Crafty woman uses 10,000 Starburst wrappers to make stunning dress
Starburst wrapper bracelets were the DIY trend back before rainbow loom bracelets took over, and we're not too proud to admit that we both wore them and made them, forcing our friends to open their Starbursts slowly in order to keep the wrapper pristine.
Whether you partook in the Starburst jewelry craze or not, artist Emily Seilhamer is about to show you up with her own Starburst-related project. It took her four years and 10,000 wrappers to create a fully wearable Starburst dress.
"I met my husband when we were teenagers through Starburst," Seilhamer explained when we asked her about the inspiration behind this incredible creation. "To break the ice he offered me a pack of Starburst. It was his favorite candy."
Since then, Seilhamer's husband has continued to bring her Starbursts, so much so that she decided to do something with them.
"I asked him to save the wrappers for me," she said. "He began to bring me grocery bags full!"
Seilhamer had originally planned to make some Starburst wrapper shoes, but she realized that she had enough materials to make something much bigger.
Seilhamer said that making the dress itself wasn't difficult, but the process took a long time. Pictures that she shared to Facebook show that she had to iron each wrapper to flatten it before folding.
She sewed individual strands of wrappers together using elastic thread, creating a "Starburst fabric." To complete the dress, Seilhamer used underwear elastic to seal the edges and provide a place to attach a zipper.
"The one problem I did have was when the Starburst company discontinued a few of the colors I was using," she shared. "Because of this I had to revise the design more than once."
Despite these hiccups, Seilhamer is extremely pleased with how the dress turned out. Surprisingly, the dress isn't hard to put on but she did mention that it is heavy.
"I wore it in public a few times before giving it a display area in our dining room. Now that it's gone viral I might start wearing it out again just to see others' reactions," she said. "I'm shocked this is getting so much attention."
This is not Seilhamer's first unique project. She has a passion for creating clothing out of unconventional items. She's made a dress out of wallpaper and a dress, rug, and ottoman accents out of men's ties.
Now that her Starburst dress is complete, Seilhamer is looking forward to her next upcycling project. "Let's just say I'm in the process of collecting puzzle pieces," she hinted.
Christine is a Web Culture Intern at Mashable. She has previously written for FanSided and Saturday Down South. She has a B.A. from the University of California, San Diego and an M.S. from Hunter College. Before she started writing, she worked in education as a teacher and school leader for four years. Her special talents include being able to quote The Office on command, playing non-stop Overwatch for hours, and composing only the wittiest of Tweets (her own opinion).
