Each new Of a Kind collection allows us to dig around and find treasures within treasures. Every discovery holds a bit of the past, and the story and marks accumulated. They are a joy to put together and harken back to the best part of our origin story – the gathering of old things and the reimagining and reworking of them into once again useful objects.

We have a handful of journals covered with Antique Leather Postcards!	We have a selection of crossbody bags made with our limited canvas colors and vintage textiles!

Our Springy 2023 Of a Kind Collection!

Happy Spring! We are getting outside, digging in the dirt, and being surprised again at the bounty of colour, texture, and wonder of the season.

This Spring collection has a different color palette than we are used to here – a Spring of the past, which is familiar, but also a palette of Peg and Awl’s past. As we are working through the layers of the shop, we are finding so many good treasures once buried, like the beloved Antique Leather postcards. We have an abundance of small treasures, as well as some particularly special bags and colour arrangements!

Have a wander through our collection of bags and pouches made with homespun linen, a delightful variety of quilt blocks – these are much older and remind me of my childhood. There are also 1960s hardware store aprons, feedsacks, and 1930s dressmakers cotton, along with some of our favourite scraps of scraps, with which we made a variety of littles. Some of the bags are made with our classic waxed canvas colours, and others with our limited Autumn canvas colours – so many hoorahs!

Alt Sketchbook: International Dial Co.
View in our Shop

We have a few blue Watch Part tins in stock – they are nearly 100 years old and have varying degrees of rust and marks of past lives. Each tin comes with 100 sheets of Fabriano Watercolor Paper, cut to size!

My Non-Dominant Hand 100 Day Project from Last Year

We don’t have many of these tins, and we are always looking for more, but in the meantime – grab your favourite tin, cut your favourite paper and voilà! Here is our short video on cutting your own paper.

Crossbody Bags made with Vintage Textiles!
View in Our Shop 

The more I return to the same flea market, the more I know where to look and find treasures in overlooked corners. These feed and sugar sacks, tool belts, and homespun make magical fun of our classic bags!

Mini Tote with Vintage Homespun German Pillow Sham: Francis	Standard Tote with Vintage Feedsack: Laurel

Mini Tote with Vintage Hardware Store Canvas Half Apron: Moose	Heavy homespun German pillow sham transformed into a Classic Tote lined with Fog.

Classic Tote with Vintage Feedsack: Heidi	For those city dwellers, travelers and others wanting more security, the Totes have a separating zipper that tucks neatly in the bag when not needed.

Mini Tote with Vintage Sugar Sack: Sugar No. 2	Mini Tote with Vintage Sugar Sack: Sugar No. 1

Pouches made with Vintage Textiles!
View in Our Shop

We’ve been finding so many gorgeous textiles at Flea Markets lately that we must tame the scale of each collection. We’ve transformed the gathering of patchwork and scrap into useful pouches, giving them new life.

These pouches are perfect for littles that need organizing. As for me, I recently used mine to gather some Persimmon seeds from the wild! They’re hard to be without and you can never have too many!

These patchwork quilts appear to have been made by two, now three, sets of hands. The small squares were first hand-stitched – they were next put together with a machine, then waiting for me to scoop them up and have Tori make them into pouches with waxed canvas lining and backing.

*Custom Pouch Sizes in this Collection: We have 7 pouch sizes in our Peg and Awl catalog, but when we find a quilt block or scrap that is perfect as is, we make the pouch match its size!

Custom Pouch with Vintage Quilt Blocks: Peecha	Custom Pouch with Antique Hand-Stitched Quilt Block: Cass

Custom Pouch with Antique Hand-Stitched Quilt Block: Maeve	The greens are lined with our Fog waxed canvas!

Custom Pouch with Antique Hand-Stitched Quilt Block: Morley	Custom Pouch with Antique Hand-Stitched Quilt Block: Lucia

Custom Pouch with Vintage Quilt Blocks: Elke	Spender Pouch with Vintage Feedsack: Maude

Alternative Sketchbook: Chartreuse Watch Parts Tin!
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I couldn’t resist this colour and the mini size. Tuck it in your Sendak and come what may! The smallness makes painting ever-accessible, and the shape makes a good painting feel complete!

