Joie's Fabric Tail

[Mermaid Joie]

So I haven't been on the forum in a while, (a LONG while my last thread was in October.... :$)
Update I finally got my monofin. I could not swim in the monofins until March when we went on vacation and we swam in the hotel pool. This sad I know. Good news, my university is building a new rec center with 2 pools both of which I will have access to when I go back to school!
:yay:YAY! Swimming at school? Yes please! The only problem is that they are taking FOREVER to build the thing. I have been asking every time I am on campus. I am probably driving the staff crazy.

So I finished up school and I finally got around to making my own mermaid tail.
Here is my pattern so far and the fabric I am using. I plan on painting white fishnet scales on it after it's sewn.

[Mermaid Alea]

Congrats that is very exciting for sure! At the end of last year I finally made my first tail. It is really exciting and fun to make your own tail!

You might want to use an overlook stitch for the tail. I saw a tutorial that said to use that stitch and so far I really like using that stitch for tails.

[Mermaid Joie]

Thanks Mermaid Alea! Do you or anyone else happen to have a brother LS-2125? Our sewing machine is really old. We can't seem to find the overlock stich on our sewing machine. The almighty Google has told me it was discontinued... and I can't seem to find any other information on it. Is there another stitch I can use? I am kind of clueless about sewing this is my first time.

[Mermaid Alea]

Hmm I am not sure...I know our sewing machine is old and it is a brother, but it has a knob that has pictures of the different stitches and you just turn it to the one you want. Luckily I had the overlock stitch on there. Basically you are looking for a stitch that will hold up to lots of stretching. I think you could even go to a fabric store and ask the workers at the counter if they know of a good stitch for stretching. It seems like any kind of zig zag looking stitch is good, but I am not a sewing expert.

Oh and I also wanted to say that when sewing a stretch fabric you have to be careful that you are not pulling on the fabric too much while you are running it through the sewing machine. My Mom caught me pulling the fabric and told me to gently guide it and not pull it because that would cause issues. It did cause issues when I was pulling, but luckily you can rip the stitching and re-do it. I wanted to pull on it so it took me a little while to learn to be very gentle and not pull but just guide the fabric through the machine. I hope that makes since. Once you cut out your tail from the fabric I would take some of the scrap fabric and do a little sewing on that to get the hang of it and make sure the machine is set right before you start on your tail. :)

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

A zig zag will generally serve you well on stretch fabric, the wider the better. It can also help to sew all your seams twice, just in case. A good yank can snap a single seam, even a zig zag one, on -really- stretchy stuff.

Overlock stitches are used for finishing off edges, usually to keep fabric from raveling. Looks nice, but not a requirement for sewing spandex.

[Azurin Luna]

Thanks Mermaid Alea! Do you or anyone else happen to have a brother LS-2125? Our sewing machine is really old. We can't seem to find the overlock stich on our sewing machine. The almighty Google has told me it was discontinued... and I can't seem to find any other information on it. Is there another stitch I can use? I am kind of clueless about sewing this is my first time.

I used Google and searched for your sewing machine. You can still find the instruction booklets online and free to download. It should help you out :)
This is the search phrase I used: brother ls-2125 instruction book

[MermaidAine]

Oooh I can't wait to see the finished product! I am hoping to finish mine this week (crossing my fingers).

[Mermaid Joie]

Thanks for the help Mers. I still have the hard copy of the instruction booklet but it is like reading another language. I will test a scrap with the overlock stitch. I found a website that says this is an overlock stitch but my booklet says it's called a "Shell Tuck Stitch" (That sounds mermaidy I should pick that one JK) Are they the same thing? As for the zig zag stitches there are four different sizes you can see one of them below (#5.) I don't know which one to use. I tried using a zig-zag stitch on another tail and it didn't work. I am guessing the material is different. I will test out some scraps then post another update. I also checked the tailmaking reference index. Turns out I need to go back to the fabric store to get a polyester or nylon thread to avoid rot of cotton thread in water. On the bright side it looks like it is easier to make hip and ankle fins then I first thought so I will be adding those too. Good thing I have lot's of fabric leftover. I am thinking of making skirt out of the leftover scraps for practice before I try and sew the tail. Ugh so much information. Tailmaking is both exciting and exhausting! Here is what I have so far.

