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A very crafty prom dress

Brie Fainblit, 19, listens as her boyfriend, James Lawrence, 18, sings songs he wrote for her for Valentine's Day. Because she and her family can't afford to buy a dress for her senior prom, Brie, a senior at Highland High School in Palmdale, is making a dress from beverage can pull tabs. James has helped with the project, which began months ago.

Brie Fainblit, 19, listens as her boyfriend, James Lawrence, 18, sings songs he wrote for her for Valentine’s Day. Because she and her family can’t afford to buy a dress for her senior prom, Brie, a senior at Highland High School in Palmdale, is making a dress from beverage can pull tabs. James has helped with the project, which began months ago.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

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What do you do when you want to attend your high school prom but you can’t really afford a prom dress? Well, if you’re Brie Fainblit of Palmdale, you make one out of beverage can pull tabs.

Searching for shoes

Brie and her mother, B.G. Watson, search online for shoes to go with Brie’s unique prom dress. Watson’s disabilities prevent her from working, leading to Brie’s creative solution for a prom dress.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Unique fabric

Brie Fainblit shows a piece she didn’t end up using for the dress, made by stitching pull tabs together with black yarn. She and boyfriend James are also attempting to make a matching vest for him to wear to the event.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

One of a kind

Brie’s creation, months in the making.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Notions

Jars full of pull tabs separated according to their color, shape or size, as well as string to crochet them together with and other craft essentials, are carefully organized on Brie’s dining-room table.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Hug

Family friend Ezequiel Gonzalez comforts B.G. Watson, Brie’s mother, after she became emotional talking about not being able to provide for her daughter. “I just feel bad that I can’t give her the basic stuff. It’s embarrassing for her when we’re collecting cans,” Watson said, to which Brie replied, “I don’t mind.” They rely on Watson’s sister, Sylvia Davalos, who lives with them and works two jobs to support them all.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Raw material

Brie’s boyfriend, James, washes a new batch of pull tabs they received from family friends, to begin sorting and working with them. The tabs have to be washed and then carefully dried so they don’t discolor.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Step two

James washes a batch of pull tabs, the second step in the long process on the way to creating a unique prom dress for Brie -- and, they hope, a matching vest for James.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

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