How to Make a Mermaid Tail

This guide will show you how to construct a great costume to go swimming in, but, after you use it, you may never want to wear a regular bathing suit again.

Instructions

• Step 1: Fold down the waist and sew the elastic waistband around the top of the tail.
• Step 2: Turn the mermaid tail right side out and insert the monofin. Then try on your mermaid tail. Make sure the waistband is snug, but not so tight that you can't slip out of the tail if you have to. Now head for the sea, go swimming, and find some mermaid friends.
• FACT: Disney's 1989 animated feature _The Little Mermaid_ won the Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, "Under the Sea."
• Step 3: Pin the front sides of the fabric together and sew around the side and bottom edges.
• TIP: Use swimsuit or leotard fabric that's made to get wet.
• Step 4: Lay out a sheet of butcher paper and have the person for whom the tail is being made lay down on it. Lay the monofin at the person's feet so that their soles are at the opening of the monofin's foot pockets. Then trace an outline of their lower body, from their belly button to the monofin.
• TIP: Add a 1-inch border around the outline for a child or a 2-inch border for an adult.
• Step 5: Fold the front sides of the fabric together and pin the fabric to the pattern. Then cut around the pattern, leaving an extra 2 inches at the top for the elastic waistband.
• : Never swim while wearing this mermaid tail without adult supervision.