I run a small business out of my home where I make corn heat wraps and other sewn and crocheted crafts but I am by no means a professional seamstress or sewer. I don't have all the terms and techniques but I do ok.
So my first post has come about because my oldest daughter (S) wanted to be Ariel for Halloween this year. Last Sunday we found a costume for about $20 and bought it, she did wear it a few times around the house, but by Tuesday morning there was a large rip in the top. At first I though well I have a sewing machine and enough skills, I'll fix it. Well there was really no fixing this so it went back to the store. We did not buy another one. I instead got to work on a design for making my own costume for her. Now you may be thinking I'm crazy Halloween is less then 2 weeks away. I wont try to argue and tell you that your are wrong, cause I probably am crazy, but that's what you gotta do for your babies you know.
So a few ideas I got online were to use a stretch velour for the tail so that it would stretch (and that is a must in this design) as she moved and tulle got me going. We were off to JoAnn for fabric and today I made the tail (it took me about 2 hours to do from start to finish.) I'll give you the post for the top in the next few days but here it is step by step.
Note: Please forgive my poor pictures and such but it should give you an idea. I had to work fast cause like I said Halloween is less then 2 weeks away.
I bought 1 yard of fabric for the tail (the stretchy valour stuff), 1 yard of silky shiny stuff for the fin on the tail and 2 yards of soft tulle, plus some elastic and matching thread. I definitely didn't need all this fabric but it was on sale and I wanted to have enough in case I messed up.
Step 1: Measure
Measure your child's waist to floor length (we will call this # H)
Measure your child's knee to floor length (we will call this #K)
Measure around your child's waist (we will call this #W)
Step 2: Calculations (all my measurements are given in inches)
H+5=How long your need to cut your tail fabric for me that was 23+5=28
(K+4)/2=How wide you need to cut your tail fabric, for me it was 20+4=24/2=12
Step 3: Cutting
I cut 2 piece 12"x28" (from the measurments above)
Then cut the point into the tail fabric by folding the fabric in half and using a straight edge line up the point to the knee height (for me it was 11") then cut the point in.
Next cut your fin out of the shinny silky fabric (ours is greenish). To cut this shape I laid the tail with the point down with the fin fabric underneath WITH THE FOLD OF THE FABRIC AT THE TOP where the split ends. (In my picture below that is the top right of the green fabric is the fold).
Then with a disappearing fabric marker draw an arch shape out to the side to make the fin shape. It is very hard to see in my picture but there is a slight dark purple line. Sorry I didn't get fabrics for the sake of picture taking I was trying to make Ariel). NOTE that I also overlapped the tail about 2" over the edge of the green fabric to account for seam allowances.
Now with your line drawn cut out the fin and then move down and trace another one and cut that (now you should have 2 fins). Open them up and they look like this.
Next cut your tulle into 4" strips so you have 8 strips (the whole length of the fabric) separate them into 2, 4 piece piles.
Step 4: Sewing
Next pin the sides of your tail together and sew from the top of the waist band down to the top of the split, but not down to the bottom point (you need a place for your feet to go). Sew both sides of the tail skirt to the top of the split.
With your fin (shinny green fabric) pin a hem around the arced sides. I recommend doing a double hem where you fold the edge in 1/4 of an inch then another 1/4 of an inch so you have no raw edges exposed to help minimize fraying (if you are using a fraing fabric like I did). Then sew a hem.
Repeat on the other fin.
Now line up the center of your fins raw edge with the seam at the top of the split at the skit and with right sides together pin and do a basting stitch down both sides.
Now you need you tulle, find the center of the strips and attach to the center of the tail where your seam is.
Now attach the end of the strip to the point of the tail. Then find the center of one half and pin there then on either side of that pin find the center and pin. Continue with this till the tulle is fairly flat (not perfect of course it is tulle), and repeat on the other side of the tail fin.
Then sew your tulle down (I used a zig-zag to help with the fraying of the green fabric).
Next repeat the fin steps on the other side. This time pay attention to make sure the point of the tail gets neatly hidden in the stitching.
Step 5: Waist band
From the top of the split measure to find the height of the waist band. Use H-K to get this measurement. There should be plenty of fabric left (I did that so if I needed to in a year let it down I could.With the wrong side facing you fold over and pin.
Now sew the band about 1 1/2-2" below the top of the hem. If you are using a stretch fabric (which is really required for this design) use a zig-zag stitch and pull the fabric tight so that it is stretched when you set and therefor will stretch when you put it on.
Finally using a seam ripper open one of the side hems to add the elastic.
Step 6: Add elastic
With the opened seam I wrapped the elastic around a crochet hook and attach with masking tape. I like to pretend I'm an engineer. And insert it into the opening and pull through.
Now sew up the hole using a ladder stitch.
Here is what it now looked like on my daughter. See how it has tulle hanging in front of her feet?
I then trimmed the front of the tulle so that it was even with bottom of the skirt so that she wouldn't trip and it made it look more finished.
I don't know if I'm half way done or what yet. I think the top might be harder since the fabric (the same as the green fin only in a purple) is kind of tricky to work with but the concept seems easier then the concept of the tail and fin. So hope to see you back in a few days to finish up.
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