Mer-Top On A Budget

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I'm like the least crafty person on the planet, so I'm pretty limited to wearing mer-tops someone else made for me, but I've noticed that most mer-tops on Etsy are quite pricey, some of them even costing more than what I paid for my tail! Anyone got any suggestions for acquring a more authentic-looking mer-top on, say, a budget of $25 or under, and it has to be pretty modest and would complement my tail well.

[taom]

I could make one for you, KL. I'm a seamstress and a costumer. Just tell me what you'd like it to look like and I'll give to an estimate. (Your top doesn't just have to have shells. I could also put realistic looking scales on it. Whatever you like!)

[Princess Kae-Leah]

My dream top would have a wire-free Barely There bra as a base(I don't like to wear underwire since my autism spectrum disorder makes me very sensitive to tactile stuff) and has either two real or plastic shells spray-painted shimmery purple hot-glued on it and some fake pearls as trim.

[Winged Mermaid]

If an underwire bothers you then you probably wouldn't want to do a shells-only kind of top (shells with hemp/rope whatever for straps). Shells are not comfy!! Bra bases are a great solution for this, but unfortunately they're the most expensive part! With the bra I made I got a self adhesive bra from JoAnns for $13 (with 50% coupon). The cheap self adhesive bras are only made to be worn 10 times. If you're going to have ties of some kind attached to it then it doesn't really matter if the adhesive wears out since other things will be holding it in place, but if you don't you should invest in a NuBra, which is $40 last I checked. I had one of those once and it still worked when my cats go a hold of it.. and well that was the end of that :P

You can also try and find a cheap bra at JCPenny or wherever that is comfy to transform it. IMO strapless bras, or bras where you can remove the straps, are better because you can always add straps that are more mermaid-y (just feed them through the loops where the straps were before on a removable straps bra), but it's hard to actually cover the straps of a strapped bra.

Either way, GORILLA GLUE. Gorilla glue to attach the shells to the bra. Stuff WORKS! Hot glue... uhh don't think so. Hot glue is a lot more fragile with some things than people think. Coat the inside of the shells with gorilla glue, place them where you want them on your bra and clamp till dry. Or you can have the bra on and hold them there, or lay down on a bed or something. Just be careful the glue doesn't seep out/down, because I ended up gluing comforter netting and stuff to my skin O_o If you do that, check it every couple of minutes and wipe away any wet glue with a wet washcloth or paper towel, as it comes of easy when it's still wet.

Once the shells are glued on it's just a matter of gluing other stuff on there. THAT you can do with hot glue. I like shoving things between the shells and bra to cover up the cups. Attaching things to the other fabric parts of the bra (like the band) you may want to use the gorilla glue again, or even sewing it on with fishing line. Or you can just paint the darn thing with fabric paint :P

Hope that wasn't completely useless information for you. Wanted to do a tutorial on how I made my top (as seen here) but I was in SUCH a rush before the WMAs I didn't take pictures of anything, and I"m afraid words might be a tad bit useless on their own.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

That's a lovely top Winged. :3

[Mermaid Saphira]

I could make you a top for under $25 (this is not including shells). What do you think of a sparkely purple top with tiny pearls?
Please, contact me on etsy if you are interested! I would love to make your perfect top....
My Shop: www.Magichorizon.etsy.com
Portfolio: http://mernetwork.com/index/album.php?albumid=171

[Princess Kae-Leah]

Any top of mine would need to be made from a 100% wire-free bra, such as the Barely There wire-free bras. What kind of bras do you use for bases?

[SireniaSolaris]

KL, I looked into your bra of choice. Problem with your vision + budget is that the materials alone cost more than what you are allowing yourself to spend. The bra you like costs 25.99. Shells generally cost 2.50 each for a matching pair. And then the cost of pearls. Then, if you were to just leave it as is, the remainder of the bra would be showing. I like to further cover the rest of the bra with fake seaweed, other smaller shells, fishnet, etc.

The top I have been making for people looks like this: http://www.etsy.com/listing/93675824...-paw-bra-top-w

Materials alone to achieve all of this costs about $40.

The other problem you will face is in attaching the lion paw shells to a bra that has no form. Underwire can ALWAYS be removed. My suggestion would be to choose a bra that has the cup shapes already steady on their own (a padded bra), and if it has underwire, have the creator mannually remove that part. This gives a much better surface to adhere the shells to. Otherwise, the fabric you are attempting to stick to the shells will get stiff, crusty, and crinkled from the glue and I'd imagine it would feel horrific against your skin

KL, I would be happy to try to work with you to create something that fits your vision and as close to your budget as possible. I could use the bra I normally use, and remove the underwire, paint the shells purple, and add pearl accents to it. Alone, that would cost me $30. I would only charge $20 for the labor and travel involved in getting materials, so I could do this for $50. But again, the memainder of the bra would be showing, and be quite obvious.

If you wanted something similar to that in my shop, just less detailed - say the description above, plus just simple greenery to cover around the bra and make it appear more natural mermaid-ish, I could do that for you for $60. I know this is higher than what you intend to spend, but that's the best I am able to do for what you describe.

More or less the only thing I'd be able to make for around $25 would be a purple bikini-like top, with custom painting on the fabric - pehaps scales or something like that. It would be like a regular swim suite top, not like a supportive bra. :-\

Either way, I wish you lots of luck in your search for the perfect mertop with the perfect balance of vision and price

[Winged Mermaid]

SireniaSolaris that's a beautiful top! One of the best covered bra tops I've seen (straps are usually the give aways), and with some beautiful unique touches! Love it!
You also brought up some points that I was thinking myself.

Also Kae-Leah I haven't seen the bra you're talking about in person, but it looks not only like it would become uncomforatable when saturated with glue so the shells could be adhered, but that it wouldn't be able to hold the weight of the shells at all. Plastic ones, maybe. But the plastic shells I can tell you aren't comfortable- they dig like crazy. Since the bra is thin it might dig into your skin even with the bra there. Plus plastic shells cost more than real ones do! I think removing the underwire is your best bet! There are bras that have good support and don't have and underwire that still give good support and shape with cups (super comfy!), but those bras tend to be from $30-$80.

[Mermaid Saphira]

Any top of mine would need to be made from a 100% wire-free bra, such as the Barely There wire-free bras. What kind of bras do you use for bases?

I don't use any bras with wire in them

[Mermaid Sirena]

I used to not wear bra's with wires in them, then I tried a push up on out of curiosity and haven't been able to go back. They make me feel like I have boobies ^_^