Soft, Elegant and Very Sophisticated - Qualatex® Balloons and Tulle

U.S Patent No. 6,782,675

Recently I had my first experience of working with a tulle covered balloon. I have seen so many beautiful photographs of this effect and wondered how easy it actually was to do. 

These beautifully stylised balloons are perfect for so many occasions: weddings, baby, Christening and Baptisms to name just a few.Rather than starting out big, I opted to work with a Qualatex® 24" Deco Bubble Balloon®. I was unsure if the 24" Bubble would have enough lift to hold the weight of the tulle and all the extra accent details that I was planning to use, but without trying I would never know. My first step was to source the tulle. Tulle is a fine sheer netting that is used for bridal veils and wedding dresses. I would recommend that you find the finest tulle that you can. It is extremely lightweight and easy to work with. You also need to make sure that the fabric is wide enough to cover your balloon. I recently found an inexpensive supplier online in the U.K. that sold it in 112"(2.84m) widths, which is similar to how its sold in the U.S. 

Step 1. Inflate your 24" Deco Bubble with helium and close tightly using a 160Q balloon.
Step 2. Add a fine monofilament line to the Bubble to enable you to anchor the balloon to a weight.
Step 3. Cover the Bubble with the tulle and gather all the excess at the base of the bubble, secure with a 160Q balloon scrap, and then trim off all the excess tulle leaving a small amount to create a little "tutu" at the base. With a 24" Bubble you cannot leave too much tulle as it will add too much extra weight, especially if you are adding accent detail to the balloon. 
Step 4. To make the base,  use the following;

• 5 - 5" Pearl White inflated to 3"

• 5 - 4" Pearl Pink Microfoil Stars

• 5 - 5" Pearl Pink inflated to 2"

Start with the Pearl White cluster as the base. Next, add the layer of Pearl Pink Stars. Finish  with the final cluster of Pearl Pink latex. Secure these three clusters  together using a scrap of a 160Q. Add a weight to ensure that it is heavy enough to hold the Bubble Balloon.
Step 5. Secure the Bubble balloon to the base using the monofilament line.
Step 6. Add your accent details. I used little pink silk flower heads, tiny bubbles made from the tips of Pearl Pink 160Q and Rose 260Q, these were tied directly onto the monofilament line and finally, I added some fine pink satin ribbon as streamers.
That was my floating limit, I could not add anything else to this design as the Bubble Balloon was becoming heavy and I did not want the design to lose its lift.

Design by Zhenya Avetisyan, CBA, of Smile in Yerevan, Armenia.

Here are some more stunning designs using tulle to decorate 3' balloons.



This beautiful 3' balloon was made by Zhenya Avetisyan, CBA, of Smile in Yerevan, Armenia.


Zhenya made this design for a
"Baby Birthday" photo session.




She used a helium-filled 36" Pink latex balloon, covered it in a fine white tulle, and decorated it with a range of silk flower heads.

The picture below is simply adorable! For me, this photograph is a winner in every way! It is packed with emotion, happiness, love, and elegance, all wrapped up in one picture! The beautiful baby in her tutu completely captivated by this giant but extremely elegant balloon. Her smile says it all!

Design by Zhenya Avetisyan, CBA, of Smile in Yerevan, Armenia. Photograph by Ashi Baghdasaryan.

The stunning 3' balloon featured in this photograph is the work of Jacqui Young, CBA, of Classic Touch Balloons in Wishaw, Scotland. It was part of a stylised photoshoot commissioned by the Scottish Wedding Directory. Jacqui has worked with the Scottish Wedding Directory since its launch in 1996.

And finally, how about these stunning tulle covered Bubble balloons by QBN member Michelle Severino of Party Splendour in Riverwood, NSW, Australia. What a super way to attract the attention of passersby as they walk or drive past this "delicious" looking restaurant window! 

"Tulle balloons seem to evoke emotions from my customers. I've never had reactions like this before. My biggest seller now is my 3 tulle bubble bouquet with a twisted rattle at the base."

Michelle has many inspiring and creative designs using balloons and tulle on her website, check them out! www.partysplendour.com.au

Tulle covered balloons by Michelle Severino of Party Splendour in Riverwood, NSW, Australia.

I think that I would like to play a little more with this lovely effect and see what else I can achieve with balloons and tulle!
A huge thank you to Zhenya, Jacqui, and Michelle for sharing their designs and creativity with the Very Best Balloon Blog! 

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com