[Mermaid Joie]

Here are the tail pieces.

[Mermaid Joie]

Amazing fins are being made!

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[Mermaid Joie]

Ok so I had to put my tail making on hold in May so that I could finish up the school year with my kiddos. I work at a homeschool enrichment center teaching nature classes to Pre-K students. Anyways, I finally got around to it and I started sewing the fins and pinning the dorsal. I really wanted a realistic look (who doesn't) so I am sandwiching zip ties in between the fabric to get raised rays (tail lines?) on the dorsal and other fins. Painted rays look nice, but they don't give you the texture, grooves, webby-ness and springy-ness of fish fins. And my method does. :eyebrows: Has anyone else tried this? It seems to work ok on the two fins that I have made so far.
I have slapped my siblings with them and myself and they FEEL like fins.:catfight:

Here is how I do it if you are interested. I sew (very slowly) on top of the fabric and around the zip tie (making sort of a pointy pocket) and into the thinner parts of the zip tie at the end. The seam is on top but I have a few ideas on how to conceal them once my paint gets here. My Lumiere and tulip paints should be arriving today!:dance: I am working on the dorsal and fluke then I just have to sew it all together! I am so excited! I found some special glow in the dark paint used for fishing lures and fabric so I will try that on the small fins and let you all know how that goes later tonight if I get to it. Here is a few pictures
I pinned my fluke to the carpet it was hard to get the larger zip ties to stay where I wanted them.
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Dorsal rays and my sexy leg lol.
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My Current paint design I am thinking about changing it I have two fluke designs. I am open to suggestions.
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[Mermaid Jaffa]

10 is zigzag stitch.

[Mermaid Joie]

Thank You Mermaid Jaffa! I will try that out whe I get home. BTW I just use a regular #6 stitch for the fins and zip ties.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I would only be worried about the zip ties poking me. Let me know how it goes!


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[Mermaid Joie]

Update the dorsal is done and it's beautiful. The fluke is.... Half done.... I have hit a road block. The zip ties for the fluke are thicker than the ones I have used for the fluke. I found the fins look best when I sew straight through the zip ties. Too many things go wrong when I try to use the pedal, top loop, bottom loop, birds nest, thread snapped, needle broke, fabric stretch, you name it I have had it! Lol. I am pretty sure it is time for me to get a new machine it is old and discontinued. I have been pricked at least a hundred times by the 300 pins that I have had to hold the zipties in place. The only way I have been able to get the sewing machine to work without any problems is to use a ballpoint needle and use the hand crank. Then it works perfectly. It took me three days of just sewing to finish one half of the fluke. I'm working on the other half but I had to seem rip the part that I messed up. I'm very frustrated with sewing because I have no clue what I am doing but I know that once I get to painting with the lumier paints everything will be fine. I'm sorry if I have been complaining so much. I just need to get this off my chest. My dad just doesn't seem to get all my frustrations with my tail. I can't imagine why. Lol (sarcasm)
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[Aubrey]

I've never thought about zip ties for sturdier fins on a fabric tail! Joie! You're a genius, and your fins look AMAZING! [emoji7][emoji7]

[Mermaid Joie]

:dance:Thank you!:dance: I feel like have been working my butt off trying to get constant results. It is very encouraging to hear that someone actually likes my idea! I saw that Jadestone did something similar with zip ties but I think she just duct taped them to her Monofin. Which works too but doesn't give me the texture that I wanted for the fins or allows me to take my Monofin out if I want to use it separately from the tail.

[Aubrey]

Don't even sweat it! It's going to turn out fabulous!! [emoji173]️[emoji173]️ Would you mind if I borrowed your idea for a sturdy dorsal fin for a tail of my own? [emoji16]

[Mermaid Joie]

Not at all Aubrey go right ahead. Maybe you could just post a link back to this thread? I want to post the solutions to the problems I was having earlier. That way you can avoid the massive amount finger pricking pain this tail has caused me. I also wanted to post a cost break down. I think fabric can look realistic if you just use your head. I will post another update with pictures soon. I don't have time now to give all the details, but I started painting the fins and they look Awesome! The paint made them feel a little leathery even after I watered it down but doesn't show any signs of of cracking.

