another sequin tail

[Mermaid Enora]

I finally FINISHED my neoprene and sequin tail and took it for a photoshoot in Mexico.
The tail took me 9 months, mostly cause it was driving me too crazy to work on it non stop.
So now that its done, I'm going to be posting step by step on how I made it and where all the materials came from. It's going to be put up in spurts of info since I work at least three 12 hour days a week.

[Mermaid Galene]

It's perfect!

[MerShellly]

Congratulations! :) I also like your profile pic; the waterfall in the back is neat

[Mermaid Enora]

The waterfall is near my house!
So first up in any sort of project is knowing what you want to do.
I spent about a year or two stalking mernetwork before joining and I searched out and read everything I could
possibly find about neoprene and sequin mermaid tails. I also spent a lot of time going to home depot, dive shops, academy, sports authority, joanns, hobby lobby, and michaels looking at possible materials.
Then comes sketching out ideas and designs. I did a ton of sketches for tails, fins, fluke sizes and shapes.
Here's the final sketch that I went with for sequining the piebald pattern.
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[Yulia]

What type of monofin is in your tail?

[Mermaid Enora]

it's homemade, I'll be posting info and pictures about it soon

[Mermaid Enora]

so the next step in the process is acquiring the materials for the fluke.
I used lexan (its extremely durable and flexible) from home depot, everlast stainless steel bolts, nuts, and washers (also from home depot), and tyr burner EBP fins from sports authority.
The everlast nuts that I used are locking nuts.
They have a layer of nylon inside them and one they screw on they never come loose.
Lexan-$70
Fins-$35 plus shipping
Everlast-$30 (8 bolts, 8 washers, 8 nuts)
My dad cut the lexan with a jig saw and then I drilled holes in the lexan and fins for the bolts.
I used 4 bolts, washers, nuts per fin.
Two bolts below the toe area, one bolt under my arch, and one bolt on the outer side of my heel inside the fin. The only bolt and I can feel is the outer side, but its not uncomfortable. In fact I hardly notice it.
I drew the design I wanted for the fluke shape on paper first. When I cut it out I folded it over and cut it all at once so that both sides are exactly the same. Traced it on with sharpie and then had my dad cut it out.
My lexan has a square panel that comes up from the fluke and is bolted under the fins. I feel that I have better control over the fluke than if only my toes were bolted.
Pics.........!
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[Mermaid Enora]

On to the fabric and neoprene.
I bought a wetsuit jumper and 2 wetsuit tops all for $15 from a dive shop in Plano, TX. (Odd spot for a dive shop with hardly any water nearby) I cut off the top of the jumper and sewed the legs together. I used one of the zippers from the top and repurposed it for a zipper in the back of my legs. Then I made puzzle looking pieces of neoprene to cover the top and bottom of the fluke.
Everything is sewed together with suffix performance brand braided fishing line. It holds 50lbs and is 0.014"/0.35mm and is green in color.
All the seams are then glued with E6000.
Because of the patchwork on the neoprene, which is all sorts of different colors, I covered the whole tail in turquoise swim spandex from Joann's.
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The neoprene is 5mm

[Mermaid Enora]

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Just a layout of the mono fin, mono fin pocket, and leg pocket before sewing them together.
Also some neoprene booties I ended up not using and my bikini.

[lynsea]

REALLY IMPORTANT SUGGESTION HERE!!!

You are definitely going to want to make the center dip in that fluke into a circle. I recommend just drilling a bit out. Lexan is a bit finicky and having two sharp points meet like that is a recipe for disaster as it will likely snap at the point. It will make little impact on the shape of your fluke but it will save you money and a headache when you have to redo it later.

[Mermaid Enora]

Its already inside and glued down and covered with neoprene and sequins.
This is a backwards tail making thread, the tail's already done.
I haven't had any trouble with it and its been through some rough swimming, but thanks just the same!

[Mermaid Enora]

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I glued down the neoprene to the lexan fin with E6000. I weighted it down with books and weights to keep it completely flat while drying.

[Mermaid Enora]

I got tired of sewing the neoprene and glueing so I took a break to sew my top.
So here's a few pics of it in progress.....
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It's made from a rip curl bikini top and some dance tights.
I took the straps off the bikini top and cut off the top of the dance tights and sewed the top upside down on the bottom of the bikini top.
The dance tights top helps the bikini top stay put while swimming. I took some of the other parts of the tights to make up the back and straps of the whole top.

[Mermaid Enora]

The top is all sewed with fishing line. I tried with upholstery thread at first but as the top stretches to get it on the upholstery thread broke the first time I tried it on.

[Mermaid Enora]

more pics of the top!
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[Mermaid Pickles]

That. Is. Awesome. When sewing sequins on my stuff, I actually used clear thread that I got at Joann's...works pretty well, stretches a bit, and I haven't had any of it break yet.

