How Lu-Lyn Chang Turned Pandemic Macramé Into Bound Designs

Lu-Lyn Chang used to think she was hopeless at crafts: she had failed arts and crafts at school. In her 50s, knotting macramé during the COVID-19 pandemic gave her a way to focus when she felt anxious. The practice became Bound Designs, a handmade accessories label—and eventually a craft she could share with others. 412

From a calming practice to one-of-a-kind bags

Chang began learning macramé during the pandemic while looking for a way to occupy her active mind. She developed that new skill into handmade handbags and accessories for Bound Designs. Rather than repeat identical designs, she makes one-of-a-kind pieces; keeping the business small lets her concentrate on creativity and craftsmanship. 121

That approach also changed what the work meant to her. The person who had once judged herself by a failed school subject was now designing and making intricate bags by hand. Macramé gave her both a source of calm and a reason to reconsider her own creativity. 4

Sharing the skill—and pursuing work opportunities

Chang’s work extends beyond the bags she makes herself. She teaches macramé to prison inmates, and Bound Designs identifies work with the Yellow Ribbon Project and Singapore Women’s Prison among its community initiatives. 132

She has also taught people with disabilities. In one collaboration, 24 people from Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled learned to make brooches under her guidance. SG Enable separately describes a Bound Designs training programme in macramé knotting and colour theory for fashion accessories. 1831

Bound Designs says it aims to provide skills and jobs to underserved communities, while SG Enable’s capsule-collection initiative invited designers to train and hire people with disabilities. Those accounts show a route toward paid opportunities, but they do not establish how many of Chang’s trainees secured paid work or on what terms. 3231

For Chang, the progression is personal as well as practical: a craft she started for relief became a small creative business and a way to help other people learn a marketable skill. 41231