Starting a sequin tail!

[Mermaid Nyla]

Wow. okay. im so excited for my new project. i have decided to make a second tail (the first one is all worn out, ripped, stretched) but its inspired by the amazing Hannah Fraser. :) I'm going to make a neoprene sequined tail! i know it will be very laborious but in the end i know it will be well worth it. I'm still deciding wether i should cover the whole tail with sequins or just part of it. Hannah Fraser's signature blue tail is a good example of what I'm going to try and achieve. she's modified in by putting sequins around her waist and fluke and it still looks dazzling.

http://www.hannahfraser.com/mermaid/slippages/photos_one.php?instanceid=324&p=76 if you click on picture number 10, it a perfect example of what i would hope to achieve if i were to cover the entire thing.

i have already ordered a finis competitor monofin, the largest you can choose from, and and it should be arriving in the mail any day now. :) once it arrives I'm going to order the 4mm thick neoprene to paint and sew on.

here is the quick sketch i did of how I'm going to want my tail to look.
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you might not be able to see it, but i will be using rubber matting or vinyl floor matting for the fins on the back side of the tail, the back of and bottom of the fluke and some on the side of my waist. super excited!

[Odette]

just make sure you do not copy her ideas exactly.good luck.

[MafaldaMermaid]

I really love the colors =)
I can't wait to see this done!

[Nim]

Nyorio your sketch it's beautiful! There are some news? *w*

[Mermaid Nyla]

odette-
oh of course! i know to respect hannah's original design. no copy cats here. :)

[Mermaid Nyla]

so i ordered the monofin at the beginning of the month and have gotten no word about it till now! it should be here between the 28th of this month and the 5th of march. apparently they wait until its ordered before they actually make it... :P
i also found a great website for sequins of all different colors. I'm planning on using the shell shaped ones. the more texture the cooler it will look. :)

http://www.ccartwright.com/shells.html

[Mermaid Nyla]

here is a picture of my monofin. its huge! i just got it today and its in perfect shape. although i was worried the sockets for my feet would be to big, they fit just fine when i wear socks, so I'm going to order neoprene socks. better safe than sorry. :) when i put the mono fin on the ground it went nearly a foot past my knee, and I'm 5 8'. so yeah it big. now to order the neoprene!
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sorry i couldn't get any other pictures on. my computer is being weird...

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Wow. Yeah, that's big. XD

[Gem Stone]

Thts huge! Are all of their monofins tht big?! :0

[Mermaid Nyla]

Yeah this one is the finis competitor monofin. It's supposed to be the largest of all the different monofins. :) but it is the most expensive....

[Nim]

News? ^_^

[Mermaid Nyla]

so i was able to cut my monofin today! hooray! it was really scary cuz i didn't want to mess anything up, but it turned out quite nicely!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2702689175960&set=a.2460836769801.2101458.1518632046&type=1&theater
sorry, but I'm having to post my picture to Facebook then link them here....my computer doesn't like this site for some reason...
well anyway, i didn't cut all the way to the edges because I'm going to add rubber or some other stiff material to extend the fluke a little more.
im ordering the neoprene today so it should come some time next week. then the real work begins... :)

[NorthernPearl]

Hmm, I got this when I clicked on the FB link:

This content is currently unavailable

The page you requested cannot be displayed right now. It may be temporarily unavailable, the link you clicked on may have expired, or you may not have permission to view this page.

Return home (http://www.facebook.com/)


At any rate, HOORAY for successfully cutting your monofin! That first cut must have been nerve-wracking. :) Can't wait to see how it turned out!

[SireniaSolaris]

That's what I got to. I wanna see! :D

Sounds like you are really going strong with this! Keep up updated for sure. I'd like to see how it turns out :)

[Mermaid Nyla]

Thanks you guys xD I'll try and keep the updates coming. :)
And I'll deffinetly work on fixing my computer so I can actually post the pictures... :)

[ivoryleopard]

They have cool sequins on there. I have yet to purchase anything from them. Have you figured out the amount you will need? I'm making a scaled tail as well but I don't know if I want to fully cover it or just do accents.

[Mermaid Nyla]

yeah I'm going to use the shell shaped sequins. the more texture the better. :) but they are slightly smaller than the round ones so it'll take longer, but i think it will still be worth it.
im not covering the whole tail with sequins though. most around the top, down the sides and around the top of the fluke and maybe on the sides. :) then like hannah mermaid, maybe ill add on more sequins the longer i wear it. change it up every once and a while.

because I'm not covering the whole thing I'm going to buy around 5 bags of sequins (200 per bag for a total of 1000 sequins) which will only cost around 10-15 buck. then ill buy more if i need any.

[Mermaid Nyla]

OKAY! good news and bad news...and then some more good news....