[Aubrey]

I'm so excited to see your finished tail! [emoji4]

[Keiris]

WoW Joie! Those fins are looking fantastic! You must be so excited. I love the way you fabricated them and use zip ties for strength and flexibility. Who would have thought? Can't wait to see where this goes!!!

[Mermaid Joie]

I need some encouragement right now... And to rant a little... I am having second thoughts about my tail design. I don't seem to be alone in this. It looks a lot of mers get to this point in the tail making process where they are stressed out, become blinded by anxiety and want to change everything about their design because things aren't going right. I return to college next week. In October it will be exactly one year since I got my monofin and started swimming. Since I started this tail making adventure in May I have worked on and off again on my tail. But I thought I would be done by now! Because I start classes next week I will just have to embrace the fact that my tail is going to to take a lot longer than other mers fabric tails.
Now that that's off my chest onto the real problems.

The heavily painted test pieces that I heat set in the dryer chipped when I stretched them. The tulip seemed a bit more chip resistant so I mixed it in with most of the lumiere colors I used on the fins. I used clamps to stretch the fins out while painting. I have slapped on way too many layers of of tulip and lumiere paint on my fins, because I didn't test enough to see what I like. I finally did figure out what I like but I will have to repaint some parts to match. I tried to water the paint down (1/3 water 2/3 paint) but the fins still turned hard and lethery and have lost the soft swim suit feeling. I am worried that all of the paint is going to chip off once I get into the pool. What do I do?!?!?! Is this normal? I know there is supposed to be some texture change but how much is too much? And the top of my dorsal has big wrinkles in it. I don't care about this too much it is in the webbing between the rays but is annoying none the less. Has anyone else had these problems? Or am I just over reacting?

[Celaeno]

Mermaid Menanna had success using Speedball screenprinting ink instead of Lumiere on her fabric tail, she said that it stayed soft/flexible/didn't crack. You might message her and get her opinion?

[Ciriun]

This is your first tail right? :hug: I know it is hard and frustrating and even scary when your tail isn't going right. At one point I almost gave up on mine. I was even considering if I could return or resell the fabric!

The thing is, a first tail might not turn out perfect. A first anything might not turn out perfect. But even if it never matches your vision, if you can use it and can look at how much hard work you put in and how much you learned from making it, then it is still a beautiful success. And maybe down the road when this one is all worn out, you can make a new one that will be that much better because you have experience. Wish I could help you more, but I didn't have the guts to do more than the most basic possible design for my tail, so you're already braver than me.

[Mermaid Joie]

I have pictures but I can't get them to upload. But I wanted to go a head and post this b/c I have been writing it for several days. I don't expect a causal reader to read much past this little update section, but if you are seriously considering sewing zip ties into a fabric tail read the whole thing!... Maybe twice? Use it as reference. If you try it let me know I would love to see what you come up with!
For some reason the fins look great in the picture, but the perfectionist inside me can pick out every little mistake in reality. I guess you could say they are growing on me. ;) I have decided to just move forward and not worry about the paint. Summer is almost over I have got to get this done! I have been swimming in my monofin all year long and that has taken up some of my time as well. Like Ciriun said I can just make another one after I have more experience. Thank you. I think I just have a lot of anxiety this time of year getting everything ready to go back to school and my family has been fighting a lot lately. None the less the fins are looking good.
I mentioned earlier that I had some problems sewing the zip ties to the fabric to make long fin rays in my fluke. I want to address those problems now in case anyone wants to use the method to make a zippy tail. (I have decided to call this tail my zippy tail and refer to zip ties as zips often throughout this post.) Most of these problems were because I had no clue what I was doing! I made a small pillow once in a sewing class and just picked sewing up again when this whole mermaid thing started. :thumbdown: This caused me to make many many many first timer mistakes that I then had to go back and fix. I am sure there are those of you out there that will jump into this whole tail making process head first without a parachute just like I did. Be warned this not for the faint of heart but you can do it! I have summarized everything I have learned from this experience in this post so that you can avoid some of the pitfalls. The solution is to test an idea first on a scrap piece of fabric. Or consult an experienced seamstress… Ultimately, more testing needs to be done with this type of tail making, but I think at this point I have achieved my goal of making some realistic fabric fins. I would love to see what Mers with more sewing experience come up with. Let me know what you think. Could zippy tails be a thing? Maybe… I guess I will have to see how it holds up. Ok now on to the problems and solutions I will post pictures as soon as figure out why I am having problems with the site.