[Mermaid Enora]

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Made some accessories too!
I glued shells to hair clips (from hobby lobby) with E6000
also tried out some white and sea green extension that I found at Ulta.

[Mermaid Enora]

Next, I tried out the leg portion of the neoprene at a local pool.
The first time I tried it the whole thing fell right to my ankles with the first kick of the mono fin.
Went home and put the leg neoprene on inside out and took big handfuls of neoprene on the sides and front and back, safety pinned it to my sides and when I could hardly get it on and off any more I sewed/glued it up.
Then I tested the neoprene on the fin to see how it worked.
Everything worked great so I sewed the whole thing together!
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[Mermaid Enora]

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I got some funny pics from cars driving by while trying this out in the front yard

[Mermaid Enora]

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more pics of all the patchwork sewing for the tail

[Mermaid Galene]

Impressive! The one thing I haven't mastered with neoprene tailmaking is how to avoid a big bunchy wrinkle at the ankles. I've adjusted my pattern a few times, and I still get a roll there. Yours is perfectly smooth!

[Mermaid Enora]

Well thanks, I haven't mastered it either. I have no idea how it happened that I have no wrinkles.
Honestly it was a surprise to me too! :)
The only thing I can think of is that I made it as tight as I possibly could.
Also I didn't use any patterns. I put everything on myself inside out and took the tucks in
the neoprene that way.

[Mermaid Galene]

Yes, that's probably the best approach. If I make another neoprene tail, I'll use my pattern, but take a few tucks in the ankle area as needed. I was in a bug hurry for the first two, and didn't have time for adjustments!

[Rebekah.fish]

This is super cool so far! Did u hand sew everything with that fishing line? U didn't use a sewing machine at all? Even for sequins??!

[Mermaid Enora]

No sewing machine involved!
I used 5mm neoprene and it was too thick for the sewing machine needle to get through so
yes every stitch was sewn by hand.

[Rebekah.fish]

Omg kudos to u

[Mermaid Riia]

Wow! You handy you :jawdrop:
It looks AMAZING! Really, can't wait to see this finished. Would you ever think of making a commissioned sequin tail ;) just curious
Keep up the good work! You rock

[Mermaid Enora]

Riiarin,
I have briefly entertained the thought of making custom neoprene and sequin tails with custom lexan monofins.
I could perhaps with practice crank a tail out similar to my own in four months. I only work 3 days a week.
My tail took nine months cause it was making me go stir crazy sitting all day and sewing and I had holidays, vacations, and ren faires all during that time too.
My estimated totally cost of materials for the tail is around $1500.
However that said I'm not sure anyone could afford the obscene amount of money required to convince me to make another tail not for myself. :)
The whole tail would probably start at $15000 just for my sanity of mind. It drove me so crazy making it all day everyday and it took so long.
I don't even think I want to make another tail for myself ever. I can't even convince myself to start anymore projects for a long time.

[Rebekah.fish]

I know exactly how you feel girl!

[Mermaid Enora]

Glad someone else knows of my pain and suffering!
Lol. :)

[Rebekah.fish]

I wanted to make a tail like yours but I couldn't make myself do it all by hand. My brain just could not handle it!

[Mermaid Enora]

I'm pretty sure mine fried a circuit or two in the making. :)

[Rebekah.fish]

Well I'm super excited to see how it came together though!! I'm about to start a tail myself :)

[Mermaid Enora]

Ooooh make your own thread for your tail!
im always interested to see how others made their tails esp sequins

[Rebekah.fish]

Okay! :) hey is it okay if I PM you?

[Mermaid Enora]

Sure!

[Mermaid Enora]

Time for an update!
So next step after sewing all the neoprene together is to try it out in a pool!
The only pool that would let me swim in my tail so far is the very tiny dive shop pool that's in Plano.
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[Mermaid Enora]

I tried my neoprene only tail out twice before I was happy with the fit. The first time I tried it I gave one kick with the fin and the whole tail swooshed right down to my ankles with the push of the water. hehe Not a good look for an aspiring mermaid.
I took it home and put it on inside out and took handfuls of neoprene and pinned it to myself as tightly as possible and then sewed it up by hand with fishing line. I used diaper pins from buy buy baby to pin the tail up since regular pins or even regular safety pins were not strong enough to hold up to the massive pressure I was putting on it.

[Mermaid Galene]

Looks like it swam well! But I think I see the familiar "fluke's climbing the stairway to heaven" phenomenon!

[Mermaid Enora]

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Initially I had a really hard time getting my feet into the foot pockets of my mono fin.
I tried attaching a strap to the inside of the heel with e6000. I let it dry for two days and the first time I tried it everything came unglued due to the force I was putting on it. I talked to some other mers on here and was told to use lotion......tada!......works great no more problems with the foot pockets.

