DIY Cosplay Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Cosplay fun can happen regardless of the weather but there is just something about summer that makes me want to make costumes that will fit right in with the season! It's finally summer and to celebrate I'm going to show you how to make this fun and whimsical mermaid tail!

Supplies:

• 2 yards of Hologram Small Dot Spandex
• 3 yards of Organza
• 1 1/2 yards of pearl trim or any trim of your choice!
• Thread
• Hot glue gun
• 14" Invisible zipper
• Scissors
• Sewing pins
• Measuring tape
• A ruler
• Sewing machine

Time:

4 hours

Difficulty:

Beginner

LET'S GET STARTED!

1. To make your pattern for the mermaid tail ask a friend or family member to trace your body from the waist down to your ankle. If you prefer you can draft your pattern taking the measurements of your waist, hips, and ankles and draw out the pattern yourself. Be sure to add 1/2" to the patter for your seam allowance.
   
   
2. Now cut out your fabric by laying the pattern on top with the wrong sides together.
   
   
3. Once the pattern is cut out you will pin the pieces together right sides together making sure to leave one side open by 14" so that the zipper can be installed.
   
   
4. Sew the sides of the tail together using the zig-zag stitch function on your machine.
   
   
5. Now pin the zipper to the side opening and sew it together using your machine or your hands. I opted to use my hands due to the slippery nature of the fabric.
   
   
6. To create the fins you will need to cut out 3 strips of Organza fabric. your strips will be 12 x 24 , 24 x 24 , and 6 x 24 in inches
   
   
7. To create the flowy effect of a mermaids tail you will need to gather the organza strips by sewing 2 channels of straight stitching using the widest stitch length on your machine. To gather the organza you will gently pull the lower strands of stitching to make the fabric bunch together. Take your time while doing this and you will obtain pretty ruffles.
   
   
8. After you have gathered the Organza you will take the 6 x 24" strip and sew it to the waist of the tail and hem.
   
   
9. With the remaining 2 strips, you will sew the shorter strip on top of the larger one to create a layered effect.
   
   
10. To decorate your tailpiece you will use your desire trip and add it to both the top layer and bottom layer. I use pearls and applied them with a hot glue gun spacing the glue 6 inches apart during the application. This allows my pearls to romantically drape over the ruffled organza.
    
    
11. To complete your tail you will take the organza tailpiece and pin it to the bottom of the mermaid tail. Your ruffled organza will be noticeably longer than the spandex tail but this is what we wanted! To attach it you will pin the Organza ends to the ends of the opening and then you will pleat the excess organza around the bottom half to create the flowy tail effect.
    
    
12. Take your time with sewing these pieces together using the zig-zag stitch function and you will be left with a gorgeous and unique mermaid tail complete with a zipper so that you can walk on land!