Problems and Solutions
First of all I tested a variety of sewing methods made a ton of mistakes and it still turned out looking pretty good. I encourage you to Test! Test! Test! To see what works best for you. You may even create your own method. Cut the zip ties to your desired length and shape using a pair of strong pliers/ wire cutters. The small fins are the easiest to make and I suggest you make them first to practice if you plan on making a fluke be prepared to throw some way until you get the hang of it. For the smallest fins I sewed with the fabric inside out forming almost a V shape with the two seams on the sides. I left a large enough hole on the tip of the V to turn the fabric right side out. Then pin the zips in place. If possible, avoid creating inside seams by cutting the pattern on a folded piece of fabric with the fold in place of an inside seam. This helps you avoid having the remaining seam allowance slide around on the top of the zip tie creating unattractive lumps along the fin rays. This is what happened with my dorsal. Then sew along the face of the fabric. At the end closest to the scale fabric where the fin rays in your design join, sew through the zips atop the face of the fabric and across the fin before or after sewing the zip ties or whenever is most convenient for you. This keeps the zips flat and in place. Theoretically it is not an essential step if you want a floppier fin. In general, I try to begin and end sewing in the seam allowance that will become attached to my tail/scale fabric by going back over stitches as needed keeping parallel to the zips. This helps to create clean lines on the surface of the fin which almost disappear with paint. Also the thinner the zip tie the easier it is to sew. The thinner ones give less dimension but still give the fin the support it needs to maintain its shape. The methods below are in the order that I tried them not in order of effectiveness.
Method 1) Pin the zips between the layers of fabric along a straight line drawn with a dress maker’s pencil. Sew on the face of the fabric around the zip tie with a zipper foot and only sew through the zip tie at the ends. This works well for small fins and creates a tight fit around the zip.
Method 2) The larger fluke pieces may need additional support so I chose to pin them in place (with over 300 pins) and sew through the zip ties with a regular foot first from beginning to end. That was not easy! (I am still working on this part) I intend to sew around the zip ties with the face of the fabric up to create more definition on fluke. There are many problems caused by this method. The most obvious problem was that I was continually sticking myself with the pins! I do not recommend it unless you feel it is necessary for additional support! Although it created less wrinkles and a tighter fit around the zip tie than the first method, the large zips slid around more under the fabric. I don’t think the foot had a very good grip on the zip tie, which stretched the fabric out and consequentially the bottom seam allowance became at least a ¼ inch longer beneath each ray. Just plan on it, I haven’t really found a way to prevent this. Also sometimes the large zip ties bent to form an arched shape where the fabric had stretched while sewing. To fix this I propped the zips up with a stack of DVDs so that they were level with the sewing machine’s feed dogs. It was only after days of frustrating labor trying to sew through the long thick zip ties in my fluke that I thought of Method 3 and by then I had already begun the last half of my fluke. So…. Method 3 is more of a theory, but Method 1 sucks so much I am going to try Method 3 next time.

Method 3) Measure the thickness and length of the zips and use a dress maker’s pencil and a long ruler or yardstick to draw (or trace) the lines around the zip ties that you need to sew. If your tail fluke is webby like mine with pointy edges, CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE FLUKE HALVE’S LINES ARE SYMMETRICAL! Sew your straight lines but leave room at both ends to position the zip tie. THEN and only then insert the zips and sew the ends and through the zip. My fluke was not symmetrical in one area, so I seam ripped the whole area, stopped working on the fluke, and started painting the other fins until my anger at my own stupidity subsided.