[Mermaid Enora]

Looks like it swam well! But I think I see the familiar "fluke's climbing the stairway to heaven" phenomenon!

It swims like a dream, so much better than I have ever expected!

What's stairway to heaven? I haven't heard that expression in regards to flukes before.

[Rebekah.fish]

Why was it hard to get on, since u have a zipper down the back

[Mermaid Galene]

Wow, now I feel old! Stairway to Heaven is a famous Led Zeppelin song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcL---4xQYA). I was using it as a metaphor for the way neoprene flukes like to float upward to the surface of the water.

[Mermaid Enora]

No no I DO know the song I just wasn't sure how it was in reference to a mermaid tail. :)
Makes sense now and yes it does float a little too well.

It was hard to get on because the foot pockets were so tight on my feet without lotion.
Its not hard to put on now. The zipper is snug and I do require help to secure the clasp at the top but I can zip it on my own.

[Rebekah.fish]

Can u see the zipper on the outside?

[Mermaid Enora]

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So somewhere in the middle of this tail I took a break from sewing and glueing to make some hair accessories.
I glued shells (from my grandma's old jewelry box) to hair combs (hobby lobby) and use them to twist my hair back away from my face. I took inspiration for that from the mako mermaids and PotC mermaids hair styles. I really don't like hair in my face while swimming and these work well. I usually arrange the shells in a headband style across the top of my head.
I also purchased two sea green long extension real hair pieces from Ulta ($10 each, plus I had some coupons so I paid about $5 for each) and I bought one white bang extension real hair piece. I clip them in around my head and then twist them back with my real hair into the shell combs. Some of the white hair that can be seen is my own, but the big chunk is the hair piece.

[Mermaid Enora]

The zipper can sorta be seen as a blackish area going down my back in between the fins. I don't think its that noticeable to others, just to me cause I know what I'm looking at.

[Rebekah.fish]

Ah okay. Love your hair pieces!

[Mermaid Enora]

Took another break from sewing and glueing to shape and cut the vinyl fins. I used vinyl floor matting from home depot. It's sold by the ft and you can get as much or as little as you need. I think I paid about $12 a foot. Its not hard to cut out the shape, but it really wore out my hands cutting the small slivers into the vinyl just cause I had so much to cut and I did it all at once.
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[Mermaid Enora]

I have dorsal fins covering the zipper: a set of matching fins, one for each side of the zipper.
I have matching fins for my heels. Originally I had a zipper at the heel to hopefully help me get my feet into the tight foot pockets. So I had fins to cover that; however, after realizing that I can get my feet in with lotion I didn't have to use the zipper and so I took it out after my photo shoot. All the zipper really did was let sand into the foot area.
I have matching pectoral fins on each side of my hips.
I have caudal fins on the end of the fluke.
All the fins are bisymmetrical, in other words they are exactly the same where repeated.

[Mermaid Enora]

Next, after glueing and sewing all the fins on I covered the entire tail in shiny turquoise swim spandex from Joann's.
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Then it was time for a swim in the entire tail before sewing any sequins on.
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My neighbor heard about my mermaid tail and offered me her pool any time.
I took my sister with me for all my test swims. (NEVER swim in your tail without a buddy!)
This time the tail worked great and it didn't slip down to my ankles. So after drying the tail it was finally time to start sewing the sequins......time for endless torture!

[Mermaid Enora]

I got chlorinated water from a local pool and made salt water at home to test on my scales before I sewed them on.
My scale sequins are from Cartwrights.
I used 12mm shell shaped sequins in:
Metallic Shell Spring Green mShell27
Hologram Shell Tanzanite
Iris Shell Crystal Clear
Iris Shell Bahama Blue
Iris Shell Hawaiian Orchid
Iris Shell White Iris
Iris Shell Peachy Keen
Iris Shell Deep Blue Sea
l also found some 18mm sequins of the same shape at www.thatfinishingtouch.com.au (http://www.thatfinishingtouch.com.au)
They only had clear and turquoise sequins in the size and shape that I needed and not very much in stock. I bought all that they had and used the larger sequins to fill in some gaps.

When I tested the sequins everything held up great in chlorine and salt EXCEPT the hologram sequins.
I went ahead and used a few of the hologram sequins since they were only for accent. Kinda like a few freckles here and there.
Nothing that would be too noticeably faded. I used mostly the Bahama blue sequins and used the others mostly as fillers.
The white and clear sequins were used to form the vitiligo/piebald patches on the tail.
I think my tail has approximately 20,000 sequins on it. Just from adding up quantities from emails and on their website.
I paid around $200 for the sequins.
Here's a pic of the hologram sequins in mint condition as compared to after two swims in the tail.
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[Rebekah.fish]

Oh you covered the neoprene in spandex before doing sequins? Did u just sew the edges to make it stay?? And why did u choose to do that?

