Hilltop Academy - How I Pancaked a Tutu and Lived To Tell About It

Jun. 9, 2008

How I Pancaked a Tutu and Lived To Tell About It

Posted in humor

Basically, pancaking a tutu involves taking a large, elasticized ball of tulle, which I guess you could say is more in the popcorn or dumpling state, and using needle and thread to turn it into more of a pancake shape. It also involves frustration, tears and suicidal thoughts.

Annaleigh has been taking ballet lessons for seven years, and I have yet to be required to pancake a tutu. She has worn tutus as part of her costumes before, but for some reason they already came pancaked, I guess. Why this one didn't, I don't know. Actually, I'm not even sure why ballerinas are required to wear tutus. I guess it's along the same line of reasoning as male dancers wearing such tight leotards that it looks like they have live squirrels stuffed in their drawers (and to give credit where it's due, I borrowed that colorful analogy from an old Dave Berry article, but I've always thought it to be scarily accurate).

Regardless of the "why's", Annaleigh came home from ballet class in late April carrying this large ball of white tulle and proceeded to tell me that I was required to pancake it. The teacher had apparently given them oral instructions in class to pass on to their mothers. Obviously, she is not the parent of a pre-teen girl, because Annaleigh's instructions to me went a little something like this: "Well, first you get a piece of thread about so long (she demonstrates with her hands) and then you sew through all the layers, and then you......Well, I can't really remember if you cut it and knot it there or not. Oh well... anyway, then you sew through just about three of the layers and then cut it and knot it...maybe. It's supposed to go diagonal. Oh yeah...and always start from the bottom. And you just go all the way around. And it's supposed to be about three inches thick when you're done." I went to bed that night and cried my hormonal self to sleep.

And then I procrastinated. I waited until two days before her recital, and then finally I sat down with my popcorned tutu, determined to transform it into a pancaked tutu. Annaleigh sits on the couch beside me and says, "Ya' know Mom, my teacher really wanted to see the tutu finished before the recital. She said if it wasn't pancaked correctly, that we'd have to rip it out and do it over again." I gritted my teeth and said, "Oh yeah? I'd like to see her make me." Annaleigh then decided to just go read in her room.

Here I am mid-pancake with a look of utter frustration and consternation on my face...

Right after this picture was taken I burst into tears and shoved the whole stinkin' tutu into a paper shredder.

Not really. But only because I don't own a paper shredder.

Actually, when all was said and done, somehow I got that stinkin' tutu pancaked. See....

Annaleigh's look on her face denotes embarrassment over having to pose like this in our front yard when people were driving by and staring....not dissatisfaction over her tutu. She was actually quite pleased with her tutu, and only said once that her teacher might have me do it over again, to which I again gritted my teeth and said, "I'd like to see her try and make me."

And to think, that a few years ago I used to think this was difficult....

I can now do those buns in my sleep. I guess in a few years I might be able to pancake a tutu in my sleep as well. But I kinda hope not.

Finally, here is the tutu in action....

Not bad, if I do say so myself.....and I mean that for the ballerinas and my tutu!

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Comments

Jun. 9, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by jenn4him

Oh how lovely! I can't believe that you made that! Looks like you even put sequins around the edge? Wow! And she did a fine job. Very lovely.
Jenn