Tulle-ing Around

If you've been a Bean In Love reader for awhile, you might remember when my sis and I made her mantilla veil.  On the blog front, that post has actually been one of the most popular.  Recently, I received a request asking to detail the "step-by-complicated-step" process on how we cut the tulle.  So, there's no time like the present to write a post about it and no time like now considering I probably should have explained myself awhile ago.  Anywho, meet my subject:


A piece of computer paper stepping in for a piece of tulle today.  This is actually how the seamstress at the bridal shop we inquired at instructed us to cut the tulle - a little piece of processed tree.  :)  If you are cutting your own tulle following this tutorial, I'd recommend practicing on a piece of paper first, that way, you'll have a guide of your own.

When you arrive at home with your tulle and lay it out - preferably on a large, flat, clean surface (we used the floor), it should just look like a big rectangle.  Before you start cutting out the rounded shape that will be your veil, you need to cut the tulle to your desired length.  For example, my sister is about 5'6", so we cut hers at 8 feet.  Tip:  Put your wedding dress on and hold the top of the tulle to the desired place on the top of your head, then make a mark on the tulle at the point you'd like it cut - my sister wanted hers a couple of feet longer than her dress' train.  So, after this step, you should once again have a large rectangle.  Side notes:  1)  If you had it cut at your desired length at the fabric store, there's no need for this step and 2)  we left the tulle the width it came, if you'd like it narrower, you'll also have to cut down the long way.

And now we get to the possibly complicated part...I'll try my best to show you exactly how to cut.  First, fold the tulle/paper in half longways (along the dotted line) like so:



Then, fold it again (along the dotted line) so that the bottom meets perfectly with the side (you should now have a triangle):


(Realized after posting this pic that my wedding ring is still sitting in the tray by my sink after I took it off to paint yesterday...oops!)

Now comes the critical part - cutting.  To get a perfectly rounded bottom, you'll need to cut a slight curve from the top right edge of the triangle to a point about 1/4 of the way up the left (angled) side of the paper/tulle.



The hard part is over!  Unfold your tulle/paper and you should have this goin' on:


The reason I emphasize cutting a slight curve is because if you cut anymore than that, you'll get this shape at the bottom of your veil:

Cute shape, not so cute for a veil.

However, if you don't cut enough of a curve, you'll get sharp edges and a rounded square, in which case, just go back and cut a little more. 

Unfortunately it's hard to give approximate measurements on how far up you should cut since I don't have an actual piece of veil tulle in front of me nor did my sister and I measure.  The best advice I can give is to cut a little and then cut more if, after unfolding your cut veil, you'd like more of a curve (in which case you'd need to go through the folding process again, no biggie though).

So, after following those steps, you should have a rounded bottom.  Now we move up to the top rectangle.  In order to get that cascading look down the front, you'll need to round the upper two corners so...

First, fold in half (longways again):

Then cut off those corners:

If you've stuck with it and followed these steps and your tulle/paper looks like this, then well done!

Onto attaching the comb.  For my sister's veil, we gathered a small section of tulle at the top in order to attach the comb.  The red pen shows what I mean:


On my veil, the entire top width was gathered (using a basting stitch - which is just a very wide, straight stitch - usually temporary but in this case, permanent) and then attached to the comb.  For a mantilla veil, you want part of the top edge of the veil to fall on each side of the face and upper body, then flow into the rounded corners, and cascade down.  Make sense?  I hope so...

So, after you've attached the tulle to your comb (we just hand stitched that baby on there with strong, clear thread), it's time to attach the lace.  My only recommendation regarding the lace is to have the ends meet in an inconspicuous spot, like the side of the veil where it cascades, and therefore 'hides' the ends. 

 As far as attaching the lace, we simply used a basting stitch and clear thread and it worked like a charm...no glue required.


