Guest blogger Caitlin of An Enchanted Box on Etsy is back with the final installment of her Cotton Candy Troll series; a Troll Doggie Tutu! Caitlin is guiding us through a whole series of Troll inspired DIY tutu projects You can find the Cotton Candy Troll Tutu Dress tutorial here and the troll hair headband here!) The headband was created with The Hair Bow Company supplies below, but if you aren't a DIY'er yourself, you can find a selection of fun tutus and similar items available ready to go at An Enchanted Box!  

Imagine how adorable your little girl will be when she goes trick-or- treating in her Cotton Candy Troll dress with her puppy following behind in his matching Cotton Candy Troll Doggie Tutu! A handful of supplies from The Hair Bow Company and these easy directions and you’re ready to make your dog their own troll costume!

Materials:

Turquoise 1.5” Crochet Headband

Tulle:

Turquoise

Deep Purple

Hot Pink

Additional Items:

Scissors

Recommended:

DVD Case

Step One: The Waistband

The first step in making your doggie tutu will be measuring the waist of your pup. Generally, I have

found that the standard 1.5” crochet headband works well for dogs 10 – 45lbs but of course this

depends on the build of your dog. If you need the waistband to be larger, simply take two of the 1.5”

crochet headbands and cut along the seam to open them up. Then stitch by hand or, with your sewing

machine set to a zigzag stitch, sew them together to make it the adequate length. You want the doggie

tutu to be snug enough that it doesn’t spin around or fall off but loose enough that they are

comfortable.

Step Two: Cutting the Tulle

I recommend cutting your tulle strips to 10” in length. If you are using just one 1.5” crochet headband

this means you will need a little less than 8 yards of tulle per color. If you have a taller dog, then you

may consider making it longer but 10” is usually plenty for the doggie tutu. Just a tip, the standard

DVD case is 5” in width thus it will speed up the process of cutting the tulle considerably if you use it

to wind the tulle around before cutting.

Step Three: The Pattern

To make the striping bold, make each color three holes wide and then switch to the next color.

Therefore, the pattern will be: Pink, Pink, Pink, Purple, Purple, Purple, Turquoise, Turquoise,

Turquoise, Pink, Pink, Pink, etc. If you want your stripes to look more blended, then switch colors

every hole.

Step Four: Counting Squares

Beginning at the seam, count how many squares are along the bottom of your 1.5” crochet headband (it

doesn’t matter which you use as the bottom or top). Now, divide that number by three as we will be

adding tulle to two-thirds of the headband. If your number does not divide evenly by three then make

the extra numbers part of the skirt because a little extra fluff never hurt anyone! You do not want to

add tulle to one third of the headband as this part will sit along their belly. This will make your life

much easier as they will be able to walk, sit and do their business without you worrying about the tutu

getting dirty – trust me! Make sure that the seam is in the one-third section under their belly so that it

does not show.

Step Five: Attaching the Tulle

Once you have cut the tulle and determined where the two-third square begins, it is time to attach the

tulle! You will be tying three strips of tulle around the solid square of the bottom row. Take three strips

of tulle that you will be threading into the hole above the square, layer them on top of each other and

then fold them in half to find the center thus making your tulle 5” in length. To attach the tulle to the

1.5” crochet headband you will implement a basic Larks Head knot. Don’t worry, it’s not one of those

complicated knots! All you do is take the tulle and, going in the direction away from you, push it

through the hole and out the other side a couple inches to create a loop. Take the tails of your tulle and

pull them all the way through the loop you made, and, presto!, you have yourself a Larks Head knot.

You’re just going to repeat that until you’ve reached the end of the two-third mark, being sure to

switch colors in keeping with the three-hole pattern. To get a cleaner look to your Larks Head knot,

roll the tulle between your fingers just before tightening it as this will keep all the fibers close together.

Step Six: You Did It!

Great job! Your pup is now all set for their night of trick-or- treating! You’ll find this completed doggie

tutu and more available on my store at www.etsy.com/shop/AnEnchantedBox

Resources:

Photos, DIY & Crafting Expertise courtesy Caitlin of An Enchanted Box

Special thanks to Ralph for being a perfect dog model! 

You can find tulle here at The Hair Bow Company.

You can find crochet headbands here at The Hair Bow Company.

Shop Caitlin's ready made tutu dresses and more here at An Enchanted Box.

Don't feel like DIY? We have a tutu for everybody, and our girl and baby tutus will also fit a variety of pets!