[Mermaid Enora]

I covered it because the neoprene I used is scraps and has many unsightly seems and weird non uniform colors.
Some pieces are navy, black, red, or blue.
I sewed it to the top, the bottom of the fluke, and around the zipper.
Then as I sewed the sequins on I sewed through the spandex to grab the neoprene underneath and it all held everything together that way.

[Mermaid Enora]

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another pic of me in the tail before sequining it.

[Rebekah.fish]

Ah okay! Great thinking! Lol I'm just asking a lot cuz I love your tail and I hope I can make one like yours one day!!

[Mermaid Enora]

Ah okay! Great thinking! Lol I'm just asking a lot cuz I love your tail and I hope I can make one like yours one day!!

no problem with that, ask away!
That's really the point of this thread.

[Mermaid Enora]

At this point it was maybe September and the Texas Ren Faire was coming up in October and I wanted to have a walking around mermaid tail for 1001 dreams weekend.
So I took a break from to make my walking dress. It is an empire waisted style sheath skirt that has two clear bra straps (Joann's) that cross in the back and then hook to the top of the skirt under my arm pits. (It's not the most comfortable thing ever, I kinda need longer bra straps but I could only find one size fits all)
(I might look later for longer straps)
The dress is made of scraps of left over material from my tail and lots of sparkly blue and green special occasion fabric from Joann's. Then my scaled mermaid top fits on top of the clear straps and lays over the top of the skirt.
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and of course everything is accessorized with shell jewelry.
The skirt also has netting and beads hanging from it.
The netting is laced with shells, seaweed, and gold coins.
Its quite heavy which is why it needed the straps.

[Mermaid Enora]

so then I finally started sequining the tail.
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[Mermaid Enora]

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I finished the front of the fluke somewhere around December and then flipped it over to start on the back.
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[Mermaid Enora]

So then Christmas rolled around and my cousin came over and stayed in my room and so my tail went in my closet for a bit.
I made my "baby" cousin a mermaid tail since she was the only family member who wasn't going on about how I was going out of my mind making this tail. She was all like....."I want one, that's so cool!"
I did make her a mono fin from my lexan scraps but I didn't get a pic of it cause I was rushing to wrap it up minutes before she came. It's made the same way mine is but much smaller.
She sent me a pic of her wearing the tail. I intended for her to wear it only to her waist with a swim suit under it, but she thought it looked better all the way pulled up so more power to her.
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her room's a mess

[Mermaid Enora]

Oh and I forgot (I was trying to get all this in chronological order)
I did a waist up only photo shoot with my cousin this past summer since all I had done at that point was the top.
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[Mermaid Enora]

Also the cartwrights sequins in deep blue sea color are much more green than blue.

[Mermaid Enora]

So January 3 I went on a Carnival Cruise to the Caribbean. Loads of fun, but the whole time I was like I want my tail to be done so I can swim in this crystal blue water!
I had another cruise booked for mid February, so went I got home I was determined to speed finish the sequins on my tail in time to take it with me in February.
Long story short I finished the sequining 4 weeks later and 3 days before I left for the cruise.
I worked on the tail everyday all day, before and after work, I did nothing with any free time but sequin.
Fortunately, I'm an RN so I only work 3 days a week. I used all my time to sequin and near about drove myself nuts. I can't stand being inside sitting all day and my fingers were really tired.
So here's the pics of my speedy finish to the tail.
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Once I finished the back of the fluke I had to make a tape form of my legs and fill it with old towels in order to stuff it in my tail to hold it open to my measurements. I didn't want to accidentally shrink the tail.
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I had my sisters help with the tape form and they thought it was funny to try and push me over. :)
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[Mermaid Enora]

More pics!
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Here's the zipper that is no more.
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flipped it over to work on the back
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I had to use hair clips to hold the fins out of the way while I sewed sequins.
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[Mermaid Enora]

And still more pics....
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finally done!!!
I got to take out the tape form and see what it looked like....
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yipee!!!!

[Mermaid Enora]

I glued some scales up the sides of the fins to hide their seams and some unsightly lumps.
I also used white and blue nail polish to fix up the greenish fishing line showing on the sequins at the waist.
Then finally I got to try it on fully finished for the first time!!
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It was a struggle getting it on for the first time, but I think everyone has that problem the first time they put on a tail.
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I did make a key for the zipper. The zipper requires a kinda stop start zipping to get it closed. The fins also have a tendency to get in the way. Holding onto the 1in zipper pull behind my knees while pulling was really putting a strain on my hand so I tied a loop of ribbon onto a locking hook that can clip onto the hole in the endow the zipper pull and it works great. I also have a large hook and eye clasp at the very top of the zipper. I can't reach that to hook it on my own that requires help. My mom is really good at getting it hooked quickly. After the hook is fastened the zipper key can be unclipped and put away somewhere safe.