Antique Postcard Journals!
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One of a kind Antique Postcard mini journals are back! The cover is made simply, from antique leather postcards which bear incredible old handwriting, postmarks, and on some, a stamp! The insides, as always, are made of hand-stitched Strathmore drawing paper and work wonderfully with a variety of drawing and writing materials.

Antique Postcard Journal: No. 4	Antique Postcard Journal: No. 16

These postcards are covered in handwriting, markings, and sometimes stamps!	As with all our journals, these are hand-stitched!

These minis are each one of a kind, covered with a unique postcard!	These are made with Strathmore drawing paper and work wonderfully with a variety of drawing and writing materials.

The Secret to a Good Flea (Market) Day is a Good Friend! 

Read the story that celebrates the discovery of some of the treasures in this collection at a Flea Market in the thick of the summer heat!

Each new Of a Kind collection allows us to dig around and find treasures within treasures. Every discovery holds a bit of the past, and the story and marks accumulated. They are a joy to put together and harken back to the best part of our origin story – the gathering of old things and the reimagining and reworking of them into once again useful objects.

We have a handful of One of a Kind Custom* Pouch Sizes – this one is made with an 1800s Quilt Block!	We have a selection of Hand-Bound Tintype Journals in this collection – read more below!

*Custom Pouch Size: We have 7 pouch sizes in our Peg and Awl catalog, but when we find a quilt block or scrap that is perfect as is, we make the pouch match its size!

Our Wintery 2023 Of a Kind Collection!

This Of a Kind launch was meant for last year, in Winter, but we got tangled in the decision we shared in our last newsletter (if you missed it, you can read here!) And so here we are, ending winter with an abundance of scrumptious old blacks and blues!

Excitingly, in the time between meant-to and are, we’ve added some fun extras, including gorgeous Handmade Ink by A Rural Pen, Tintype Journals, and Alternative Sketchbook Tins!

Have a wander through our collection of bags and pouches made with homespun linen, quilt blocks, prints from the 1800s, feedsacks, and 1930s dressmakers cotton, along with some of our favourite scraps of scraps, with which we made a variety of littles. Some of the bags are made with our classic waxed canvas colours, and others with our Autumn colours — so many hoorahs!

Here we are, ending winter with an abundance of wintry blues when all I feel is colour!

A Rural Pen Handmade Ink!
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This ink is handmade, bottled, labeled, and waxed by alchemist Thos. Little of A Rural Pen. I was so enamored with the ink, and when I learned I couldn’t purchase a bottle directly, I decided to order some for all of us! The ink is made using a historic formula of extracting and dissolving the iron from guns with Sumac, instead of Galls. The ink goes on as a pale, smoky, cool grey, and quickly oxidizes on the page; the shade and depth varies depending on the paper used.

This ink is for dip pens only – it cannot be used in fountain pens.

Note: The ink is hand bottled, labeled, and waxed. Some bottles have a little leakage through the wax. When you use the ink, it will also get on the label so please accept this possibility, as we do not consider it a defect.

Handmade Ink by A Rural Pen	Playing with the ink for the first time!

Testing this magical ink – drawing paper (Left) and watercolor paper (Right)!	Inky left-handed Witch Hazel – watch my drawing video, here!

Crossbody Bags made with Vintage Textiles!
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Standard Tote with Feedsack: Wylie	Mini Tote with 1800s Homespun: Edward

Small Hunter with 1800s Quilt Block: Astrid	Heavy homespun linen blanket transformed into a Hunter Satchel lined with Truffle.

I found two full bolts of this textile from the 1800s long ago. The width was 36" which was the width of the looms then. I've been savouring it, and we may have some small bits for bookbinding linens, but mostly, this is its last hoorah!	Hunter Satchels are my favourite hiking and flea market bag — carry only what you need!

Pouches made with Vintage Textiles!
View in Our Shop

We’ve been finding so many gorgeous textiles at Flea Markets lately and have to tame the scale of each collection. We’ve transformed the gathering of patchwork and scrap into useful pouches, giving them new life.

These pouches are perfect for art supplies, make-up, and anything else that needs organizing in your bag or on your desk — they’re hard to be without and you can never have too many!

