Oooohhh! Your tail is absolutely breathtaking! The scales look so, soooo pretty underwater and your fluke is so unique! ♥ You did such a wonderful job! ♥
I would love to have a tail like this but I'm just not crafty enough to pull it off. I wish I could just commission you to make me one because this tail is so stunning!
Thank you aqua mermaid for sharing this with us. I’ve always wanted to be a mermaid and I’ve had fabric tails but now I’m gonna make a sequin tail inspired by a spadefish thanks to this video
OH MY GOODNESS...what an AMAZING video--you thoroughly covered everything and your technique and artistry is AMAZING....gorgeous, epic tail, mer-sista!
How do you make the transition between the monofin and your ankles look so good? When I made a hybrid silicone tail, there’s a weird bunch of fabric there
@Dame Melusine I wonder how many sequins it takes to make a tail like this. I would like to make one but can't even begin ti think how many sequins to order.
I ❤️ your tail!! Did you sew the neoprene first and then sew on the scales or scales then neoprene? You said you used 2mm neoprene what difference would it make if you used like 1.5mm?
I really love this beautiful tail! It looks like a real tail! But how do you put the monofin/fin part together with the scale part? Because I have a sequin tail too and I'm not sure about that.❤
Hi Mermaid Seela, I love your gold tail, I hope you post a vid of your sequin tail soon! My tail skin is made of 2 parts velcroed together. I slip the monofin in the "fin pocket" first, then attach the body of the tail to it. You can see the 2 pieces at 5:30, the beginning of the process at 4:30 and the attaching at 5:58 in this video. The trick is to not let the velcro peek out from behind the scales.
This is really amazing. I have thought about doing it myself. I am not sure if you respond to your UA-cam comments but I have a few questions. Where online did you get your neoprene? How did you make the sequins stay on the fabric while sewing? Did you pin them? I have tried but my sequins slip around a lot. Really amazing!
Hi Grace, Thank you for your coomment and compliments :) I bought the neoprene from seattle fabrics www.seattlefabrics.com/neoprene-foams_c_17.html#Neoprene, but do shop around as neoprene is the biggest expense in this project and you may get lucky and find cheaper neoprene elsewere. Just make sure that you do not buy neoprin, which is a different fabric. For the sequins, I just held them one at a time right against the foot before sewing them. I also found that warming them in water right before helped prevent them from cracking. It is definitely a tedious process but worth it :P Enjoy!
Hi there! it seems my last reply was deleted somehow... Anyhoo, I used about 4-5 thousand sequins, so about 8-10 bags of 500. My monofin was partially covered, so it is more or less depending if the monofin is covered completely, partially or not.
Wow seems like sewing the sequins by hand might actually be easier and quicker than with a machine... and everyone who's ever sewn sequins by hand knows how long that takes :/
Hi Nikki, this is just basic vinyl ridged translucent shelf liner I bought at dollorama. I am sorry, but I threw out the tag with the name of the brand, but the exact brand doesn't matter, I saw the exact same stuff under a different brand at wallmart and other places.
Dame Melusine Hello! So, quick question, I have always wanted a mermaid tail out of silicone expect you can't find them for children on regular websites I have looked at! Is there any you have heard of that sell children's silicone tails?
Hi there! Love this beautiful tail!!! Where did you get your inspiration for what you wanted the tail to look like? I'm a super newbie at mermaiding and I'm not really sure where to start (other than practicing the right technique for swimming).
Look at real fishes scale color and design it will help you to find looks that you really like. In which city are you located ? You can also meetup with local mermaids to share your experiences.
Hi Kellie, I was inspired by lionfish, goldfish and sea monsters from old maps. I agree with Aquamermaid, I spent hours looking at pictures of fish, as well as other people's mermaid tails.
Dear Mermaid Melusine! Thank you so much for this video!How do you put this tail on? Du you velcro the two parts togehter first and then slip in somehow or do you first get into the glove and then the fin and then velcro in the end? I made my first tail out of spandex and latex,also in two pieces,but I made a big mistake with the measurement for the connection part and now,over the years of trying to fix it with velcro that fell of and neodym magnets that I lost in the sea etc,I‘m tired and I want to make a new tail in one piece.I still like the two piece method though,because it gives me a feeling of security in case something happens,I can pull both pieces off of my body fast.My mistake was not to originally include velcro,hooks ir magnets for connection from the very start.I would di that better now.Thank again for the video and for your reply. Love, #MermaidMarisa
How do you get the pattern for making the tail? I've seen people make forms with duck tap? is that how this one was fitted to the person or is there a way to measure it out?
