leggings as a tail?

[mermaidmegan]

So my mother is terrified of me swimming in a real tail (one that wraps around both legs) so I am making a pair of spandex leggings and a cover for my Oceanika merfin (yes, she lets me swim in a monofin but not a one-piece tail...?). The merfin cover will have plastic snaps to connect to the leggings to give a more realistic and mermaid-like appearance. I will also use the plastic snaps on the bottom of the cover so I can remove my merfin for cleaning, etc.

The cover will consist of a spandex lining and a semi-opaque layer of flowy fabric, which I may paint.

Thoughts? Ideas?

[Lyna]

Why didn't you just buy the leggings that come with the Oceanika then?

[mermaidmegan]

They only sell child sizes. Plus I want a green tail. :)

[Lyna]

so you're put fabric over the fin to make the whole thing green....are you not a child? you said your mother is afraid of letting you swim in a tail...

[Mermaid Annariea]

im 19, and my mom told me she wants me to swim with wingies when i finally get my tail.
wingies = arm floaties that little kids wear. i might be the only person who calls them that >.>
but yeah, i told her shes crazy, im going to be swimming in a pool thats like 4 feet deep, with my boyfriend and his friends who are all perfectly capable of lifting me out of the water if need be. they wont have to but... moms are overprotective sometimes no matter how old you are -_-

but anyways, if your mom is that worried, you might just have to take little steps like that. it seems like youll be able to have a decent-looking tail, though, even if you have to snap it into place. what kind of snaps will you be using? something that wont come undone easily while just swimming, i presume?

[mermaidmegan]

I'm 17. So... not really a child, not yet an adult. And she's paying for fabric and everything, so I kinda have to listen. Eventually I'll make a real tail (I'd love a sequin one), but for now the leggings will have to do. I wanted to know if anyone had ideas on how to make them look more realistic.

[Lyna]

oh hahaha yea 17. so not the age i was picturing when you said "my mother". wow. i understand and totally respect that you're following her wishes like that. i hope my daughter is as respectful of my wishes. but you're almost old enough to be on your own and she doesn't trust your judgement? i don't know. possibly i am biased on that dynamic because i have been on my own since i was 17....and let's just say it's been more than a few years since i was in your boat. haha
in that case, i think your idea is great. and you sound like a rockin' daughter. and in one more year you can drop a chunk on a real tail. ;)

[mermaidmegan]

Thanks Lyna! And Brianna, I have some normal plastic snaps that I got at a fabric store and some stronger plastic snaps on a strip of fabric that are left over from something. My mom says they're usually used in baby clothes or something. The only problem with the strip snaps is that the fabric is white, so it might show if I don't sew it very very carefully. :P

I think I'll use the regular snaps to hold the bottom of the cover together and the strip snaps to connect the cover to the leggings if I have enough and can hide the white.

[Mermaid Annariea]

hmm... well you said youre covering them, right? will the cover bind your legs together in the same way a one-piece tail would, just with easy-open snaps? thats how i envisioned it...
here, i drew a terrible picture on paint for you. xD i hope it doesnt come up too huge...
4911

[Mermaid Annariea]

thats the snaps i thought you were going to use...
idk, they might come off easily while swimming... but maybe not if theyre decently strong enough.

[Lyna]

why not metal snaps?

[mermaidmegan]

The cover will only go over the merfin and connect at the ankles. I tried to attach a sketch, but my computer is being stupid (as usual). And metal snaps could rust, especially if used in chlorine, so to avoid getting nasty rust stains on my tail, I went with plastic.

[Mermaid Annariea]

hmm, maybe you could talk to your mom about this idea?
since its still a tail, you wont feel like youre just swimming in a merfin and leggings, but since it would be easy to snap off, your mom might feel better about you swimming in it. PLUS, once she sees that youre fine swimming in something that does bind your legs together, she will be more comfortable with you buying/making a real tail.

[Mermaid Saphira]

Was this ever finished??