GOOD NEWS
braces are off! whoo! no more metal mouth. haha :)

BAD NEWS
i got an email about my order saying that i ordered 4 different sheets instead of one! thats 300$ more than i was supposed to being paying for! ahhhh! so i quickly called to tell them about the problem and they gladly fixed it. so i ordered the neoprene asking for the size of 60" x 80" in order for the neoprene to fit all the way around my fin + seems but the problem was they don't have neoprene that comes in that size. :( so they called me back telling me the sad news and i had to cancel my order. dang....

GOOD NEWS
so i was talking to my mom about what i would do, along with my seamstress grandma and we solved the problem with the amount of neoprene. i just bought the largest amount they could give me (51"x84") and use the extra pieces after cutting the main pattern, to cover up the rest of the fin. whooo! I'm so glad they are master seamstresses. :)

my neoprene should be coming sometime next week. :) hooray!

[Mermaid Sirena]

Awesome, glad it worked out!

[ivoryleopard]

I'm gonna get the bags that have 2000+ and get a few colors. I don't know if that will be enough to cover my tail, but it's a start. I noticed on Hannah's tails, the scales are very close together. I'm going to see if I can get the scales to overlap, but not that much! Also I haven't decided if I want to paint the fluke or sequin it.

[Mermaid Nyla]

Because I'm only going to do accents, i'm going to leave the fluke painted with accents down the side. But mostly sequins covering the top.
I didn't know you could get bags that big!? I'll have to check that out... :)
I wouldove to see pictures of your tail when you get started! :D

[Mermaid Nyla]

the rubber vinyl came in the mail today! and the thickness is perfect! i wish the ribs could have been thicker but it will still look nice and flowy in the water.
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so immediately i began cutting the pattern i need for the end of my tail and down the back of my legs. unfortunately i didn't quite think through the measurement when i ordered it, so i have to end up cutting the fluke part in half along with the section down my legs.
this piece i had to trace in halfs...if that made sense...
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here is the fluke with the vinyl
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21732171
there are actually going to be two layers of vinyl of top of each other to make it thicker at both the fluke and my legs. it will also help to hide the zipper and the seem going down the back of my legs.
i want to be able to take the monofin out of the tail so I can clean it, and be able to make other tails without buying another monofin. so i might put a zipper along the bottom of my fluke, or velcro. still trying to figure that part out.

so yeah! neoprene should be here any time! I'm taking it with me to utah next weekend to have my grandma help me cut and sew everything in place! then comes the paint and sewing of the sequins! :D
the vinyl tends to fold, but that'll go away.
i added an inch to the bottom of every shape i cut out so i could sew it into the neoprene without loosing any length to my actual pattern. you can see an example of this in the third picture from the top.

[Mermaid Sirena]

That is pretty spiffy looking, I can't recall have you posted a direct link to where you bought it from? If so ignore me, if not I would suggest doing so if your willing to share :D

[Mermaasai]

http://www.fabricsworldusa.com/site/cat_products.php?cat_id=24 Check it ouuuuuuuuut!

[Mermaid Lulu]

How are you planning on attaching the sequins? Sewing or Gluing? and if gluing what type of glue? Also what tool did you use to cut your monofin?

[Mermaid Nyla]

sirens: here is the site! there are two different sizes you can choose to fit your liking. i chose the 20" x 4' and that worked pretty well. sorry i didn't post it earlier. :rolleyes:
http://www.menards.com/main/search.html?search=clear+ribbed+shelf+liner&sf_categoryHierarchy=

lulu: I'm going to sew on my beads. i have heard from a lot of people including hannah fraser that sewing works the best because your sequins will stay on longer, so you won't have to replace ones that fall off quite as often. but that doesn't mean you can't glue them on still. I'm just not quite sure what kind of glue you would use...

i used my black and decker variable speed jigsaw. and i used the small blade for precision. they look like this:
http://www.mcguckin.com/images/6866303.jpg

hope that helps!

[Mermaid Nyla]

GOOD NEWS! i got my neoprene today! and just in time cuz I'm leave for utah in almost 2 days! now i just need to get the zipper to go down the back of the tail, and velcro so i will be able to take the mono fin out and clean it so it doesn't rot. gotta find all this stuff in 2 days! ahhhh!
anyways, the neoprene looks absolutely perfect! i got a 3mm thick sheet (54"x81") of neoprene that is covered on one side be a protective blue fabric (which will help the paint stay the vibrant colors i need) and black on the inside, that way the neoprene itself won't uncomfortably rub on me. :) I'm so happy this is working!
i don't want to take it out of its packaging simply because I'm taking it will me on a long trip to utah and i don't want it to get damaged. this means no pictures for right now... :(

lately I've also been trying to figure out how I'm going to paint this thing.... in my very first post i posted this sketch of my tail....
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i don't really want to paint each scale an individual color... so i came up with a plan...
I'm thinking of using create paint to carefully spray paint my tail the colors i want. because it will be a variety of different shades of green and blue, i think spray painting will be my best option. then i will go over the entire tail and just paint the outlines of each scale with white create paint. I'm thinking of sparkly white... :P

if you have any hints for painting, that would be fabulous!

