Mermaid Kelda
11-02-2014, 11:16 PM
I recently decided, after staring longingly at all the beautiful fabrics in Spotlight, that I would start making some simple, but pretty, fabric tails for myself. I don't really intend these to be fully water-use; mainly, I figured it'd be nice to have lighter, more mermaid-princess type tails for kids parties where I'm not in a pool.
I picked up these:
http://i.imgur.com/uozwogY.jpg
A green-blue sequinned fabric, sparkly yellow-green and violet (laid out under them all) fabrics, iridescent plasticy material, and loose glittery mesh fabric.
The yellow and violet fabrics don't have much stretch to them, so I'll be putting a zip in them both to the knees.
I cut my wave monofin with a jigsaw, making sure to keep a rounded apex in the middle. The plastic actually melted and re-fused as I cut it, so I had to go over with a craft knife to fully separate the pieces and neaten up the edges.
http://i.imgur.com/Q9AYWaO.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/3vdIpXD.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/fjc0jzj.jpg?2
I laid down on an old sheet and drew around myself, sewed it together, tried it on and re-sewed until I had a good fit, then cut it apart and laid it on my fabric.
http://i.imgur.com/eZNw00l.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/EMDGF5m.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/Spy8mk6.jpg?1
The sequinned fabric was the most expensive of the three I bought for the skins, but it was also super stretchy, so I figured it was a good one to start with as I'd have more room for error. I ended up cutting off two inches on both edges because it was so big; I'll use the off-cuts for details and accessories, so no wastage!
I used the iridescent material for the fins, adding silver mesh and green mesh on top. They're wonderfully sparkly and shiny! Photos don't do them justice. I even dipped them in the sink to see how they'd act in water, and they held shape really well. They were even more shiny underwater, too!
http://i.imgur.com/hFz3fOx.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/pitGwZP.jpg?1
I wanted to aesthetically differentiate the fluke from the body of the tail, and also make it easy to get on and off, so I made the body a separate piece from the fluke. I went back and bought some beautiful satin, made a slip for the monofin that tightens around my ankles with elastic, and closed it along the end of the fluke with velcro for water-ventilation and easy removal. The skin goes over the fluke in a V shape and closes in the centre with hooks and eyes (sort of like Mertailor's 2-piece tails). This separated design should mean I'm not pulling at the fabric so much when I swim, so it might be less inclined to stretch or warp.
http://i.imgur.com/BNy2Gbe.jpg?2
And here's the finished product!
http://i.imgur.com/aKwlcWG.jpg?1
The colours aren't great, but you get the idea ;) I added fringe along the bottom of the fluke, and I'll add some in different positions on my other tails, so they're all unique :) I'm still yet to add some of the embellishments, like silver stitching and sequins and beads, but I'm happy with progress so far!
I picked up these:
http://i.imgur.com/uozwogY.jpg
A green-blue sequinned fabric, sparkly yellow-green and violet (laid out under them all) fabrics, iridescent plasticy material, and loose glittery mesh fabric.
The yellow and violet fabrics don't have much stretch to them, so I'll be putting a zip in them both to the knees.
I cut my wave monofin with a jigsaw, making sure to keep a rounded apex in the middle. The plastic actually melted and re-fused as I cut it, so I had to go over with a craft knife to fully separate the pieces and neaten up the edges.
http://i.imgur.com/Q9AYWaO.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/3vdIpXD.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/fjc0jzj.jpg?2
I laid down on an old sheet and drew around myself, sewed it together, tried it on and re-sewed until I had a good fit, then cut it apart and laid it on my fabric.
http://i.imgur.com/eZNw00l.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/EMDGF5m.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/Spy8mk6.jpg?1
The sequinned fabric was the most expensive of the three I bought for the skins, but it was also super stretchy, so I figured it was a good one to start with as I'd have more room for error. I ended up cutting off two inches on both edges because it was so big; I'll use the off-cuts for details and accessories, so no wastage!
I used the iridescent material for the fins, adding silver mesh and green mesh on top. They're wonderfully sparkly and shiny! Photos don't do them justice. I even dipped them in the sink to see how they'd act in water, and they held shape really well. They were even more shiny underwater, too!
http://i.imgur.com/hFz3fOx.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/pitGwZP.jpg?1
I wanted to aesthetically differentiate the fluke from the body of the tail, and also make it easy to get on and off, so I made the body a separate piece from the fluke. I went back and bought some beautiful satin, made a slip for the monofin that tightens around my ankles with elastic, and closed it along the end of the fluke with velcro for water-ventilation and easy removal. The skin goes over the fluke in a V shape and closes in the centre with hooks and eyes (sort of like Mertailor's 2-piece tails). This separated design should mean I'm not pulling at the fabric so much when I swim, so it might be less inclined to stretch or warp.
http://i.imgur.com/BNy2Gbe.jpg?2
And here's the finished product!
http://i.imgur.com/aKwlcWG.jpg?1
The colours aren't great, but you get the idea ;) I added fringe along the bottom of the fluke, and I'll add some in different positions on my other tails, so they're all unique :) I'm still yet to add some of the embellishments, like silver stitching and sequins and beads, but I'm happy with progress so far!