Miyu's first shell top! Pic-heavy/Mini-tutorial

[Miyu]

So after a whole of surfing the forums and learning stuff while completing a few commissions, I finally have a bit of free time, and I'm spending it first making my mermaid bra!I'm making this on an uber-tight budget, with things from around the house ONLY. The bra is an old Victoria's Secret of mine that I'm too small for, but will work perfectly for my needs. My main shells are the remnants of a meal at Joe's Crab Shack :) I am making a criss-cross (bellydance) style top, to fully support my "ladies" and to look less like a giant pink bra.

STEP ONE: GATHERING SUPPLIES

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Upcycled produce netting because I am broke, but the netting comes for free with food on food stamps :P

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Lots of fake jewels I found at my house, I picked out the ones I liked.

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Shells, glass pearls, mother-of-pearl beads, seed beads, etc.

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These aren't all the supplies I'm using, but it's all the pretty parts!

[Miyu]

STEP TWO: DISSECTING THE BRA

First, remove shoulder straps from cups with a seam ripper, picking out stitches. Don't totally murder this part!

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See? No more straps!

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So now the kind of tricky part, the side panels! as the following illustrates, you don't want to cut your side panel off flush with your bra - you could ruin the bra, or at least have no good strong seams to sew to.

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Like this...

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And it looks like this halfway through a side panel:

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Ta da! Just a cup base!

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Next step, making the new strap-loops for the criss-cross back!

[Arella]

It's looking like it's gonna turn out well :)

[Mermaid Julz]

Can't wait to see how this turns out

[Ashton]

Snazzy looking!

[Mermaid Annariea]

i love stuff like this :D

[Mermaid Caspiana]

Ooo... Can't wait to see this! I'm just finishing mine! :)

[Miyu]

Alright, I'm done sewing on the ribcage straps! (Not the shoulder straps, but I bet I can finish those tomorrow :))

As you can see below, I have cut two 4" lengths of ribbon, and two 8" lengths of ribbon. I also have a lighter to seal the ends of my synthetic-fiber ribbon to keep it from fraying.
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After holding the strapless bra to yourself and pinning the ribbons in place, sew them down like so:
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You fold each ribbon in half (4" becomes 2", 8" becomes 4") and sandwich the seam we left on the bra. The bottom (longer) strap was harder for me to place, so for the second side I just folded my bra in half and lined it up with the one I had spent 10 minutes trying to pin in place in the mirror:
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Trim and seal the edges of the bottom straps where it meets the angle:
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As you can see, I sewed three lines: one behind the seam "bump", one in the middle of it, and one on the other side to sandwich the ribbon loop around the bra material.
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[Mermaid Julz]

coming along good! Keep it up...

[Miyu]

Haha thanks! Hard part's done now - those ribcage straps have to be placed just right to not be stupid :P

Shoulder straps are easy, then comes the fun part :)

[Ashton]

looking good!

[emma11]

This is an AWESOME tutorial! Can't wait to see what you do with it!

[WillowAnne]

I never thought of using produce netting! You just blew my mind. Are you going to paint it somehow? Its looking great!

[Mermaid Danielle]

Looks like it is coming along nicely!

[Miyu]

Thank you guys so much, it's my first tutorial! But I noticed there's not a whole lot of tutorials on this kind of bra, so when I decided to make mine like this, I figured I'd show how it's done :)

I won't be painting the netting, I'm just going to use it in whatever colour it comes in.

One of the reasons I'm using produce netting is because my focus as a mermaid is to help people to keep trash out of the oceans by making things from other things, instead of throwing it away :)

THERE WILL BE A VIDEO, when I'm done with big stages, since all I'm filming are little clips I have to smush them together.

[Ariadne]

This is great! Can't wait to see what you create!

