Making a New Fabric Tail (purple and teal)!

Over the weekend, I went to Maryland for my cousin's graduation. As it turns out, she lives in an area that contains a Walmart, a Michael's, AND a Jo-Ann's all within a few miles of each other. Needless to say, I spent about 6 hours shopping, and I got some beautiful fabric from which I will make...wait for it...A NEW TAIL! I'm so excited as my old reliable tail baby is getting a little worn and I've wanted a tail with this color scheme for a while. Since I'm planning this tail out much more than my others, I thought I'd start a thread to document my process and get some input from my fellow mers. Here are some pictures of what I have so far;
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ad4eeb7a2d.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3192ce0f8f.jpg


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That fluke is just absolutely gorgeous!

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Ooh those are going to look absolutely gorgeous together! I actually have some of the blue metallic swirly fabric to make a tail myself :) Can't wait to see how yours turns out - good luck!

Those colors are so pretty! Love the fluke design! 😍

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I can't wait to see how this will turn out. :)

Thanks! I'm really excited to use the knowledge I've gained in the past to make something new and beautiful. I've actually just about finished the fluke design. I've been working on it for the past hour. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1c3bab7cf7.jpg
I'm going to be using the mottled fabric for the fluke. This is the paint job that I'm going to be doing over that fabric. The white parts that are outlined in bold will be painted white, the rest will have the fabric showing through.


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I took off the fringe because I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.


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I'm personally not a fringe person so I think the updated fluke looks much better.

I think fringe looks nice on Hannah's tails, but they're neoprene and sequin and I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull of the same look.


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Either way this tail is going to look sick AF. :)

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Originally Posted by Hydra1337

Either way this tail is going to look sick AF. :)

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Thanks! I hope so, too. *fingers crossed*


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It looks like a great design! I love the fabrics! :swoon:

Looks super cool!! Keep us posted!


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There's something I just can't quite figure out, though. See, when I make my tails, I have a process that I think is a bit different than most people's. I don't meticulously take my measurements from waist to floor and around each joint and curve. Instead, I roughly measure a section of fabric that wraps around my waist (like a waistband for a pair of jeans) plus a little bit of seam allowance. Then I cut the fabric in a line from that measurement so that I end up with one piece of fabric that is basically a rectangular wrap. I then begin to sew from the "waistband" down, slanting the line inward as i go so that it hugs my body. Every so often, i try it on to make sure that it fits tightly. If it is too loose, then I take it in some more. When I'm done, it ends up being a sort of body sleeve. I make the fluke the normal way, by drawing out the shape on two pieces of fabric, then sewing them together and painting them. Then, I attach the fluke and body by sewing the ends of them together. This method is based off of the OG Fin Fun tails construction, except that you end up with only one seam on the back instead of two seams on the sides. This way, you look a little bit more realistic, and it offers an easy place to put a dorsal fin (just stick some fabric in the seam while sewing!).

Whew. That was a lot. Okay, so here's what I can't figure out:

I love the look of mermaid tails that have a little v-shaped section of scales that dips down into to the fluke (like most silicone tails). It looks lovelier and a lot more realistic than the Fin Fun style (a sharp horizontal seam), which is also what my method generally yields. Can anyone think of a way to create a fabric tail using the method above that results in a single seam in the back, rather than two seams at the sides, as well as the v-shaped overhang?

http://mernetwork.com/index/image.ph...ine=1445923130 vshttp://mermaidtailsreviews.com/wp-co...r-swimming.jpg

Wow, I love your fabrics!

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Maybe you can lay it flat (with the single seam in the back), trace where the triangle would be as if it had side seams, and then cut it.

So like, sew the body sleeve, then cut the triangle from the excess fabric and see them together?


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Sew the triangles to the fluke but yeah. Just place everything together before you sew or cut to make sure everything will fit properly.

