Free Mermaid Tail Sewing Pattern

It’s no secret that we love princess crafts around here. Lately Audrey has been excited about The Little Mermaid. You can imagine her excitement when I told her that we were going to Walmart to buy some Little Mermaid toys! Audrey chose this fun story gift set and Ariel bubble wand. I’ve also got a free mermaid tail sewing pattern for you today! Love mermaids? Make sure you also check out these 40+ adorable mermaid crafts!

After watching the movie, we had a fun afternoon of reenacting the scenes with the toys. (The collector’s edition blu-ray/DVD will be available October 1st.) Ariel and Prince Eric were getting married right here. In the tiniest squeaky voice you can imagine: “Hey you wanna get married?”

Then we headed outside for some pretend mermaid play in the pool! I grew up watching and loving The Little Mermaid, and I know I’m not the only kid that pretended to be a mermaid while swimming. To help with the imaginary fun, I made Audrey this mermaid tail out of swimsuit fabric. It’s kind of like a maxi skirt… with fins.

We just have a kiddie pool, so it works great. I would never let her swim in a big pool while wearing it. The fabric is nice and stretchy so she was able to move around with no problem. You know you want one!

The bubble wand was so much fun out by the pool! You dip it in the bubble solution, push the button, and out come some bubbles. Perfect for younger kids who still have a hard time blowing bubbles.

The look of amazement on her face says it all! The wand also says that you can also use it in the tub with liquid soap. Fun!

To make the mermaid tail, I just used a yard of swimsuit fabric, thread, and 3/4 inch non-roll elastic. Since the fabric is stretchy, I used a walking presserfoot and a large zigzag stitch. Depending on your child’s measurements, this part will be different. Audrey measures 23 inches around her waist and 23 inches from waist down to her ankles. I cut a rectangle of fabric 26 x 27 inches. Fold the fabric in half, right sides together, lining up the shorter edges. Pin and sew a 1/2 inch seam down the short edges to make a big tube. This will be the skirt.

Roll over the top of the skirt 1 inch and sew the bottom to make a casing for the elastic. Leave an opening to thread the elastic through. Thread the elastic through and sew it together after trying it on. Cut off the excess and sew the casing shut. Turn the skirt right side out.

Cut four mermaid tail sewing pattern pieces found here (two for each fin). The pattern goes all the way to the edge of the page, so if it doesn’t print all of the lines, just keep cutting to the end. Pin and sew them right sides together with 1/4 inch seam allowance. Sew only on the curved edges. You can just use a straight stitch for this part. Turn the fin right side out and then top stitch around the edge.