Incredible Reuse: Coffee Filter Dress

When it was time for this teenager’s prom, she didn’t want her dress to look like anyone else’s.  That is totally understandable but she took it to an entirely different level when she decided not only to make her own gown, but to not have it made out of fabric.  She considered other alternatives such as vegetables, stamps or bubble wrap but settled on coffee filters because of durability issues.  She also wanted something that she could dance in!

It took her a month of up to six hours a day on the dress. Aimee Kick became so engrossed in the process of folding, staining, drying and sewing that it was sometimes a struggle to make herself finish her homework first.  The filters are all sewn onto a fabric base and hand sewn into place.  This dress is not only beautiful, creative and totally unique, it also suits Aimee as an avid coffee drinker perfectly.

This creative reuse shows us how a seemingly ordinary, mundane object can be turned into something extraordinary with time, effort and imagination.  Just try to imagine what treasures may be hidden at the bottom of your garbage can or at the dump.  This dress may not be feasible or practical for everyone, but it clearly demonstrates how an item can be repurposed and saved from the landfill.  Try to look at objects that you bring into your home through Aimee’s eyes of creativity — what else could it be??

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