[Miyu]

HOLY CARP YOU GUYS, I just finished sewing the shoulder straps on, so I cut a couple of pieces of scrap yarn and laced it up to try it on... I AM IN LOVE HERE. It fits great and contains my "ladies" so totally much better than any bra or swim top I've ever tried on. It also shows off the tattoo on my chest very nicely. My shell necklace that I wear daily sits right inbetween the cups :) It shifts and moves and is totally the most dance/performance-worthy top I've ever found for someone with... well, anime boobs. Any other bra/swim top I've tried, I am constantly readjusting. Now I need to make more of these to wear every day, LOL! It even helps me correct my posture :D

I decided to use some little brass rings from a thrifted belt on the end of the short shoulder straps... Instead of making each shoulder strap long enough to lace-up through the other straps, I wanted that to be interchangeable, to get different effects/prevent having to replace that strap all the time. I didn't put brass rings on the ribcage loops/straps because I know for a fact they'll irritate my skin and give me an allergic reaction there. On my back they move around more on less-sensitive skin, so I'm less worried about a reaction there.

Pics coming tomorrow, and hopefully I can put together my video clips, since that's pretty much the end of the tutorial for the conversion of a regular bra to a cross-back bra, since now all I have to do is decorate (which I am looking forward to, but is a daunting task)!

[Mermaid Oshun]

what about the adornment, all the shells and whatnot? I actually dont think you even needed to replace the pink strap for those 2 black elastic bands from an aesthetic perspective. Just remove the shoulder strap or use a strapless bra to start. Glad it feels sturdier though

[Miyu]

I'll be getting to decorating later today, after the sun comes up and I take some pics of the straps before I start covering everything. I'm so excited! I'll be sewing it all down and gluing it and such, and taking more pics and video, but I consider that more of a progress update than a tutorial, haha! The basic part of the tutorial is the straps/loops hookup, which is really what I wanted to show because there aren't many tutorials for that type of bra online.

The pink straps, sadly, had to be removed :(They shall be used for another project! But they were super-skinny elastic, and I am, shall we say, well-endowed for someone of my stature, and gravity + anatomy ended up stretching those poor straps down so far that what was supposed to be a push-up bra was not even supportive at all... Also, now I don't get the problem of bra straps falling down my shoulders, score! And also I love the lace-up look of the back, and I can make different looks by using different ribbons. The whole criss-cross thing also means it'll still fit me no matter what my weight fluctuates to (I've been yo-yoing constantly for years, now I'm pretty sure gluten and corn are the culprits). Thankfully, the new straps are a brown grosgrain ribbon, nice and not-stretchy, so everything's actually supportive. It does kind of look like black elastic in those photos! The lighting in/around my house can be so bad sometimes XD I don't have a "rainforest" setting on my camera, so a lot of my photos are off-colour. :doh:

I'm thinking of tacking in a "liner" after decorating, in much the same way as you would for a belly dance bra. This is both so I can sew through all the layers of the bra, then hide the stitches; but also so I can un-tack the liner to wash the bra easier when it starts to get dirty.

I have also determined that I need to get a "real" bra from somewhere more expensive than Victoria's Secret because apparently I am not a very well-catered to size/shape/whatever, I don't think girls designed this bra in the first place. Either that or I just need to wear modified bras all the time, this thing lifts and separates like no other LMAO!

[Miyu]

Alrighty folks, here's the photos of my finished bra base! I'm not used to taking pics in just a bra yet, so forgive if I don't know how to pose flatteringly... This is more to show what the bra is like anyways :P

Here's how it looks flat - I will probably sew the shoulder strap "loop" shut as I decorate it so the little up-cycled brass ring stays in place, not that it moves around, but just to get a finished look because I'm picky haha!

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I just strung some scrap yarn through to show the mechanics of this get-up.

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And the front - I love how it has that wonderful "belly dance"-style frame going on there...

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[emma11]

Question! How are those attached to the rings at your shoulders? I see that it's tied at the bottom, are they two separate strings or is there more that I'm not seeing here.

p.s. threading is not my thing haha

[Nausicaa]

this is really great, thank you so much for posting!