[Mermaid Nyla]

http://www.fabricsworldusa.com/site/cat_products.php?cat_id=24 Check it ouuuuuuuuut!


THIS IS AMAZING!!!! i just might have to make another tail using some of this stuff... there is even fabric that looks like fish scales!!! :D

[Mermaasai]

I knooowwwww I immediately thought of this thread when I saw it, i hope you do something with it, it would be epic ^.^

[Mermaid Nyla]

I knooowwwww I immediately thought of this thread when I saw it, i hope you do something with it, it would be epic ^.^
yeah, my whole jaw pretty much fell off when the page finished loading. i am soooo glad you showed me this link! when i save up more money, i am definitely making a tail with this fabric. i just need to know how thin it is... 1mm 2mm etc

[ShyMer]

Oh hey, I didn't notice before, but does anyone think that the way the monofin is cut could become a problem? I remember people saying when modifying a monofin, you don't want to have sharp corners at the center like that, that it could cause it to break. Also, it worries me how one of the cuts extends into the fin some. Does anyone know about this?

If it isn't going to be a problem, just ignore me. I just want to catch it before something unfixable happens :O

[Spindrift]

Oh hey, I didn't notice before, but does anyone think that the way the monofin is cut could become a problem? I remember people saying when modifying a monofin, you don't want to have sharp corners at the center like that, that it could cause it to break. Also, it worries me how one of the cuts extends into the fin some. Does anyone know about this?

If it isn't going to be a problem, just ignore me. I just want to catch it before something unfixable happens :O

You are correct. A sharp cut in the center will split further once it's under the stress of moving through water. Silicone won't fix it:

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[Spindrift]

Rounding the cut will fix it though.

[MafaldaMermaid]

Amazing... ;O
1 quick question! Do you glue the rubber vinyl in the monofin?

[Mermaid Nyla]

You are correct. A sharp cut in the center will split further once it's under the stress of moving through water. Silicone won't fix it:

2235

okay thank you for bringing this up! i was really freaked out when i screwed up the cut, and I'm glad you said something.
so i took your advice to round it out and my mom thankfully found her dremel. so i was able to round it out, but is this enough?2237

[Mermaid Nyla]

Mafalda:
I'm just going to sew the vinyl into the neoprene, because I'm going to want to take the mono fin out to clean it. maybe if i were to glue the neoprene to the monofin then i would also glue the vinyl. but in this case I'm not.

[MafaldaMermaid]

Alright!
Thank you for your reply! :)

[Spindrift]

okay thank you for bringing this up! i was really freaked out when i screwed up the cut, and I'm glad you said something.
so i took your advice to round it out and my mom thankfully found her dremel. so i was able to round it out, but is this enough?2237

I would personally make it a little shallower, but it's hard to tell without seeing it in person. If something happens to it, it's not a terribly big deal - you could fix it with materials that cost about $30.

[Mermaid Nyla]

Yeah I can do shallower. It's all getting covered by neoprene anyway right? Thanks do much for the help. I'm glad you guys caught that before anything bad happened. :)

[Mermaid Nyla]

okay! just got back from utah and sewing the tail went perfectly!
I'm going a little picture happy here so be ready... :)

front view2421

back view2422

close up of the back fin2423

back fin unzipped. sorry i look really bored in this picture...i was just really tired when i took it. :P2424

inside view of the fluke. i attached velcro to the edge on the inside so i can take the monofin out when i need to clean it.2419

i cut the vinyl on the fluke, sides and back. here is a close up of what it looks like...2420

if anyone has any questions how we put in the zipper and the vinyl along the back or the velcro on the fluke, feel free to ask. I'm just being lazy right now and don't really want to type anymore if no ones wondering :)
so yeah! everything turned out perfectly! i made a made it a little to tight around my ankles, but the neoprene is stretchy so its not that bad. plus there's not as many wrinkles around the ankles when i put it on! :)

[Jeblily]

It looks really great so far, can't wait to see more!

[Blondie]

Wow! Looks just like Hannah's! I love it!

[Spindrift]

You and your family did a great job! This looks really promising! I hope you're having a lot of fun with this :)

[Mermaid Dottie]

WOAH! what a great idea! Where Can I get some of that?

[Mermaid Dottie]

GENIUS!!!

