My previous fabric tail's elastic stretched and died when left by a window and exposed to sunlight, and I'm in the market for new fabric to remake it. I was browsing spandex world when this little beauty caught my eye:
http://spandexworld.com/c3/catalog/product/10579
So, is it possible to make this fabric into a tail? Would it require another layer of fabric beneath it? Would the sequins make it a bitch to sew? Has anyone used this before for a tail?
My guess is yes. I made a tail w/ green sparkledot fabric. It had a slight stretch, def. not like spandex. But it worked ok. the sparkle dots are wearing off in some spots though due to dragging it on the concrete
You can use most of spandexworld's fabrics for tailmaking, but all those fabrics which have holograph or foil finish will eventually (in some cases really quickly) lose their finish.
Sequins might come off or bleed color.
Those fabrics make incredibly pretty tails though, so it's probably worth it.
The one you have chosen is only 2way stretch.
Personally I prefer 4way, but maybe 2way is just as well, I'm not sure really.
Sadly, I can't say anything to sewing through sequins. I have sewed all of mine on only later.
If you go for it, please tell how it went.
Oh, wow. One of the holographic fabrics was my second choice, I'm glad you mentioned that.
My old tail was 4way, but my friend's is 2way and I personally prefer hers.
If you use sequined fabric, you will need to hand sew your tail. I made my daughter a tail from sequined fabric and it was miserable to sew on the sewing machine. The sequins will break your needle and create a lot of friction. You can spit on the needle or use some lube, but your needle will probably still break. The fabric is beautiful though and will make a lovely tail if you have the patience to hand sew.
Originally Posted by Mermaid Calypso
Hi Mermaid Calypso!
So, is it possible to make this fabric into a tail? YES! OMG that is so beautiful, and my favorite teal blues! It will be stunning if you do it!
Would it require another layer of fabric beneath it?YES! I would! You can get inexpensive nude bathing suit lining, or black. I suspect the backing is black, if not you could use what ever color is the backing or the nude to line it. When this fabric stretches you can see the fabric weave behind the sequins. You are fine with 2-way stretch, it just goes around your body, not length-wise.
Would the sequins make it a bitch to sew? YES! Sequins are plastic and can break if you don't stitch carefully. You should sew it by hand, its not hard and I would do two rows of stitching anyway, just because of the backing fabric. I would see if you could get a sample to play with, and determine how much it might ravel. If you don't want to do a lot of hand stitching you could stitch the "exposed" seam (with right sides together, this would be the inner most seam) by hand, and be able to select where the stitch goes, as to not break the sequins. The other rows, towards the cut edge might be able to be machine stitched. Sew at 1/4 inch from the hand stitched edge, so you don't care if a sequin breaks or not.
Has anyone used this before for a tail? Well, not this fabric in particular, but a black sequin for a holiday blouse. I hand stitched all the inner most seams, then reinforced with machine stitching about 1/4 inch from the hand stitched one. I then removed all the sequins remaining in the open seam because they were scratchy, and then used one last row of stitching to close the seam so no sequins were exposed to my skin. I would work with 5/8" seams, because you can always trim back afterwards.
Good luck with this, its awesome fabric! Wow,
(((Hugz))) and Bubble'z
Mermaid Marla
Once a Mermaid, always a mermaid!
Weeki Wachee Springs - 1969-1972
Mermaid Nautica made my previous tail. I've never actually hand sewn anything and wouldn't ask her to do that, so this would be quite the project.
Anyways, I'll do my sewing research and think on it. Thanks for the help, everyone!
Last edited by Mermaid Calypso; 07-01-2013 at 09:09 PM.
I sew my golden tail with my machine without any trouble, the fabric that I use is Lycra with sequins sewn onto it. I only have to hand sew some sequins back on on the bottom of my fluke after a use. To do that I kept the left overs and loosen every sequins on those pieces to replace the once that are gone.
If the sequins are sewn to the fabric you can use your machine, but if they are glued you can not as the glue will stick to your needle
Oh that's a pretty fabric!
Hi Mermaid Calypso! If you plan to swim in your mermaid tail, I would actually recommend staying away from mermaid sequin fabric. It can get heavy and the material can get expensive. It is recommended not to buy sequin fabric that has stretch to it so that might make the tail hard to move or swim in.
I recently wrote a post about Mermaid sequin fabric that might be helpful! Good luck!
This thread is over four years old.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Twilight darkens, yet there in the shade,
Lies a glimmering shadow, the wild mermaid;
As night draws ever closer, there's a choice to be made--
Will you stay as you are, or be delivered to the waves?
Laumina the Storm Siren
Instagram: mermaidwhisperofficial | Facebook: Mermaid Whisper | YouTube: Mermaid Whisper
Molly please try not to spam. Post your blog in one relevant place and that's good enough. Right now going down the Feed it's full of your exact same posts on dead threads
Sent from my LG-M210 using MerNetwork mobile app
I'm sure she's trying to help, although this is the second time in last couple months she's done that.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks