October 2013

     Halloween--one of my favorite holidays!  I love dressing up (could you have guessed?)!  I love watching people's creativity come out and see others dress up as well!  My big plan was to sit in front of my house, hand out sea animal toys and just enjoy seeing all the children in their costumes!  The sun was going down, the outside light was on, and I was all ready to don my tail!  I look outside...where were all the kids knocking on doors saying, "Trick-or-Treat?"  There were NO CHILDREN!!!  NONE!!!  I had a good idea that they were all at the local mall.  So I took my pail with sea animal toys, went to the mall and walked around asking kids if they wanted a sea animal.  I got plenty of funny stares, but what else is new?  :-P  What a great night seeing everyone in their costumes and being able to share what I do best!   
     Earlier in October, I was commissioned to make yet another child's tail!  Great!  But...could I please make it a surprise for Christmas?  Ohh...no fittings or measurements!  The client's daughter and a mutual friend's daughter may have been around the same size so the plan was for me to could make it to the friend's daughter's size.  I was also given a pair of stretchy pants of the client's daughter.  I fitted, pinned, hemmed and sewed this little tail to another child's measurements.  Once it was finished, I just wanted to be sure it would be a nice fit so we decided to have the two girls have a play date wearing stretchy pants.  Unfortunately, the client's daughter was a few inches taller and a almost a year older so the little tail didn't fit.  Back to the sewing machine.
     I had extra material to which I was able to remake her tail, putting the other one aside for the little girl to which it fitted.  Hours, days, weeks and a couple months later, a fully sequined, hand-sewn, hand-painted tail was complete.  Not only a tail, but a matching top and swimmable head piece.  Unfortunately, I never did see her in her tail and have yet to see photos of her in it, but was told she loved it!!  This photo is the friend's daughter in the tail (to be sure it was big on her).