Since the release of the Disney cartoon The Little Mermaid, mysterious mythical sea creatures have won the hearts of girls of all ages. It is not surprising that various versions of costumes depicting these characters appeared on sale. But what if the budget is limited and the store option is too expensive? Make a do-it-yourself mermaid costume! Later in the article we will show different options that require minimal sewing skills. In addition, in their manufacture using items from a normal children's wardrobe, which greatly simplifies the task.
Custom look
The easiest way to make a mermaid costume with your own hands from improvised materials is to choose a purple swimsuit on the Internet (the Ariel mermaid theme is very popular, so it will not be difficult) or a t-shirt with shell prints, as well as leggings made of shiny material with a pattern of scales .
But this option will be good for everyday life, and for the holiday you will need to try a little more.
For example, this charming costume is made with paper muffins and crepe paper.
Based on a blue T-shirt and greenish leggings. The costume is made extremely simple:
- bend the molds in half, cut the paper into strips;
- glue the elements to the shirt and to the bottom edge of the leggings;
- make a tiara from the usual rim, shell and another mold.
And from a simple white dress and flakes of shiny cardboard, you can create just such beauty:
So you can make a beautiful mermaid costume with your own hands from improvised materials.
Convenient and easy
If you want to make a more durable outfit, then this option is for you.
Usually, mermaid costumes suggest the presence of a fish tail, but it impedes movement, or it is generally impossible to walk in it. But the child wants to not only slowly mince in an unusual outfit, but also to have fun and play along with everyone. Therefore, you can make just such a simple and convenient version of the dress of the Disney Ariel, which will surely appeal to the little girl.
To make a mermaid costume with your own hands, you will need:
- dense blue fabric;
- organza in several shades of blue, leftovers are possible;
- strip of purple cloth;
- sewing supplies;
- flesh-colored body;
- leggings or tights of blue or green color;
- red wig (optional).
Preparation for work:
- First of all, you need to take measurements. So you can accurately determine the required amount of tissue depending on the age and physique of the child. To do this, use a measuring tape to measure the circumference of the chest and waist, as well as the height from the waist to the very toes plus 25 cm.
- Multiply OT by 2, take the resulting tail length, and you get the size of the rectangle that you need to cut out from a dense blue fabric.
- Multiply your chest circumference by 2, take enough width to cover the girl’s chest, and cut a rectangle of purple fabric for the bandeau bodice. From it, make a narrow thin strip for tying on the neck.
How to sew a do-it-yourself mermaid costume for a girl
The further process of manufacturing the outfit is as follows:
- Fold the dove in half, draw the outline of the fish tail and cut it out. You will get two blanks.
- Cut from the organza small squares measuring 10x10 cm. Fold each in half and cut the bottom in a semicircle to make “fish scales”.
- Take 1 tail piece and pin organza semicircles to it, starting from the bottom. Gradually sew rows of scales so that the upper rows cover the lower ones.
- Cut the excess organza around the edges.
- From the remnants of the blue fabric, cut out narrow strips that will become the ties for the tail. Fold them face inward, stitch, twist.
- Take a part of the tail with scales, put it face up, pin the ties and the second part of the tail (face down) with needles. Sew both blanks, be sure to leave about 10 cm on top not stitched. Twist the tail and sew the remaining hole.
- It remains to tie a bando with a knot on his chest and thread a rope into a knot to tie it around his neck.
Now you can put on leggings, a body, a topic, a tail, a wig - and you will have a comfortable and beautiful mermaid costume ready for you. With your own hands (a photo of a little princess in an image, see below), you can create a real masterpiece! And the costs are not so much.
You can replace organza with felt in blue tones, and then you do not have to make a base under the tail.
How to sew a do-it-yourself mermaid costume?
Ready for more sophisticated outfit options? For an older girl, such a solution is suitable - with a long skirt, a comfortable blouse and a crown.
To make this do-it-yourself mermaid costume, you will need:
- silver fabric with sequins - 1-2 m;
- blue and green organza - 0.5 m each;
- thick cardboard - 5 sheets of A4 format ;
- wide elastic - about 0.6 m;
- tulle - 1-2 m, as much as possible (optional);
- glue gun;
- sewing supplies;
- sparkles of blue color;
- large silver pebbles;
- blue body;
- silver braid - about 1 m;
- thick silver fabric - 3 small pieces.
Mermaid skirt
- Before buying fabric, take measurements so as not to be mistaken with its meter. The easiest way to find out the optimal size of the skirt-tail is this: ask the child to lie on a large sheet of graph paper and outline the contours of the tail so that it does not tightly fit the legs. For both sides to be symmetrical, you need to fold the paper in half and cut the pattern along the most successful lines. Now you will know exactly how much fabric you need.
- Pin the pattern to the sequin fabric, cut out the details of the tail. Do not forget about seam allowances. If the skirt will be worn on a naked body, it is advisable to make the lining of a soft, pleasant fabric, as the decorative material is pricked. Or pry the pantyhose under the suit.
- Now sew one side of the skirt, and make a drawstring along its top and thread an elastic band into it, the length of which is determined by trying it on the waist of a child in a slightly stretched condition. After that, you can sew the second side of the tail.
- Now cut small organza flakes and, starting from the bottom of the skirt, glue them with a glue gun.
- To keep the fins in shape, take a cardboard box and outline them. Then cut the blanks and glue them to each side of the fabric. The fins should be voluminous and fairly solid.
- After that, cut the tulle into thin strips about 40 cm long, fold them in half, tie a knot on top and glue a little higher than the beginning of the fins. The skirt is ready.
Top of the costume and crown
There is much less work here than with the bottom:
- Draw a shell of approximately 12 x 12 cm by hand and cut 2 pieces of thick silver fabric. Put on the baby's body and use the pins to carefully outline the places for all the decorations.
- Remove the blouse and glue the shells on the chest, silver tape around the neckline and on top of the shells, large stones under the chest in the form of jewelry chains.
- Print or draw a template for the crown, transfer it to thick paper, and then to a piece of the same fabric that was used for shells on the body. Cut the material, glue it with cardboard. Decorate the crown as desired - cut out patterns from cardboard and fabric of a different color, shiny pebbles, shells, etc.
Add a blue wig and the mermaid costume is ready! With your own hands you made a wonderful outfit for a matinee or a home holiday. You can rest assured: there will be no limit to the joy of little daughter!