Mermaid Cloth pad tutorial

This tutorial is for long awaited mermaid pad! I have decided to make it available free to all! To complete the tutorial you will need to purchase this awesome fabric specially designed for Stargazing Seamstress. The designs on this fabric have been optimized to shrink to size. Remember to pre wash all your fabrics before sewing!
You can purchase the fabric on Spoonflower
I recommend using performance pique fat quarter, the fabric colour fastness and print quality is fabulous also you can get all the 4 sizes 10, 11, 12 and 14 inch on one FQ!
If you prefer cotton woven some prints can come out grainy, or not same vibrant quality as the performance pique. Also with FQ of cotton woven you will only get sizes 10,11 and 12".

Please join Stargazing Seamstress group on facebook to download your FREE core patterns featured in this tutorial:

FILES

 OPTION 1 OF SEWING THIS PAD

Core in the Seam

Assemble the core with your chosen absorbent fabric to your preferred

absorbency. (more about absorbency in future posts)
*It’s important that you cut one piece in exact shape of the ‘Core in the seam’
pattern piece.
Cut ‘Booster’ piece to add absorbency and keep the pad trim around the
edges (technique known as a stepped core where each additional
absorbency layer is smaller)
Stitching all the core pieces together will ensure they won’t bunch up
inside your finished pad

Take the doll pad cut and either trim away the blue area outside of the

seam allowance (1cm) or follow steps to ‘sew on the line’

  Place the doll pad cut wrong side up, you will still be able to see faint
outlines of seam allowance (the solid skin tone line around the pad
shape).

Match the core to doll pad shape, core piece will be same size as the doll
pad cut after it has been pre washed.

Pin the core to the topper fabric.

 Baste in place as shown on the picture above.
Avoid sewing across the ‘arms’/wings.
Stitch within the seam allowance 0.5cm from the core edge.

 *Skip this step if you have trimmed the excess blue fabric and are
sewing with the 1cm seam allowance.

 Use a light box or DIY a lightbox as seen on this picture here, where I’m using a translucent
lid from a plastic box and a table lamp to create a light box like surface.
Light box will help to see printed lines much better. Using washable pen mark the ‘sewing
line’ around the doll pad shape.
**Remember you are marking the inner line, the one that will follow the exact shape and
size of the pad not the seam allowance.

Pin the front to the backing fabric, right sides together.

Following seam allowance or the sewing line you drew sew along the
pad leaving small opening at one of the bottom edges.

 Trim seam allowance to about 0.5 cm, snip in the corners and notch the curves.

Turn pad inside out, with difficult parts use chopstick or a knitting needle
to bring all the fabric out.

Tuck the turning hole seam inside the pad, press and top stitch.

 OPTION 2 OF SEWING THIS PAD

Floating Core

For the base of a floating core cut rectangular piece of fabric the size shown on the core pattern, this can be a thin cotton woven or a muslin fabric.

Cut the Floating core piece and boosters to top up your absorbency out of your preferred absorbent fabric.

Trace the sewing lines with washable marker from printed fabric on to the thin cotton or muslin.

Attach the floating core to the thin base.

Place the base with the core onto the topper fabric.

 You can use washable glue on the edges to make sure the core base is aligned with printed fabric.

Pin topper right side together to the backer water resistant fabric.

 Following seam allowance or the sewing line you drew sew along the
pad leaving small opening at one of the bottom edges.

 Trim seam allowance to about 0.5 cm, snip in the corners and notch the curves.

 Turn pad inside out, with difficult parts use chopstick or a knitting needle to bring all the fabric out.

Tuck the turning hole seam inside the pad, press and top stitch.

***Please note that those are free patterns, do not redistribute, copy or sell! Do not share the files! All free patterns are basic and do not include same level of details as our paid for patterns.