Intro Post

Hi everyone, I’m Dalni!
 
This whole adventure began for me last year after seeing a TV spot on how the Mako tails were made. They were so beautiful  and realistic that I decided that I wanted to have a tail as well. I started to look into the professional makers tails, they were all absolutely gorgeous, but I’d always been one for DIY and this seemed like a fun project!
 
I started out by making myself a mermaid tail out of a monofin and cloth from my local fabric store while I was working on my real tail, so that I could get used to the feeling of swimming with a mermaid tail instead of legs. It’s always recommended to begin with a cloth tail before moving on to a more advanced one to gain experience and to make sure that you’re comfortable in a mermaid tail. You won’t have legs or feet you can use! My first swim in a friends pool was an incredible feeling! However, I wasn’t so great at being graceful just yet. I hadn’t figured out the exact motion of the dolphin kick and had no idea how to keep myself afloat on the surface, or what to do with my arms. I ended up doing a modified doggy paddle around her pool. Thank goodness my swimming skills have improved!
 
 I began the first steps of making my tail in April of 2015. After lots of tutorials, trial and error, and wasted materials; nine months later my tail was complete. It was now December, but living in Vermont didn’t offer much opportunity for outdoor swimming like I’d hoped to do. I got a membership to a gym which allowed tails and had two of its own indoor pools. I started swimming multiple times per week to practice with my new tail, and people started to notice that a mermaid had popped up in Vermont! Children and adults alike were enamored with my tail.
 
I started looking up other mermaids and connecting with them on Mernetwork. I saw Mermaid Hannah Frasier holding a protest over the killing of dolphins, and people actually paying attention! I saw Raina, starting her own business and inspiring other women to empower themselves. I saw Raven of Merbella making the most beautiful tails I’d ever seen. The impact of all of these strong women, coupled with the joy when a child sees a mermaid for the first time, inspired me to start my own business.