***Starting a Sequin Tail***

[Ayla of Duluth]

I'm curious, how hard is it to hand sew sequins onto neoprene? It seems like it would be quite a challenge seeing as you have a layer of rubber to punch through as well as two separate layers of fabric as well. does the rubber grab onto the needle and make it hard to hand sew? or are you supposed to use a lubricant like you would if you were using a machine?

[Spindrift]

I'm curious, how hard is it to hand sew sequins onto neoprene? It seems like it would be quite a challenge seeing as you have a layer of rubber to punch through as well as two separate layers of fabric as well. does the rubber grab onto the needle and make it hard to hand sew? or are you supposed to use a lubricant like you would if you were using a machine?

I didn't think it was difficult at all. My needle went through the neoprene rubber really easily and I didn't use any lubricant.

[starlite]

I'm sewing my first 3 mm neopren tail, i have a standart needle, and i have no problem at all. It is covered of nylon on both side. Tomorrow i will post picture there. I also have no problem for the sequin.

[Mer_Adella]

I was curious if there is anything special you have to do if you sew through the neoprene. I mean as far as sewing the sequins on your going to have your thread on the inside of the tail. Is there a specific glue/sealer/etc to put on the thread to keep it from breaking, unraveling, or anything else?

[Morticia Mermaid]

I've been told to not sew all the way through the neoprene when sewing on sequins because the thread creates a ton of tiny holes that makes the neoprene break down

[Mer_Adella]

Ok well that answers that...so its just a guessing game then on how far your should go down or what? lol

[Morticia Mermaid]

I'd only go far enough to catch a tiny bit of the rubber, but not all the way through... If that makes any sense

[starlite]

Mer Adela do you have a picture of the way you sew your sequin please ?

[Mer_Adella]

basically this is it

sorry for the crappy "Paint" drawings. not as good on paint as i am on others

[starlite]

that's perfect :-) big thanks !

Please how many sequins did you buy for ? How tall are you ? Because i have 12000 sequins and i don't know if it's enough...?

[Moonflower]

It was suggested to me at the dive shop I'd inquired in about buying neoprene that using a nylon thread (upholstery thread) is better to use on anything used in the water on a regular basis, as cotton thread can break down over time from the constant wet then dry then wet then dry of use.

[Mer_Adella]

I think i had like 2600 sequins, BUT i didn't cover my whole tail in sequins and still have a few left over... i am actually considering gluing more sequins on...

i have this idea in my head...i am going to buy a tail soon but i wanted to keep myself busy with tail making (crafts lets just say) so i am thinking of gluing more sequins on (since i have some left over and i fell my tail looks weird with "spots" of sequins) and then taking those orange stripes off the fluke, unstitching the fluke, cutting it down, resewing it and painting it with lumiere paint..... anyone think thats good or bad? if you look at my sig video my fluke to me looks too long

[Jadestone]

To be honest, I actually really like the "spotted" look you have going on! And the seem to really catch the light in the vid in your sig! You remind me of the fish from the book The Rainbow Fish (: Anyone else love that book as a kid?

(hard to tell in the pic but the speckly-looking scales are actually shiny/sparkly).

I think my next tail may be a sequin tail

I think you could modify the fluke without having to change the rest of the tail if that's what you decide you want to go for.

[Mer_Adella]

ya the fluke is just my main issue. but i have an event scheduled in januray with little kids and i am not quite sure how to answer them if they ask why i only have a few "scales" that was just my idea to add more sequins. i might just cover in a few of the bare spots but not real sure

[Jadestone]

Hmm. Maybe you could make up a story? Say, you're shedding your old scales so new ones can grow in in time for spring Or maybe temporarily losing some scales is just what happens when mermaids spend time on land, and that's why you don't see many of them Or you can always just say that's the way they grow. No one can tell you you're wrong!

Up to you, whatever you decide--I'm sure it will turn out lovely.

[MermaidLana]

1) DO NOT use spandex. The fabric is to thin and cannot hold sequins. Use 2mm neoprene, it works much better!
2) Sew your sequins on, but with a zigzag stitch. You can otherwise get to many holes and the sequins might break underwater!
3)It's heavy to lift, but in the water it works awesome and so smooth!
4)I'm getting as much information as I can before making my sequin tail, but I know so much, I can always belp you!

-Lots of love! <3