[Mermaid Enora]

Then I needed something to carry my tail around in.
I bought an 8ft tarp at home depot and folded it over and sewed and glued it up. I got some heavy duty belt/strap material from Joann's and made loops at the top to go over my shoulder.
It needed some decoration and I've had tons of car bumper stickers that I've never used so I stuck those on the sides of my bag. I had to glue them down with E6000 cause they didn't want to stick to the tarp.
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[Winged Mermaid]

Awesome, thank you for sharing your process! Added this to the tailmaking reference page :)

[Mermaid Enora]

oh awesome!

[Mermaid Clara]

you and your tail are SO beautiful! How did you attach the spandex to the neoprene?

[Mermaid Freyja]

you and your tail are SO beautiful! How did you attach the spandex to the neoprene?

Indeed, an absolutely gorgeous tail! I'll second an interest in this same question, as I'm thinking of taking on a similar task with spandex over neoprene.
xoxox

[Mermaid Enora]

So the layers of my tail are as follows from inside to outside neoprene to spandex to sequins the only thing holding it all together is fishing line that goes through all three layers. I didn't sew the spandex and neoprene to each other before I put sequins on.

Am I making any sense? :)

[Mermaid Sirenia]

WOW this tail is amazing! That must've required quite a bit of patience! I bet it will look incredible in the water!!

[Mermaid Enora]

WOW this tail is amazing! That must've required quite a bit of patience! I bet it will look incredible in the water!!
Thx, it does look and swim great underwater!
I've got some pics of it underwater that will be towards the end of this thread eventually

[PearlieMae]

That's a mind-boggling amount of work! Congratulations!

[Dancing Fish]

Wow. This is such a lot of work, and it turned out beautifully!

[Mermaid Sabie]

Beautiful! How many hours would you guess-timate you did on just sequin sewing alone? It seems like so much work I'm so impressed!

[Mermaid Enora]

so sequining time alone is easier to configure than anything else time wise. I would estimate around 500-600. Somewhere in that range. :)

It was a ton of work!

[Mermaid Enora]

So next step in all this is my first swim!
It was too cold in Texas in February to swim outside and none of the nearby pools would allow me to swim i my tail.
However, I had a Carnival cruise booked for February. I finished the tail 3 days before I left!
Taking a tail on a cruise is another whole thread waiting to happen later and will be coming sometime soon. :)
anywayyyyy.......I swam in the tail for the first time in Costa Maya. There's a 3-4ft deep pool right off the dock surrounded by señor frogs bar. My whole family was convinced that I would be thrown out, but no one official said anything. Mostly I'm assuming because there is no one really in charge of anything.
I used lotion to get into my mono fin pockets. It takes me about 15 minutes to get the tail on. I roll the top part down as far it can go and then slip my feet in the pockets which takes the most times.
I use the tail bag to hide and to protect the sequins on the fin while I'm slipping into it.
Ok so the next step to putting on this tail is probably going to elicit some interesting comments.
I stand in the fin while zipping the tail on. I lay a thickish towel under the foot pockets and then stand in order to zip the tail. Its the only way I can get the tail on. No damage has ever occurred from my standing on it.
Also, I can't put the tail on completely by myself. It has a smallish hook and eye clasp at the top of the zipper and it is impossible to zip it myself. I usually require my mom or one of my fairy friends help. They're always around to be my swimming buddies. They know how to remove the tail fast if something happens to me.
Once I'm standing my mom holds the fins out of the way and I zip the zipper using the key. (See earlier posts for what the key is) I sometimes require another person to hold me up while the hook and eye clasp is being secured. Then the zipper key is detached and put away somewhere safe. Then at that point all that needs to be done is adjust the waist line and sit down to get weight off the mono fin. I usually try to put the tail on as close to whatever water I'm going to be swimming in or my mom pulls me on a towel to where I'm supposed to be. No mermaid carts to push me in as of yet.
Then its into the water as carefully as possible.
The tail swims beautifully and has a lot of power to push in the lexan mono fin. It surprised a lot of people who weren't quite sure what exactly I was doing. A lot of people thought I had been hired by the bar in the pool. I took lots of photos and videos with people in port. Basically lots of fun!!
Pics.
Ok first pics are of my tail in its bag. Its easier to see how big it is when its next to other people and things.
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[Mermaid Pickles]

Awesome!

[Mermaid Enora]

more pics of the tail in the pool in Costa Maya, Mexico!
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adjusting the waist line. (Its the first real time to wear the tail and in the water first too)

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basically me just goofing off with the tail


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me trying to recreate one of Raina's popular pics. :)



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[LockandKey]

your tail is so beautiful! when you bring the fluke over your head it looks like a sparkly waterfall (: nice job!

[Mermaid Clara]

How exactly did you sew on the sequins? did you just use one peice of fishing line for each sequin? Or did you use one big long peice to sew more than one sewing on at a time?

