If you want to keep your children entertained during the half-term holidays, why not try this crafty project to spark their creativity? It’s a great opportunity to teach them how to sew and they’ll love using something they’ve made themselves.
Get warm, snug, and ready listen to aquatic tales (or tails!) with this fleece mermaid tail blanket. The blanket should be long enough to reach to your child’s chest: this blanket, made for a five-year-old, is 40in (1m) long. You can adjust the measurements to suit the size of your little one.
This project has been kindly supplied by Laura Minter and Tia Williams, the authors of the fabulous Mermaid Craft book. You can buy 52 Assignments: Mermaid Craft from Gifts to Me for only £4.80 (+P&P)! Usual RRP £5.99. Visit giftstome.co.uk and use the offer code R5807. Offer ends 21st May 2025*
You will need
- 80in (2m) of dark purple fleece
- 60in (1.5m) of pale purple fleece
- 40in (1m) of pink fleece
- Scissors
- Pins
- Tailor’s chalk
- Sewing machine
- Coordinating sewing thread and lighter colour sewing thread
- Download the Mermaid Tail template
Step 1
Using the diagram as a guide, draw out the main body of the blanket onto the piece of dark purple fleece, using tailor’s chalk. Cut it out, then cut out another identical piece from pale purple fleece. Using the diagram as a guide, draw and cut out the fin from the dark purple fleece.
Step 2
Cut rows of scales from each colour of fleece. Vary the size of the rows to fit across the blanket at each point. Start at the bottom and pin the scales onto the front piece, overlapping the scales and alternating colours as you work your way up.
Step 3
Starting from the bottom, sew along the top straight edge of the scales, moving the overlapping scales out
of the way as you go and removing the pins. Repeat to sew all the scales in place.
Step 4
Trim the excess scales off the sides of the blanket, following the line of the main piece underneath.
Step 5
Cut two strips of dark purple fleece measuring 4 x 30in (10 x 75cm). Fold and pin one strip over the top of the scaled blanket piece to conceal the raw edges. Sew 1⁄4in (5mm) in from the edge of the strip. Repeat
for the plain blanket piece.
Step 6
Pin the blanket pieces right sides together. Sew along both sides with a 1in (2.5cm) seam allowance. Trim the excess fabric. Keep the bottom of the blanket open.
Step 7
Use tailor’s chalk to mark decorative lines onto the tail fin. Sew over the lines using a lighter colour of thread.
Step 8
Sandwich the tail fin into the bottom of the blanket, with an overlap of 1in (2.5cm). Lift the bottom row of scales out of the way, then sew from the top of the blanket, with a 1⁄2in (1cm) seam allowance.
And there you have it – a fleecy mermaid tail blanket that’ll keep you cosy and will be fun to snuggle into.
If you fancy trying another craft, there are loads of different projects in the Mermaid Craft book, which is available at the bargain price of only £4.80 (+P&P Usual RRP £5.99) when you use the offer code R5807 on the Gifts To Me website before 21st May 2025.
Plus, I’ve shared an easy kids’ knitting project to knit a cute frog friend so be sure to check out that step-by-step guide too!
Let me know if you have a go at making this project yourself – I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comments benlow and you can tag me in your photos on Instagram @cassiefairy.
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Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂
