Flea Puckett – The Crabby Crafter of Roll-It-Ups

Flea Pucket Drum Stick Bags Tom Tom Magazine

***WINNERS ANNOUNCED! CONGRATULATIONS TO MARIT ILISON & CHERYL SCHUMEIER****

Flea makes these incredible handmade stick bags for the drummer who likes a bit of flair. We found her on etsy and think she is aces. Read on to find out more about her, her sticks bags and a chance to win one of your very own!


Name: Flea Puckett

Age: 30

Hometown: Beckley, WV

Lives In: Knoxville, TN

Day Job: Assistant Director of Transitional Housing Program for Women, age 18 and up, recovering from life

 

Tom Tom Magazine: When/why did you get into making these stick bags? Flea: When my husband bought a drum set for his home recording studio, the family responded with 18 sets of drumsticks! I was challenged with making a bag to hold them. I came up with a very simple version of what I make now, but it didn’t tie on the drum. As drummers and musician friends came by, I questioned them for suggestions on improving the design because I felt I was onto something. I made samples from their suggestions, came up with a name and started selling to local music stores 2 years ago. Once a few sold, I boosted my inventory and began offering them on etsy last year.

 

What is the best thing about them? They don’t scratch your shells! Shells are expensive and who wants to scratch them up with a zipper? And they are completely handmade. I pick out the fabrics, design, cut and sew them up, including the embroidery of “Roll-It-Ups” on each tie. Each Roll-It-Ups is completely unique. I may use the same fabrics on some, but each one is different in design. Before Christmas I will be debuting my line of solid corduroy Roll-It-Ups which can be personalized as well.

 

What is potentially not great about them? Perhaps knowing how to Roll-It-Up. You start on the side with the short tie and once it is rolled, you wrap the long tie around it so it is easy to carry. My logo shows an image of it on the drum and tied up, though I have considered putting directions on the back on my tags, just in case.

 

Where do you get the materials? I must admit, Joann’s. I also frequent estate sales and locally-owned home decor fabric shops to find interesting fabrics. T-shirts have also found their way to my sewing table. But I really enjoy working with cotton canvas and corduroy. They are durable, soft, and easy to clean.

 

How long have you been into this? I have been sewing seriously for 6 years and making Roll-It-Ups for 2 years.

 

What feedback have you gotten about the bags? I find that knowing what drummers want makes creating and selling Roll-It-Ups that much easier, so I am always open to suggestions. That is one of the great things about handmade products; they can be customized!

The most important parts of the design came as feedback from drummers. I originally started with a bag that rolled up and tied, but didn’t tie to the drum, and did not have a drum key pocket. It evolved into the current design. Most Roll-It-Ups have a deep drum key pocket for extra sticks and shakers. It took a drummer to fine tune the design for the gigging drummer.

 

What bands are you listening to these days? Rodrigo y Gabriela, John Butler Trio, Ocote Soul Sounds, Groundation

Win one of these incredible stick bags by emailing your name and email address to info@tomtommag.com subject line: Roll It Up! Winners will be announced on Dec. 12, 2011.

 

 


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16 Comments

  1. You seem to be on the cusp of doing many great things on this earth and I dig your roll-up bags too! Even if I don’t win, I’ll probably end up buying one next time I can afford it.

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