Valley’s Bag Lady

MAT-SU — Tami Godfrey is a natural born pack rat. Her house is littered with items she’s been unable to throw out over the years. Throw pillows, curtains and clothing, all consigned for the garbage or a garage sale in some homes have a place in hers.

One day, Godfrey came up with an innovative way to reuse some of those unwanted old zippers, buckles, fabrics and other bits and pieces by incorporating them into something new a person can use daily — handbags.

In college, Godfrey acquired skills to become a certified hospital lab technician, working in her field for a decade before deciding she was, for lack of a better explanation, bored out of her skull.

“There was no creative flow there,” she said. “This is a lot more fun, for sure.”

Six months ago, Godfrey created her own line of hand-made recycled accessories aptly called Eco-Chic, a collection of colorful and ecologically friendly handbags, laptop computer cases, yoga mat slings and totes, all made from reused fabrics and textiles.

“I’d hate to see any of my stuff sitting in a landfill somewhere, so why not reuse it?” she said.

As a stay-at-home mom, Godfrey was already sewing up a storm, a knack she’s had since childhood. Godfrey began sewing out of necessity. She endured a year-long search for modern handbags and accessories, watched her son drag a book bag home by its broken strap and stitched up a hole in her daughter’s winter coat. She began accumulating materials from other sewing projects and started designing her creations from patterns she made. The bags began filling the closet.

“I’d look at stuff and ask, ‘What can I do with this?’” she said. “I’ve been sewing for 20 years and was always stitching up things as a kid. It was important for me to try new things, use the things I had found and not buy too many materials in the process.”

Godfrey hopes to sell her line of accessories in local boutiques or clothing stores around the Mat-Su Valley. At this point, Godfrey said, she’ll sell them anywhere she can. She’s even constructed a Web site (Ecochiboutique.net) that features more than 50 accessories.

“I’m always trying to find my niche,” she said. “That’s something that comes naturally to me. Every time I try to hold a 9-to-5 job. It doesn’t work. My imagination runs away with me every time.”

Her family got in the habit of leaving her materials of stuff they had found — cotton scraps, bedspreads, old sacks and suitcases. One day, her husband brought her an old pair of his Carhartts, with which, she said, she had a field day.

“There’s a wealth of things in Carhartts,” she said. “Buckles, snaps, lining material, there’s a lot of things to reuse.”

With only three handbags sold since last year, the slow sales hasn’t slowed Godfrey from expressing her creativity through sewing. Her kids, ranging from ages 4 to 12, and husband have zealously encouraged her to try new ideas and keep producing fabulous bags, regardless if they sell or not.

“My husband thinks it’s great creating something out of nothing,” Godfrey said. “All my kids have their own bags that they show off, not to mention they bring all kinds of materials for me to use all the time.”

Godfrey said her bags don’t resemble the materials they came from, which is where the “chic” part of Eco-Chic comes in. Each piece is crafted carefully and elegantly to mirror the modern woman’s wardrobe. Old corduroy pillows are transformed into sleek pockets on a handbag with ease. Each bag takes about a day and a half start to finish, and has an average price tag of $50. She also wants to promote shoppers to purchase handmade things over mass-produced factory-made items.

Between now and April, Godfrey’s goal is to raise $2,000 for tuition to Blue Mountain Wellness School in Palmer. She hopes to become a certified yoga instructor.

Godfrey said her mother, a professional seamstress herself, likes her work, but that she has no clue on where her daughter gets her tree-hugging ways from.

“I want to instill in my kids that we need to take care of this earth, and recycling is one way we accomplish that,” she said.

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com, or 352-2269.