[Mizuko]

Wow, this looks seriously awesome! :D Makes me impatient to start my neoprene tail! XD

[Mermaid Dottie]

I wish I'd've known you were in utah earlier. I live here, and I don't meet other mermaids.:(

[Mermaid Nyla]

Dottie: dang! i wish i had known too! i might have been able to stop by! that would have been so cool :)
where can you get some of the vinyl that i used for the fins? of the neoprene itself? well i got the vinyl online here: http://www.menards.com/main/search.html?search=clear+ribbed+shelf+liner&sf_categoryHierarchy=
i would suggest buying 2 rolls because one was fairly enough for me do do what i did. i wanted to add some on to my ankle and farther down the back, but i didn't have enough. :(

[Mermaid Nyla]

it took us two days to sew. it was insane. at first my grandma had no idea what to do because she had never done a project like this before. but thankfully everything clicked and it went faster after that. she had never worked with neoprene before so she didn't believe me when i told her it stretched. :P haha. :) i think the zipper down the back with the vinyl along with the velcro with the vinyl on the fluke was the hardest. everything else was a piece of cake. :) at first we had cut the waist to big so when we sewed it, it fell down...thankfully we could easily unhook the sewing and re-cut and sew the sides together again.

also i was thinking of adding a little more color to my tail design....maybe little tints of gold near the top so it sortuv seems to blend into my skin, and gold along the side of the fluke and a little down the back. but only hints of it....
what do you guys think?

[Mermaid Dottie]

Shelf liner! Brilliant!

[Mermaid Nyla]

Shelf liner! Brilliant!
I KNOW! :D the veins in the liner makes it really easy to cut straight lines. i love it! plus its the perfect thickness to still be nice a strong but still flow nicely in the water. :)

[Kanti]

Wow I love the tail so far :'D
Using the rubber matting was a great idea too~

Btw kinda late I suppose but where did you get your monofin xD
Is it the teenage-sized one from FINIS? O:

[Mermaid Nyla]

i got the finis competitor mono fin at swim outlet :

http://www.swimoutlet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=2184

(your gonna have to copy and paste the url...)

its the biggest kind of monofin. there are other monofins that are longer but to get a better mermaid shape i went with the competitor. :) the price has actually gone down from when i bought it...dang. :P

hope that helps. :)

[Mermaid Nyla]

AH! okay so i just saw this video on youtube and i might change the way i paint and decorate this tail....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk9PW-b2s_s&list=FLVBAEzoYKMeyAl290vEBiLA&feature=mh_lolz
I'm really liking the way she painted her pink tail... :))
she painted the scales quite large which in her other video's looks really neat in the water, then she highlighted them with smaller sea shell sequins. the blue tail also looks cool too.... but I'm thinking i might go with the pink...
if you guys have any opinions feel free to share. right now its 50 50 for me... :)

[Kanti]

Oh wow its a competitor??
It had a black blade so I was confused. I suppose they come in black xD
Very nice! It was a really stiff monofin huh? That's what I always hear :'P

[Mermaid Nyla]

Oh wow its a competitor??
It had a black blade so I was confused. I suppose they come in black xD
Very nice! It was a really stiff monofin huh? That's what I always hear :'P

Yeah I wa surprised when I saw it come out of the box being black. Totally did not see that coming. :P yeah it's really nice and stiff on land, when I tests it in the water it bent a little but still remained pretty stiff, which was really nice when I wanted to go fast. :) it's a great monofin. So glad I got it. I just wish it were a little more bendy so it looked more flowy in the water...

[Kanti]

Yea but stiff is good too! I actually saw a video of someone messing around in a competitor underwater
and I thought it looked great. It's a bit flowy but not too much and it'll propel you through the water.
I'm attempting to make a monofin out of sheets of plastic and right now I want it REALLY wavy but..
Yea then you have to accept the fact that it'll be weird to swim in xD
It'll basically be a showy tail more than anything :'P

[Mermaid Nyla]

Making a monofin out of plastic sheets? That's sound really interesting! :) Once you finish it you should post some pictures cuz I would love to see how floppy it looks :)
yeah I guess floppy won't work very well when swimming...

Yeah i guess the competitor fin will be nice when I'm swimming in the ocean. Nice control too. :)

[Kanti]

Yea it'll be nice once you start swimming in it xD
So far I just have some PETG sheets cut in the shape of a fluke. I've dunked it in the
water to see the movement and it can't really support it's shape. It's super flowy and
probably won't support movement very well.
It looks nice, but you can't really swim fast in it xD
One day I'll try but I'm basically inventing stuff as I go so I dunno if it's gonna work haha

[Ilonka]

Maybe you should try Plexiglass? Its a very hard plastic used for windows and fish tanks and its shatterproof. It also comes in a large range of sizes, colors, and thickness. Some Homedepots have it but you should also check online.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Hey, Nyorio, you could go halfsies on your tail. Pink in the middle, blue outside? XD or maybe straight up variegated pink to blue with LOTS of purple?

