Recycled Jeans Bag Made from Alyssa Milano's Pants

Upcycled jeans bag - Jeans donated by Alyssa Milano

This upcycled jeans bag is made from a pair of actress Alyssa Milano’s pants. Alyssa donated her jeans and a couple of head shots to be auctioned off to raise funds for one of her favorite charities, the National Wildlife Federation.

I've recycled two pairs of Alyssa's pants for the upcoming auction. See the other bag here- http://upcycledbyash.blogspot.com/2010/10/alyssa-milanos-pants.html

The auction will be held on the Upcycled by Ash facebook page from April 17 - April 23. More information will be posted as the project progresses.

About the bag- 
Alyssa's Hudson jeans were a blackish gray. They had an awesome pocket, one of which is on the back of the bag and fully functional. The interior of the bag is lined with a navy blue remnant. The underside of the flap and the interior pocket are made from the same batik fabric as the bubbles that decorate the front of the bag.

The bag is roughly 9 inches across, 7 inches deep and 2 inches wide. The strap is 40 inches long. Sewn in interfacing helps the bag keep its form.

Inside the bag

Back of the bag

Calling all Eco Friendly Crafters

Upcycled by Ash is planning an online auction to benefit the National Wildlife Federation. If you are an eco friendly crafter who cares about animals and the environment, consider joining the cause. 

The anniversary of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster is approaching. In recognition of the environmental destruction caused by the spill, Ucycled by Ash will be running an online auction to raise funds for the National Wildlife Federation, an organization that was pivotal to the animal rescue efforts in the Gulf.

We are looking for crafters who use upcycled, recycled and/or eco friendly material to donate items for the auction. Items of all sorts are welcome for both the auction and the giveaway that will run along side the auction. Donations for the giveaway segment do not have to be upcycled/eco friendly.

This is an excellent opportunity for crafters with online businesses to get their shops and items promoted. We expect the auction to draw in a lot of traffic and we have developed a comprehensive plan for promotion of the auction and the artists involved.

View the details/guidelines for submitting a donation - http://upcycledbyash.blogspot.com/p/nwf-crafter-details.html

I will personally be donating three upcycled bags to the auction, two made from actress Alyssa Milano’s pants (Who’s the Boss, Charmed) and one made from actor Keith Powell’s pants (30 Rock). I am also donating an upcycled clutch to be included with the giveaway package.

Upcycled bag made from
Alyssa Milano's pants

Upcycled bag made from
Alyssa Milano's pants

Contact me for more information
ashvantol@gmail.com

Read about Alyssa Milano's donation-
http://upcycledbyash.blogspot.com/2010/09/alyssa-milano-donates-to-upcycled-by.html
http://upcycledbyash.blogspot.com/2010/10/alyssa-milanos-pants.html

Read about Keith Powell's donation-
http://upcycledbyash.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-love-celeb-pants.html

Alyssa Milano's Pants

Save the Turtles

to be auctioned off for the National Wildlife Federation

I finally finished the first of the bags I am making from Alyssa Milano’s pants for my Gulf Project. I would have finished last month but my in-laws were here and things just got so busy. Here it is and I totally dig it even though it was a pain in the ass to finish it off.

Most bags I make are pretty simple. I thought this one was going to be simple too, but I was wrong. Sometimes upcycling demands a bit of creativity, patience and brut force. Pants were designed to be pants, not bags. The way things are cut is to accommodate a body with curves and angles. It can be hard to find or create the straight lines I want for the bags.

The fabric is awesome! I love the texture, it’s soft and almost oily to work with (very fitting).  I didn’t actually run into any problems until the end. I had decided to use the cuff/hem of the pant legs as the hem for the opening of the bag. Usually this makes the bag even easier to make. Not this time.

I wanted the hem to be straight up and down. There was a bit more flare in the pants than I’d realized. There was more fabric on one side of the fold than the other. I don’t have a big machine to stretch this and make it work. On my little machine it bunched. This meant I had to stitch it in by hand. Not my favorite thing to do!