This feedsack was washed again and again until its printing faded to just a subtle reminder of days past. 

Custom Pouch with 1800s Quilt Block: Mackenzie	Essentials Pouch with 1800s Dressmaker’s Fabric: Dolly

We reserved some Elderberry before it sold out for this collection!	Scribbler Pouch with 1800s Antique Cotton: Sinclair

Keeper Pouch with 1930s Dressmaker’s Fabric: Delia	Spender Pouch with Early 1900s Scrap Bundle: William

Hand Stitched Custom Quilt Block – perfect for small things, fits inside our bags’ pockets!	Saver Pouch with Early 1900s Scrap Bundle: Joanna

Edgeworth Tin: Alternative Sketchbook!
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We have 6 blue tins in stock – they are nearly 100 years old and have varying degrees of rust and marks of past lives. Each tin comes with 100 sheets of Strathmore drawing paper in celebration of the upcoming 100 Day Project, which begins on February 22.

My Non-Dominant Hand 100 Day Project from Last Year

We don’t have many of these tins, and we are always looking for more, but in the meantime – grab your favourite tin, cut your favourite paper and voila! Here is our short video on cutting your own paper.

Tintype Journals!
View in Our Shop

Read More About Tin Types!

One of a kind tintype journals are back! The cover is black vegetable-tanned leather, and is paired with some of our favourite antique black and white textiles from the 1800s. Beneath oval frames we’ve set enduring portraits of nameless faces newly christened. The insides, as always, are made of hand-stitched Strathmore drawing paper and work wonderfully with a variety of drawing and writing materials.

Standard Tintype Journal: Noam	Standard Tintype Journal: Gertrude

Companion Tintype Journal: Shirley + Jasper	Companion Tintype Journal: Ethel + Timmy

The Secret to a Good Flea (Market) Day is a Good Friend! 

Read the story that celebrates the discovery of some of the treasures in this collection at a Flea Market in the thick of the summer heat!

Small Hunter Satchel incorporating an antique bank bag!	Patching old holes in well-worn canvas gives celebrated emphasis on the lives old things have lived.

Scroll Down to Preview the Collection!

This morning, in my journal, I was contemplating the complexities of the fine point of balance when running a small business. These last few years – before the pandemic, through the thick of it, and this lingering now — have given us so much variety, forcing that fine point to dance like phosphorescence beneath a moving boat at night, engaging us to consider potential nexts. I move my journal to the floor — there being no more space on the crowded, trash-picked table, in a window filled with plants and the morning’s light pushing through the trees. The table is piled high with projects that I am longing to get to. Our actual kitchen table – a big farmhouse table a few feet away, is full as well, as I’ve decided to photograph our Of a Kind collection upon it, despite my family's grumbling. We push piles to the side so we can squeeze onto a small end of the long table for dinner.

Are you, too, feeling a multitude of dreamings leftover from the time-abundant early pandemic days?

     Books still longing to be read? (on the table)

     Sketchbooks and journals begging for a scribbling in, a finishing up? (on the table)

     Trails wanting walked and biked upon daily? (bits from them, on the table)

I am breathless, dreaming of the possibilities that crowd my living space.
I merge the dreaming with the practical(ish) when I can. I was able to lure my family into the woods for a walk with Pearl, and a simultaneous photo shoot of some of the One of a Kind bags. We danced and high-beamed around the ruins of a mill along the path. The autumn air and the freedom to wander, feels like an absolute luxury — and is! But it is only one part of the long process of bringing our Of a Kind collections to life and running a small business in general.

Fortunately, Pearl loves partaking in the weird things we do!

Had a hearty laugh as I tried to keep Pearl happy, bat mosquitos away, block the streak of sunlight following the bags, and was photobombed by this crew in the ruins!	Søren, caught off guard in photographs, often channels Captain Jack Sparrow!

The Secret to a Good Flea (Market) Day is a Good Friend! 

Read the story that celebrates the discovery of some of the treasures in this collection at a Flea Market in the thick of the summer heat!

Treasures found at a Flea Market! (These pens may find their way into a collection soon!)	Some of the antique textiles I found that day have been transformed for this upcoming collection!

Our Autumn Of a Kind Collection!

