First Tail: Neoprene & Sequins

[Mermaid Tory]

Hello I am attempting my first neoprene and sequin tail. I am using 1.5mm neoprene, cartwrites shell sequins, and an Aquarius finis monofin. I also have shelf liner for extra fins. So far I've cut out the neoprene and I'm slowly sewing it together. The first thing I did was put the zipper in the middle back and now I'm doing a lot of trying it on, pinning, resewing, repeat. Don't mind my cat, she seems to love being in my WIP photos

[Mermaid Ruthie]

Awesome sauce, excited to see how it turns out. Congrats on making it. :cheerleader::cheerleader:

[Coradion]

Wait before you sew the pieces together, sewing sequins is a b*tch if the tail is assembled. Sew the sequins on first except the seam edges then sew those and put in the last few lines of sequins. Sewing sequins will also make the tail tighter and shorter so make sure you have room to account for that. You will be really really sad if you finish sequining and it's too tight.

[Spindrift]

Wait before you sew the pieces together, sewing sequins is a b*tch if the tail is assembled. Sew the sequins on first except the seam edges then sew those and put in the last few lines of sequins. Sewing sequins will also make the tail tighter and shorter so make sure you have room to account for that. You will be really really sad if you finish sequining and it's too tight.

Do you know how many inches you lose on average from adding sequins?

[Coradion]

It depends on how tight you stitch and what size, Kariel says it's like an inch to two width wise for her tails. For me I didn't lose width but I lose two inches in vertical height so there's a lot of butt crack now.

[Princess Pearl]

I'm glad you mentioned that! I was planning on buying an Otter bay mermaid wetsuit and sequinsing it- I'd hate to go through that and have a tail I couldn't get into!

Back to the drawing board...


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[Mermaid Tory]

Thank you. Right now I'm just trying to get it to fit right. I'm adjusting it so that it's tight but not too tight because I heard neoprene actually gets tighter over time. I traced my body then cut it out a few inches away from the lines because I wasn't sure how much it would stretch so no I have tons of extra room from the knees down. Does it matter if it's together if I was planning on sewing each sequin by hand anyways or would you still suggest waiting to sew the seams in. Right now I'm working on the seams below the knees

[Mermaid Tory]

Oh I'm also keeping the fluke open to remove the monofin. It'll have velcro and shelf liner fins to help hide. There was one thread I read where someone made a neoprene sequin tail and they posted pictures for every step but I can't seem to find it now. Here is a quick drawing to show the basic design.

[Mermaid Tory]

Slow sequins progress

[Rett]

Excited to see how your tail turns out, your design looks fantastic!

[Bioluminescence]

What size are your sequins? I like the look of smaller one but I'm unsure of how many to use. I'll be keeping an eye on this, because I love what you have going to far!

[MermaidBrandie]

I never heard that neoprene tightens over time...is it only on the thinner neoprene?


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[Princess Pearl]

I don't think that it so much tightens as it loses stretch. My Dad recently threw out his wetsuit from the 70's and it was actually stiff.

[Mermaid Tory]

I'm using 12 mm sequins so it will take me a very long time. I'll be adding slightly larger white ones (16mm) as spots and to get some size variance.

[MermaidBrandie]

I don't think that it so much tightens as it loses stretch. My Dad recently threw out his wetsuit from the 70's and it was actually stiff.

Oh ok! See that makes sense. The rubber only has so much it can give. :)


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[Mermaid Tory]

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Finally working on this again. I just moved recently and have been busy with my princess job at the lilac festival in rochester ny.

[Yulia]

Wow, looks great! :D

[Varga]

Oh, I love it! :D Bet it will take some time sewing all those sequins... o_o

[Mermaid Kelda]

Those colours are fantastic! I can't wait to see your progress on this :)

[Mermaid Tory]

Sorry I haven't been updating but I've gotten a lot done!

[Mermaid Tory]

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[Amydne]

Gorgeous tail!! *__* I don't know why, but for me, the fluke looks somehow like a sailor moon mermaid version. Maybe that's the reason why I like your tail so much!

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Oh my gosh, this is gorgeous! I love the colours and patterns! Amazing job!

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Wow! I'm in love with the way it turned out! A gorgeous tail for a gorgeous mermaid. About how many sequins did you use for the tail?

[Keiris]

Outstanding job! I think Hannah would be impressed!

[Elodea the Mermaid]

Oh my seastars! What a beauty of a tail.

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[Ashe]

I completely agree with Keiris! The colors and patterns are stunning :)

[Mermaid Caspiana]

This is gorgeous! I love all of the fellow sequined mers! :D

[Mermaid Galene]

Spectacular! Y'all have got me itchin' to make another neoprene/sequin tail now.

[Vela]

WOW!!!! Your tail is fantastic!!!! I love the design! This makes me want to start my sequin tail!!! :)

[Mermaid Tory]

Thank you so much for all of the kind words! Im not sure how many sequins I used because I ordered them from several places and in differant sizes over time. At least 1000 I think and i have to ordet more for the back. I had my very first swim today in a full tail and it was so amazing!

[Mermaid Tory]

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[stellar lee]

That is stunning!

[Dancing Fish]

Omg that is beautiful! Well done!!

[Mermaid Enora]

Love the design!

I kinda wish there could be a sequin tail meet up somewhere. It'd be neat to see all the tails together.

[Mermaid Galene]

What a cool idea, Enora!

[Mermaid Enora]

What a cool idea, Enora!
Just don't know how to make it a reality. ��

[Mermaid Tory]

I had my first gig last night! It was the Rochester A list pool party but bad weather moved it indoors.32425

[Mermaid Caspiana]

Love the design!

I kinda wish there could be a sequin tail meet up somewhere. It'd be neat to see all the tails together.
That is a phenomenal idea!!!

and this is an absolutely gorgeous tail!

[lynsea]

I LOVE the speckled nature of your color pattern. This is easily one of my favorite sequin tails (and that includes Hannah's).

Do you remember where you got your sequins from? You seem to have some unusual sizes in there (i.e. not the 12mm from Cartwright).

[Mermaid Tory]

I LOVE the speckled nature of your color pattern. This is easily one of my favorite sequin tails (and that includes Hannah's).

Do you remember where you got your sequins from? You seem to have some unusual sizes in there (i.e. not the 12mm from Cartwright).
Thank you thats such a huge complement because I adore Hannah's sequin tails. I used the tiny 12mm for most of the front fluke, the middle lighter areas are 16 and most of the back is the larger ones from ccartwrites. The 16mm were from ebay.

[Ciriun]

That really is an amazing tail. I love all how many distinct sections and markings it has. Also you have an adorable kitty helper.

[OceanWhisper]

WOW 0.0 that is a seriously stunning sequin tail!! I love the patterns and the fins :D Now I really want to make one one day! :swoon:

[Mermaid Alaria]

So lovely! Wow the whole thing is just amazing!

[Mermaid Hamant]

That tail is beautiful!!! I am wanting to make a sequin tail... What exactly is the matting that you used for the find and the fluke extension and how did you attach them? :)


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[Mermaid Joie]

Wow! I would love to know how this amazing tail has held up over the years before I start my own sequin tailmaking journey. Could I ask you some questions?

[Mermaid Tory]

Wow! I would love to know how this amazing tail has held up over the years before I start my own sequin tailmaking journey. Could I ask you some questions?

Sure thing. My tail is now around 3 years old and has been in chlorine, salt, lake, and creek waters with plenty of land events. It does take a toll on it and I have been thinking of making my next one.