Meet Peg

Margaret "Poggy" Hourigan spent 50 years in nursing — critical care, cardiac care, hospital education, and 13 years as a chief nursing officer. She earned her doctoral degree at Columbia, where her advisor asked on day one, "Why are you stopping there?" It took her one night to decide to go for it. She still teaches nursing online at Purdue University Global because, in her words, "I still have two gray cells that snap together."

A few years before retiring, Peg picked sewing back up — something she'd always loved but life was "really too busy to do seriously." She discovered a creative side that "had kind of been not stifled, but one that I hadn't allowed to grow." She got into quilting. She started making bags from waxed canvas. And something clicked.

Friends started saying "you should really sell these." A friend hosted a small show. People bought things. They asked for more. Poggy Purses Plus was born.

Today, Peg works from her home workshop in Maine — fabric stacked "almost to the ceiling," a sewing machine in one room, and a fold-down cutting table in the basement. She makes everything herself, one piece at a time, choosing materials for both beauty and durability. Waxed canvas for tough, elegant bags. Cork and quilting cotton for lighter, more casual pieces. And always, always, interesting color combinations.