Our third Of A Kind Collection of 2022 is a celebration of the afterlife of already long-loved objects. It contains One of a Kind bags made with antique, well-worn re-constructed seed, feed, and bank bags, Antique Tin alternative sketchbooks (and re-fill packs for a past favourite due to many inquiries!), and some pouches, which are always a favourite. Every discovery holds a bit of the past, and the story and marks accumulated. They are a joy to put together and harken back to the best part of our origin story – the gathering of old things and the reimagining and reworking of them into once again useful objects.

Photograph by Søren of me with an Of a Kind mini tote made from a vintage Timothy Grass Seed Bag.

Søren, Pearl, and I went out for a walk on a trail we normally bike on. Slower, we noticed new things.

Mini Totes made with Vintage Textiles!

We’ve transformed vintage seed and feed sacks found at a Flea Market this past summer! So many scrumptious textures, fadings, holes, and repairs are evident in this collection!

We’ve cleaned and cut and paired the vintage bags with waxed and vegetable tanned leather, making our classic and loved bags into One of a Kind treasures!

Journal Excerpt – I lingered at Leonard’s flea market table, unfolding and refolding seed and feed bags used over and over until disposable bags replaced them in the 1960s. The textiles on Leonard’s table were washed and faded and soft. He couldn’t hear very well so I had to get extra close or raise my voice to communicate. He smiled a gentle smile with each shout. I left with arms filled with vintage bags, eager to imagine them anew.

Mini Tote made from Vintage Canvas, with waxed canvas details, and vegetable-tanned leather.	Details of the print – 45 lbs.

The colour of the Timothy bag is robust! A lovely burst of the unexpected.	A daily, or every-now-and-then bag?

Our Minis are delightful for everyday carry – bring only what you need!	This Alfalfa bag has glorious texture and colour!

I didn't know about this sneaky kitty until I got home, my favourite?	Codes abound.

These are all lined with waxed canvas.	Ranger!

The textures and fading of this printing is delicious.	How many of these treasures are still hiding in the world? Are houses still coming down with attics full of lives past?

Standard Totes made with Vintage Textiles!

I just love Søren in the background here, unintentional mimicry!	Pigeon Feed! Tell me more, please.

Details on the Vintage Textile of the Pigeon Tote.	Standard Tote with Vintage Canvas: Pigeon

Standard Tote with Vintage Canvas: Salt	The vintage textile is on the front pocket – the rest is our Truffle waxed canvas.

These chickens might be my favourite!	Standard Tote with Vintage Canvas: Chicken

Standard Tote with Vintage Canvas: Fulton No. 1	Inside the tote!

A view of the inside pockets, showing the lightweight spice waxed canvas!	I love the repairs and added character!

Vintage Textile Pouches!

It is hard to resist old printed cottons and feedsacks from the early 1900s on flea market tables. We’ve transformed the gathering of patchwork and scrap into useful pouches, giving them new life.

We’ve constructed pouches in shades of feuille morte!	Russets and Rosies, Goldenrods and Evergreen, still vibrant, though the textiles are nearly a century old!

Essentials Pouch with 1930s Textile: Adlai	Spender Pouch with 1930s Feedsack: Tamar

Keeper Pouch with 1940s Textile: Orah	Keeper Pouch with 1930s Textile: Ariel

Alternative Sketchbooks!

Ginger Tin!

This vintage Ginger Tin makes a great alternative sketchbook for small projects. We’ve filled them with 100 sheets of laser cut Strathmore Drawing paper. Put the tin in the outside pocket of a Sendak, or a pouch, and head out to draw! The portability makes sketching ever-accessible, and the shape makes a good drawing feel complete!

I've been using my Ginger Tin for paint for years, but a new project lead to another idea...	Tear or Seed? Read the story on Substack!

Cloverine Alternative Sketchbooks!

We are excited to offer a handful of vintage Cloverine Alternative Sketchbooks in this Collection! Each tin comes with 200 sheets of Fabriano hot press watercolour paper. These morsels fit inside the Sendak, making sure you always have some of the finest paper on hand! Additional packs of pre-cut paper can be ordered separately or as an add-on.