After using one of the pervious sewing methods (or your own) close the other end of the fin by sewing across the zip ties and fabric in between. On my fins, this is the end with the (glow in the dark) white spots which I used to hide the stitch. Then fringe the ends of the fabric with nail scissors if desired.

And now some general problems and solutions…
Use a ball point needle or something stronger than a stretch needle to sew through a zip tie. The zips are made from nylon and a sharp ball point needle can pierce through it easily enough. Which brings me to my next point... (get it…)
The needle will wear out quickly so have extras on hand before you begin. They seem to come in several sizes the thicker ones seem to work better because they leave larger holes in the zip making it easier for the needle and thread to be drawn back up after piercing the zip. This also makes it easier to re-sew if the thread snaps or you make a mistake. Don't try to force a zip through the machine!!!!!! This can break a needle, wear out the feed dogs, and stretch your fabric! My main problem was that the all-purpose thread on top would get caught in the tension knob and snap when I attempted to sew through the thicker zips. I adjusted the tension up and down many many times to no avail and just created top and bottom loop problems by doing so. Seven-Six-ish seems to be the best setting depending on the thickness of the zips. I am unsure if this is due to the type of sewing machine or what but the solution for me was to use the hand crank-knob-thingy-whatever to slowly sew through the zip tie and untangle the thread as soon as it got caught or to pump the pedal to the tune of the Bugz Bunny Hillbilly Hare Square Dance……… Hey if it works it works right? This song is on YouTube and I swear it is magical. Ah America the land of politically incorrect square dancing songs which have the power to bring mermaids into existence!
Yep...
If the top thread does snap and you catch it early because you are going nice and slow it is pretty easy to put the sewing machine in reverse and make a knot over the area, keep going, and just tie and hide the loop while hand sewing. Clearly I am a sadly inexperienced sewer and I would love to get some feedback on this problem from an experience seamstress! If I talk to someone I will post and update here or if one of you has some input I would love to hear from you.
Later, I plan on making another long update on how I sewed the two fluke halves together, and on how I installed the elastic band once I have worked out all the details. Now with the elastic band, I don’t mean to repeat what others have already posted, I want to put my own spin on it. I just thought it would be nice to have all the information in one convent place for newbies like myself. I plan on updating the thread as soon as I find the solutions to the problems that I could not fully address. I may even edit this post and just write my changes in blue text so I don’t have conflicting information on the thread. Hopefully by the time I am done with this thread a beginner Mer like myself will have everything they need to know to make a realistic fabric tail. I also plan on posting a cost break down once the tail is complete and I will let you know how it holds up at the pool. I hope this information was helpful and not more confusing. Remember to test test test these ideas first on scrap.

[Mermaid Joie]

Here are the fins!

[Seraphina Suds]

Wow!!

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[Aubrey]

Those fins look incredible! Your painting skills are beyond amazing! [emoji7][emoji7]

[Elodea the Mermaid]

Wowee! Girrrrrl, you are being way too hard on yourself. From the look of those fins, this tail's going to look more realistic than silicone.

Also, the seamstress in me is examining the channels around the zip ties like "Yeeeessss!" That is some clean work and way beyond my skills, that's for sure.

[Mermaid Alea]

This is so beautiful! :swoon:

[Ciriun]

That looks incredible! Your tail is going to be so amazing! :cheerleader:

[Nyx]

Oh my Poseidon those fins are beautiful!!!
I can't wait to see the rest of the tail.

[Mermaid Joie]

Does anyone have any tips for creating a slimming pattern on my tail? I need to find my body double or my almost body double!Haha
I went Monofin swimming at my college pool the other day and when I came come I had a double ear infection, runny nose, sore throat, difficulty breathing, aching joints, chills, and a mind bendingly painful headache. Motrin is my best friend today. I am ordering ear and nose plugs ASAP. Needless to say I am not going anywhere today so I thought I would work on my tail. I have this idea for a Diamond scale pattern with different colored diamonds on the inside until there is just one glowing scale in the middle. A "space mermaid" as my friends said. My problem is I am a super perfectionist and I am worried that some of the patterns might make my butt look bigger. Then again that may be a good thing b/c my shoulders are wider than my waist...???... I feel like certain clothes make my look like a pudgy elf while others make me look great! And now I am trying to figure out how to make the dorsal sticking out of my butt look flattering?
Anyways, I have seen Mers use stripes and curvy lines to create this slimming effect. How does that work? I was also thinking of doing a stripe/shading along the length of my tail b/c am also short the that might give me some length. Does anyone have a tail like this? Is this type of design helpful to curvy girls like myself?
My measurements:
Height 5ft 3in
Shoulders:41in
Bust:38in, C cup, 33in under strap
Waist 33.5in
Hips:39in
Butt:41in
Knees:24.5in
Ankles:19in

