Pesky Cat Designs

New for Spring/Summer 2015.  Premium vegan leather bags. More colors coming soon! Find them HERE .

Lots of new purses with handmade bird appliques have arrived at the Pesky Cat Designs shop.  The most requested bag in my shop is the Wayfarer Purse with a bird applique. Upon perusing my inventory last week I realized I did not stock enough of this style considering it was my most popular item. From here on I plan to have a nice selection available in many colors. Right now I am loving the faux suede. It's a textile for all seasons and sews up beautifully. The new batch of bags that were added to the shop today are made from faux suede with contrast stitching and are adorned with pretty wood buttons. I also added a handy faux suede zipper pull to the interior zippered pocket. There's one zippered pocket and one slip pocket to keep your things organized and a magnetic closure on the flap. In the upcoming weeks I'll be adding more bird purses to the shop in a variety of colors. I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. Enjoy!

This week in the studio it was all about birds. Seven new bags adorned with handmade bird appliques are now available in the shop . Above is a shot of my studio taken yesterday morning. Yes, I did tidy it up a bit before taking the photo. :) This shot of the studio was taken mid-day Monday. All the new bags are made from upholstery grade faux suede and are now available in the shop.  Next week I am thinking flowers might be the theme. Stay tuned to find out. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead. Enjoy! 

The Foldover Clutch Introducing a new design, the foldover clutch, now available at the Pesky Cat Designs shop . It's a fun and stylish way for you to carry your essentials.   Southwestern-inspired Messenger I also added a few more southwestern-inspired bags made from faux suede and adorned with handcut feather appliques and cool woven trim. Faux suede is my favorite textile to work with right now. I'm expecting another shipment today. These days I do most of my textile shopping online, spending hours perusing upholstery sites, ordering samples and waiting patiently for them to arrive. Once they arrive I spend more hours deciding which to order and at what quantities! All my new clutches and bags are now available in the shop . You can also peruse my photo album on facebook here . Wishing you all a wonderful Friday and weekend ahead!

Faux Suede Hobo Bag with Feather Appliques Just added a batch of new bags to the shop .  Faux Suede Wayfarer Purse with Feather Appliques The feather is a new applique design I created this week. I'm really pleased with the result. Faux Suede Hobo Bag I also drafted a new bag design, a hobo style bag, that looks great slung over the shoulder or worn cross body. The above is made from faux suede and adorned with a southwestern style woven trim. Faux Suede Hobo Bag with Bird Applique This new batch of bags are all made from faux suede which is my favorite textile of the moment. I just ordered some more swatches of colors and can't wait to peruse them.  If you've been wondering what Anni is up to, this is pretty much what she did all day.

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...

Just added four new Wayfarer Purses adorned with handmade bird appliques to the Pesky Cat Designs shop   in nutmeg, steel gray, fuchsia rose and sage green. The Wayfarer is great size to use as an everyday bag. These purses have one interior zippered pocket and one slip pocket perfect for a cell phone or something else you want quick access to. The strap length is about 25" end to end which works for most body frames. This week I'm working with reclaimed leather. Stay tuned for the results. Wishing you all a great week ahead!

Inspired by the latest color blocking trend, my new purses are created in blocks of velvet, chenille and corduroy. These bags are one-of-a-kind and now available at the Pesky Cat Designs shop . In the next several weeks I'll be working on re-stocking the shop with some of my staple bags such as the bird on a branch applique messenger bag. I plan to have a nice selection in time for the upcoming holiday season.

This week I spent some of my time in the studio creating birthday gifts for two dear friends. One friend only uses backpacks since she has trouble with her shoulders so I designed the bag above for her. I wanted to create a back pack that was both elegant and practical for her. I lined the inside with a waterproof quilted fabric since I know she always likes to carry a water bottle with her. I added a deep exterior pocket for things she might need easy access to such as keys or a cell phone. I plan to carry a backpack design in my shop soon! The tapestry purse above is for another dear friend.  The happy kitty purse will be available in the shop tonight.  The purse above is made from a gorgeous fabric designed by Iman. Yes, the lovely super model and David Bowie's wife. I was not able to resist this fantastic print. It will also be available in the Pesky Cat Designs shop tonight!

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

  Sale Alert! UPDATE: Sale extended until Monday, May 30th (until 12 a.m. EST) You are invited to a sale on handbags and wristlets at Pesky Cat Designs!  Chose from among many new designs and fabrics and get a 15% discount on all purchases. WEEKEND SALE 15%  off all items Saturday, May 28 (starting 8 a.m. EST)  to Monday, May 30 (until 12 a.m. EST) For the discount, during checkout use this coupon code: SAVE15 Enter the Shop Here

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!

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!

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!

That's my sweet but pesky Anni trying to be helpful during my photo shoot. After a few minutes she got bored and decided to seek some excitement elsewhere. That was lucky for me because I wanted to finish photographing a couple of new handbags to add to the shop.  I  revised the design of my Semi-Circle Purse so now it has one strap, instead of two, which I think works better. The strap is one inch wide and sits comfortably on your shoulder. That's me above modeling the new design.  This Semi-Circle purse is made from a pinwale cotton cord in a gorgeous springtime chartreuse color. The flower and leafed branch applique is made from ultrasuede. It's lined with a fun cotton print fabric of cherry blossoms. Perfect for the spring! Come see my new bags available at the  Pesky Cat Designs   shop. :)