[Arella]

That's going to look so cool when your done :thumbs-up:

[Miyu]

Thank you so so much everyone! I'm having fun sewing down my base layer of netting right now :) Net, net, and more net. I'm having several layers of net, so I'll take progress shots so you can see how it's layered.

emma11: each shoulder strap is a doubled-over 22"length of ribbon (so it's only 11"), with one ring threaded onto each before I sewed it down (sandwiching the bra between the two layers of ribbon). To test it out I cut two REEEEALLY long lengths of cheap yarn, and threaded one through each of the rings so that now each yarn length was also doubled up - so there's 4 ends, but you treat each doubled yarn as one length. Before I put it on, I cross the yarn in an X then thread each one through the top (short) ribcage loop opposite the side where it started. Then I slip it over my head, adjust myself into it, cross the strings again and thread through the bottom loops, tie it, then adjust the strings and my anatomy until everything feels right.

It is a bit of work to get on, but it's super-comfy and stays in place (I have a serious problem of "wardrobe malfunctions" in performance bras unless it's something like this). Also, I think it looks neat :P It kind of has a fantasy-painting feel to me haha...

[cryptomancy]

OMG Miyu this tutorial is a godsend. I also have a pretty large bra size in proportion to my frame (I wear a 28G, I'm not joking, I have to special order my bras) and therefore almost none of the traditional shell bras can even come close to containing...much less supporting...my girls o.O

I can't wait to see how this progresses as you finish it. I think it's really awesome that you're using all recycled materials. Though you definitely have a lot more pretty/cool things laying around your house than I do, lol!!!

[Miyu]

Cryptomancy, I'm so happy I could help! I know I've had so many problems finding regular bras, let alone performance tops, that contain and support as well as being comfortable and looking good! The only shells that would cover my whole boob are large abalones, and I only have one of those :P

Haha, I'm a hoarder - I've been saving the netting for a while, just because I know there's a lot of things I can do with it :P When I decided to make a bra, I already had plenty laying around :P A good portion of my other materials (small shells, jewels) I was lucky enough to get permission to use when I moved into my current residence, as my BF's Grandma was a huge crafter in her time :D

So, in other words, hoarding can pay off, LOL!

[Miyu]

The first bit of netting (ugh, wonky lighting, sorry). It's more than one layer of the same fine red net on the top part of the cup, but only one layer on bottom, because of how I was folding the strip of netting to conform to a large cup size LOL >.< Whatever, it looks neat.

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[Mermaid Julz]

Looking good! keeping track of this so I can see the finished product!

[Kumori Kitsune]

Aw kool

[Miyu]

Heehee thanks guys :) This might end up being done before my monofin if we don't start getting some sun again so I can flatten out plastic... (SUN SUN SUN then as soon as I need it, it turns to rainy season here)

I'm so happy I have my tail fabric though because now I can start to envision my tail, thus my "character", and exactly what kind of bra this will end up being! :D Actually, I have to pick out a few other jewels, as with the finding of the tail fabric (and subsequent research into the POTC mermaids), my "character" changed a little.

[Aziara]

Miyu, I must say thank you, thank you, thank you!:hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail: I couldn't get my top to work at all before, but I'm making one now with the criss cross back and it's so comfy, secure, and supportive! The first time I tried it though, the cups kept wanting to gap open in the front... But I tried again with the cups from an old racerback sports bra, and it works perfectly. I probably could have fixed the gaping with putting on the straps at a different angle, but I'm terrible at finagling things to work...