[Mermaid Enora]

How exactly did you sew on the sequins? did you just use one peice of fishing line for each sequin? Or did you use one big long peice to sew more than one sewing on at a time?

One big long piece and just knotted it after each sequin, but didn't cut it to start over

I need to resew some places on the sequin bikini top so when I do that I'll take clearly documented pics on how I sew since I seem to be getting a lot of questions regarding that. :)

[Mermaid Clara]

Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it!

[Vrindavana Starfish]

This tail is gorgeous. I LOVE the spot pattern!

[Mermaid Enora]

This tail is gorgeous. I LOVE the spot pattern!

Thanks!
The spots on the tail actually match the pattern of vitiligo on my skin.

http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?10234-First-ever-piebald-mermaid!

[Mermaid Pickles]

That is really cool!

[Rebekah.fish]

What's vatiligo?

[Princess Pearl]

Do you find the tail fills up with water at all when you swim? I know the fluke wouldn't, since it's glued down, but what about the leg portion?

[Mermaid Enora]

Do you find the tail fills up with water at all when you swim? I know the fluke wouldn't, since it's glued down, but what about the leg portion?

ok so there's definitely water in my legs in the tail. That said, I don't feel like it weighs the tail down at all.
This could also be because the neoprene is so buoyant that its really hard for me to sink. also challenging sometimes to dive down.


What's vatiligo?

Vitiligo is a pigmentary disorder that strips the color from my original skin tone and leaves albino skin tone behind.
You can check out my piebald mermaid thread for more info.
It's too much to post it all again here.

http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?10234-First-ever-piebald-mermaid

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Thanks!
The spots on the tail actually match the pattern of vitiligo on my skin.

http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?10234-First-ever-piebald-mermaid!

It looks indescribably beautiful and perfect for a mermaid. Like seal spots.

[KayNS]

Thank you for sharing this! I'm now dreaming of a sequin tail before I even have my first fabric tail!

[Mermaid Sirenia]

This was SUPER helpful! Especially the fact that you used the wetsuits to make it (I have a few I was about to give away lol!) I'm not the best at sewing so that's something I'll have to figure out haha

[MermaidKaelyn]

This tail is BEAUTIFUL!!! How would you say it's holding up having been used for a couple of months now? I'm looking to make one that will be used at least twice a month, year round, on land and in the water. Have you had any sequins fall off? Or any get chipped? How's the monofin? Sorry for the grill I just made a partial silicone tail that looks great but has already started falling apart, I need something that will last:)))

[Hydra1337]

I know this thread has been dead for months but I just wanted to say that your tail looks amazing and I learned a lot about making a sequin tail from you.

[Mermaid Enora]

I know this thread has been dead for months but I just wanted to say that your tail looks amazing and I learned a lot about making a sequin tail from you.

I've been meaning to post more on this thread but life and traveling keeps getting in the way.....that said I'll try to get back on it and possibly post some more current photos!


This tail is BEAUTIFUL!!! How would you say it's holding up having been used for a couple of months now? I'm looking to make one that will be used at least twice a month, year round, on land and in the water. Have you had any sequins fall off? Or any get chipped? How's the monofin? Sorry for the grill I just made a partial silicone tail that looks great but has already started falling apart, I need something that will last:)))


So so sorry I never answered this
somehow the email alert never came.....
anyway the tail is holding up great!!!!
I don't use it a ton since I'm not really near a body of water other than a creek
I've had to replace about 30 sequins but this time around I'm using glue. it's much easier than sewing for a fast fix. Some do chip or the iridescent film comes off but over all they are still quite pretty. I've done some dry wears and it is comfy and much less stress on the tail wear and tear than in the water but still needs to be towered off after dry wears.
The mono fin is fine I can't remove it so I suppose I can't really say how it is but it swims like always and feels the same. I think it's held up really well cause when I do swim I usually put a lot of stress on it
the tail has been on two photo shoots so far and is going with me to Honduras in Jan

over all im really please with how it turned out and how it's held up!

[Sherielle]

I saw this tail in October and I have to say that it's even more beautiful in person.

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

It is suuuuuper pretty.

I was very close to rubbing my face on it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Enora]

I saw this tail in October and I have to say that it's even more beautiful in person.

Thanks!


It is suuuuuper pretty.

I was very close to rubbing my face on it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

i do that with the tail sometimes :)

[Mermaid Enora]

Ok so I'm going to try and update this thread a bit.......

Please remember that I don't live by any water besides a shallow creek so I don't get many opportunities to wear my tail in or out of the water. My tail has been worn to a 3 hr dry/wet photo shoot in Coumel Mexico, 1 day at Scarborough Faire, 2 days at Oklahoma ren faire, 1 day at Texas ren faire, 2 2hr photo shoots at balmorrhea state park and to one DFW pod meeting. It is scheduled for another DFW pod meet up and for Roatan Honduras in Janruary.

