DIY Child's Mermaid Costume
Making a homemade mermaid costume for a child can present a challenge even for a skilled crafter. The narrow skirts used for many store bought mermaid costumes look impressive but they restrict movement which increases the risk of injury due to falls. Create the appearance of a mermaid tail without sacrificing your child's comfort and freedom of movement with a simple optical illusion.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Long blue skirt
- Paper
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Fabric glue
- Fabric paints
- Shirt
- Felt
Instructions
-
-
1
Purchase a long blue skirt to serve as the bottom of the costume. The skirt represents the water that the mermaid lives in and the mermaid's tail will be attached to the front of the skirt. This allows the child to move easily in the costume without fear of falling due to a narrow skirt.
-
2
Draw a mermaid tail onto a large piece of paper. Make the tail approximately the same length as the skirt but narrow enough so that the entire tail will be visible on the front of the skirt.
-
-
3
Trace the mermaid tail onto a piece of fabric and cut it out with scissors. Attach the tail to the front of the skirt with fabric glue and outline the tail with fabric paints to prevent the edges of the fabric from fraying and to make the tail stand out on the blue background.
-
4
Choose a tight fitting skin tone colored shirt to suit the weather conditions when the child will be wearing the costume. A long sleeve shirt is necessary for a cold weather costume while short sleeves are fine in the summer.
-
5
Cut two seashell shapes measuring approximately four to six inches wide from a piece of felt and attach the shells to the front of the shirt with fabric glue to create the appearance of a seashell bra. Add sparkle and detail to the shells with fabric paints and glitter if desired.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Glue seashells to items such as barrettes, headbands or bracelets with a hot glue gun to create accessories for the mermaid costume.
If you cannot find a skin tone colored shirt, use fabric dyes to dye a white shirt to the appropriate color.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit David De Lossy/Photodisc/Getty Images