Hi Katie, I did both, a pattern where I measured myself every 2 inches around down the lenght of my legs, plus a dummy to help me finish off gluing the final scales over the seams to avoid the "flat seams" look.
Thank you so much~ I'm hoping to make my own tail in the nearish future~ I notice there is a seam for the zipper but i can't tell if it goes all the way down that side of the tail or not, is that the only seam?
Hi Katie, the zip only goes to just below my bum, and it was cut in the fabric for this purpose so the fabric is intact beyond it. Technically, to avoid stretching out the waist, you only need it to go as far as the widest point in your hips. Also, you could add darts in the waist on the back to "tuck in" the waist and reduce gaping while swimming. Finally, the only actual seams are the two connecting the front and back pieces + a new one that is hidden around the waist as I recently changed the waistband from the spandex one you see in the video, to a skin-colored neoprene one that was "blended in" by glueing some left over scales on it. Happy tailmaking :)
Hi there! it seems my last reply was deleted somehow... Anyhoo, I used about 4-5 thousand sequins, so about 8-10 bags of 500. My monofin was partially covered, so it is more or less depending if the monofin is covered completely, partially or not.
Good question. Have you had this issue? No they don't scratch at all. I did have an issue with the waistline sequins scratching a bit though, which is why I added a temporary spandex waistband. When I have more time, I will replace it with a nicer beige neoprene waistband and blend with clear scales, but not to the edge.
what kind of sewing machine did you use? my machine hates the neoprene, even just one layer and its only 2.5mm thick! hopefully my singer heavy duty machine will work with it!!!!
Hi Kelly, My machine is a "lil' sew & sew" I bought it for 100$ at wallmart. Maybe your needle is too small, I used a leather needle, or your thread is too fine, I used outdoor heavy duty thread. Finally, maybe your stitches are too narrow or tight? I used the widest stitches and played with my tension settings a bit. Either way, I am sure your singer will go through like butter... BTW if you are sewing sequins, it is normal that your thread will snap often because it will rub against the sharp hole you just made with the needle. This is the nature of the beast of sequin-tail making... You also will need to change your needle regularly because it will loose its sharpness very quickly going through so many sequins. I hope this helps. Have fun and please share a video and your own tips!
Thank you so much! I'll have to get some leather needles and upholstery thread from Amazon.com I've been planing and working on this tail for almost 4 years and have been hand sewing the neoprene with fishing line. I really appreciate you replying!!!!!
Hi Alex! sorry, it seems my last answer was lost?!? Yes, it is polycarbonate/Lexan. I would never use acrylic given the shards it makes when breaking or cutting.
Hi, good luck with it, I never heard of this type of plastic. It may be worth going to the mernetwork.com to ask around if anyone used it before and what were the result. Either way, test it a couple if times first before you put it in a tail.
I love your tutorials and this one too, but I have to cry foul at the end when you said, "was made with the ocean in mind," because you also said these plastic scales will regularly fall off and that's normal for sequined tails. Every time I mermaid in the ocean, I find plastic. Every. Time. My enjoyment of mermaiding is ultimately interrupted by missions to pick up and carry the plastic back to shore where I can properly dispose of it. To hear that these plastic scales come off is disappointing, but to hear that you will swim in the ocean with it anyway is heartbreaking. 💔
this tail is really bad for the environment I hope it's not used in the ocean because the plastic scales fall off of it and fish and other creatures can eat them.
I have been wanting a silicone tail forever but after seeing this, I want a sequin one! :3
Oooohhh! Your tail is absolutely breathtaking! The scales look so, soooo pretty underwater and your fluke is so unique! ♥ You did such a wonderful job! ♥
Thank you! :D
It's so weird looking at the tip, kind of like kelp, but unique and awesome
That tail is ASTONISHINGLY gorgeous!!!! The clear bits, all the scales, the patterning.. SO beautiful!! Thank you SO Much for sharing! ♥♥
I would love to have a tail like this but I'm just not crafty enough to pull it off. I wish I could just commission you to make me one because this tail is so stunning!