[Mermaid Nyla]

well I'm still going to keep the original colors on the tail like in my picture. I'm just referring to how she painted the scales and then highlighted them with sequins. i really like the look of it... :)
yeah i think I've decided to paint and sequin like she did. she has a couple of video's of her swimming in the pink one and i like how it shimmers in the water. :)))

[Nemefish]

wow this looks amazing :D A+

[ivoryleopard]

Wow yours is coming right along! I haven't had time to work on mine since I bought my materials. It's been pretty hectic for the past couple of months for me.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Sorry its been so long since I've been in here... How's the tail coming along?

[MermaidRaegan]

Love the vinyl!! I would totally use that on a tail, but I'm betting that stuff isn't paintable and it'd look weird on a black tail.

How is the tail coming? Got any sequins on it yet?

[Mahi Mermaid]

Love it!!! Your Fringe is awesome! It took me months to find fringe and I still wasn't totally happy with it!

[gypsymer]

This is really looking great! What kind of a machine did you use with your grandmother? 3mm is pretty thick and can jam up a commercial machine, especially when you add the plastic!

[MermaidAiera]

Question~~What did you use for the belt and how did you sew it in? I'm adding a belt in my neoprene tail but I didn't know what to use XD

[Mermaid Marina]

How did you sew that with your sewing machine? I tried sewing 2.5 mm thick neoprene and it would not take the thickness but yours looks perfect! well done.

[LittleAmy]

I love your job *_*
How did you sew all the piece together so nicely ?

[Mermaid Caidence]

Is the belt uncomfortable?

[LittleAmy]

What's your secrets ? :)

[starlite]

Any news today ? i'm planning to make this kind of tail.

[MerEmma]

So...jealous. o_o

[Mer_Adella]

I think the question on my mind (as well as everyone elses it seems)

What kind of belt is that?
How did you sew it in?
And is it uncomfortable?

[Koral]

I'm with Adella there on those exact questions.
But I'd also like to add:

Where did you order your neoprene from?

I'm price checking, is why I ask. Not sure if this was already answered, I'm a little tired, sorry!

[MerEmma]

How's this coming along?

[Mermaid Danielle]

Your tail looks amazing! Keep up the great work!

[Mermaid Nyla]

Oh gosh I haven't been on in forever! Sorry guys! Senior year is always hectic. I was able to start painting a couple month ago actually! It's looking fabulous:) I'm keeping the scales a little larger than you would normally see people having because 1, I like the look, 2, I looks nice in the water:) I did a test swim before I started painting and it fits and works amazingly. Nice and snug too. I have some videos of me and others swimming in the tail so I'll try and post those tomorrow. I will also post some pictures of what I have painted so far. I'm finding that as I paint, the fabric isn't as stretchy as the places without paint, which I think will be good. It still stretches but not as much as the places without paint. This means it'll take a while for it to strech to the point where it wont stretch back to normal.

About the belt:
I don't really feel much when I'm swimming and I can tell its helping to hold everything up quite nicely. Though I guess I could go without it next time if I were to just make the waist smaller and tighter. It also keeps the waist from stretching because it is sewn directly onto the fabric, so that's nice. I just used a thick seat belt like material and a belt buckle that I bought at the dollar store. Really cheap.
I will post more tomorrow, it's kinduv late:P

[Mermaid Nyla]

swimming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtlyVWgRssI&feature=youtu.be
swimming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQbv93YnZJM&list=HL1358114721
floating
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e9jaulfqR8&list=HL1358114721

[Mermaid Nyla]

897289738974

[MerEmma]

Wow. It looks great. o_o

[FreshWaterMermaid]

Wow Nyla! With such an amazing paint job, it's almost sad to see it covered by sequins!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[starlite]

wonderfull !

[Mermaid Nyla]

Thanks everybody!:3 I'm actually painting the whole tail but just sewing sequins along the top, sides(to hide the seems), the sides if the fluke, and some down the along the dorsal fin. So you'll still be able to see the paint job. I sewed in a couple sequins at the top to I could see what it looked like. But I'm Gunna finish painting the entire tail before sewing the rest of the sequins.
at this point I'm just super excited to paint the fluke:)

[Mermaid Wesley]

It looks wonderful!

[MermaidAlaina]

I can't wait to see it finished! Looks amazing so far!

[Mermaid Nyla]

UPDATE!!! WHOOP! :yay:
935893599360you can kinduv tell the difference between finished with glitter coat and not finished(last 4 rows)9361

[Mermaid Allie]

OH MY WORD I LOVE IT. ITS SO AMAZING

[MerEmma]

So much work put into this tail... o_o

[Ashe]

Oh wow! It is so beautiful!!! i'm so jealous!!! >_< :)
And question: What brand of paint did you use, and does it stretch well? (sorry if it has been answered, didn't see :p)

[Mermaid Nyla]

Thanks guys! I actually brought my tail to an all nighter and painted for what felt like forever! (only 4 hours ish xp)

Kalani: I used tulip dimensional fabric paint and tulip glitter dimensional fabric paint. But befre i started painted i did a base coat layer of tulip permanent fabric spray paint. I had to do that base layer because without it, the fabric paint would seep through the neoprene so I would have to do TONS of layers of paint before the colors would show nicely. It was still permanent but the color wasn't as pretty. I'm also going to find one of those invisible sealing paints to help the paint stay longer and not fade.
Once I'm done I'm also going to use glow in the dark fabric paint as wellXD super excited!