Hmm..yeah, that could work! I'd have to think something up for hiding the seam though...sequins maybe? Not the fancy kind, just the normal circular kind. I have a bunch of those at home and was thinking about using some...


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On the other hand, I was planning on painting the sides of the tail black and fading into the fabric. So, maybe I should do the double seam and that paint would hide it...that would make the triangle easier, but there would no place for a dorsal...


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That sounds like it would work. :) By the way, that's a great idea for making the tail. I'll remember it when I make mine. It seems like a good time-saver.

I love your fabrics! I have many of the same ones! A little info on them, especially the scale fabric - they aren't very good with abrasion...the shiny wears off pretty quickly, as well as the color. I'm working on a silicone/fabric hybrid that I'm pretty happy with - a $30 trial size of Dragonskin from Smooth On is more than enough to coat your fabric tail in silicone to protect the finish. I coat the fabric before sewing it with a zigzag stitch for stretch.

Also, I make my fabric tails with one back seam. It's essentially a cone...I've drawn a basic pattern, but you can leave the bottom fabric uncut and configure it over your fin once you have it all assembled:

Attachment 41204

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Originally Posted by PearlieMae

I love your fabrics! I have many of the same ones! A little info on them, especially the scale fabric - they aren't very good with abrasion...the shiny wears off pretty quickly, as well as the color. I'm working on a silicone/fabric hybrid that I'm pretty happy with - a $30 trial size of Dragonskin from Smooth On is more than enough to coat your fabric tail in silicone to protect the finish. I coat the fabric before sewing it with a zigzag stitch for stretch.

Also, I make my fabric tails with one back seam. It's essentially a cone...I've drawn a basic pattern, but you can leave the bottom fabric uncut and configure it over your fin once you have it all assembled:

Attachment 41204

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Wow, thanks, Pearlie! I always do the back seam by trial and error, but that pattern looks perfect. On the silicone side of things, I don't think that I have the skill level to coat my fabric in Dragonskin.


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It's like spreading warm butter - super easy!

How does one sew through silicone? Do you need an industrial machine? Or do you just do it by hand?


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A regular sewing machine works fine. Just dust on some cornstarch or baby powder so it doesn't stick as it's going through. You can also use tissue paper that you tear away once you're done sewing. Use a wide zigzag stitch (I sew it twice, just to make it even stronger) so it will stretch when you're wearing it. A straight stitch will break.

I'll have to ask my mom if I can buy it. They'll probably say no, though. Between our lack of income and the cost of college, I doubt they'll give me $30 to just experiment with.


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Or maybe I'm just letting fear stop me from making something amazing


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Whatever you do I'm excited to see the result!


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If you don't coat it, just be gentle with it...no butt scooting!

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Originally Posted by PearlieMae

If you don't coat it, just be gentle with it...no butt scooting!

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[emoji6][emoji1474]


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Which silicone do you prefer (Dragon Skin 10 Fast, Medium, Slow, 20, FX Pro?)


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Dragonskin 10 is the standard for tails. I like to use the slow.


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Depends on the application and how adept you are at working with the different speeds.

So, now that my last big out-of-school project is done, I've got a bit of time to work on my (dream) tail! I'm so excited. Ok, so I was still having a bit of trouble visualizing how I could make the little triangle thingy while still maintaining the single back seam. So, what I've basically done here is I've taken a piece of dummy fabric and cut out the shape as it would look if I were to sew a two-seam tail. Then, I pinned the two halves together and cut them apart where the seam would be in the back to get a better visual of the flat shape that I would have to create.


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...40523b1252.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9f14ca3645.jpg


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e9162564d1.jpg
I've selected this black sparkly fabric to use as a dorsal and perhaps some extra fins. It has ALL the right colors in it![emoji4]

Okay, so I've forgotten to take pictures of the measurements, but here is the tail skin pinned up and ready to be sewn. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2fb6500f83.jpg


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b7f7639949.jpg
The tail body is done!


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