Yes, it's a dress, made from a .59 IKEA bag. It appeared on one of my favorite blogs, IKEA Hacker. What a thrifty and fashionable way to recycle the growing pile of blue IKEA bags accumulating in my utility closet. Or maybe the next Project Runway challenge!
The creator of this dress says:
"I fashioned the top of the bag and one handle as the neckline and halter for the top of the dress. Then I cut open the seams of the rest of the bag to make a backless, A-Line outfit. I sewed darts in the front and back to be shapely for my bust and back. I cut the long handles off of two more bags to create ties for the back of the dress. Waterproof and ready to tote!
I deeply love IKEA bags for shlepping purposes. My blue IKEA bags have gone to Tanglewood carrying picnic fare, and once carried a sleeping baby on the way back to the car! I love my IKEA bags at the beach where they carry blankets, water, food and sunscreen. They are big enough to hold several yoga mats. Great for lugging laundry to the laundromat while on vacation. And scrunchable enough to fold down to nothing. They're simply brilliant and utilitarian, whether you wear them or not.
IKEA set an ambitious goal of reducing its U.S. stores’ plastic bag consumption by 50 percent; from 70 million to 35 million plastic bags in the first year. A year after the program began, more than 92 percent of Ikea’s customers have stopped buying plastic bags. Ikea then took the bold step of no longer offer plastic bags, or even paper bags at all. It's a rare and gutsy example of a corporate retailer truly putting its money where its mouth is, and in the process, changing consumer behavior.
Directions here for this clever IKEA Hack using the iconic blue bag.