Pesky Cat Designs

Colorful totes were added to the shop today. Made from upholstery grade faux suede and adorned with a hand-cut bird applique. Inside you will find a generously sized zippered pocket. A magnetic snap keeps the bag closed. The tote above is made from a gorgeous faux leather with a distressed look in caramel brown.  Clean simple lines. The perfect everyday bag for all your journeys.

There's a new design in the shop.The Modern Tote has clean, simple lines and is perfect for everyday use. Designed with a flat construction that fits comfortably under your arm. It's closes with a magnetic snap and there is one interior zippered pocket to keep your valuables secure.  Next up, a zip-top tote! 

First of all I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! With the new year here I am now looking ahead and planning my future at Pesky Cat Designs.  My studio time will be a lot more limited this year due to other obligations. Because of this I need to plan my studio time very wisely. Keeping the shop stocked with more popular items such as the Wayfarer Purse pictured above is one of my plans for the new year.  New fabrics for 2013 are now available in the studio. A thick cotton/hemp with a linen weave in oatmeal and a sky blue will be perfect for spring bags. Also in stock is a heavy-weight faux suede in sky blue, dark slate and lipstick red that I am excited to work with. A selection of pvc-free faux leather is available as well. Of course, a very important part of planning for 2013 will be making sure I leave enough free time for myself to enjoy family, friends and walks on the beach. Wishing you all wonderful and well-balanced year ahead!  Balanc...

Handwoven Ikat and Vegan Faux Leather Messenger Worked on a batch of bags this week made from pvc-free upholstery grade faux leather. Yes, the kind you can upholster a sofa with. Durable, eco-friendly and beautiful.  I also purchased a new textile, an ikat hand woven in India, that I had to try out immediately. I paired the ikat with the faux leather and the results are above.   Vegan Faux Leather Tote with a Bird Applique I also whipped up two totes with bird appliques.  Market Tote in Vegan Faux Leather and Jute Webbing A third tote got some natural jute webbing and two wood buttons. I also experimented on a new bag design that I still plan to change up quite a bit before the final cut. The results are above. I'll have this one on sale in my shop as a sample.  My work week actually started on Sunday when I cut and interfaced all my fabric. Monday and Tuesday were spent sewing away and today we had a little photo shoot . Tomorrow I'll have a shop upda...

A new purse made from a Harris Tweed barleycorn weave in brown, tan and black was just added to the shop . Barleycorn tweeds have a prominent flecked pattern that give them a more richly textured appearance. The different colors merge together into a single shade from a distance. I love its raw and earthy look.  Above is a selection of purses from the shop in Harris Tweed wool, linen blend upholstery and faux leather. Come see more at the Pesky Cat Designs shop !

A new design is coming to the Pesky Cat Designs shop. It's a generously sized hip bag with an adjustable and detachable strap/belt. It can be worn around your waist, on your shoulder or detach the strap and use it as a clutch. It has a zippered closure to keep your valuables safe and one small interior slip pocket. The adjustable strap/belt fits most waist sizes but a custom size can be requested. A couple of hip bags will be available in the shop this Sunday with more colors and fabric selections coming next week.  Wishing everyone here in the states a Happy 4th of July and everyone a wonderful weekend!

Last week I received a shipment of faux leather that I selected after reviewing several swatches that were sent to me from my supplier. This faux leather is pvc-free and has a really nice textured surface. Since moving to Florida from NYC I do not have the same access to fabrics shops so I depend on online sources a lot more.  I always request swatches first before ordering. I love perusing my samples while imagining what they will be transformed into. To see the new bags and my entire collection, come visit the Pesky Cat Designs shop! Vegan Faux Leather Tote with Handmade Faux Suede Applique

Today was beautiful in St. Augustine and we spent it riding our bikes all over Anastasia Island. We biked through the state park, right on the beach and various roads. We stopped for ice cream and refreshments, visited friends who were selling their amazing art at the St. Augustine Beach Pier Pavilion and watched waves and surfers. Upon returning home we hosed off the bikes from all the sand and salt so they would be in tip top shape for our next trip.  Later in the day I added three new faux leather totes to the Pesky Cat Designs shop. They are made from eco-friendly PVC-free faux leather and feature one zippered interior pocket, two slip pockets and a swivel key clip. For the latest news and links to new bags visit the Pesky Cat Designs  Facebook page. Anytime a new bag is listed in the shop you can find a link to it on the facebook page. I will also regularly feature Anni, the sweet kitty behind Pesky Cat Designs. So stop on by!

Lots of birds come to visit us here on a daily basis including the red bellied woodpecker and cardinal posted above. My computer is situated in front of a window where I can peruse and hear many different birds. Occasionally a woodpecker will decide to drill on our roof and you would think it was a jackhammer. Amazing that such a small bird has so much power.  Recently on one of Anni's supervised walks she upset a cardinal by trying to chase it and it proceeded to follow her from branch to branch chirping very loudly. Later I discovered that it has a nest with babies and was letting Anni know that she is not welcome. Anni was completely oblivious and quickly got distracted when a little butterfly crossed her path. Shop Update: Cross Body Satchels with handmade bird appliques now available in the Pesky Cat Designs shop!

