Tell us how you started making bags and launching your line.
"I've always been a bit of a bag lady, collecting and making bags from a young age. But my first foray into making bags from sailcloth came when I was working as a sailing instructor in Maine and a friend gave me a beautiful old canvas sail. I constructed a rugged tote from it and was searching for something to use as handles when my mom sent me an old piece of horse tack from the farm. It was the perfect thing. From there I started making bags in earnest for friends and a couple of small boutiques in Maine before working up to my first collection that I launched in the fall of '09 in NYC."

What's your professional background?
"I was working as a sailing instructor for the Outward Bound Sea Program in Maine, leading multi-week expeditions on 30’ open boats with 10-12 students. When I moved to NYC I drove a launch on the Hudson while making bags on the side. Shortly after launching the line I moved out to San Francisco and have been here ever since."

Susan, in a Madewell dress, stands in the doorway of her sleek, boat-like nook, which she built herself.