Making my fabric tail into a hybrid tail!

[Mermaid Rubbles]

So my best friend and I were at the store today to look at making her first tail and for general cosplay stuff (were planning a star wars cosplay group for Cincinnati comicon and possibly more RWBY characters if theres time and we can do it not super expensive) and out of curiosity I looked to see if they had silicone and they did!!! It was cheaper there than what I saw online to get to my house so I went ahead and bought it to go ahead and make my tail into a silicone hybrid tail! I also bought a zipper to put in the back to make putting it on easier and faster.

Went ahead and ordered some mica pigments from pearl ex to use along with the ones I already have from other projects! Photos soon once I finish drawing the idea out that I have. Right now its just in my mind and im going "yes!!! Do that stuff with the things!!"

This is currently the end of the tail. When I made it I couldnt decide on how I wanted the flule to be shaped so I ended up leaving it like this so will definitely be changing it. Though im unsure what shape I wanna do yet ^^;;; if you have any ideas let me know! This was the first tail I made so im also going to go back and fix some stitching before I even touch the silicone to make sure my seams wont show since I did it in white thread like a noob lol!

[Mermaid Rubbles]

So today I ripped out the tulle fabric fin I had going down the back of the tail. Then when going to make sure sizing was still okay since I hadnt worn this tail in some months I found out my hips defiantly grew a little so I added a piece of fabric scraps I still had to the side so It still would fit and im not having to sew a whole new tail for this. Then started sewing in a zipper. Hopefully the photo works and isnt iffy ;;; my phone is horrible some days.

My pearl ex finally shipped last night too! Its suppose to be here on the 7th but could be as late as the 12th. Long as the weathers good when it gets here ill go ahead and start with the silicone but if its not warm outside the only other place to do it would be the basement, which is my room so id rather not expose myself or my animals to fumes. Maybe a test down in the laundry room in the split off part?

If it is warm enough ill open the garage and set up a table in there. Ill have to block off the vent that lets air from the garage to the basement though since every time we do something with fumes (usually painting, spray painting or staining, my parents love diy house renovations lol) if we dont you can hardcore smell the fumes down there.

Really excited to start working on this but super anxious ill goof it up

[Mermaid Rubbles]

So heres a sketch of my tail plan. Im still not sure of the fluke shape so I just drew something to start with but I feel like im already gonna change it. If its possible ill try to tip the scales purple.
Once the zippers in (I may have goofed it and im fixing it now oops) I have to make a leg double and stuff it and then its just waiting for the eternal winter to let up!

[Mermaid Rubbles]

Sorry for the blurry photo my phone decided it couldnt focus. But I just went with a simple shape! I started with the silicone today also since right now im somewhere I have the space to do it! Ill get a photo once my phone stops messing up ;;;;

[Mermaid Rubbles]

Got this much on the back done and let it cure then I worked on the front till I stopped for the night. This was after I took the leg cast out. Im gonna have to wait till my next day off to finish this since if I continue today I wont have it cured by the time id need to bring it back to my house. I definitely should have tested my pearl ex powders to make sure they were the right colors I wanted but I actually love the copper color it ended up with so thats okay! My neck and legs are sore from crouching over it most of yesterday but today im gonna stretch and hopefully be okay tomorrow! If I ever do this again if this turns out okay ill get a better ventilation mask and not stay in the room when im taking breaks with the mask off. That was dumb of me

[Mermaid Rubbles]

I got a few more hours to put into thr tail!

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[Mermaid Tuwala]

Oh my gosh I really love this! Its amazing so far! I can't wait to see the end result!
how are you making those scales by the way?
I'm seriously thinking about making a hybrid tail myself!

[Mermaid Rubbles]

Oh my gosh I really love this! Its amazing so far! I can't wait to see the end result!
how are you making those scales by the way?
I'm seriously thinking about making a hybrid tail myself!

Oh my goodness thank you! I should have it done before friday if they dont try to have me cover for someone at work tomorrow!
Im using ge all purpose type one caulking based on seeing others do so. You put a little blob down and take a spoon and smush it. But keep the spoon in soapy ice water so the silicone wont stick to it, then I was taking pearl ex powders and buffing them into it with a paint bush (but you could use make up brushes probably long as theyre clean) Once it cures enough that it stays in place when you poke it, im going to check after on a mini test to see if I need to seal them in once its fully cured, and honestly I probably will anyway to be safe.
This is tutorial on youtube that I got the pigment and spoon idea from
https://youtu.be/FJzHEarKdsA

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[Mermaid Rubbles]

Its done!!! These are horrible photos but the best i can do right now! Gonna try to go for a swim soon!

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[Mermaid Rubbles]

Oh wow I keep forgetting to update this! I took this tail swimming on saturday while I was off and holy seacow it was great! Im planning on getting a stronger monofin though! The one I have for now is good but id like to have more push from one so looking into it now.
Also im already planning to do another tail this way. My "im not doing a tail again this way" bug went by fast. It wont be for a few months though! I have some cosplays for conventions coming up that take priority over it (starwars and harry potter). But my boyfriend and I already nicknamed it the fruit popsicle tail! Itll make more sense later I swear lol!

[Mermaid Rubbles]

So ive been using the tail at least once a week since I finished it. And I decided to push forward the fruit popsicle tail. So ill be starting it today! Right after I update!
So! First off I got a new fin, its still not great but it works better than the fin I had before. Its still pretty cheap but im not worried about it breaking till I save up for a Luna.
Ill be using it inside the fruit popsicle tail! I cant get photo of my drawing for it to load but ill get it up soon! Though I am gonna take the blue out of it for now, ill probably add it back in later but I end up changing my ideas last second anyway.

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