DIY Mermaid Costume: Mermaid Tail Skirt, Part 2

When I started writing the tutorial for the mermaid tail skirt, I realized it was incredibly LONG. I was also in the process of making multiple skirts, so it just seemed natural to divide the tutorial into two parts -- the "tail" and the "fin" of the skirt. Unfortunately, I didn't get to finish my tutorial before Halloween and well, then life happened and I never posted the finished tutorial. With Halloween coming up next week, I thought I'd go ahead and finish it off in case any little girls are in need of a Mermaid Skirt!

If you missed it, you can get instructions on how to make Part 1 of the Mermaid Tail Skirt. Continue reading to find out how to finish it with a fin!

How to Make A Mermaid Tail Skirt "Fin":

Supplies:

• finished mermaid tail skirt
• green costume satin
• pinking shears (to reduce fraying) or fabric scissors
• tissue paper
• measuring tape
• iron & ironing board
• matching thread
• sewing machine

Directions:
On a large workspace, lay out your skirt so that the pointy parts are on the side, like this.

To make a sort of pattern for the fin pieces, take a piece of tissue paper and fold down the top at two angles to match the line of your skirt. If you want, you can connect pieces of tissue paper to make an exact pattern. I didn't do that -- I just kind of eyeballed it. You'll want the tissue paper to be wider than your skirt so that you have extra material to gather and make it flare out a bit like a fin and it should come down a few inches as well. (See the pic below to get an idea of the shape you'll need. Use the tissue paper pattern to trace and cut out two pieces of green costume satin.

Put the two fin pieces with the right sides together. Sew up each side. Iron the seams flat. At the bottom of the fin, iron the edge over by about 1/2 inch and then another 1/2 inch. Secure with pins and then stitch to create the bottom hem.

 

Attach the fin piece to your tail skirt. Line up the seams of the fin with the pointed tail of the skirt. Create a few pleats in the fin fabric and then pin into place. Stitch the fin onto the skirt.