Mermaid Tail Skirt

You can make this great swimmable AND walkable mermaid skirt part of your world by following this simple tutorial.

For this project you will need:

Pins

Shiny, stretchy material (it's called "swimmer/dancer fabric)

Coordinating color tulle

Sewing machine/thread and needle (not pictured)

3/8" elastic (not pictured)

Scissors (not pictured)

You can purchase all these items at JoAnn's or any local fabric store.

I made the skirt our of remnants from other projects, but it would cost roughly $30 to make and took about 30 minutes.

The length of the fabric you will need is dependent on your body measurements and width of the fabric so I can't really give any specifics on how much fabric to get. I suggest you wrap the fabric around you to see how much you need to get before purchasing.

Fold your fabric over so it is wide enough for your hips and so the top is at the top of your hips and the bottom is just around your knees.

Lay on the fabric so your hips are at the top.

Use a pen or chalk to outline your body onto the fabric leaving a little bit of a seam allowance. You will need a MUCH bigger seam allowance if you do not get stretch fabric.

Get up carefully to make sure you don't mess up the fold and then pin the fabric along the line you drew.

Cut outside the line and sew the sides together.

I kept the selvage edge on my fabric because I used that as a waistband that I could fold down if I wanted to or wear the skirt in a high-waisted style.

I cut a whole bunch of little strips out of the shiny fabric and pinned it to the top of a length of light green tulle.

Measure the width of the bottom of the tail, double it, and cut that length of elastic.

Sew the elastic to the top of the tail. As you sew the elastic,make sure to pull it tight so the tail will scrunch up.

Turn the skirt inside out and sew the tail to the bottom.

Measure half the length of the skirt and cut 2 of that length of elastic. Sew that along either seam of the skirt to give the whole skirt a scrunched look.

Turn the whole thing right side in and admire your work.

Life really is better under the sea!

I paired my new skirt with a pair of seashells that are available in my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/listing/158912601/mermaid-she...

What's fantastic is that because the skirt is made out of swimmer/dancer fabric, you can swim in it and then get right out of the water and walk in it, just like Ariel!

It's pretty magical.