If you've got the time (and good family/friends to help), it's so worth trying to make your own veil.  The mantilla veil my sister wanted at a bridal shop was priced at $750 (not including tax!) and for under $100 (85 beans to be exact) we made our own and, in my own honest opinion, it looked just as good and is fully loaded with lots of love, sisterly bonding, and great memories.  I hope this tutorial helps anyone who's up for the well-worth-it challenge.  Of course, feel free to email me at beaninlove@gmail.com with any questions and/or pictures of your creations!  Happy cutting, sewing, and wedding planning! 




Farrah and Patrick's wedding pictures were taken by the incredible Sean Lata.  :)

21 comments

  1. This is great! thank you so much. I actually doing a cathedral/blusher so I'm guessing that I should just round out both ends? Thanks for the post!

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    1. Awesome! Yep! I'd say round out both ends! Have fun and congratulations! :)

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  2. I will definitely be doing this! Cathedral length mantilla veils are SO overpriced! How wide was the veil you made?

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    1. Hi Morgan!!! I can't remember exactly so I asked my sis and she thinks it was 72 inches wide. She said the fabric store (JoAnn's) had two widths of the tulle we purchased and she bought the wider one. Hope that helps and I'd love to see a pic of yours when you're done! You're so right! They are so over-priced! Bridal stores make a killing on them!!!

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  3. How do you keep the lace from folding and rolling? I have applied the lace to the bottom and it seems to roll except on the sides where it is flat... thanks!

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    1. Hey! I don't remember having that problem! Sorry! The lace is rolling or the tulle? Maybe a warm ironing will help?

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    2. The lace. It is a 7.5 inch lace and I think there is just too much of a curve. The width is 54" and I'm thinking to widen it and try at least 74"... I can try the iron though! Thanks!

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  4. I hope you see this message! I am in step one of your paper and have a question - my tulle came from the store already folded; do I unfold it for this step? Right now my tulle has two layers.

    Thanks!

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    1. Hey! If your tulle came folded, there's no need to fold it again! Just make sure it's folded the long way (which it probably is since I think they store them on the bolts like that) and move on to folding the triangle. Hope that helps! I'd love to see how it turns out when you're done! :)

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  5. Hello,
    Firstly, woow! You sister looks amazing!! The veil is brilliant! Thank you for sharing this, I will be giving it ago! What tulle did you use?

    Thanks

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    1. She does, doesn't she? :) We just used some regular tulle we found at a local fabric store. It wasn't anything special. They had two kinds of tulle - the one we used which had smaller holes and one with larger holes and more of a mesh feel. I hope that helps! I'm sorry I don't know the exact tulle! :)

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  6. Hello! Im also making the veil for my cousin's wedding and round this post! Thanks for sharing and giving us DIY'ers hope! Such an amazing job that you ladies did on the veil :) I hope I can do the same for my cousin's too.

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    1. Thanks!! You just made my night! I'm sure it'll turn out beautiful! :)

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  7. Beautiful!!!
    How much lace (yardage) did you use?

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    1. Hi Lisa! Sadly, neither of us can remember. I'd just measure from the top of the head to the bottom edge/length of the veil, multiply that by two, and then add a couple of yards for around the bottom curve. Hopefully that will get you enough! Good luck!

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  8. Hi! This is the best tutorial for cutting the tulle! Thanks for putting it out there for us to find :-) I plan on taking some lace from my wedding gown (totally 1980's, lol) and place it on the veil for my daughter. Love the inspiration!!

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    1. Hey Karen! I'm so glad it was helpful! I LOVE that you're using lace from your gown for her veil! So special and beautiful! <3

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  9. Your description of cutting was so far the best when it's shown with paper it makes it so much easier to understand thank you so much

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  10. Oh good! I'm so glad it was helpful. :)

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  11. To get a perfectly round edge at the bottom, after you've made the second fold to create the triangle, measure along the top of that triangle, ie, from one side to the other across the width of the fabric. This will also be equal to half the fabric's width when its fully laid out. Then, measure along the diagonal (long) edge of the triangle and put a mark at the same distance away from the top left hand corner of the triangle. So if your fabric width is 80inches, half is 40inches, and you need to measure 40 inches down the long side of the triangle and make your mark. Then cut your curve to hit that mark.

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