Cloverine Alt Sketchbook	We will have some packs of water colour paper that fit the Cloverine Alt Sketchbook!

Our second Of A Kind Collection of 2022 is bursting with character! Each of these collections allows us to dig around and find treasures within treasures. Every discovery holds a bit of the past, and the story and marks accumulated. They are a joy to put together and harken back to the best part of our origin story – the gathering of old things and the reimagining and reworking of them into once again useful objects.

Mini Tote with Vintage Textile!

Walter and I went on our first road trip together in 2008 and stopped at flea markets along the way. We found two old wooden cots (that I had to have) with these magical stripy textiles. It took more then a decade for them to find their place - and the result is well worth the wait!

P.S. We've decided the stripe is neither orange nor red, but rather, vermillion! Thank you @sarahdyer and everyone else for suggestions!

Watch the video showing the behind the scenes of these Mini Totes, including the waxing process, here!

Mini Tote made from Vintage Canvas, with waxed canvas details, and vegetable-tanned leather.	The Minis have a detachable zipper!

We love the marks and character of the material's past!	This well-loved canvas has some perfect patching inside!

Our Minis are delightful for everyday carry – bring only what you need!	The canvas is from a vintage wooden cot.

Vintage Textile Pouches!

We use a variety of materials and objects gathered from flea markets, abandoned buildings, and wherever else we can find them. The soft and worn oranges, reds, and sea green combined with the repairs and stitching, made this vintage kantha an irresistible edition to our summer collection!

Watch the process video, here!

Scholar Pouch with Vintage Repaired Kantha: Gabriella	Details of these soft and worn oranges!

These are all lined with waxed canvas.	Maker Pouch with Vintage Repaired Kantha: Ophelia

Maker Pouch with Vintage Repaired Kantha: Lolita	We love seeing the repairs and stitching from hands past!

Vintage zippers on the essentials pouches accompany the vintage textile!	Essentials Pouch with Vintage Feedsack: Enid

Indigo Hunters!

We unearthed these Hunters from a collection from the past. They were boxed when we moved – and forgotten! We made them with a gorgeous striped African Mudcloth paired with truffle waxed canvas. The straps are made from vintage WWII era leather!

Large Hunter with African Indigo Mudcloth front!	You can see the repairs and stitching from past hands!

This textile was hand-dyed with fermented mud into these beautiful indigo stripes.	Vintage WWII era leather strap!

A view of the back, showing the truffle waxed canvas!	The finishing detail on the interior pocket!

Foundlings Originals!

The Foundlings. One of our most beloved and delicious flea market discoveries of creatures drawn and painted upon nests of scritchy-scratchy hand-written ledgers and lessons by unknown hands. We poured over the drawings — the originals — and selected a few to set free to adorn homes and feed curious souls!

Foundlings Original Art: Antigonon	Foundlings Original Art: Bergamot

Foundlings Original Art: Gladwyn	Foundlings Original Art: Pomelo

Foundlings Original Art: Figwort	Foundlings Original Art: Briar

Our first Of A Kind Collection of 2022 is bursting with character! Each of these collections allows us to dig around and find treasures within treasures. Every discovery holds a bit of the past, and the story and marks accumulated. They are a joy to put together and harken back to the best part of our origin story – the gathering of old things and the reimagining and reworking of them into once again useful objects.

Hand Mulled Ghost Green Watercolour Paint!

We made two small batch sets for painters. The first is the Petite Paint Set, which contains a pan of hand mulled Ghost Green watercolour and a brush rest. The other is a set of 3 Brush Rests for those of you with more than one brush or pen in use!

Our watercolour is made from Wissahickon Schist that was pulverized when digging the well for our barn. Made from rock, the paint is gritty in texture, and a warm, earthy grey green. This paint is in Bioplastic Pans, made by Poems About You, that fit in our Painter’s Palettes. 

Bioplastic pan of Ghost Green Watercolour.	The Wissahickon Schist was pulverized when digging the well for our barn.

Wissahickon Schist – also known as Trash Stone – makes this gorgeous ghost green colour.	I transformed the pre-ground pigment into paint, which is part of our Of a Kind Collection!

A page of my left-handed #100DayProject in my Anselm Sketchbook.	Portrait of my family in Ghost Green.

