When people think of tulle fabric, they often think of tutus. There is a good reason for this association. The first time that tulle was spotted in public, it was being worn by a French ballerina.

Tulle is named for the city where–around 1700–the French first began to knit fabric in a hexagonal mesh similar to a honeycomb. Today tulle material is made of silk–or more commonly–nylon or rayon. It is still used to make tutus for the ballet as well as other garments where voluminous skirts are desired–such as wedding dresses. Tulle can also be incorporated into coats and jackets, children’s garments, and decorative items.

There are differences between tulle and netting. Usually netting is made from nylon. The warp and weft fabrics are looped or knotted to create open spaces in netting that are larger than the spaces in tulle. The fibers used in netting have a higher denier; in other words, they are heavier or thicker than those used for tulle. Sometimes netting and tulle are used together to create special effects and skirts with exceptionally large volume.

Illusion is a finely knit tulle fabric. It is often used in bridal veils because it is very sheer. Because the holes in illusion tulle are tiny, it does not tend to catch on the embellishments of wedding gowns.

Whether illusion, tulle, or netting–wash gently in cool water with mild soap. Hand washing is best. Depending upon the garment, machine washing tulle in a lingerie bag on a delicate cycle might also be acceptable. Mind what else is in the washer! Tulle fabric can tear on the zippers and hardware of other clothing in a washing machine.

People generally shop for tulle fabric by the yard. It is very thin and lightweight. Therefore, when you use tulle, you often need a lot of it. Missouri Star has tulle fabric for sale in 54” and 108” widths and a variety of colors. If you are looking to buy tulle fabric for tutus, wedding dresses or veils, prom dresses, costumes, children’s clothes, or those super-cute baby diaper covers, we are your answer for where to buy tulle fabric.