[Miyu]

:$ Well thank you, I'm so so happy my little tutorial-thingy could help you! Isn't it just the most supportive thing ever?!? It does take a little finagling sometimes, my cups were gapping a tiny bit (well, they were also a size too big), but as I'm sewing on all the layers of decoration, it's kind of drawing it in and making it smaller. This would be why all bellydance costuming sites will tell you to get a cup size bigger, because sewing makes it shrink! :D The racerback sports bra sounds like it would convert wonderfully! I miss my old sports bra, it was my favorite, now I can't for the life of me find one that isn't a strip of fabric with some straps -_-;

And I used to be jealous of all my small-chested friends who could wear the typical triangle/halter bellydance bras... Now I'm happy with my bra size, because this looks so much neater haha! I'm not showing them till it's finished and they can see it in all its mermaid-y glory LOL :lol:

Speaking of, finishing up the second layer of netting. Pictures tonight sometime!

[Miyu]

New pics! I got the second layer done, now I'm pinning on the last layer (green) before I get to bedazzling it! ;)

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[Miyu]

Just finished sewing the green netting, YAAAAY! More pics:

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[Ashton]

how does the netting feel on your skin? It looks like it might get itchy...

[Miyu]

Actually, I was surprised - it's not very itchy at all, and I have sensitive skin! Most of the bits that are touching my skin are a softer type of netting than my base layer. The few bits that poke me, I'll end up sealing with a lighter :)

[Miyu]

Hey every-mer! Guess what I remembered I had for supplies today?!? Some fake flowers & leaves! There were a bunch of them in my room before we fixed it up (it used to be a craft storage room), and today I saw a bundle that had fallen right by my bedroom door to outside (yeah, my room also used to be an enclosed porch)... So I picked them up and picked off the moss, and they're soaking in some soapy water now! So I can have a proper mermaid top after all, YAY! :yay:

[Miyu]

Pic of my new supplies after disassembling, soaking, washing, now they're laying out to dry!

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YOU GUYS, I am so stoked! I was all sad that I wouldn't have greenery, and the universe handed me a solution! All it took was a little washing up :D

[Miyu]

Hey guys, I remembered my camera has flash! :p

First bit of greenery!

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[Miyu]

Flowers:

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[WillowAnne]

This is so pretty! I can't wait to see the finished product!

[Aziara]

Alstromerias! My favorite flowers! That looks awesome.

[Miyu]

Thank you guys so much! I was so happy I remembered I had those just waiting to get thrown away... Now my top is going to be even more awesome than I originally thought :D

Aziara: Thanks for letting me know the name! :D I was just calling it a lily LOL

Looks like I''ll even have some left over for a headpiece! WOOT!

[Echinacea]

*drool* You do such beautiful work!! Can't wait to see what it comes out like!! And a headpiece to match would be perfect! :yay:

[PearlieMae]

Looking pretty awesome, there!

[Kumori Kitsune]

Looks amazing great job

[Miyu]

Aww, thank you all so much! You're making me blush a bit... :$

Yay! More pics! I ran out of greenery unless I feel like running out to the barn later, which I probably will so I can get just a touch more coverage, but the main part of the cup is ready for shells and jewels!

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It was really nice to be able to shape the cup to be smaller as I sewed, because this bra was probably 2 cup sizes too big for me now! Yay for weight loss! (Actually, I'm almost at my first goal! Woot!)

[Miyu]

Bra is currently on hold whilst I make my Halloween costume... However, I did want to let you folks know that Wal-Mart (at least mine) is having a clearance sale on these bras that either have convertible straps or no straps, that would be PERFECT for this tutorial, and they even carry them in nude! I picked up one with convertible straps as an everyday bra for $8, though if I were going to be making this tutorial bra out of one I'd just get the no-straps one as I'd be cutting it to pieces anyways...

[Miyu]

Hmm. I lost over 20 lbs. In the last few months. I really doubt I will fit into this bra, even with the shrinkage from sewing plants on (which I planned for originally).

I mean, on the bright side, I can wear all sorts of swim tops now, and shells will cover more of my chest, but I'm a little sad I won't get to wear this :(

Perhaps I will finish it and sell it; I don't really know how to accurately tell someone the cup size though, since the band is totally adjustable I don't know if it's a C or a D... But I'm definitely not either of those anymore.

