Pockets

I love pockets! Hence the name pocket frenzy. They enable you to stuff your bags full with items but still keep everything neat and tidy.

The immense amount of pockets types can quickly become overwhelming. Thus, I have limited your choices to a few types, variants and sizes (see below). Those should cover most applications.

For pictures, see below and you can check out the bag gallery.

If you need something else, just contact me and I’ll make you a suitable one.

Elastic + zipper pocket — Elastic (overlay) + Zipper (inset)

Accordion pocket — Accordion (attach, compartments)

How to pocket?

Choose it!

The nice thing about pockets is that they can be any shape and size you want. A tweaks here and there and you have an entirely different pocket. To make things easier for you, I only show you four types (+ one combination). Those few should already get you very far. Here is a very short summary of them.

Zipper: (flat & secure) This pocket is flat and closed with a zipper, thus not even tiny items can fall out; useful outside for quick access and inside for small items
Patch: (flat & stiff) This is the simplest pocket; good for thin items (phone, books, etc) or act as a divider within the bag
Elastic: (deep & flexible) This type has gathers at the bottom and an elastic band at the top; it can be filled with bulky items and keep them securely in place
Accordion: (deep & stiff) This elegant pocket is folded into shape; for blocky items (tissues, pens, creams)

Attach it!

If you remove all frills and details, pockets are pieces of fabric you slap onto your main bag and attach in some way while leaving an opening somewhere. In general, there are three ways to attach the pocket.

Inset: (hidden) The pocket is placed behind the actual bag (between main fabric and lining) and is accessed via a hole in the main bag (default for: zipper pockets)
Attach: (elegant) The pocket is stitched directly onto the main bag. All edges and seams are visible (default for: accordion pockets)
Overlay: (versatile) The pockets covers the full width of the main bag and disappears into the side and bottom seams (default for: patch and elastic pockets)

Divide it!

One piece of fabric doesn’t have to only result in a single pocket. Just add a few stitches, and you have a hole row of them! Prefer a big pocket? Sure, let’s just add a button or two to prevent it from gaping open. To make the choice a little easier for you, I only provide two choices but I can divide it however you want.

Divider: (single) This pocket is 16 cm high (in small bags 12 cm) and has only one compartment. Pockets wider than 20 cm will get a snap button to keep them in place
Compartments: (multiple) This pocket is 12 cm high and will be divided into compartments (width based on my experience, 4-19 cm)

Scale it!

Each pocket type comes in different widths and heights to give you lots of options. However, I designed them in such a way, that you can always safely choose medium size and default height.

Width: 8-24 cm (4 cm steps; inset pockets are always 2 cm wider because of narrower opening)
Height: 8-16 cm (4 cm steps)
Default: small (12 x 8 cm; W x H), medium (16 x 12 cm), large (20 x 16 cm)

My recommendation

The types of pockets most useful for you in a bag heavy depend on the bag size, application and your personal preference.

Here is a quick guide to help you along:

Gather all the items you would like to put in the new bag
How many are there? What size and shape do they have?
How do you want to store them (e.g quick access, secure location)
What kind of pockets do you like best from your other bags? Which ones frustrate you? Why?
If you are unsure, just send me a list or picture of your items and I’ll help you with deciding

For general purposes and everyday handbags, this is my recommendation:

Outside front of the bag: Zipper pocket (quick access, for e.g. keys, cards, phone)
Outside back of the bag: Zipper pocket (secure but easily reachable, for e.g. phone, money, IDs)
Inside front of the bag: Accordion pocket (orderly & easy to find, for e.g. pens, lotion, tissues)
Inside back of the bag: Elastic pocket (larger items, for e.g. charger, wallet, pouches)
+ Zipper pocket (secure storage, for e.g. jewelry, medicine, cash)

Zipper pocket

Zipper pockets are an essential type of pocket. They are made of a thin folded fabric hidden between the fabrics of the main bag, only visible by a framed zipper. They are very useful, no matter where you place them on the bag.

Secure: They close entirely, nothing is going to fall out, not even a small earring
Hidden: Inserted into a seam, they are barely visible, I can also subdivide the pocket to give you an even more hidden compartment
Quick: Zippers are very quickly opened and closed, very handy for pockets on the outside of the bag

If there is a horizontal seam on the bag body, I will always attach the zipper pocket there, otherwise I will insert it by cutting a hole into the main fabric.

Zipper: Inset (Hole)

This zipper pocket is placed anywhere on the bag by cutting a hole into the main fabric. This is the more visible variant.

Zipper: Inset (Seam)

This zipper pocket is sewn in along a seam. This makes it quicker to insert and less visible in the bag.

Patch pocket

Patch pockets are very simple but surprisingly versatile pockets. Tiny versions are great for chip cards (in e.g a wallet or pouch) while the largest ones can act as dividers or pockets for laptops. Patch pockets are great for all items that are relatively flat and stiff or any size.

Slender: They protrude very little outwards and thus take up only little space
Flat objects: They are very suitable for all flat objects (e.g. phones, chip cards, book, pens, tablets)
Neat: They simplicity looks neat and tidy

Patch: Attach

This patch pocket is placed anywhere onto the bag, can be any size you want, usually considerably smaller than the main bag.

Patch: Overlay

This patch pocket is attached to the bag at the side and bottom seams and is thus as wide as the main bag.

Patch: Inset (Seam)

This patch pocket is basically a zipper pocket without the actual zipper. It is hidden with a narrow entry along a seam.

Elastic pocket

Elastic pockets are very handy pockets. They are soft and flexible, easily adapting to their contents yet still keep them safely inside. They obtain their depth via gathers at the bottom while the elastic band at the top keeps them from gaping open.

Flexible: They don’t have any interfacing and adapt to the depth of their content
Bulky objects: Great for bulky objects (e.g. adapters, bottles, wallets, pouches)
Secure: The elastic band at the top keeps the items in place and prevents them from falling out

Elastic: Attach

This elastic pocket can be placed anywhere onto the main bag with the size of your choice, usually smaller than the main bag.

Elastic: Overlay

This elastic pocket is sewn into the side and bottom seams. Its width is thus defined by the main bag.

Combo pocket (Patch & Elastic)

Combo pockets are a neat way to stuff even more pockets inside you bag to give really every item a defined place. I love adding them to my own bags. The first layer is a row of tall compartments of patch pockets and atop it is a row of shallower compartments of elastic pockets.

Two pocket types: One layer of tall patch pocket compartments and atop it a row of default elastic pocket compartments
Many compartments: The default setup is two & three compartments for patch and elastic pocket, respectively
Space-saving: The combo pocket keeps all the pockets on one side, freeing up safe for other objects

Combo: Overlay

This combo pocket is sewn into the side and bottom seams and thus stretches the entire width of the main bag.

Width: as wide as the main bag
Height: 12 cm Elastic + 16 cm Patch (alternative: 8 + 12 cm)
Price: € 28.60 to € 43.40
Variants: divider or compartments
Default for handbags and flat pouches

Accordion pocket

Accordion pockets are essentially a fancy and deep variant of the patch pocket. They are build from a stiffened rectangle that is ironed into shape. It is more time consuming to make than the other pockets but it looks very neat and fancy and great for blocky items

Fancy: The most elegant type of the offered pockets with its sharp, clean edges and defined depth
Blocky objects: Great for objects than have a little bit of depth but are quite evenly shaped (e.g. phone, tissues, mascara, pens)
Fixed shape: In contrast to elastic pockets, the items are not held in place and can thus easily be pulled out or slipped back

Accordion: Attach

This accordion pocket is placed anywhere onto the main bag with the size of your choice.