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Recently, there was an event where my daughter needed a formal dress. We had a dress but wanted to make it a bit more special. So we decided to sew tulle to the skirt to make it more “twirlable” and fuller.

I also added another skirt layer out of taffeta to be a bit longer than the outer layer for some added flair.

Tips to sew tulle

There are two types – I usually call this tulle but I think technically it’s called netting. The weave is a bit larger and it is a bit stiffer than the softer tulle. However, the way they are sewn is similar. This stiffer type is suitable for adding volume to skirts.

Is it easy to sew tulle?

Yes! However, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Will tulle fray when cut?

No, and that is part of what I enjoy about using it. It doesn’t fray, and doesn’t need a hem. However, because it does not get hemmed, you do need to be precise when cutting tulle.

Sewing tulle seams

I use a straight stitch but some people prefer using a small zig-zag stitch. Like any sewing, different machines can behave a little differently, and it’s a good idea to test your stitches on some scrap material.

Sometimes the netting can get caught in the opening of the presser foot, so watch for that while you are sewing. If that happens, I put the needle in the fabric, gently lift up the presser foot, and resolve the snag.

When seaming pieces together, you may wish to do a French Seam. I have a tutorial on sewing French Seams here.

How to sew tulle tiers to a dress for more volume

Back to my project! Here is how to sew tulle tiers to a dress or skirt.

Determine your tier dimensions

First, determine the height you want your tulle tiers to be. I lifted up the skirt and measured the height I wanted my lower tier to be.

Then I doubled it, as the tulle will be folded in half lengthwise with the cut edge running along the bottom and the folded edge along the top.

Determining the length of your tulle

There isn’t a hard and fast rule for this, but if you are sewing on a gathered tulle tier, you want it to be 2-4 times the measurement of your skirt circumference.

Cutting tulle

One tricky thing about using tulle is that you can’t mark it with regular marking tools like chalk or pens.

If you have a cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter, this is a bit easier. However, you need a really large one for this project and mine wasn’t big enough.

What I ended up doing was measuring up from the bottom and pinning it with my flower-head pins. Then I cut it with scissors.

Gathering tulle

Fold the tulle in half lengthwise. Sew two rows of gathering stitches along the length of the fabric, about 1/2″ to 3/4″ down from the folded edge. A gathering stitch is sewn with the longest stitch length (usually a 4). Do not backstitch at either end as we need to pull the threads.

Hold the bobbin threads and pull the fabric along the threads to gather it. This will take a bit of time and finessing to get it evenly gathered to the length you need.

Pin the tulle tier to the skirt

Use pins with a large plastic head or safety pins, as regular pins will just fall through the holes. These are the ones I used here.

Pin your tulle layer to your skirt all the way around at your desired length. Ensure that it is sticking out past the skirt evenly around the bottom.

Sew tulle tier

Sew all the way around, making sure that you are sewing the gathers evenly. I overlapped the edges of the tulle tiers instead of sewing them together so they wouldn’t be seen under the overskirt. If desired, you can sew the edges together to create a loop before pinning it to your skirt.

I decided I wanted more fullness, so I repeated the process to create a second tier of tulle.

Sewing and additional skirt layer

I decided to sew a skirt out of taffeta to go over the tulle and under the outer layer as well.

I laid the dress overtop of my taffeta fabric and traced around, a bit larger than the skirt.

I then used this as a pattern to cut 3 pieces. I seamed them together at the sides. It turned out I needed to trim the fabric a bit at the bottom so it hung evenly.

I serged the top edge, ran a gathering stitch through it.

Next, I gathered it and stitched it in a similar way to the tulle tiers. I then hemmed with a small hem.

I also added a ribbon around the waist for some extra detail.

Here is the final product – much more volume and flair than the original!

If you haven’t tried something like this before, I encourage you to sew tulle as a way to add a unique touch to clothes you already have.

Related blog post about sewing tulle: Sew a cloud tutu costume