I guess if I sell it I can buy supplies for a bra that will fit me, which would be awesome... But I don't really think I should sell a bra made from a bra that was worn by me for a year. That seems like it could be weird. I mean, not to me, because hardly any of my clothes are new, but I doubt someone would want to buy a used bra, even if it was converted and covered...

[Mermaid Julz]

sorry to hear about the top.... congrats about losing the weight though...

[Miyu]

Haha thanks :P I'll have to send my tailmaker a whole new body reference pic, LOL!

But yeah, so I dunno what to do with this top. I don't know if other mers have sold used mermaid tops before...I would think so, because it would be a shame to just throw away a beautiful mermaid shell top just because of weight change.

If anyone else thinks I should finish it and try selling, let me know... Otherwise I may tear it down and try either fitting the cups more through more "shirring" or by cutting up the cup area (if the underwire will still fit my ribcage, that is...)

[carmelasmith]

Looks pretty good so far!

[Miyu]

Okay, I decided to finish this bra - because of the way I altered the straps, I can make it fit without having to take the whole thing apart - I just need to "fit" the cup a little bit closer, and I've added extra foliage. I'm pretty much ready to add the shells, I was thinking of drilling some holes to sew them down a bit, but I need to find my dremel to do that. I could jusdt glue them, but of course I'm paranoid about losing shells that way. I'll also be sewing netting over the top of everything for that "stuff-randomly-collected-on-my-boobs" look :P

Hmm, I wonder if I can drill holes in plastic gems...

[Miyu]

Got my mer-wrangler/merman to drill some holes in those shells! Getting ready to attach them now :D

So I decided that since I found so much foliage for this top, I won't be encrusting this one in jewels. I'm going more for a "wild" look with this one, and for the most part it's made with things that would have otherwise been thrown away.

I'll be making another top or two in the near future, including a sparkly, bejeweled/scaled top :D

[Miyu]

Ok, so I'm almost done with this top! I've got it nicely covered in foliage and re-fitted to fit me better now (basically, I puckered the fabric while I sewed on foliage and shells to make it smaller). My duct-tape double Lucy has come in very handy with this, and she's a little squishy, so I can get a somewhat accurate fit while working from her :)

I took some pictures to show you folks the neat idea I had that unfortunately won't work with this material... I had little fairy-like draping bits on the bottom, and it would work just fine for swimming and such... My main concern is taking outdoors photoshoots. This particular netting is very fine crocheted plastic thread, and I'm terrified of ripping it to shreds on a branch or the like. So I'm taking it off and doing some bead draping bits instead, but I thought I'd show you first because it is a very cute idea, which I will be implementing on another top in the future (in a sturdier material).

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[Miyu]

Almost done! Please excuse my face, I am fighting a cold or something and feel kind of rubbish :(

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That purple yarn is just for fitting-while-making purposes. It will be replaced with something fancier :P

[Araxie]

Looks super great!! It's a good thing you were able to adjust the size of the bra, it would be a shame to have to give it away

[Miyu]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad I could adjust the cups as well - thanks to the lacing design the band will always fit :P I'm going to try to finish this up today, just a few minor things to finish sewing down :)

[Mermaid Oshun]

wow that's really creative!

[Miyu]

Thank you Golden Pearl! :D

I am always broke, so I try to make crafts with what I have laying around, and this was the result! Many of the materials for this were destined for the trash originally.

[Mermaid Dottie]

That is SO cute!
I LOVE it! I don't think I'd have ever thought of a lace-up back like that.
You're so Clever!

[Miyu]

Aww thanks! I saw it used a lot in "tribal" belly dance outfits (the kind of folks you find at Burning Man and such), but there were no tutorials :( I really like the fact that it's SO supportive AND it moves with you. Morticia is also doing the same style of straps on her new top after seeing mine on me :D (She took the pics of me wearing it)

[Mermaid Dottie]

Too TOO clever! I just love it! It would be so neat on longer tops, too. A corseted back on a swim top.

