Back in 2008 my very first fursuit commission was Astrid for  epicwang! At the time I was still learning a lot of things, and the tail I had made for her at the time just doesn't hold up to my current standards. So! I remade Astrid's tail in 2011. Each spot is handsewn (while listening to 3 Dan Savage podcasts, lol), tail is then sturdily machine sewn with double thick hidden elastic straps on the base, and stuffed tightly with polyester stuffing to keep a nice rigid shape.
This is an accurate example of the quality and characteristics of the costume tails I am currently producing :)

The spots are sky-blue, camera did not pick it up well!