Printable: Paint Pan Packaging

We have made this paint packaging available so that you can package your own handmade paint. As it is, it is designed to wrap around the Bioplastic Pans by Poems About You, although you can adjust and be creative about your uses and sizing!

Download the Printable PDF

Handmade Brush Rest made from Reclaimed American Chestnut!

The Brush Rests (here in a trio) are made from extinct* American Chestnut beams that – for nearly 200 years – held up our barn (read about our barn restoration here). Walter turned them into barn studio doors and made these delicious little brush rests with the scrap – they fit perfectly in the Sendak pocket and may just make clean up a touch easier next time!

*Read more about the blight on the American Chestnut here.

Our Brush Rest, Hand Mulled Paint, and Tilda Painter’s Palette together!	I’ve been using my brush rest also as a rest for my vintage dip pens, so we're also offering a Trio of Brush Rests!

The barn – before restoration!	These American Chestnut Tree beams, born in the 1700s, held up our barn for nearly 200 years.

Walter used his Alaskan Saw Mill to mill down the beams.	We’re excited to share a portion of this beautiful reclaimed wood in the form of brush rests!

Mystery Boxes!

They are back! We’ve sifted through our misfits: merry mishaps, prototypes, and items riddled with character – imperfect but fully functional. We’ve have grouped them together into themed mystery boxes at nearly half price! Though not for the faint-hearted, each set is useful and nearly half price. Enjoy the mystery and the gifting potential: one for you, one for me, one for you...

These boxes are perfect for the indecisive (who love Peg and Awl) or for those who just love a good mystery.⁠ The Desk Caddies more character, knots, holes and markings – more evidence of the wood’s prior life.

Each box contains an assortment of related and similar-valued items – the photographs illustrate the theme and sample items within each box, but not necessarily the particular grouping.

This set of Desk Caddies are part of the Desk Organization Mystery Box – these will vary in wood characteristic, engraving, wood type, etc.	Here you can see examples of the variation in the wood – these particular caddies are so special and filled with character!

An old favourite! This is our "Tabletop Caddy," an old iteration of our current Beatrix Artist Caddy.	The Kitchen Mystery Box includes a variety of products, including decoupaged candleblocks – one of our first products!

Vintage Textile Pouches and Vintage Bag!

We've transformed two favourite antique quilts (one is well-worn, soft, and frayed and the other, unfinished and crisp!) into useful pouches lined with waxed canvas. These are often one-of-a-kinds – the textile patterns and designs used within one patchwork square are unique from another!⁠

We've done our best to divide the pouches by similar qualities so you may have an idea of the one that will arrive on your doorstep, but if you love mystery, the green quilt especially will peak your interest. ⁠

The 1800s quilt, well-loved, and in the colors of Pearl (our puppy!).	The assortment of vintage textiles, including our two favourite antique quilts.

Each pouch is lined with waxed canvas to reinforce and protect the textile from the tools and supplies that will fill the pouch. These pouches are also finished with vintage zippers.	It can be sad to cut into a vintage quilt, but wonderful to give it new life!

This quilt was started in the 1930s and never finished – we transformed it into pouches lined with waxed canvas!	This collection also contains one repurposed canvas tote that was originally designed with a drawstring closure – we’ve adapted it with vegetable-tanned leather straps and a waxed canvas pocket!

Our Autumn collection is full of Violets, Reds, and Grays, just in time to join an adventure amongst the first changing of the leaves! Their stories evolve as they pivot to new lives in our hands then yours. Journals lined with antique textiles breathe subtle change into our classic collections. Waxed canvas pouches covered with antique textiles explode with colour amongst our earth tones. Alternative Sketchbooks and Original Foundlings Art transform adventures and walls.⁠
⁠
These collections go fast - we will send out an email announcement 3 hours before they are available – you will be able to look through each item in the collection at that time.⁠ Join our newsletter to receive the preview and launch announcements! ⁠⁠

We've been going back to our roots, concocting four Of a Kind collections throughout the year - made from antique textiles and other miscellany gathered from abandoned houses, flea markets, and wherever else we can find them! This collection took a dramatic colour change and blends in with a lot of the treasures from nature that have been accumulating on my desk! ⁠

These collections go fast - we will send out an email announcement 3 hours before they are available – you will be able to look through each item in the collection at that time.⁠ Join our newsletter to receive the preview and launch announcements! ⁠

Our next Of a Kind Summer Pouch and Journal collection (2020) features some vintage fabrics from bundles, feedsacks, unfinished quilts, bolts of indigo from the 1800s and more. They are limited to the number of pouches we were able to make from each reclaimed piece.

