Semi-true story: I wore my homemade tutu into work and my editor saw it and dragged me into an office and was all, “Um, why are you frontin’ like that, J to tha Elig?” and I was all, “Seriously, G, I need to represent for all my sugarplum fairies,” and she was all, “Aiiight. Peace.”

There is nothing as easy to make as a homemade tutu, and yes, it is the perfect way to represent for your sugarplum fairies. Now you can grand plie the day away.

What you need:

Elastic, preferably 61/27-inch wide, needle and thread, several colors of tulle (I get about five yards of each color, but you can use more or less, depending on your hip width).

Directions:

Wrap elastic around your hips once to measure; add on about an inch and cut your strip. Sew the ends together. This will be your face.

Fold the tulle in half lengthwise and cut into 2-inch strips widthwise. Knot a strip onto the elastic. Repeat until elastic is covered. Tulle will “foof” out on its own.

Magic 3

1: The newly formed Indy Craft Mafia is set for its first meeting, at 6 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Earth House Cafe, 237 N. East St. What’s a Craft Mafia, and does a godfather oversee it all? Will they make you an offer of hand-knit goods you can’t refuse? Find out at www.indycraftmafia.com.

2: Gnosis, now at its new 823 Broad Ripple Ave. location, presents something for all the furries out there: Squish Factor, a custom plush show. The Dec. 5 show, from 6 to 10 p.m., features handmade plush toys by youandyourlittlebrother, Sock Zombies, Catberries and Felties. Visit www.gnosisstore.com for more info.

3: Looking for ideas for handmade gifts this holiday season? Riffle through “Best of Instructables, Volume 1,” by the contributors to Make Zine. The softcover book ($34.99, O’Reilly) features step-by-step instructions for more than 120 projects such as teddy-bear earmuffs, light-up umbrellas and dinosaur cakes.

Fashionably Speaking

I’ve heard more than one person make sweeping statements about ugly holiday sweaters. “Everyone has one. You can’t avoid them.”

This just goes to show what happens when you make generalizations. I do not have an ugly holiday sweater. My mom has stopped trying to give me ugly holiday sweaters, but the sad truth is, now I kind of want one.

The ugly holiday sweater is an item of unique construction. It combines the colors and the feel of the season, throws in a couple more colors for good measure, then slaps a sparkly snowman on top. Wow.

And although you might pull your ugly holiday sweater off a rack that has 12 more of the same, there is something about each sweater that makes it one-of-a-kind.

Celebrate your ugly holiday sweater at Indy.com’s Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, Dec. 5 at Buck Wildz in Broad Ripple. Eat, drink and be merry and meet folks who, unlike me, have not managed to avoid the ugly holiday sweater.