- 1). Turn the skirt inside out.
- 2). Pin the slit in the skirt closed using straight pins. Position the pins horizontally, parallel to the waistband, so that you can sew over them with the sewing machine. Place one pin every two to three inches.
- 3). Sew the edges of the skirt slit together on the sewing machine using a running, or straight line, stitch. Leave about four inches open at the bottom for a little wiggle room.
- 4). Remove the pins. Turn the skirt right-side in.
- 5). Cut two right triangles of felt to make fins. Make each 14 inches high on the right-angle side and 16 inches at the horizontal base.
- 6). Lay the skirt flat on the ironing board, rear seam to the back and the front of the skirt on top. Iron the right and left sides of the skirt to create a folded hem; this will serve as a marker for where to attach the fins.
- 7). Line up the right angle sides of the fins with the ironed creases on each side of the skirt, and with the bottom hem of the skirt. Hand stitch the fins in place using a whip stitch; this is a circling stitch, like that used on a baseball. With each stitch, wrap the thread around the edge of the felt and around the very edge of the ironed crease on the skirt.
- 8). Lay the skirt flat on the old sheet, newspaper or corrugated cardboard.
- 9). Paint the tail green with fabric spray paint. Let the top half of the tail dry according to the manufacturer's instructions. Apply a second coat. Once this dries, give two coats to the other side of the fin.
- 10
Use the black or dark-green fabric marker to draw rows of U-shaped scales on the skirt portion of the tale, but not on the felt fin. - 11
Spray the finished fin with glitter fabric spray, if you like. Let it dry.
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