Thank you! :D
So unbelievably gorgeous! Wow!
Absolutely gorgeous!
it looks amazing!!
You're a genius. How beautiful. No one person should have that much talent.
Amazing--and so beautiful!
You are AMAZING! Your tail is so GORGEOUS! Thank you for sharing your tutorials!
This is incredible, thank you so much for this... great tutorial
AMAZING VIDEO 😍 Thank you so much for all your research and hard work in that beautiful tail 💗🐚💕
Thank you aqua mermaid for sharing this with us. I’ve always wanted to be a mermaid and I’ve had fabric tails but now I’m gonna make a sequin tail inspired by a spadefish thanks to this video
Wow it's absolutely beautiful
Looks great! Good job
I love this waaayyy more than I like silicone tails!! How gorgeous!!
amazing work!!! and thank you for sharing all the tips
That is beautiful, you are so talented
Wow so gorgeous
Wow!!! You're so talented!!! Your tail looks so realistic and beautiful!!!😱😱😱😍😍😍👏👏👏👏
Woah!! This is really pretty, I love how you made it the design is amazing!! And I like your hair :3
OH MY GOODNESS...what an AMAZING video--you thoroughly covered everything and your technique and artistry is AMAZING....gorgeous, epic tail, mer-sista!
I LOVE IT SO MUCH
I'm just learning to make my sequined tail. I'm taking your advice for this. I can only hope it works to my advantage.
Your tail is so beautiful! Very creative! ❤❤❤
Thanks! :D
WOW :-o is very nice! Thanks for presents......!!!
Thank you so much for this video!!!
how did this tail hold up? Can you make a video update and also talk about repairing damage?
Love this scales! Where do get this scales!?!??!
Thank you Aquamermaid for making my dream of becoming a mermaid possible and inspiring me to make this tail!
This is soooo cool Dame Melusine! The tail is just gorgeous. When the light hits it, it's otherwordly! Thanks for sharing!!! xoxo from Chicago!!!
Thank you :D
I love you vids
cool
How do you make the transition between the monofin and your ankles look so good? When I made a hybrid silicone tail, there’s a weird bunch of fabric there
@Dame Melusine I wonder how many sequins it takes to make a tail like this. I would like to make one but can't even begin ti think how many sequins to order.
I ❤️ your tail!! Did you sew the neoprene first and then sew on the scales or scales then neoprene? You said you used 2mm neoprene what difference would it make if you used like 1.5mm?
Also what kind of paint did you use for painting the tips and the little detail?🎨🧜♀️
Prettyyyy 💕😂😱
So beautiful I wish u could make me one that would be amazing love ur vids
Usually in the summer i swim so much it hurts lol
What if you did a printed tail with clear sequins?
Can you link where you got your neoprene? And thread as well? Please!!
I love how she says it's the "evening gown" of mermaid tails! so cute. You should also do a DIY on the sequin top :)
:) Thanks! Since then I made a top to match, might be fun to make a video....
Yes! Or share a photo for sure :)
About how many sequins do you think you used?
how many sequins will i need?
How many sequins do you need for a tail?
I really love this beautiful tail! It looks like a real tail! But how do you put the monofin/fin part together with the scale part? Because I have a sequin tail too and I'm not sure about that.❤
Hi Mermaid Seela, I love your gold tail, I hope you post a vid of your sequin tail soon! My tail skin is made of 2 parts velcroed together. I slip the monofin in the "fin pocket" first, then attach the body of the tail to it. You can see the 2 pieces at 5:30, the beginning of the process at 4:30 and the attaching at 5:58 in this video. The trick is to not let the velcro peek out from behind the scales.
Thank you Dame Melusine! I'll post one video soon, I just have to edit it first:)
You are very welcome, have fun!
How many sequins you need?
How much Neopren you Use????
Thhr e bowl of hot water is a great tip!
This is really amazing. I have thought about doing it myself. I am not sure if you respond to your UA-cam comments but I have a few questions. Where online did you get your neoprene? How did you make the sequins stay on the fabric while sewing? Did you pin them? I have tried but my sequins slip around a lot. Really amazing!