[drucilla]

That is Great!!!!

[Spindrift]

Wow, that looks great! Congratulations, that looks REALLY good. :)

[Mermaid Nyla]

Kalani: forgot to answer the second part of your question...
yes the painted neoprene still stretches but not as much as it used to without the paint. I'm finding though that as I begin to stretch the painted neoprene it stretches more. But I don't think it'll ever get back to the same wonderful stretchiness.

[MerEmma]

How's it going?

[Mermaid Nyla]

Things are going slower than I want....I'm graduating this year so a lot of scholarship work and finding a job... It's crazy. I was actually able to paint a little more this week, but sadly my cameras being stupid... -.-

Im planning to finish before may because that's when my moms going to start heating up our pool again!! :D can't wait for the summer!
We are also going to Disney world before I go off to college and I'm deffinetly bringing my tail to swim in the hotel pools:D
just thinking about all this stuff gets me excited to finish my tail:)

Sorry for the lack of updates though :P

[Mermaid Saphira]

Incredible paint job on that tail! I can't wait to view the final result. Keep up the mermazing work! :)

[Lotus]

Holy WOW! that's a work of art!

[iHomesick]

How many of the neoprean sheets did you buy?

[Ashe]

Thank you very much for the information :) I really can't wait to see the finished product, it is looking amazing so far! And congratulations on graduating :D

[Mermaid Autumn]

How many sheets of neoprene did you buy and what size was your finis comp. monofin & what size shoe are you?

[Disfusional]

I love all the progress photos and videos!!!!

[MerCat]

I'm relatively new to the Mernetwork, but I've been thinking about making my own neoprene tail as well! I was looking at the competitor monofins today, and I had NO idea they were that big! I'll definitely have to have a family member who works with carpentry cut it down for me! Also I was reading somewhere that the thicker the neoprene the more buoyant the tail will be. I haven't ordered any supplies yet, I'm still very much in the brainstorming stage right now, but let me know how the 3mm neoprene does for you! Good luck!! Can't wait to see the end results!

[lynsea]

How are you guys planning on doing the fluke? I've been thinking about this and there are a few different ways to make it so the fluke doesn't fill up with water when you swim. What are your solutions?

[Mahi Mermaid]

Where did you get your belt?

[MerCat]

okay! just got back from utah and sewing the tail went perfectly!
I'm going a little picture happy here so be ready... :)

front view2421

back view2422

close up of the back fin2423

back fin unzipped. sorry i look really bored in this picture...i was just really tired when i took it. :P2424

inside view of the fluke. i attached velcro to the edge on the inside so i can take the monofin out when i need to clean it.2419

i cut the vinyl on the fluke, sides and back. here is a close up of what it looks like...2420

if anyone has any questions how we put in the zipper and the vinyl along the back or the velcro on the fluke, feel free to ask. I'm just being lazy right now and don't really want to type anymore if no ones wondering :)
so yeah! everything turned out perfectly! i made a made it a little to tight around my ankles, but the neoprene is stretchy so its not that bad. plus there's not as many wrinkles around the ankles when i put it on! :)

I was wondering where you purchased your zipper? I'd love to do something similar to this for the back of my tail, I'm just stuck on where to find a zipper at! and how to attach it...I'm proficient at sewing, i've just never sewn a zipper before! :)

[FreshWaterMermaid]

You can get pretty long zippers at JoAnns fabrics. They're for jackets and such so they're heavier duty and you can get plastic ones (metal will rust in the ocean). The longest I saw when I purchased mine for my tail was 22inches I believe.

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[MerCat]

Cool! Thanks so much, that helps out a lot n__n!

[Mermaid Nyla]

Homesick: I bought only one sheet, but it was a 12 by 6 foot size sheet. it was huge. I had to buy it online on a major swim retail type of site and they sell it in large chunks.
mercat: i would suggest getting a thinner neoprene actually...the thicker was harder to sew, and thats why we had to use my grandmas heavy duty serger. its also harder to sew detail like sequins on because the neoprene is so thick. otherwise the thickness( i don't think) doesn't change my buoyancy in the water very much. its still comfy and suction cups to my body really nicely.
Mermaid Autumn: i wear a size 8 because normal i wear a 71/2 shoe but some reviews i read said that the company makes the sizes a bit small. but otherwise, your shoe size will not change the overall size of the fin. the foot holes are very comfy too!

