https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/recyled-halloween • Posted by Paper,doll
I love recycling and I thought I could transfer that into Halloween costume. I made the skirt using the side panels of plastic shopping bags (the smaller sides that have the handles at the top) and stringing them onto a piece of yarn. The more bags, the better the skirt. I then put on an old tee-shirt and wrapped myself in duct tape to make the bodice. Final touches were the ballet laces and a soda can tab strung onto a chain.
I love recycling and I thought I could transfer that into Halloween costume. I made the skirt using the side panels of plastic shopping bags (the smaller sides that have the handles at the top) and stringing them onto a piece of yarn. The more bags, the better the skirt. I then put on an old tee-shirt and wrapped myself in duct tape to make the bodice. Final touches were the ballet laces and a soda can tab strung onto a chain.
You'll want to start with a ratty garbage t-shirt (I used a shirt that I had already been using as a rag). If the shirt is too big, cut away the extra fabric and tape the shirt back together. This step isn't completely necessary, but if you're shirt is really very big then this step will prevent your torso from looking bulkier than it needs to.
Stand with your arms out and have a friend wrap your torso in duct tape. I kept it pretty simple, but you could experiment with the way you lay the tape (vertical stripes, anyone? sweetheart necklines, perhaps?).
Carefully, carefully, carefully snip up the middle back of the bodice. Once you've taken it off, cut away the remaining t shirt fabric. I suggest cutting a little bit into the duct tape to give a neater edge.
When you're ready to get dressed, wrap the bodice around your body and run a vertical strip of tape up your back (I know, its disappointingly simple).
For the skirt you want to gather up as many plastic bags as humanly possible. The more bags, the fluffier the skirt and the fluffier the skirt the better (especially because a fuller skirt means your less likely to have a transparency issue). Cut out the rectangle side panels that are attached to the handles and string them along a piece of yarn (or a belt, or anything you can secure around your waste). When you've packed on all the plastic you want tie the skirt over top of the bottom of the bodice.
Some optional steps: The ballet flats are just black shoes with strips of plastic bag tied to them. I used body glitter as the final touch to my outfit because it reminded me of the glass dust you sometimes see at processing plants.