Hi Grace, Thank you for your coomment and compliments :)
I bought the neoprene from seattle fabrics www.seattlefabrics.com/neoprene-foams_c_17.html#Neoprene, but do shop around as neoprene is the biggest expense in this project and you may get lucky and find cheaper neoprene elsewere. Just make sure that you do not buy neoprin, which is a different fabric. For the sequins, I just held them one at a time right against the foot before sewing them. I also found that warming them in water right before helped prevent them from cracking. It is definitely a tedious process but worth it :P Enjoy!
Gorgeous tail ! And I love your name ;)
Hey! I love your name too :D, sooooo jealous of your new fin BTW :)
:D Thank you !
How many of the little shells did you need to buy? I suspect you got the 22mm ones?
The tail looks really cool btw!
I am not sure in retrospect, but let's say about 10 bags of 500. One would need more or less depending on weather or not the fluke is covered.
what an amazing tail!
how many sequins were needed to make this beauty?
Hi there! it seems my last reply was deleted somehow... Anyhoo, I used about 4-5 thousand sequins, so about 8-10 bags of 500. My monofin was partially covered, so it is more or less depending if the monofin is covered completely, partially or not.
How much??
Wow seems like sewing the sequins by hand might actually be easier and quicker than with a machine... and everyone who's ever sewn sequins by hand knows how long that takes :/
Oh, what kind/brand of shelf liner is it that you used? Please post an answer if you can.THANK YOU!
Hi Nikki,
this is just basic vinyl ridged translucent shelf liner I bought at dollorama. I am sorry, but I threw out the tag with the name of the brand, but the exact brand doesn't matter, I saw the exact same stuff under a different brand at wallmart and other places.
Thank you for answering the questions! Happy swimming. :)
Dame Melusine Hello! So, quick question, I have always wanted a mermaid tail out of silicone expect you can't find them for children on regular websites I have looked at! Is there any you have heard of that sell children's silicone tails?
Hi there! Love this beautiful tail!!! Where did you get your inspiration for what you wanted the tail to look like? I'm a super newbie at mermaiding and I'm not really sure where to start (other than practicing the right technique for swimming).
Look at real fishes scale color and design it will help you to find looks that you really like. In which city are you located ? You can also meetup with local mermaids to share your experiences.
Hi Kellie,
I was inspired by lionfish, goldfish and sea monsters from old maps. I agree with Aquamermaid, I spent hours looking at pictures of fish, as well as other people's mermaid tails.
Dear Mermaid Melusine! Thank you so much for this video!How do you put this tail on? Du you velcro the two parts togehter first and then slip in somehow or do you first get into the glove and then the fin and then velcro in the end? I made my first tail out of spandex and latex,also in two pieces,but I made a big mistake with the measurement for the connection part and now,over the years of trying to fix it with velcro that fell of and neodym magnets that I lost in the sea etc,I‘m tired and I want to make a new tail in one piece.I still like the two piece method though,because it gives me a feeling of security in case something happens,I can pull both pieces off of my body fast.My mistake was not to originally include velcro,hooks ir magnets for connection from the very start.I would di that better now.Thank again for the video and for your reply. Love, #MermaidMarisa
How do you get the pattern for making the tail? I've seen people make forms with duck tap? is that how this one was fitted to the person or is there a way to measure it out?
Hi Katie,
I did both, a pattern where I measured myself every 2 inches around down the lenght of my legs, plus a dummy to help me finish off gluing the final scales over the seams to avoid the "flat seams" look.
Thank you so much~ I'm hoping to make my own tail in the nearish future~ I notice there is a seam for the zipper but i can't tell if it goes all the way down that side of the tail or not, is that the only seam?
Hi Katie,
the zip only goes to just below my bum, and it was cut in the fabric for this purpose so the fabric is intact beyond it. Technically, to avoid stretching out the waist, you only need it to go as far as the widest point in your hips. Also, you could add darts in the waist on the back to "tuck in" the waist and reduce gaping while swimming. Finally, the only actual seams are the two connecting the front and back pieces + a new one that is hidden around the waist as I recently changed the waistband from the spandex one you see in the video, to a skin-colored neoprene one that was "blended in" by glueing some left over scales on it.
Happy tailmaking :)
Thanks for this. What do you call the material that you used for the fluke?
it is non adhesive shelf liner. I bought mine at target.
Thank you!!! Have fun making tails =)
OOps, somehow my reply got lost/erased. Anyways, yes, you can get the shelf liner in Dollorama in Montreal for cheap too.