[Mermaid Nyla]

UPDATE!

sorry guys! its been FOREVER since i last posted, and i am sincerely sorry. i actually just recently bought a small airbrush so i could paint my fluke. I have already painted my fluke on one side and decided it didn't look as nice as i wanted it...the lines didn't blend very well and it just looked sloppy... so i bought an airbrush. i have seen and heard about others using this technique and the pictures of their tails are stunning. the lines are clean and the overall look of the tail seems very professional.
So whats next? i am painting a white layer of my fabric paint over the fluke so i have nice bright base to start on, then I will paint the fluke with the airbrush.

gosh, i never knew how big of a project i was getting myself into :P hah.

[Usagi]

Why did no one send me to this thread when I was using shelf liner?! Lol it's so weird, I've been working on this dang tail for what feels like forever (it's actually not even a year and I've been taking long breaks lol) I started looking at this thread and was like IT'S SO SIMILAR. You must have a great mind, because they think alike. Muahaha. How did you get the vinyl on the back? I sewed it, but some of it has torn.. /: but yours probably has a seam down the back, right?

I don't know if this was answered, but somebody said they don't think paint would stick well...IT DOESN'T. It peels off. I'm going to have to try a paint for plastics. Which stinks because my fluke looked really cool! lol

[Mahi Mermaid]

this tail is fintastic!

[Mermaid Nyla]

sydthefairebrat:
yes great minds do think alike! haha:)
i actually have seems on the side of my tail! i sewed the vinyl in with the zipper. because it was sewn inbetween my neoprene layer AND the zipper layer, thats just two more things holding it in place so its actually really secure. ill tug on it and there is no sign of it ripping or moving.
And i am soooo worried about my paint! i actually put a special layer of this water proof fabric spray onto my neoprene so it would soak into the fibers, and then i painted on top of that layer with another type of waterproof fabric paint. Im also thinking of spraying another protective water proof coat over the entire tail when I'm done painting...

all these types of small annoying problems that i keep coming across is just another reason that justifies me making my own or buying a pure silicone tail. i realized half way through my project that it i had just saved my money for a couple more months, i could have bought a silicone tail from merbellas...GRRR! why is money so frusterating?

[Sasha]

WOW!!! :)

[Mermaid Nyla]

holy moly. okay why this project is taking so long i have no idea.
BUT!
i got my wisdom teeth out early this week so im am determined to finish the last bit of painting on my tail. I havn't been working on painting my tail because i have grown a lot. So last weekend i sent it with my mom back to utah again where they would add in small sections on neoprene to the back of the tail (which was not yet painted) so to fit me. i will post pictures of the inserts tomorrow as well as the progress i have made.
i am also re-designing and re-painting the fluke because i wasn't really liking the look of it. so i went and bought an airbrush to help with that section of painting. (still using the same types of fabric paints).

[Mermaid Nyla]

2170821709

WHOO! this is finally happening! Finished sewing the top, the hair piece, and the belt today. I will be adding shells and other things to the belt later, but its pretty much done! i finally finished painting all the scales and will be finished painting the fluke hopefully by this weekend. ill be practicing with my airbrush tomorrow, and then onto the neoprene.

I ordered 30mm sequins to be sewn on the tail (around the top, seems, and fluke) and those should be here by monday or tuesday, so next week all i'll be doing is sewing.

But i can't believe I am so close!

The family and I are going to Atlantis in July, so I am finishing it before then so i can take the tail with me!

[lynsea]

Wow those scales turned out beautifully! Airbrushed I assume?

[Mermaid Galene]

Nyla, the whole outfit is beautiful! Well done!

[Mermaid Nyla]

Lynsea I actually hand painted each scale. It took me a week of painted about 3 hours a day to finish the back side of the tail. I'm planning on painting the fluke this weekend, and that'll be with an airbrush.

[lynsea]

Well that is damn impressive. I hand painted mine as well (smaller so more but with probably less detail) so I feel your pain.

[MerEmma]

WOW! I love the top, the scales, all of it looks AMAZING. :jawdrop:

[Maethor]

I love love love this tail!!! :) good job!

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[Echidna]

amazing paintjob.

[Mermaid Nyla]

I have good news and bad news.
Bad news is my airbrush wasn't working so I went back to the store to get it fixed, or in my case replaced (they gave me their last one). Then I pulled a stupid and put the box on top of my car while trying to find my keys and ended up driving away with it still up there. 5 hours of running errands later, I finally realize this, and find the airbrush and everything else I bought at the store smushed on the road. Ugh. So we will be searching for another store that'll have one in stock.
in the mean time...
good news is my sequins came faster than expected, so I'll be sewing sequins as much as I can tomorrow. Thankfully my machine can handle seeing through sequins and neoprene, so the process should go pretty quickly.
thank heavens.

