Wesley's Tail Making thread!!!! WHOO!

[Mermaid Wesley]

So i recently got the green light from my mom. I AM STARTING MY FIRST TAIL AAAHHHHH!!!:yay::hail::highfive::neener::thumbs-up::yay:If you couldnt tell im really excited. I ordered the finis wave on amazon today! I am gonna make a fabric tail and i think its gonna be green, but like a darker green... like maybe seaweed-ish... idk its like midnight im sleep deprived ok? Anyways, i cant believe its actually happening!!! :jawdrop: I am going to attempt a jade-style paintjob and a fluke mod... i might use plastic binders? not sure. but i will post some sketches in the morning. SO FREAKING EXCITED. Also i have been thinking about my mermaid name... How does Mermaid Nixie sound?

[Mermaid Annariea]

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM SO EXCITED FOR YOOOUUUU :DDD\

also, i LOVE mermaid nixie (: thats such a pretty name. and you even look like you could be named nixie. adorable and faerie-like. :D

[Mermaid Wesley]

thanks :D

[Usagi]

Oh, I guess this answers ny question... aaaaaaah!!!! Then we can go swimming and be weird! I might sound like a twelve year old, but I don't care! Wooooooo!!!

[Aino Revontuletar]

Sounds perfect! I like the name Mermaid Nixie too ^__^ Good luck!!!

[MerEmma]

Woo! Congratulations. Sounds AWESOME. =)

[Mermaid Danielle]

Congrats! And I'd definitely say yes for the name :D

[Mermaid Wesley]

Eek! I'm on cloud nine! I'll post those sketches a bit later... I am locked out of my room and my roommate is in class DX but im thinking that I'll do the same design I've been working on with a long fluke and andjadjaeuhd! I'll just have to show you...

[Mermaid Wesley]

Idk if that worked I'm on my iPhone XD

[Rain]

Yeah, great name ;D

[MerEmma]

Aw, it didn't load for me! :c

[Mermaid Allie]

Haha nixie like the one in the new mako mermaids series? Very pretty!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Haha nixie like the one in the new mako mermaids series? Very pretty! lol no i got it from mythology but i guess thats how they got it too XD i didnt know that existed O.o

[Mermaid Wesley]

9513 here is my doodle!

[Mermaid Wesley]

so ive been thinking and i really want my tail to look seaweed-ish in color. and though i was going to choose green, seaweed isnt really green is it?
Because i think
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this color
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is brown
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however there is this kind too
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so, basically i think im going to try to get brown fabric with green painted over it. That way, it will hopefully look more seaweed-y. Thoughts?

[Firemaid]

I used Nixi as my mermaid name in a night club I used to do a show in.
I liked it cuz it felt sexy and that was a sexy show (pasties)
I think it's a very good mermaid name!

[Mermaid Wesley]

thanks :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

My monofin should be here in the next few days :D :yay: the time is going sooooo sloooooowwww ugh! but its almose heeeerrrreeee! sadly i wont be at home to get it :( so i probably wont be able to try it out until NEXT WEEKEND :headdesk: but then again ive waited this long right? so frickin' excited!

[Disfusional]

I am so excited for you!!!

[Ashe]

Yay! I love it when I get to see mers make their own tails :D Good luck! :thumbs-up:

[MermaidIsis]

Gook luck!!!! Post pics!!!!

[Mermaid Wesley]

IT CAME!!!!
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YESSSS

[Aino Revontuletar]

YAY!!!

[Candytails]

Congrats..I'm not the only newbie yay! Love the name

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm sittin in my bathtub in my monofin. Is this heaven?

[MermaidBrittany]

Very cool :) I remember how it was to finally receive my monofin, took for everr! Have fun! Swimming in it will be even more like heaven!

[Mermaid Wesley]

http://witchyroses.tumblr.com/post/43966786357/wow-best-day-ever-d-i-had-so-much-fun-but Short video of me swimming in my monofin for the first time :yay: :D scroll down to see it :) it was so much fun :)

[MerEmma]

Sure looks like fun! I can't wait to get my monofin<3 Great luck on your tail, too!

[Usagi]

The video won't show up when I go to your page ):

[Mermaid Wesley]

@syd oh no :( ill try to fix it.
well i have good news though! I HAVE A PATTERN FOR MY FLUKE and I THINK I WILL BE DONE WITH THE SEWING THIS WEEK :D
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[MerEmma]

WOO!