Lols no worries. Thanks for that! I've just finished testing my new tail. Will also upload a video soon =)
I cant wait to see it!!!!!!!!!
how many sequence are used?
Hi there! it seems my last reply was deleted somehow... Anyhoo, I used about 4-5 thousand sequins, so about 8-10 bags of 500. My monofin was partially covered, so it is more or less depending if the monofin is covered completely, partially or not.
I'm going to make a sequin tail as well. But see by hand. I will still use Joanns out door thread and sequins from the same website.
Cool! I hope you share your process and final result on youtube and the mernetwork.com :) >
Where am I and how did I get here?
Can you make a tail based off a.lionfish?
sounds like fun!
what mm of scales did u use??
22 mm
Don't the stitches like prickle itch you?
Good question. Have you had this issue? No they don't scratch at all. I did have an issue with the waistline sequins scratching a bit though, which is why I added a temporary spandex waistband. When I have more time, I will replace it with a nicer beige neoprene waistband and blend with clear scales, but not to the edge.
Do u have mermaid shop?
we have an online shop aquamermaid.com/collections/store
I looked on the website for the sequins didn't see that shape
22mm
what kind of sewing machine did you use? my machine hates the neoprene, even just one layer and its only 2.5mm thick! hopefully my singer heavy duty machine will work with it!!!!
Hi Kelly,
My machine is a "lil' sew & sew" I bought it for 100$ at wallmart. Maybe your needle is too small, I used a leather needle, or your thread is too fine, I used outdoor heavy duty thread. Finally, maybe your stitches are too narrow or tight? I used the widest stitches and played with my tension settings a bit.
Either way, I am sure your singer will go through like butter...
BTW if you are sewing sequins, it is normal that your thread will snap often because it will rub against the sharp hole you just made with the needle. This is the nature of the beast of sequin-tail making... You also will need to change your needle regularly because it will loose its sharpness very quickly going through so many sequins.
I hope this helps. Have fun and please share a video and your own tips!
Thank you so much! I'll have to get some leather needles and upholstery thread from Amazon.com
I've been planing and working on this tail for almost 4 years and have been hand sewing the neoprene with fishing line. I really appreciate you replying!!!!!
do you sell these??? would love to order
no sorry we don't sell those tails
have You used a polycarbonate sheet to make a monofin? :)
Hi Alex!
sorry, it seems my last answer was lost?!? Yes, it is polycarbonate/Lexan. I would never use acrylic given the shards it makes when breaking or cutting.
thank you! I bought board of transparent poliste. I hope it will work just as polycarbonate :)
Hi, good luck with it, I never heard of this type of plastic. It may be worth going to the mernetwork.com to ask around if anyone used it before and what were the result. Either way, test it a couple if times first before you put it in a tail.
The fudge is Shoe Goo? :O Nevermind, love the name, that's good enough! XD
It's for repairing shoes lol!
Dame Melusine Still best name ever! :D
Thanks Gitte :D
Dame Melusine I... I was talking about the Shoe Goo.. :O Hope you got that? :O
LOL!! oops, facepalm! lol!
Can you make a more detailed step by step video please it would get a lot of views
sorry i cant hear what you're saying about the primary material, thank you i hope for the respond
It is neoprene
I love your tutorials and this one too, but I have to cry foul at the end when you said, "was made with the ocean in mind," because you also said these plastic scales will regularly fall off and that's normal for sequined tails. Every time I mermaid in the ocean, I find plastic. Every. Time. My enjoyment of mermaiding is ultimately interrupted by missions to pick up and carry the plastic back to shore where I can properly dispose of it. To hear that these plastic scales come off is disappointing, but to hear that you will swim in the ocean with it anyway is heartbreaking. 💔
😍😍😍😍😍
It looked like kind of a dragon tail
why did i think it said "sea queen"?!?!
$56.00
Hi mermaids I am giving my mermimaid tail
In parts of the body where the foam.
Hi Yoi, I am sorry, I don't understand your question...
may. you. make. my. one.
honestly, I like the look of the sequins but I don't like that the whole tail including the dorsal fin is made out of sequins
call. my
this tail is really bad for the environment I hope it's not used in the ocean because the plastic scales fall off of it and fish and other creatures can eat them.
Bad tail, i dont like it 😤😤😤