All that said, I do think it has held up very well and I have tried my best to take REALLY careful care of it.
I have replaced a few sequins and torn off some ragged irridescent lining from a few scales. They still look great even with out the irridescentness.

I dont have pics of the repairs yet but I will endeavor to get some soon.

[Mermaid Enora]

Also, for the ren faires that I take my tail to I have a little cart that I ride around on.
Its a garden dolley that I took apart and merged with wheel chair parts!

It works well for me. I provide the power for the wheels and my mertender and water fairy friend Jessica pulls a rope and provides the steering mechanism as I'm too heavy and too awkward to turn myself using the wheelchair wheels.

When im not wearing the tail I pull the cart with the tail riding on it
I cover the waist area with a blue shawl to try and deflect any strange questions from kids.
if they do ask I say that I'm part selkie and that I can shed my tail skin.

I have a thick green outdoor cushion that covers the whole length of the cart and protects the tail from scratching on the metal. I usually decorate it with netting and pirate flags and the occasional seaweed.

Theres a little bag hanging off the back that holds my drinks and mermaid supplies.
as well as my walking around dress for when I'm not wearing the tail.


The the first ren faire I took it to I decided that I was going to wear it as long as possible cause I was so excited about it!!!!!!!!!

BAD IDEA......I wore the tail for 7 hours straight while sitting with my legs out in front of me the whole time.
When I FINALLY took it off, I couldn't feel my feet. (my foot pockets aren't even that tight either)
This all happened in May 2015 I finally got all feeling back in my toes around September 2015.
My toes were tingly for almost 5 months.
I talked to some occupational therapists that I work with and they said I had temporary nerve damage and to NEVER do that again. Now I only wear the tail for max of two hours at a time weather I'm in the water or out.

Please learn from my stupidity and don't wear your tail for 7 hours straight.
hopefully I'm the only one that dumb.

[Mermaid Enora]

Ok so here's some pics of my mermaid cart!

34445

34446

34447
Listening to Sirena at the Oklahoma Ren Faire

34448
I got to visit Aysun in the mermaid lagoon at Scarborough Faire!

34449

[Mermaid Enora]

34450

34451
How my tail travels after its taken off!

34452

34453
My view of the faire as I'm pulled along.

[Mermaid Enora]

34467

I met a cute tiny mermaid at the Texas Ren Faire!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Precious! Glad to see your tail is holding up! It looks great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Spindrift]

I have two neoprene tail "skins" (my firsts from 2008!) that I need to resize and fix up because in my ineptitude, I used acrylic paint to paint scales on them and it shrunk the tail :(

I was thinking of fixing it up by turning it into a sequin tail, but was told it would be too difficult to sew the sequins on an already assembled tail... I would also have to rip off glued e6000 scales from one of the tail. :( :( :(
How did you do it? Any tips on that?

Great work! :)

[LouLouBelle]

Gorgeous tail! [emoji4]

I love shiny sparkly things... I'd imagine it must look amazing when you're moving in water and the light reflects off it.

I've also got a lot of respect for the crazy amount of patience you must have!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Enora]

I have two neoprene tail "skins" (my firsts from 2008!) that I need to resize and fix up because in my ineptitude, I used acrylic paint to paint scales on them and it shrunk the tail :(

I was thinking of fixing it up by turning it into a sequin tail, but was told it would be too difficult to sew the sequins on an already assembled tail... I would also have to rip off glued e6000 scales from one of the tail. :( :( :(
How did you do it? Any tips on that?

Great work! :)

hmmmm if it has paint on it idk how easy it would be or not be to sew sequins to it?
it might be too thick.
As for removing E6000 you might be able to tear off the scales but I think it might be near impossible to rip off the glue in order to place new scales with thread.

as for too difficult to sew onto an already assembled tail, i don't think so.
I sewed my sequins with the body form inside the tail as opposed to sewing sequins on two flat pieces of neoprene and then sewing them together.
Hope this helps!

[Mermaid Alea]

Okay so I think I read somewhere that when making a sequin tail, you have to account for losing some of the stretch after you sew all the sequins on so you might have to make the tail a little bigger than you would normally? Is that true or did you just size it normally?

[Mermaid Enora]

Okay so I think I read somewhere that when making a sequin tail, you have to account for losing some of the stretch after you sew all the sequins on so you might have to make the tail a little bigger than you would normally? Is that true or did you just size it normally?

My tail has pretty much the same amount of stretch that it had before I sewed the sequins.
I sewed the sequins in vertical lines not horizontal so the stretch wasn't lost.
if the sequins are sewed in a horizontal fashion I imagine that some loss of elasticity would occur.

