Avocado Netting Shirt

The fashion industry creates waste from discarded materials and lacks of recycling processes. Up-cycling old clothes is a way we can get rid of some of this waste. My favorite food is avocados, they come in net bags that create waste. For these reasons I decided to make a shirt out of a dress that I no longer wore and the bags avocados come in.

• Old clothing
• Avocado netting bag
• Thread
• Sewing Machine (optional) *you can hand sew*
• Loop turner
• Scissors
• Paper
• Pen
• Ruler
• Tape measure

1. Save the bags that avocados come in and cut off the plastic pieces
2. Find scrap fabric from an old sewing project you were doing or old clothes as your fabric, I’m using the bottom of a dress I don’t wear *works better with stretchy fabric*

make a pattern that will fit you

1. To make a pattern that will fit, measure from under your arm to the middle of your chest, this will be the bottom of the triangle my measurement is 9 1/2 inches
2. Then find the half way point of that line and draw a line straight line up the paper from it
3. The second measurement is the right side of the triangle, to get this measure from under your arm to the top of your collarbone My measurement is 14 inches
4. Use the second measurement for the other side of the triangle
5. Measure an inch down from the top of the triangle and draw a line
6. Cut pattern piece out

1. Cut your fabric so it lays flat
2. Trace this pattern four times on your fabric (you can use chalk to trace it on, I used a pen)
3. Cut the fabric
4. Cut the netting so it lays flat
5. Place the netting over one of the triangles you already cut out covering as much as you can
6. Cut off the excess netting
7. Repeat this step one time and make the netting look the same as the other *You can leave the two inner corners without netting later on you won’t see the two corners I left the top with no netting because I liked it like that*

now that the cups for the shirt are cut out, we need to cut the bottom of the shirt

1. To find your measurements for this you need to measure from under one arm to under the other, my measurement is 15 inches
2. Then draw two inch lines up from each end of the line
3. Find the middle of your first measurement and draw a straight line up through the page
4. Connect the ends to the center line at a point
5. Cut pattern piece out

1. Trace Pattern 2 on your fabric two times
2. Cut the fabric

1. cut out one inch wide strips of fabric with the length that measures from under one arm to the other arm, my measurement is 15 inches
2. Now fold them in half and sew along the side that is open
3. Then sew one end shut and leave the other open
4. Using a loop turner, turn the strap inside out
5. Repeat these steps for the other 3 straps

1. Lay one of your cut of triangles down
2. Place the netting over top of it
3. Then lay one strap leaving about 1/2 inch of the strap that is not sewn shut, out the top of the triangle
4. Place a second triangle over top of that
5. Sew along the edges leaving the bottom of corner that doesn’t have netting, left unsewn
6. Now turn insider out using the bottom piece you left unsewn
7. Repeat 1-6

1. Lay your two pieces for the bottom of the shirt together and sew the bottom of it
2. Then unfold it
3. Put a strap in the center with the unsewn side of the strap 1/2 inch out
4. Then fold back over
5. Now sew along the edge with the strap
6. Unfold
7. Put a strap in the center with the unsewn side of the strap 11/2 inch out on the other side
8. Fold back over
9. Sew along the edge with the strap
10. Turn inside out

1. Place one triangle piece down
2. Then place the bottom of the shirt on top by laying it right above the corner where there is no avocado netting like shown
3. Sew along the highlighted part
4. Now cut off the excess of fabric
5. Place the other triangle down
6. Place the bottom of the shirt the same as you placed the other one
7. Sew along true highlighted edge
8. Then cut off the excess fabric
9. Finally fold down the bottom of the shirt and uncross the triangles and you are done