[Mermaid Wesley]

try this link (http://anitalife.tumblr.com/post/44079692008/witchyroses-wow-best-day-ever-d-i-had-so) its not my blog but whatever :3 im going to the hope depot tomorrow to pick up some duct tape, epoxy, and really long zip-ties :D i still cant believe its happening!

[Nyxie]

haha!! needless to say, i agree with nixie as a great name (obviously) lol...i almost went with "Nyx" since thats the name of a goddess associated with both mermaids and vampires(which im also crazy about...too much sherylin kenyon and j.r ward i guess) and im sooo there with you on the tail...i think the color would compliment you hair :)

[Jadestone]

Ahhh yes I remember how excited I was when I got my monofin :D I went swimming at midnight in our lake because I just couldn't wait ^^

Can't wait to see your progress on this :D So exciting!

[Candytails]

Fascinated by vampires as well lol

[Nyxie]

Fascinated by vampires as well lol

Oh yes girl!! i love me some vamps, lol...and not the shrimpy ones with capes, im talking about those big, buff fellas with all that stamina and some sexy fangs, lmbo!!!:lol:

[Candytails]

They sound right up my alley of preference.to be honest I like anything considered paranormal

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm having some glue trouble... I bought marine epoxy but im not sure if it's drying right and I'm worried that it isn't sticking :( I'm extending the fluke with zip ties like mermaid jade (shout out to jade) and I'm really excited :D I might have to go buy some e 6000 but I would rather not... I already spent the 5 bucks on this glue.... Grrrr does anyone know if marine epoxy is going to work? :( I scratched up the stuff I'm gluing... Hmmmmm I just really want it to work.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Also yes vampires!

[Mermaid Wesley]

i went and bought some e 6000 and im going to re-glue my extension tomorrow. if it doesnt work im just gonna use duct tape i guess...:thinks:

[Usagi]

What are you using for the extension?

[Mermaid Wesley]

@syd im using a method like jadestone i used duct tape and zipties :3 here is a pic of the extension :D9886

[MermaidIsis]

Oh i love what you've done with the extensions!!!!! Post more pics soon!

[Mermaid Saphira]

I like the monofin extensions! Good luck, I'm looking forward to this tail :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

okay I HAVE A PROBLEM. the joannes near me (and syd ;]) has only polyester-blend (i think its polyester) swim/dancewear fabrics :o is that a problem? My mantra throughout this thing has been "if im gonna do it, im gonna make sure it lasts" so yeah.... help? should i order fabric online? is it okay to get the blend?

[Usagi]

I think mine is polyester and nylon or polyester and spandex or something like that and it's only worn down on the heels but its sparkly or whatever so Idk if it would happened with plain fabric. But also I only just found out about polyester being bad and don't even remember why it is (x

[Taniira]

If I recall correctly, you want polyester/nylon/synthetic fabrics. Cotton/natural fibers are much more likely to be eaten away by chlorine and chemicals. In the "Materials and Supplies" thread for tailmaking (http://mernetwork.com/index/content.php?139-Materials-and-Supplies) it says to make sure it's more nylon-like than cotton-like, too.

Here are some more references I just found. One vouches for nylon, the other for polyester.

http://www.moreswimsuits.com/swimsuit-fabric.html
http://swimandsweat.com/thetruth.html

[Mermaid Wesley]

Sweet :D I thought polyester=bad but if that's a normal good thing then that's great :3 I'll buy it tomorrow :D :yay:

[Mermaid Wesley]

i made my pattern ;) im going to joannes in a few to get the fabric =D
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[Mermaid Wesley]

aw.... by the time i as done with the pattern the fabric store was closed! so sad :( but im so close to having a tail.... its exhilarating

[Mermaid Saphira]

Well, on the bright side you have a wonderful pattern finished up! :D

[Mermaid Wesley]

Well, on the bright side you have a wonderful pattern finished up! :D
youre absolutely right :)

[Mertara]

can't wait to see progress shots!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Perks of attending a jesuit school:
I have a spring break AND an easter break! so im going home on teusday night! that means that i am buying fabric on wednesday and possibly starting the sewing on thursay!!! EEK! My tail might be all sewn by next weekend!!

[Mermaid Allie]

About the polyester/nylon dilemma, my friends and I got holographic poly spandex from Joanne's and the first swim my friend got a huge hole on the side of her tail and a bunch of the holographic part fell off :( it's totally up to you what fabric you get I'm just telling my experiences with Joanne's spandex. So we just ordered some samples from spandex world and were gonna go with nylon spandex this time. But it's totally up to u.