[Mermaid Joie]

32884328853288532886

[Mermaid Joie]

I am bring this thread back from the dead I am actually going to finish this time no "and" "if"s or "but"s. Except fish butts. I found a helpful tutiorial on sewing invisible waist bands should have an update in a few hours.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170720/a33e802293d1bf472beccd61a2d73fhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170720/72ed6fb496db583abf1218d11124b41e.jpgc8.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170720/85a784c5fc1dd0a8905e24d442515ead.jpg

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[Mermaid Joie]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170720/c978d5bcebd7099afaca59c060fd8937.jpg

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[Mermaid Joie]

Update: the sewing is Finally done!!!!
Now I just have to wrestle this sea monster into a fish net stocking, pin around the fin, and paint!
My tail looked really weird while I was stuffing it so of course I took pictures https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170804/24fbb48fe0fd0c11eb0d3c5d39495e1e.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170804/7babac357c9b749bffa17126cc765984.jpg

The evolution of the sea monster!

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[Mermaid Whisper]

This is so incredibly beautiful. Fintastic work, Joie! Hopefully, this tail will bring you some joy ;)

I definitely know how it is to have a Big Idea[emoji769] for a painted fabric tail and take a good while to follow through. But it looks like it was worth it!


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[Livelifedeep]

Oh my gosh your tail is so gorgeous I wish I was a skilled seamstress!


Update: the sewing is Finally done!!!!
Now I just have to wrestle this sea monster into a fish net stocking, pin around the fin, and paint!
My tail looked really weird while I was stuffing it so of course I took pictures https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170804/24fbb48fe0fd0c11eb0d3c5d39495e1e.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170804/7babac357c9b749bffa17126cc765984.jpg

The evolution of the sea monster!

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[shylittleshadow]

This tail is majestic! It's absolutely gorgeous! You did such a good job.

[Slim]

That tail is amazing

[Mermaid Joie]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170808/04204d4a72ebf9531cba03e77c923d10.jpg

There is a fish butt on my desk.


Scale painting step by step below.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170808/cec06ce199aacf5ddeaf4ae6ed2d77a4.jpg

Highlight
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170808/2c2b7770662b0554a439f278f21341eb.jpg

Main color
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170808/df368b3adf947f49a9010bd2fafa9dc4.jpg

Lowlight/shadow=watered down dark color
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170808/70f5cc4a190f6ad04c686a772e0e0e8c.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170808/cfb60926fb15f57618526f30442f06ba.jpg

Experiment with skipping steps to get a variety of scale depths and shades.


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[Rebela Hunter]

I love your tail, Joie! It looks fantastic !
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[Mermaid Joie]

I love your tail, Joie! It looks fantastic !
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Thanks I know lot's of mers are just starting their tails so I am including everything I learned along the way and also so I can keep it for reference when I start my Goldfish tail. Can you believe I didn't know how to sew at the beginning of this?

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[Rebela Hunter]

Thanks I know lot's of mers are just starting their tails so I am including everything I learned along the way and also so I can keep it for reference when I start my Goldfish tail. Can you believe I didn't know how to sew at the beginning of this?

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You didn't know how to sew ?!
No way! :O

You're doing extremely well for someone who's just learning!
I'm sure your goldfish tail is going to be superb!
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[BlueCorvidae]

I wish I had the patience for a project like that. Your tail is coming out to be the prettiest fabric tail I've ever seen.

[Astridia]

It looks soo awesome I LOVE the painting by fishnet idea XD very clever.

