Sew a Mermaid Costume for Girls and 18″ Dolls

Sew a Mermaid Costume for Girls and 18″ Dolls

Here’s a sewing tutorial on how to create a mermaid tail in time for Halloween or for dress-up all-year long. The idea came from Nancy Zieman’s granddaughers. After watching Doll Costume Dress Up on Sewing With Nancy, Nancy’s oldest granddaughter Avery promptly asked, “Gramma, for my birthday could you make a mermaid costume for my doll and one for me too? Now, don’t make an opening for my feet, I can swim like a mermaid with a tail!”  Then Nancy asked Avery’s sister, Luella what she would like for her birthday. Answer: “Same as Avery!” So, two mermaid sets—big and small—were the task. (Much to Avery’s dismay, Nancy made the big-girl fish tails with openings for feet!)

Nancy’s Sewing With Nancy guest and friend, Joan Hinds developed the pattern for an 18″ doll dress-up mermaid costume. You can see how they created it in sequin fabric on the Doll Costume Dress Up episode online, and you’ll find the patterns in the book. The pattern can be scaled (pun intended) to fit child sizes, giving you matching dress-up clothes for your favorite little ones. Here’s how Nancy scaled the design and created a mermaid tail for her granddaughters, ages six and four (at the time).

Supplies, Fabric, and Notions

For both doll and child sizes:

• Pattern Tracing Paper
• Point Turner
• Clip and Glide Bodkin Set
• Fiberfill

For 18″ doll size:

Create the Girls’ Mermaid Tail Pattern

• Draw a 13″ x 20″ rectangle on Pattern Tracing Paper.

• At lower right edge, draw a curve using the5-in-1 Sliding Gauge.

• Place a dot at the top of the curve, 1/4″ in from edge.

  To alter the pattern, Lengthen at top edge, and widen at left edge. 

• Print the tail pattern and tape at lower left edge.

• Cut out the paper pattern.

Construct the Tail 

• Place fabric wrong sides together, and cut two tails from both the sequin fabric and the lining fabric.

• Sew side seams and bottom edge of the tail, right sides together, leaving opening between dots as marked on the pattern piece.

• Turn to the right side and press.

Use Point Turner to turn tail points.

•  Repeat steps above for lining, but don’t turn sewn lining to right side.

• With wrong sides together, insert the lining inside the tail. Zigzag or serge the top edges together.

• Fold 1/2″ of the waist fabric/lining toward the wrong side and stitch, leaving a 1″ opening for an elastic casing.

•  Thread the elastic through the casing, using a Clip and Glide Bodkin. Secure the edges of the elastic. Optional: Sew opening closed.

• Turn up a 1/4″ hem to the wrong side, folding the lower edges of the sequin and lining fabric together; topstitch.

Using a Point Turner, “stuff ” tail and topstitch to hold stuffing in place.

Create the 18″ Doll Top

In the Doll Costume Dress Up book, a pattern is provided for the 18″ doll mermaid top. For another option, Nancy decided to do a quick makeover on a ready-made 18″ doll T-shirt. 

• Create a front bodice panel and topstitch to an existing T-shirt. The shirt pictured below is for an 18″ doll.

• Cut a bodice shape from Pattern Tracing Paper.Cut one bodice panel from the shimmer overlay and two panels from the lining.

•  Sandwich the shimmer fabric between the two lining pieces. Pin.

• Sew using a 1/4″ seam allowance; leaving the lower edge unstitched.
• Notch seam allowance at curves. Remember to clip to, but not through, the stitching line.

• Turn the bodice shape right side out.
• Smooth the curves with a point turner tool.
• Fold the lower edge towards the bodice panel lining, and press up a 1/4″ hem.

• Position the panel on the center-front of the shirt.
• Topstitch the folded hem at the lower edge.

• Edgestitch the bodice panel to the shirt.

• Apply as much trim as you like to finish off the mermaid costume top.

Ta-Dah! Time for a make-believe swim!

Watch Doll Costume Dress Up  on The Best of Sewing With Nancy online.

Happy Sewing!

Team Nancy Zieman

Nancy Zieman Productions. LLC.

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