[Mermaid Nyla]

But thank you everyone! It's nice to know someone likes your work:)

[Mermaid Nyla]

2174321744
started attaching sequins to the seams today since i didn't have an airbrush. i literally did not stop for about 4 hours. boy do my fingers hurt! im just gald i got one side done! i thought the hand sewing would take a lot longer, but i guess not. once i get going, it gets easier. Im ordering more sequins because i didn't get enough...so they will be here wednesday. till then, i will be sewing on the sequins i have left and finding an airbrush so i can finish the fluke. hallelujah. my goal is to have everything done by the end of this weekend! crossing my fingers i can make this happen!

[Mermaid Galene]

So beautiful!

[Mermaid Adriel]

NICE! :swoon:

[Mermaid Nyla]

21748
Started air brushing today to give my fingers a break from sewing. I think this is my favorite part thus far! I am so excited to finally see the final paint job. it just takes a while for the paint to dry, so it'll take some time...

[Mermaid Pickles]

That. Is. Gorgeous. Ohmymerrrr it's so pretty! Keep at it! You can get it done by the weekend! I have to sew sequins on my tail, too. I'm only doing the seams on thr fluke, though.

[Mermaid Lily_Pad]

Wow! Just wow! It is soooo beautiful! Amazing work and dedication!

[Mermaid Nyla]

Finished painting one side! Oh so exciting! im letting it dry over night, then i will be painting the otherside of the fluke tomorrow. The pictures inside dont do the colors as much justice as it does outside with the natural lighting.

im thinking i might add a little more dark blue the the white and light blue areas...i dont know what do you guys think? 217492175121750

[Maethor]

It looks gorgeous, especially in the natural lighting!

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[Mermaid Nyla]

2176121762
so i finished airbrushing the other side of the fluke today and am waiting for it to dry overnight before i take off the painters tap. AH! this is so exciting! i am so close to being finished! i will fix a couple bugs on the first side of the fluke tomorrow and let that dry, then on thursday i will be going sequin crazy again. I'm thinking it'll be done sunday!

[Mermaid Galene]

Gorgeous!

[Mermaid Nyla]

Finally done with the paint job! I'm going to let it dry all day today and then start sewing tomorrow! I am so close I can't sleep!21850

[Mermaid Pickles]

So. Pretty! That is amazing!

[Mermaid Lily_Pad]

That tail is gorgeous! I am seriously considering trying to make a neoprene tail because of it, except I don't have nearly as much artistic talent as you. LOL That is absolutely beautiful!

[Mermaid Nyla]

Thank you so much guys! So sadly I wasn't able to finish sewing sequins this weekend because I had an unexpected about of work dropped on me that weekend as well as this week, so I'll be finishing it up slowly this week and this weekend!

[Raayvhen]

Do you mind linking the site you bought your neoprene from? Also, was the large sheet you bought just right or did you have a lot of extra?

[Melina-Luna]

OMG ur tail is amazing! I´m starting at my own one today and i hope it will be so great as ur´s :)

[Mermaid Nyla]

I do to remember where I ordered my neoprene...I look for that site and get back to you on that! But the amount I ordered was just right. I didn't have muh extra left over that I could do much with though, so I pretty much used it all up on the tail.

[Mermaid Nyla]

I finished sewing the sequins! I might add more here and there if I feel like it, but I've got it to how I want it looking! I will post pictures and a video if me swimming in it later! It was so fun though! I didn't wanna take it off! Definitely heavier than I thought when I got swimming which surprised me, but still swimmable. Mer abs are a necessity with this thing. Hahaha

[Mermaid Nyla]

ALL DONE! Here are some pictures from the quick swim in our pool today! I'll try and get a video up tomorrow of me swimming. Wow was it worth all the work! I can't wait until I take it to the Bahamas with me on Friday!!! 2217922180

[Maethor]

It looks beautiful! Congratulations!!! Have fun in the Bahamas!

[Mermaid Jessica Pearl]

Woooooooowwww!!!! :)

[Melina-Luna]

wow that looks amazing!!!! so happy to see u in ur very own tail and u are so a beautiful mermaid! congrats :)

[SINicallyTwisted]

Very cool!

[LittleAmy]

I have 2 questions :

Where did you buy your rubber vinyl ?
What type of belt did you chose to sew inside your tail ?

I love your job <3

[MermaidBrandie]

That looks fantastic! Great job!

[Mermaid Ciela]

I know I'm super late to the game here, but oh my gosh - your tail is absolutely stunning, Nyla!! I'm floored, I think it's totally amazing. Wow!! And the way you made it was smart as well - I stumbled over to this thread because I'm going to try to make a neoprene tail myself!!

[Maethor]

Ooh any pictures from the Bahamas??

[Genevieve]

Incredible! I saw your inspiration picture... And I like your tail so much better! Congrats on your hard work. :)