[Mermaid Wesley]

About the polyester/nylon dilemma, my friends and I got holographic poly spandex from Joanne's and the first swim my friend got a huge hole on the side of her tail and a bunch of the holographic part fell off :( it's totally up to you what fabric you get I'm just telling my experiences with Joanne's spandex. So we just ordered some samples from spandex world and were gonna go with nylon spandex this time. But it's totally up to u.
oh no! but im not doing the holographic and i think the one i have my eye on is a bit thicker. hopefully it works because i dont think i could wait to order online....

[Mermaid Allie]

Then just go for it yeah!

[Mermaid Wesley]

sorry for not updating! D: i haven't made ANY progress :sad eyes: but ill get there eventually... ive been having a bunch of drama and stress lately, but I think I am going to this fabric store with my friend's mom.... cant remember what its called, but I hope it has what I need. Realistically, however, I wont be able to do any more for 3-ish weeks :,( ill try to keep you all updated, school's been crazy.

[Mermaid Wesley]

wow ive been gone for a VERY long time! (FIVE MONTHS?!?) but im back! i finally was able to buy some fabric! (you know... almost a year later) and its on my kitchen floor! WHOOHOO! its very kelly green. i was going for more of an olive... but this is all they had. I finally just decided that i was going to jo-ann and BUYING SOME DAMN SPANDEX! so i did! but there is one teeny tiny problem. since it was such an impulsive thing...
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i bought way too much fabric. almost twice what i need. so my question is: what can i make with ALL THIS EXTRA GREEN FABRIC??

[Mermaid Sparkle]

FINS! Fun ruffly fins! (I'm really into ruffly fins right now)

[MerEmma]

Fins, tops, arm bracers, hair ties, another tail, individual scales to sew on? A choker sort of thing...plenty of things! :D

[PearlieMae]

Girl, looks like you've got enough fabric for a whole pod of mers!

[Mermaid Wesley]

FINS! Fun ruffly fins! (I'm really into ruffly fins right now)

i originally really wanted pectoral fins, but im not sure how to make them sturdy. Maybe some plasticy stuff in a fabric pocket....

[Mermaid Wesley]

Fins, tops, arm bracers, hair ties, another tail, individual scales to sew on? A choker sort of thing...plenty of things! :D

WAIT I CAN MAKE A SEAWEED TOP HELLS YES

[Mermaid Wesley]

Girl, looks like you've got enough fabric for a whole pod of mers!

U.U i know. i didnt realize how wide it was....:doh:

[Jadestone]

Glad to see you're back around and working on this! :) And yeah, maybe make some tops! How much did you buy?

[Mermaid Wesley]

Glad to see you're back around and working on this! :) And yeah, maybe make some tops! How much did you buy?

ermmm 4 yards. funny story time :) i didnt realize that the fabric was so wide, right? its wide enough so that i only needed 2.25 yards and then to cut in in half long ways and that would have been enough. i asked the girl at the counter for 4 and a half yards. when i got home i looked at the receipt and she only gave me 4. I was devastated because i knew it wasnt long enough. i opened it up anyways to see if i could maybe do some magic, and it opened up and was REALLY WIDE. so basically i have almost twice what i need.

[Miyu]

WOW that is a lot of fabric!!! :jawdrop: Dang, I'd say make more than one tail, and experiment with something fun on the second tail! Also, tops, definitely tops :p

I also bought some poly/spandex from Jo-Ann's, it has a sort of scale pattern printed on the fabric... like in dye or ink, not in a layer over the fabric... and it has tiny little clear "scales" randomly. I'm curious to see how yours turns out/wears! Although, I found mine in the clearance bin, it wasn't actually labelled as a dance/swim fabric, but it stretches, and it's the same percentage of fibers as the swimwear liner I also bought, so hopefully I'm good.

[Mermaid Wesley]

WOW that is a lot of fabric!!! :jawdrop: Dang, I'd say make more than one tail, and experiment with something fun on the second tail! Also, tops, definitely tops :p

I also bought some poly/spandex from Jo-Ann's, it has a sort of scale pattern printed on the fabric... like in dye or ink, not in a layer over the fabric... and it has tiny little clear "scales" randomly. I'm curious to see how yours turns out/wears! Although, I found mine in the clearance bin, it wasn't actually labelled as a dance/swim fabric, but it stretches, and it's the same percentage of fibers as the swimwear liner I also bought, so hopefully I'm good.
im worried that i dont have quite enough for 2 tails. i might just make a whole bunch of accessories. since its green i can make it seaweed-y with a little paint and that would be cool :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

I will be sewing tomorrow :D I think I'll do a too first to get the hang of sewing this stuff on a borrowed machine... And I still wanna paint the tail, but I'm scared to mess up D: so I decided I'll have it plain for a little while and then do the paint when I build up the courage. I wanna make the top really cool and stuff... I just have no ideas on how to do this..... OH IM SO NERVOUs and excited

[PearlieMae]

I made a couple of spandex tails and used just a yard for each, and I'm a BIG mer!

