Abstract: A method is disclosed for reinforcing bottles with a tubular netting embedded in an exterior surface of the bottle. A tubular netting section is initially compressed in an axial direction to increase its diameter. The compressed netting is positioned over a preformed parison of a thermoplastic material. The compressed netting is then released to re-expand axially and contract diametrically, until the netting contacts the parison. The parison is finally transferred to a blow mold and blown into a finished bottle. During the blowing operation, the netting is embedded into and reinforces the walls of the blown bottle. Depending upon the materials from which the netting and bottle are formed, the netting may also weld to the bottle wall to further increase the strength of the bottle.