[Miyu]

I'm actually planning on making some of my swim tops lace-up in the back. :D I've seen some really cute ones on Etsy by a designer in Hawaii in that style.

[Winged Mermaid]

I just love love love the lace up! Super awesome idea- I've always been a sucker for that myself. I also love the flower effect that you did with the plants. Very neat :)

[Mermaid Dottie]

:thinks:Actually, that may be just the thing I need to make my other swim top fit right....

[Miyu]

I'm sure it would work, Dottie! It's super-duper adjustable. I've even seen a lot photos of more voluptuous ladies wearing this style at Bellydance events, and they looked fantastic! I think it's a style that can really suit anyone.

Thank you Iona! I didn't have the money to buy aquarium plants and netting, but we have LOADS of old fabric flowers laying around the house! This took a surprisingly small amount of foliage. I separated most pieces from the plastic "vein" backing so they wouldn't poke me. I left a few with it, strategically placed to not poke, for some depth.

Also, I must admit that I am a big fan of how the lacing makes my back look... It really makes me feel SO MUCH like some sort of fantasy creature!

I plan on wearing this with fairy costumes as well :)

[Mermaid Julz]

Miyu, very proud of you. this looks great!!! I am so glad you finished it :)

[Miyu]

Thanks so much! It's not quite finished yet. Should be getting that done here in the next few hours though. I really wanted to get it done for examples for your shop and my fundraiser.

[Miyu]

PICTURES!!!

The sun came out for a couple of minutes yesterday, so I rushed out and took some pics before it went away... Sorry it looks funny, it's on a skirt-clip-hanger thing and not on Lucy :p

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It's pretty much done. I think I may add a dash more of the glow-in-the-dark seed beads on the one side to even it out a bit.

Yes, I REALLY like things that glow in the dark, I try to make everything glow... Then again, I used to be the "darkwad" at festivals (people insisted on giving me things that lit up so I wouldn't get run over), so maybe now I'm just trying to make up for it by making everything glow. :p

[Mermaid Julz]

looks good Miyu

[MermanZen]

Looks amazing

[Mermaid Ophelia]

Very cool!! I'm glad that it's supportive, I'm a 34DD and support is a constant concern for me. Looks rad! Great job!

[Miyu]

Thank you! :) Morticia made one with the same lacing system after she saw mine, and hers supports her rather well too! So I think it would be very supportive for pretty much anyone, since you no longer have to worry about band size (and cup size is customizable as you sew stuff on). I've been in need of a supportive, not-halter dance top for several years, I can't believe it took me this long to make it... -_-;

[Mermaid Adriel]

well done! I love it >w<

[Moonmaiden]

This is awesome! :D I have just bought my first tail and a matching bikini top(that did not work well while swimming) And now I have also bought straps for making it like yours! I have been looking for something like this for weeks! :D :D

[Mermaid Cascada]

It turned out so pretty! Awesome job!

[Mermaid Galene]

Looks great! I love all the greenery.

[QueenZero]

Oh man, this turned out sooo pretty! I love the idea of using aquarium plants, some of them are gorgeous. And congrats on your weight loss! (Also, dude, glowing things, sign me up, I love that stuff.)
Edit: I don't know why I mentioned aquarium plants. I'm a doofus. :doh:

[Miyu]

Thank you kind folks! I still really love this top, it served me well all summer at festivals! It's been very accommodating of my changing bust sizes. I love being able to literally run around a festival and not worry about the security and coverage of my top!

Moonmaiden, I'm glad you're making good use of my tutorial! The internet severely needed one like this.

QueenZero: thank you! I actually didn't have aquarium plants when I made it, so I made do with what was on hand - therefore it's more of a dry top than a swimming top. I'm planing on making a swimming top soon, after I finish the top I'm making for MermaidMichelle! And thank you about the weight loss - now I'm working on exercises to get toned and fit! :3