[Mermaid Joie]

It looks soo awesome I LOVE the painting by fishnet idea XD very clever.
Thanks! I wish I could take credit for the fishnet idea but I can't. [emoji14] All this information came together from looking at other tailmaking threads on Mernetwork. I was mostly inspired by Jadestone's tail making thread. That's the great thing about Mernetwork, our techniques can build on each other as we share them. I have included my experiments and methods with zip ties and Astroglow in my tail thread to help inspire others.

I have decised not to make any more updates until I am done painting because I keep getting distracted. [emoji14] I also want to keep the rest of the design a surprise.

I promise myself when I come back to the thread my tail will be ready to swim.

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[Rebela Hunter]

Thanks! I wish I could take credit for the fishnet idea but I can't. [emoji14] All this information came together from looking at other tailmaking threads on Mernetwork. I was mostly inspired by Jadestone's tail making thread. That's the great thing about Mernetwork, our techniques can build on each other as we share them. I have included my experiments and methods with zip ties and Astroglow in my tail thread to help inspire others.

I have decised not to make any more updates until I am done painting because I keep getting distracted. [emoji14] I also want to keep the rest of the design a surprise.

I promise myself when I come back to the thread my tail will be ready to swim.

Sent from my VS988 using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)

I can't wait !!!
I'm so excited to see it done!
Your talent is a true gift, my friend!
< 3

[courtneymermaid]

Oh wow! What a beautiful tail!! Amazing work! I can't wait to see more!

[Mermaid Mia]

Just saw this and it looks AMAZING. Can't wait to see it finished.


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[Mermaid Joie]

FINALLY DONE PAINTING!!!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171007/f3a3cf576026194bfbd0ef33374bfb21.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171007/ee16c3888ccadd5e5d828eff7e12c222.jpg
I decided to book a dry gig to motivate me to finish early and it worked. Only I think I stretched the tail out a little with all the pillows stuffed in it sadly I will have to take it in later. I sewed a simple top together on the way to the gig (DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS) it is very hard to thread a needle while your dad is driving wrecklessly I stabbed my thumb :( I put my tail on in the car once it was parked (also don't try this at home)I was very crumpled up and with much last minute panic it all came together miraculously. Dad carried me over and I kicked and screamed saying he spilled water on me and the little girls comepletely bought it and I convinced the nonbelievers. One girl was suspious until they touched my tail and I started giggling and telling them "that tickles!" (Credit to mermaid stormy for this perfect idea) One little girl started yelling at her dad, "DAD she is a real mermaid she is NOT wearing a costume!!!"

They had so many great comments will post an update later after I finish up todays gigs as a clown.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171007/dfad7ff76e25c8e254c675b3f101bbee.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171007/1e83cca94a37b30d8923ef5da9e39aec.jpg

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[Slim]

That tail is amazing and the post made me smile about the gig. Sound like it was a blast.

[Livelifedeep]

Your tail came out great. So precious glad the tickle trick worked for you it it one of my go tos for those skeptics and those who are rough with my tail.

[Mermaid_Mari]

That looks so amazing holy crap


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[Mermaid Kane]

WOwie, this is awesome?

[Mermaid Joie]

I had a photoshoot with Mermaid Stormy! AND SHE NAILED IT! It was kind of last minute and unfornumately my school wouldn't let us swim and take pictures at the indoor pool so we scrambled over to LA fitness. There were all these beautiful little particles in the water that really made the photos look magical! But also hurt my eyes... I didn't expect it to my such a workout but there is a hudge difference between swimming in a monofin and in a tail there is A LOT more resistance and it will take a while for me to get used to. I bumped my head and strained my left hip. I guess I got a little too excited and didn't pay attention to what I was doing. Now I know to take it slow. But it was worth it!!!! I have a dry gig this saturday and will be sure to post an update. I am still adding things to the top and my have to do a paint touch up on the tail. Some paint flakes came off :( Stormy suggested sealing it with Rustoleum for a protective layer. Has anyone tried this?
42311

42312

[Mermaid Joie]

4231342314423154231642317

[Mermaid Joie]

Close up of the fluke it flows very nicely in water just like I planned with the zipties.
42318
I have decided to name this tail Luminesce. The next one will be goldy or shimmer.
42319

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