The bag looks fantastic. I wanted to have a subtle design that related to the Gulf crisis so I decided to do a turtle with a deep green patterned fabric. I really like the fabric, together with the oily black color of the pants I 100% got the effect I was going for. On it’s own it looks like a nice bag with a toned down graphic. When you think about the Gulf you see more. It is now a murky image of a turtle swimming through oil.

I have one more pair of Alyssa’s pants. When I have finished the bag I am planning with those I will organize the auction to sell both bags to raise funds for the National Wildlife Federation. 

 

Blessing in Disguise

I have been without Internet at my house for over a week now. I am totally addicted and going through withdrawal. I have an iPhone so I have been getting a little fix everyday, but it just isn’t the same.

I feel like I have no idea what is going on in my world right now. What did we do before we had facebook twitter and our blogs consuming every minute of everyday?

So right now I am sitting in a closet typing this post and a bunch of others in word. Later I’ll go to a café in town to actually post them. 

Yes, I am sitting, on the floor, in our upstairs closet- it’s cold. We hang our wet clothes in here when they come out of the washing machine and turn on a space heater. This is the warmest place in our very cold house. Sorry no pictures, but I am sitting right next to the vacuum cleaner if that helps with your visual, and a kayak paddle.

As frustrated as I have been with the lack of Internet, I have to admit I have managed to get a lot more done. I finished the bag I was working on for the Gulf, the one I made out of Alyssa Milano’s pants. I finished a custom bag for my friend Ginger, I am half way through another custom bag for Anna in Australia. I made five mini wallets and one full size wallet with a zip. And, I created the Eco Dollies. I also spent a lot more time cooking, went for a walk with a friend and got my hair cut so I can be beautiful for the Turn the Corner Gala. Oh, and I got a part-time job for this winter. Gosh, my grandparents were up too and I went to dinner with them, made some earrings and the Knotted Lyme Awareness Bracelets.

Seriously, I might be better off without the Internet, I don’t remember the last time I got that much done in one week!

Working Vacation

Ginkgo Mini Wallet

I've been away from home again! I feel like I've been away more often than not recently. It isn't going to change either. At the beginning of November I am going to New York and when I get back I'm not even going home! I'm going to be staying in Santa Cruz for a while to get a treatment for Lyme disease and will be there until probably December! For those who are interested I am going to be doing a post about the Lyme side on Lymenaide soon.

Prezzie from Keri

I managed to be super productive while I was away this time, YAY. I met up with a bunch of friends and had a great time. I finally met Keri from String Bean Studios in Santa Cruz, a fellow Lymie and a crafter. Keri makes amazing jewelry and she gave me a little prezzie! I also got to hang out with my cutie patootie niece, love her.

To top it all off I whipped up four new mini wallets. I had planned to finish off the first of my Alyssa Milano bags, but... grrrrr, the bag didn't want to cooperate and I left my hemming tape at home. So close though, the bag is nearly done. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Alyssa Milano donated two pairs of pants to be upcycled to raise funds for the National Wildlife Federation. See the post- http://bit.ly/9nMclI

I also went to one of my favorite fabric stores on earth. Hart's Fabric in Santa Cruz totally kicks ass! I could spend the entire day in there. That would be very dangerous though, way too much temptation.

All up it was a fantastic trip with beautiful weather and walks on the beach... I really don't want to go home yet, but I will be back soon enough!

Checker Me Out Mini Wallet

See all the new mini wallets- http://bit.ly/b8VjMs

Alyssa Milano Donates to Upcycled by Ash

photo used with permission

 Thank You Alyssa!!!

Getting a donation from Alyssa Milano seemed like a good reason to do my first ever vlog post. Alyssa sent me two pairs of pants to be upcycled and sold as part of my Gulf Project to raise funds for the clean up and animal rescue efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. Donations will be made to the National Wildlife Federation.

Huge thanks to Alyssa Milano for donating her pants and helping me raise more funds for the Gulf. I can't wait to get my scissors and tear these pants apart. Let the craftivism begin!

When the bags are completed and ready for auction it will be announced here on the Upcycled by Ash blog, on twitter @upcycledbyash, and on the Upcycled by Ash facebook page. Follow me on twitter and like me on facebook to stay up to date!