarely simple; I inevitably mangle, then re-sew the bodice and sleeves. We took the easy route this year, using an inexpensive, store-bought dress as the base and adding an overlay tulle skirt. Tulle is such a forgiving fabric, this is an easy sewing project. The tulle skirt doesn’t need a hem and slightly uneven cuts either aren’t noticeable or are easily trimmed.

Another benefit of using tulle is the cost; tulle is inexpensive and comes in lots of colors. Our Sisu inspired dress cost $15 (before tax): $9.00 Cat N’ Jack dress from Target; $4.50 for 3 yards of tulle (1 yard of each of 3 colors); and $2.00 for floral trim. Look for a simple dress with a plain bodice and elastic waistband.

The blue, lavender and purple tulle skirt resembles Sisu’s flowing mane. My daughter loved twirling in her poofy birthday dress while pretending she was Sisu. For Halloween, she paired her Sisu dress with mermaid leggings from last year’s mermaid penguin party theme. This simple tulle skirt overlay can be used for other birthday themes or even to spruce up a plain dress.

Looking for other sewing projects? Check out some of our favorites:

• Encanto Isabela-Inspired Dress
• Stuffed Animal Mermaid Tail
• Kids Outdoor Pants
• Baby Blanket Lap Quilt
• Girl’s Tiered Skirt

Attach Tulle Skirt to a Dress – Materials

How to Attach Tulle Skirt to a Dress

1. Design Sisu Inspired Dress

Using images of Sisu (we borrowed a Raya and the Last Dragon book from the library), have the kiddo sketch a Sisu inspired dress. Describe how and where the tulle skirt will be attached to the dress, but don’t let logistics limit the kiddo’s creativity. Explain that the child’s design will be used as inspiration and that the actual dress may be different. I also drew the basic design to calculate measurements.

2. Cut Tulle for Skirt

Our dress measured 16″ from the waist to the bottom hem. We decided to cut tulle squares 11″ long and 9″ wide.

Fold tulle in half along the width (lining up the selvage edges). Fold in half again to form 4 layers. Smooth tulle so it lays flat. Square up the bottom edge by trimming any uneven bits.

Measure 11″ from the bottom and cut a strip. Repeat to cut a second strip. Then cut strips into 9″ wide blocks.

Repeat for other 2 tulle colors. We cut 36 blocks for a 26″ waist circumference.

3. Baste and Gather Tulle Skirt

Increase sewing machine stitch length to a basting stitch. Sew basting stitches 1/2″ from top edge of one tulle block. At the end of the block, add a different color tulle block and continue basting stitch. Continue until you have connected 7-8 tulle blocks.

Gather the tulle by holding the free end of 1 basting string and pushing the tulle down the string. When tension on the string feels tight, spread the gathers along the tulle strip, then continue pushing tulle down the basting string. For our Sisu inspired dress, a length of 63″ (7 blocks) compressed down to between 5-7”. Trim strings.

Continue basting and gathering all tulle blocks.

4. Attach Gathered Tulle to Dress

Pin gathered tulle to dress waistline. Tulle is slippery, so pin every 1”. We added the tulle above the waistband to avoid interfering with the elastic. Return sewing machine to regular straight stitch. Sew tulle along basted stitch line, backstitching at each end.

5. Option: Add Trim To Waistband

We added floral trim over the skirt’s stitch line, letting the tulle edge show over the top of the trim. Another option is to use a wider trim to cover the tulle edge or omit the trim altogether.

Cut trim the same length as the dress waistband. Pin trim over the tulle, covering the stitch line. Use coordinating thread color so stitches don’t show on trim. Sew with straight stitch, backstitching at each end.

Clip tulle with scissors.

6. Option: Add Tulle to Sleeves

The sleeves on our base dress had a rolled cuff, which we used to add tulle detail. Remove the stitches holding the rolled cuff. Cut 2 blocks of tulle 8″ wide and the same length as the sleeve circumference (our sleeves were 12″ around, so we cut 2 blocks 8″ x 12″). Fold in half lengthwise and fold again. Pin folded tulle.

Insert folded tulle into the cuff and pin in place. Sew 1/8” from the sleeve fold with a straight stitch, backstitching at each end. Use coordinating thread color so stitches don’t show. Cut top folds on the tulle.

How to Involve Kids and Attach a Tulle Skirt to a Dress

If your kiddo is old enough to sew, work together through the steps to attach a tulle skirt to a dress. For younger kids, encourage them to design the dress, select the fabric and measure the strips. Tulle is such a light fabric, the kids can cut tulle strips with safety scissors. Smooth any jagged cuts with fabric scissors.

My 4- and 6-year olds each sat with me while I sewed the basting stitches onto the tulle. We talked a lot about keeping hands away from the needle (and I sewed as SLOW as possible). If your kiddos aren’t ready to tackle the sewing machine, have them watch you sew. Kids will learn a TON about sewing just by watching and listening to you explain the process.

Attach tulle skirt to a dress and let us know how it goes.

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