I just added a couple of totes made from buttery soft faux leather (PVC-free) to the Pesky Cat Designs shop. Generously sized for everyday use with one large zippered pocket and two slip pockets to keep your things organized. They clean up easily with just soap and water. These totes can be made to order with various applique designs or without.  Lots of new wristlets are now available in the shop as well. These can also be made to order with the applique design of your choice.  Wishing everyone a great week ahead!

Today's photo shoot took place at Anastasia State Park , my favorite place on the island. We biked from the studio with our panniers filled with bags and a camera. It was an absolutely beautiful day with sunny skies.  I also added a couple of new bags to the Pesky Cat Designs shop today made from PVC-free faux leather. Overall it was a productive and enjoyable day.  Come see the video Tom created of the photo shoot here !

Just added this faux leather duo in bone to the Pesky Cat Designs shop. It's a perfect color for the spring and summer season. Made with PVC-free faux leather that cleans up easily with soap and water. More faux leather bags in warm weather colors are coming soon. We spent most of today riding our bikes. The weather here has been beautiful. Today it was 84F/28C, mostly sunny and slightly breezy. Anni our kitty spent a lot of her time sleeping on a beach chair on our porch enjoying the warm breeze. Hope you are having a great day and wishing you a wonderful weekend!

The first textile I think of when warm weather approaches is linen. It's light, airy and has a beautiful texture. The collection above is made from a durable and beautiful linen rayon blend home decor fabric in sandstone. The color conjures up images of sandy beaches and warm summer days. I've paired the linen with some jute webbing, wood buttons and appliques of birds and flowers. These bags will be available in the Pesky Cat Designs shop this afternoon. The tote bag will be on a special sample sale. It was created in my studio testing new materials and design ideas. The final design will be slightly modified.  If you are interested in faux leather bags I will be putting a few on sale late afternoon for up to 25% off to make room for a new collection. I just got a shipment of faux leather that I am eager to work with in warm weather colors such as linen and golden ochre. 

A new design is coming to the Pesky Cat Designs shop. It's a generously sized tote bag with plenty of room to bring your essentials and more. Two interior slip pockets and a zippered pocket keep all your things organized. This bag also features two magnetic snaps to keep your bag securely closed.  The one pictured here is made from buttery soft faux leather.  I've searched high and low for a faux leather that I am happy with. This one feels so nice and looks great as well. I'll be adding a  couple in red and fudge to the shop later today.  Tip of the day: If you plan to work with faux leather may I suggest purchasing some heavy duty binder clips.  Pinning thick faux leather is near to impossible especially when trying to hold together four layers to sew up a strap. These binder clips work perfectly. And a teflon sewing foot also helps tremendously!

Isaac Singer Statue, Garment District, 7th Ave., Manhattan, New York The Wayfarer Purse In Faux Leather by Pesky Cat Designs It's been a bit slow at the Pesky Cat Designs studio recently. My vacation to Florida and some new projects that I am involved in took me away from the studio for a while. Things are moving ahead now as I have quite a few bags in production and lots of new design ideas in the works. Newly listed in the shop is the Wayfarer Purse in Faux Leather with a Bird Applique posted above.  This week I must replenish my faux leather stock which is down to just a few yards. One of my favorite parts of the creative process is perusing the seemingly never ending aisles of fabric available in the shops of the Garment District in New York City.  If I ever move away from here I will most definitely miss the luxury of having such a huge selection of fabric available to me within walking distance of my home!

Today my Wayfarer Purse with a Flower Applique , shown above, sold from my Etsy shop. The purse is made from a faux leather I purchased at a lovely home decor fabric shop in South Carolina during my recent road trip/vacation. There was a big lounge chair on display that was upholstered with this fabric and it looked fantastic. I was so impressed I had to buy a few yards. They rolled the fabric on this really long tube and it almost didn't fit in the car. I'll tell you, this fabric did quite a lot of traveling before it reached its destination in NYC!   Also, today I decided to send a gift to a very special person.  So my latest creation, The Classic Shoulder Bag with a Horse Applique , will be traveling to its destination tomorrow. I hope she loves it! I'll have more horse inspired creations in the Pesky Cat Designs shop very soon. 

   The Semi-Circle Purse in Faux Leather My new faux leather collection of bags is now available at the Pesky Cat Designs shop!  The Semi-Circle Purse posted above is made from a soft faux leather in black and is fully lined in a lovely Michael Miller cotton print fabric. Its slim-line design is perfect for a night out or a stroll through town. I think it would make a great everyday bag as well! 

Introducing my new faux leather bag creation! The Wayfarer Purse above is made from a faux leather in saddle brown and has an ultrasuede cherry blossom applique in cream. I love this combination of texture and color. There are two interior pockets to keep your things organized and it is fully lined in a cotton floral print fabric. More faux leather bags are coming to the Pesky Cat Designs shop very soon. Stay tuned!