For my up-cycle project I decided to make a dress out of paper recycling bags. These bags are provided at grocery stores and are also handed out at the dorms on campus.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.aesdes.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-28-at-3.35.04-PM.png?resize=426%2C568&ssl=1)
The reason I wanted to make this dress is because I am attending a time travelers ball in mid February. Last time I went as someone from the future so this time I want to be from the past. When trying to decide what to make for my project I watched Singin’ In The Rain. This movie was made in the 50s and is set in the 20s. As shown below, there are a lot of great outfits in this movie but the one I thought might be possible to make is the flapper one in the second row.
![Related image](https://i0.wp.com/i.pinimg.com/originals/d7/e4/48/d7e448db4184d8977572c9f97435ea03.jpg?w=1140&ssl=1)
The flapper dress looked a little too easy so I started looking at 50s fashion instead. I was really drawn to the two dresses shown below. I decided to replicate the style of the second one because it is more fun and the first dress looks more like something one would wear to work in the 50s.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.myvintage.co.uk/Graphics/fashions-of-the-fifties.jpg?w=1140&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.cliqueinc.com/cache/posts/258526/50s-fashion-258526-1527165003705-main.700x0c.jpg?w=1140&ssl=1)
To make this dress I decided to split it up into a couple of different sections, the skirt, the belt, and the shirt. For the skirt portion I thought about laser cutting a bunch of sections and taping them together to make the skirt wider at the bottom. I planned out the dress during our quick drawing in class.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.aesdes.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_1816.jpg?fit=707%2C1024)
I looked up how to make a regular skirt and saw the technique of crimping the top so that the bottom is longer than the top (4). They also said to use material 3 times the length of the waist size. I flattened the bags and cut off the unusable parts, then I taped the bags together and made one big flat piece. Then I folded one side over and over until it had a length of 32 inches (my waist size). It ended up looking like a giant paper fan.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.aesdes.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-28-at-4.04.51-PM.png?resize=655%2C345&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.aesdes.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-28-at-4.13.57-PM.png?resize=369%2C533&ssl=1)
Next, I am going to make the belt which will cover the top of the skirt. I am also going to look into how to make a shirt out of regular fabric and then modify that to make it out of paper.
Citations:
- https://fashionsizzle.com/2014/01/01/costume-designer-walter-plunkett-influence-on-fashion-and-the-movies/
- https://www.myvintage.co.uk/Graphics/fashions-of-the-fifties.jpg
- https://www.whowhatwear.com/50s-fashion
- https://byhandlondon.com/blogs/by-hand-london/34307717-5-easy-skirts-to-make-refashion-without-a-sewing-pattern
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