Tail problems

[drucilla]

Ok so I have a neoprine and fabric sequened tail Im not going tomention who i got it from, but i was told it is completely swimmable, in pools and anyother kind of water but after one use it started falling apart. Anytips on how to fix it?
Also sorry for the spelling erors im having to use an asus and it keeps typing inside other sentences.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Were the sequins sewn on, or glued on?
and is it neoPRIN or neoPRENE?
To tell the difference, look at the cut edge. If it's fabric on both sides (or just one) and a squishy (probably black) rubber in the middle it's neoprene, which is the good stuff.
If it's a sort of knit-looking fabric on the outsides and a soft, thick, fabric feeling stuff on the inside, it's neoprin, the not-so-good stuff.

[drucilla]

Sequins are sewed to fabric which is coming off the, what i was told was neoprene but from what you described feels more like prin. The fabric was sewed to the prin but its coming off.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Man, what is the deal with people marketing neoprin as neoprene? That drives me bonkers. *sigh* /END RANT/
So, you have sequins stitched to fabric, and fabric stitched to neoprin. If that's the case, you could probably just hand stitch it back together. There's this awesome clear thread I found once; it looks like very thin fishing line. It's really strong, though. Try tacking the outer fabric back down onto the neoprene with matching or clear thread. Do it all along the top, and then do little tacks throughout the tail (Don't forget to knot each of them!) That should hold it for a while. Though, it will stretch out over time.

[MerEmma]

Why don't you want to share who made it? If it's a badly made tail, I'm sure others would like to know who so they can avoid them. :c

[MerAnthony]

Why don't you want to share who made it? If it's a badly made tail, I'm sure others would like to know who so they can avoid them. :c I would totaly agree. Neoprin is really not for making a tail of any sort. An if Iwa to buy a tail made from neoprene an get neoprin. I would be so pissed.

[drucilla]

It was given to me for free, so I dont feel its necessary and have the person upset at me.

[AniaR]

can you post photos at all so we can see what we're dealing with to give you better advice?

[Sephina]

If sequins are just falling off, then that is kind of expected wear and tear for a sequin tail, they aren't indestructible. My advice is to get out a needle and thread and some sequins to replace the ones that are missing.

[Winged Mermaid]

Sounds like a wreck :/ I'm sorry that happened to you. So if I've got this right- the tail is a base of neoprin, with spandex sewn onto it, and sequins sewn onto the spandex. Your complaint is that the spandex is coming off of the neoprin base.

Check the seams on the inside or anywhere where the spandex is sewn on. I'm assuming it's sewn at the seams but I don't know what for sure. Are they a straight stitch, or does it have some kind of zig-zag pattern (stretch stitch)? Here are some examples of stretch stitches are B, C, E, F, G, E, F, and G.

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If it's a straight stitch and not a stretch then it's very possible that the spandex is breaking the thread in the seams/the thread that's holding it on since it stretches more than the neoprin and as a better elasticity than neoprin (it returns to shape after use better). It's also possible that they either used thread that wasn't heavy duty enough, or they used old thread. Thread that's a few years old (which it may have been sitting on the store shelves for a year or more) or more old can become brittle and break VERY easily. I always yank the crap out of my thread before I use it to make sure it hasn't degraded, as do all seamstress, as it's better to toss the thread and get new instead of ending up with a shoddy product that will fall apart.

It may be possible to fix this by taking it in 3/8ths of an inch (standard seam allowance) all around the entirety of the tail, and when you resew, use a strong nylon thread with a zig zag or other stretch stitch. If you can't do this yourself, any local seamstress should be able to do this for you.

Also sewing spandex to neoprin or neoprene is tricky in the first place. Most people don't realize that not only is spandex stretchier out of the water, but also IN the water. All of these fabrics loosen up in the water, which is why it's hard to size. It may fit on land but when it's submerged it loosens up and may no longer fit. Neoprene does it a bit, but neoprin does it more, and spandex does it most. Therefore if you put one on the other one fabric is essentially bigger than the other in the water. This leads to most spandex-on-neoprene or neoprin tails looking baggy, lose, and wrinkled. That's why the nylon backing on neoprene is bonded/adhered solidly to the whole sheet. I'd imagine to solve this issue when making a tail, you'd have to cut the spandex a bit smaller (an inch or a few perhaps) smaller than the neoprene is cut, then pin it stretched out to the size of the neoprene and sew the seams together so it's tightly against it. If an already made tail is having this issue, you either have to live with it, cut away the spandex, or seam rip the seams and re sew it as stated above.

For re attaching sequins and making repairs that aren't noticeable- Quoted from the accessory making FAQ: "If you want to sew on something, but fishing line or closely matching thread isn't enough of an aesthetically pleasing option, use Transparent Nylon thread. It's essentially a small, strong, clear plastic thread. Just be aware that it can be a little harder to work with since it can snag on things like seaweed and netting while you're working, and it's harder to see." You can find it at JoAnns and other fabric stores.

Hope that helps!

[MerEmma]

It was given to me for free, so I dont feel its necessary and have the person upset at me.

But if they make them to sell, I'm sure I'm not the only one that would still like to know who it is. But if it was just a one-off tail for you, then I completely understand.

[AniaR]

I dont know what the point is of putting spandex over neoprene that makes no sense to me

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