Pocket Frenzy
Why bags?
Hello. My name is Lucie. I am the one-person show that is Pocket Frenzy.
Bag making has been a part of my life for a very long time. My family introduced me to the world of sewing when I was a child and I quickly felt drawn to bag making. I liked how logical they are and how much a puzzle it is to figure out a way to put them together. How one can cram so many pockets and other features into so little space and still be able to maneuver it around the sewing machine.
And I love how practical bags are. How much easier and more colorful they can make life.
The last time I bought a handbag was over a decade ago. I really liked its style but I have barely used it because my water bottle didn’t fit, I didn’t had a designated pocket for my phone and the handles were an odd length. I have gotten so used to having bags exactly how I want them to be that I might not be able to use another bag again and am thus now gladly stuck with always making my own.
My story
Through long trial and error my knowledge and skills increased and my bags got prettier, sturdier and more professional. Word spread about my interest, wishes and requests came in and slowly my bags spilled into the worlds of those around me. I always enjoy it when I find a bag at a friend’s place that I had made ages ago and completely forgotten about but it is still in use.
Over time, word spread even farther and people started paying me to make them bags. I love how happy I can make them, how excited they get when they realize that they have all the options. And I love how often they later tell me that they have been using it ever since. Thus, I decided to brace the unknown and dare make my services public, since, perhaps, some of you out there would love to have your own special bag too.
The concept
Most people don´t spend a lot of time thinking about bags and their components. This often makes it hard to design one when given all the freedom. I learned to give few and specific options to make decisions clearer and easier. But I still wanted my services to be heavily modular. Thus, I created a toolbox of bag parts (over 300 by now) which feeds into the bag builders you can use on this site.
I am actually a biochemist by profession and funnily enough quite a few techniques I have developed for my research ended up being handy for my bag making as well. I now keep track of my bags, parts and fabrics the same way I filed my samples, experiments and results. The great amount of data I need for my toolbox, the vigorous simplification of sketches, descriptions and schemes and the step-wise planning are all things I am very familiar with. Perhaps, logic, science and datasets seem to be in stark odds with creativity and tailoring, but to me they can be joined to make something beautiful. Something that can make your days brighter and a little easier. Even if it’s simply because your lunch box finally fits inside your bag.
