Poly/Spandex for a mermaid tail? Has anyone ever been sucessful with it?

[theoceanblue]

Last year I made my first polyester/something else tail, which didn't last long due to it being to heavy in the water. I know a nylon-spandex mix is the right thing to get, but I really want this fabric http://www.fabricsworldusa.com/site/products_details.php?product_id=656&cat_id=53 With my hopes built up, and there being no product description I emailed the company asking for a description. Today I got an email back from them saying, "It's poly spandex." (Seriously, that's all they said. They didn't even capitalize it! <Grammer freak)

As I stated above, I REALLY WANT IT! If a mixture like this has worked for you, can you please reply! I am a strong swimmer and can withstand a little weight, but really for anyone, it's not fun to sink to the bottom of the pool. :D


Thanks,
Mermaid Merillia :D

[Mermaasai]

Polyester vs. Nylon/Lycra: Suits you find in sporting goods stores or online often come grouped by material. Nylon/Lycra suits are probably the most common types of swimming suits, but polyester swim suits have their advantages. Nylon/Lycra suits are made of a more flexible, smooth material and are usually double lined in the front. Depending on how often you use the swim suit, these types of suits tend to wear out rather quickly and become stretched out and see-through in the front and back. When this happens, many swimmers begin wearing two suits, with the worn-out suit on top acting as a drag suit during practice.


Polyester Swimming Suits: These are far less common in stores and are never used in competition, but can make great practice suits because the polyester will never wear out. I had a polyester suit and finally had to get rid of it because the rubber in the straps gave out, but the actual suit was still good. Polyester is less stretchy than nylon/lycra, but if you get the right size and don't care that it feels more like clothing material than traditional swimming suit material, a polyester suit can last you a very, very long time as a practice suit.

(quoted from http://www.yourswimmingspace.com/swimming-suits.html )

[LindseyLu]

I swim regularly and have a both types of suits. My polyester/spandex blend is not as slinky feeling, but I've been able to use it for 8 years. My spandex lycra suit fell apart in a year, and stretched out quite a bit after lots of use. I made a tail using lycra spandex and painted it but it only lasted a year because the material began to tear beyond repair and parts of it are beading. You can see some wear and tear pics in my album here:http://mernetwork.com/index/album.php?albumid=10 Luckily I made it for a little girl who has outgrown it and I'm making her a new one for this summer :) I highly recommend nylon/spandex or polyester/spandex blends if you're making a tail.

[theoceanblue]

Thank you both soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! I was feeling really down because everytime I find a cool, mermaidy, fabric I like it is usually poly/something! THANKS YOU SSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH AGAIN!

Mermaid Merillia

[Miyu]

Thanks for the advice on this thread... It enabled me to make wise decisions while purchasing fabric on a whim, and it means that I was able to score a really cool fabric that wasn't technically labeled swimwear (but it's exactly like swim fabric), AND it has an awesome mermaid-y print on it :) Poly-Spandex all the way! This stuff seems really sturdy too, I'm glad I saw it sitting there in the red tag bin!

Thank you, fellow mers, for the advice, so us fabric tail n00bs can make better fabric choices :D