Mermaid Halloween Costume - Part 2, 'Mermaid' Top

For Madeline's top I used McCall's pattern M5732 (fairies) instead of the top that went with the tail for a couple of reasons. First, I was more concerned with modesty than being accurate to what a mermaid is supposed to look like. Secondly, it's October. In Pennsylvania. Hello, it's cold. A halter style top just wasn't going to cut it.

The top has two parts, the undershirt and the vest.

The pattern for the undershirt was actually a mid-thigh length dress. I altered the pattern by cutting the length off to about five or six inches under where the shirt cinches at the waist. I should have added a couple more inches - it's a little short. I would totally make a shirt like this for Madeline's everyday wear, though, because it's super cute(!).

This is the vest:

I made it one size too big....but that means she can wear it for play longer, right? The sequin/bead clusters weren't a part of the original pattern, but the petals at the neck kept flipping upward and Madeline said it wasn't comfortable. So that's how I tacked the petals down.

And they look cool...It also served to tie the look of the top to the tail.

For those of you who want to try sequins, they're really easy! It's just sequin, bead and then back through the sequin hole. Repeat. If you're using seed beads you'll need a beading needle, which are super fine, that you can get at any craft store.

And there you have it! Madeline's mermaid top!


Stay tuned for more!