[Mermaid Enora]

those sewing by machine would've to sew in a horizontal fashion

[Mermaid Enora]

35683
35684
35685
35686

here's some pics of repairs i made to my tail.
they're in order and you can see how i sew the stitches step by step.

[Mermaid Enora]

35687

My heels were slightly uncomfortable in the foot pockets.
Theres a screw head just slightly under my heels.
That and my feet always seemed suctioned to the heel area and couldn't move so I cut up some leftover
neoprene and glued it in the heel of each foot pocket with e6000.
The neoprene was fleece lined and is from some fishing wader socks that I was trying to use for booties and it didn't work out quite like I'd wanted so I quit using them a while ago.
I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I think it should work great!

[Mermaid Enora]

In conclusion to all this, I think this thread is finally and mostly done.
Unless anyone posts questions here that I haven't already answered in previous posts, I'll not be posting any more to this thread.
All the posts on this thread are exactly how I made my tail and I hope it helps others to do the same!
Sequin tails are fun and beautiful but tricky to make and maintain.

If you'd like to see more of my mermaid tail check out my instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/lavendyreenora/

Lots of Luck,
Enora

[Mermaid Alea]

Thank you so much Enora for sharing the process! You have been a big help! I got a small pack of sequins for Christmas just to test them out and see what the shine looks like in person. Once I wear out my current fabric tail I think I will start making a sequin tail. :)

[Mermaid Tami]

Great information! I can't wait to start mine!

[miraj_dancer@yahoo.com]

May I ask what you use for fringe? I really appreciate your response and respect your talent and patience. Thank you

[Mermaid Tami]

I finally FINISHED my neoprene and sequin tail and took it for a photoshoot in Mexico.
The tail took me 9 months, mostly cause it was driving me too crazy to work on it non stop.
So now that its done, I'm going to be posting step by step on how I made it and where all the materials came from. It's going to be put up in spurts of info since I work at least three 12 hour days a week.
I'm making a tail now and I'm planning to take it to Punta Cana. Did you have any problems getting it on the plane? Did you take it as a carry-on or have special shipping done for it? Im really starting too stressed about it. I would hate to get to the airport and them tell me that I couldn't take it.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Sabie]

If your monofin/ tail is smaller that the competitor size ( 30 cm I think?) you can do a Gate check- You carry it with you through security and give it to the flight attendants at the plane door and they put it in last with all the strollers (mark it fragile and ask them not to put anything on top of it!) Call your airline before hand and see if they can put a note in your reservation or just tell the person you're checking in with that you need to Gate Check your fragile sporting equipment.

[Mermaid Tami]

If your monofin/ tail is smaller that the competitor size ( 30 cm I think?) you can do a Gate check- You carry it with you through security and give it to the flight attendants at the plane door and they put it in last with all the strollers (mark it fragile and ask them not to put anything on top of it!) Call your airline before hand and see if they can put a note in your reservation or just tell the person you're checking in with that you need to Gate Check your fragile sporting equipment.
Thank you!!!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Enora]

May I ask what you use for fringe? I really appreciate your response and respect your talent and patience. Thank you
Floor runners by the foot from Home Depot.

[Mermaid Enora]

I'm making a tail now and I'm planning to take it to Punta Cana. Did you have any problems getting it on the plane? Did you take it as a carry-on or have special shipping done for it? Im really starting too stressed about it. I would hate to get to the airport and them tell me that I couldn't take it.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
i took mine on a cruise and had no problem getting it past security but as for airplanes my tail has never been flown so I'm not really sure how that all works.
Sorry I couldn't be more help.

[Mermaid Tami]

How is the tail holding up? Have you gotten to use it this summer?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hollyrelles]

35687

My heels were slightly uncomfortable in the foot pockets.
Theres a screw head just slightly under my heels.
That and my feet always seemed suctioned to the heel area and couldn't move so I cut up some leftover
neoprene and glued it in the heel of each foot pocket with e6000.
The neoprene was fleece lined and is from some fishing wader socks that I was trying to use for booties and it didn't work out quite like I'd wanted so I quit using them a while ago.
I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I think it should work great!

I love these widdle socks for some reason


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Enora]

I love these widdle socks for some reason


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I tried socks first, but the foot pockets are so snug and the ankle space is so narrow I couldn't even get my foot in with the socks on so I gave up on that idea.

[Mermaid Enora]

I have since tried the tail with the heel pads on a swim with Aysun and they are super comfortable!

[Mermaid Enora]

How is the tail holding up? Have you gotten to use it this summer?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Its holding up great!
I've had to resew on a few sequins in some bare patches on the fin tips, but other than that its great.
I have been so busy with ren faires and traveling (I just came back from Greece!) that I haven't had chance to go anywhere yet.
I do plan to take it to Jacob's Well in Wimberley Texas and get some pics.
But first I need to figure out if they'll even let me swim in a tail there.

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