Sign up for our Newsletter to be notified when a new Of a Kind collection is live in our the shop!

One Spring, I found small bundles of utilitarian textiles from the late 1800s—early 1900s under a table at a flea market. Each little bundle, when open, reveals the negative space of a homemade dress—no piece was too small to save.

The first time I encountered these tied up treasures was at an abandoned house. The red and white striped bundle was tucked into a drawer with so many other keepsakes wrapped up in newspapers from the 1950s, a time capsule from part of a life. I gathered what I could and returned many times until finally the house was just scattered bits of insides mixed with rubble in an open field. I used the red and white striped cotton pieces to line my own journals so many years ago and we have brought this detail into our Peg and Awl journals. 

Uncovering these bundles that have endured for more than a century is so strangely inspiring in our throwaway society. Someone saved them for something—did they ever imagine how the future opener of their curious legacy would make use of them a century later? 

Watch the video of our Summer 2021 Of a Kind Collection!

My mom and I have always gone to flea markets, and we couldn’t pass by an abandoned house without stopping in for a little time-travel. Even a good trash picking was never a source of embarrassment. Dumpster diving in ‘work clothes’? Not a problem. Giving rescued objects a new life after so many decades of idleness is irresistable – especially in our throwaway society.

Years ago I met an old woman at a flea market who was a designer for Wanamaker’s Department Store. She was selling scrap from decades past. I loved visiting her booth for her stories and her textiles, and I made many clothes for myself from her castaways. And then there was the Rementer House where Flossie and Jack had neatly arranged their early years (clothing, dishes, Christmas cards, photographs, boy scout uniforms, &c) into the attic of their home in the ’50s. I found it decades later and rescued many treasures, including my first tiny fabric time capsule – a small bundle from the early 1900s. It contained a larger outer piece and many small pieces wrapped within. No piece was too tiny to save. I used them as trimming for my journal edges – something we now do at Peg and Awl with all of our journals.

I’ve since found many more bundles, as well as feed sacks made of the very same textiles that could be found in clothing catalogs of the time (the farmer’s wife and daughters would make clothes, curtains and kitchen towels from them), and other scraps (with selvage) ranging in width from 24″ to 44″ (the loom width helps to determine the age of the textiles).

This Summer Pouch collection is made from found bundles, feedsacks, and scraps from the late 1800s to the 1960s. They are limited to the number of pouches we were able to make from each piece. We’ve lined each one with waxed canvas. The Essential style is finished with vintage zippers, and the rest with black YKK zippers. Browse the collection now, and sign up for our newsletter to be notified when it becomes available next week!

Enjoy!

Browse the Full Collection!

Scribbler Pouch with mid-1900s Feed Sack Textile: Taffy	Essentials Pouch with Early 1900s Scrap Textile: Apricot
Drafter Pouch with early 1900s Tea Towel Textile: Indigo	Essentials Pouch with 1950s Deadstock Textile: Geranium

We are very psyched to announce our only batch of tintype journals for the year! I’ve collected more historic tins for what has become an annual event at Peg and Awl.

This past weekend, the Peg and Awl team traveled back in time with @gilesclement and his partner Kendra, witnessing and partaking in many tintype and ambrotype sessions at the Peg and Awl workshop (read our blog post about that here). When I pour over each portrait from the 1800s, choosing the right one for each journal, giving them new names, I wonder about the day, the preparation, who the photographer was. I wish I had a time machine to hear their conversations, to witness their awkwardness and unexpected giggles, that nearly always ended with a grim countenance.

Browse our newest Tintype collection here, and sign up for our newsletter to be notified of the launch time! Go ahead, find your favourite, and fill the pages within with your stories and let us wonder what another 150 years will bring.

Read more about our Tintype Journals here.