The concept of Pischke Pockets was born in Key West, Florida, where artist Julie Pischke has resided for over 30 years. With a successful retail (Island Needlework) and wholesale (Julie Pischke Designs) business, Julie is well known for her creative ideas, especially her bag designs. The original carpetbag was designed in 1990 and was initially crafted by Julie and her husband, Richard, a master carpenter. The bags took off and then came the tote bag and hobo designs. Which brings us to Julie’s latest idea… Pischke Pockets!

In the summer of 2008 a friend sent Julie a large cotton bag and her stitched brown starfish design. She said, “I want this on this bag somehow and I know you can figure out a way to make this work.” Julie mulled over different attaching ideas trying to find a way to make the needlepoint appear organic on this large bag. After many attempts, Julie finally came up with perfect way to attach the needlepoint and create a pocket that would be fashionable and functional. And thus, Pischke Pockets were created. Julie had a vision for where this idea could go.

The designs on 10 mesh were fun and fast to stitch and the bags were so multi-functional. Putting it all in kit form made it the perfect project and accessory for an on-the-go lifestyle. Julie’s oldest daughter, Lacy, signed on to become the Director of Sales and Marketing with the task of growing the brand and developing the lifestyle image. Together, they have a vision for Pischke Pockets and they are quite passionate about their product. They hope it is the perfect project to expand the needlepoint industry and capture a new generation of stitchers.

Since the bag is the ideal size for travelling, the “PP” oval logo was created. All our bag names have been inspired by destinations and we encourage our customers to send in photos of themselves with their Pischke Pockets in different locations for our blog. It is our dream that the brand will grow and our designs will travel the world. Pischke Pockets… it’s more than a destination, it’s a lifestyle!