Test your paint on scraps, build up your confidence...Like the Nike commercials, JUST DO IT!

If you don't like it, call it a learning experience and make another! Experiment!!!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I don't have quite enough to make more than one because of the length of my monofin, sadly. But if I good up... Oh well. I'll just Frankenstein the thing and make it work I guess

[Mermaid Wesley]

ALRIGHT! I'm ready to sew! I would be done by now but I unexpectedly had to drive my little sister to pitching practice :/ oh well. It's all cut out and pinned and the sewing machine is out and plugged in. I would like some help with what kind of stitch to use. Help? With any luck I'll be done tonight! Then I'll have to figure out the painting part

[Mermaid Wesley]

im so frustrated. my friend's sewing machine is impossible ;-; i cant get ANY stitches. idk what im doing wrong but i cant do it tonight. i am so sad. also i really wanna hand sew it because i cant wait but i cant do that :(

[Anahita]

The bobbin was loaded correctly, right? That's usually what makes stitches miss/not catch.

[Mermaid Wesley]

i dont even know.... im gonna have to get my friend to help me

[Jessica]

Merhopefully,

if you're using spandex, you need to use a zigzag stitch. A normal stitch will not allow the fabric to stretch the way a zigzag stitch will. Anahita is correct, check your bobbin and make sure you threaded the machine correctly. Its very easy to thread a machine incorrectly so check carefully. :)

one more thing I would like to add...I made a spandex tail and had to take it in twice before it fit perfectly. Since spandex is so stretchy, my tail wound up being about three-four inches smaller than my measurements. The spandex needs to stretch over your body in order to stay on when you're swimming. You might want to baste your tail first so you can try it on before you sew it. This will save you time in the long run.

i can't wait to see your tail!

[PearlieMae]

So many things can go wrong with machine sewing...they are complicated! If you aren't familiar with the machine, you'll want to practice on scrap material until you get the hang of it! Even then, your trouble might be because the machine needs a tune-up, like a car!

Zig-zag stitch is essential for stretchy fabrics, and you will want to get ballpointed machine needles to sew the spandex so the needle doesn't split and rip the fabric.

If you hand sew it, I suggest an overcast stitch with a knot every couple of inches, that way, if it does tear or the thread breaks, it will only be a couple of inches rather than the entire seam coming undone.
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(This is not stretch material, and a knot is not shown. I suggest two regular overhand knots, then continue to stitch.)

And yes! BASTE it first to make sure it fits, THEN do your heavy duty stitching!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Noted! I was trying to use a zig zag stitch and was on scrap material, I don't know what's wrong with the machine so I'm gonna have to get the owner (my friend) to help me out. And also what is baste....?

[PearlieMae]

http://sewing.about.com/od/beginner1/ss/htbaste.htm


Sewing basting stitches on seams allow you to test the fitting (side seams) or placement (darts) before sewing regular stitches that might be hard to remove.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh okay :) sounds smart. I'll do that.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I figured out the sewing machine finally! I have one side sewn and am working on the other. I'm probably going to have to take it in in some places, but that's okay!

[Anahita]

Always better to have to take it in than to let it out! Lol

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm almost done :D just taking in little bits :3

[Mermaid Wesley]

All done sewing! I'll post pics later

[Mermaid Allie]

YAYY! I'm so excited to finally see this tail!

[Imogen Finnly]

I can't wait to see it either! I keep checking this post every so often to see if you've posted pics!!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I was hoping for better pics but its taking too long! here it is! my baby!

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[Mermaid Wesley]

also plz ignore my face in the first one i was beyond tired

[MerEmma]

Looks great! Congrats :D

[Jessica]

Your tail looks great! I love the color! I'm so happy for you :)

[Imogen Finnly]

AHH!:D I am so happy for you! its sooooper CAYUTE!

[OceanRose]

awe cool, I'm making a tail with the same colour fabric :-) and you look good in the first pic

[Mermaid Wesley]

thanks guise x3