What happens when two founders meet, each of whom is already breaking new ground with her products, and whose similarities seem to leap to mind even before they’ve had a chance to talk? Exactly! Only good things can come out of it! And that’s exactly how things went between Wildling founder Anna Yona and Margaux Kent, who created the Peg and Awl brand together with her husband Walter. In a virtual meeting, the two founders chat about their brands, their everyday work life, and their collaboration.

Margaux, tell me... what do you do at Peg and Awl? And how did you come up with the idea of founding a company together?

Walter and I have always enjoyed doing things ourselves. My great passion is bookbinding, and Walter loves working with wood. In the beginning we rummaged around at a bunch of flea markets and rescued old wood from the rubble of torn down houses using Walter’s rusty pickup truck. We then used our finds to craft beautiful and useful items for our home.
A little over a year later our first son, Søren, was born and Walter and I got married in Iceland.

But barely a year went by before we founded Peg and Awl. I was pregnant with our second son, Silas, and Walter had just returned from a mission in Iraq. After celebrating our reunion, Walter headed straight for the workbench in the basement and built me a new book rest for the bathtub – a long-standing wish of mine. This gave rise to the idea of producing useful items that weren’t just for us, but for everyone.

Over the past ten years, Peg and Awl has grown significantly. What’s different now?

We started our company as a couple, and now we are a 15-person team handling all the work ourselves, from accounting and product design to production and sales. We’re still small but we’ve become much more efficient.

On top of that, we have most likely exhausted the local supply of old raw materials. In the beginning, we recycled antique leather – which was formerly used for rifle straps – to make our bags, and worked with reclaimed wood. But at a certain point we had to look for alternatives. I was even close to abandoning everything because I didn’t like the idea of buying conventional leather.

Fortunately I managed to find a producer virtually around the corner who offers vegetable-tanned organic leather – that’s something I can stand by personally and that’s what we’re working with now. The search for wood ended ten miles south of Pennsylvania, where we work. We found a 17th century sawmill that is still in operation and has processed hardwoods from the region for two decades.

While the sources for raw materials have changed a little, the rustic look of Peg and Awl products has been preserved and is also reflected in the Wildling model Griffin and the matching Silva bag that was inspired by it. How did this actually come about, Anna?

I’ve been following Peg and Awl for a very, very long time. Margaux’s newsletter is one of Wildling’s best-practice examples, and a picture of her tote bag is pinned on the mood board for our very first collection. I also have two bags and a backpack because I love the design, the rugged look and the materials. (At this point we can picture Anna enthusiastically holding a black canvas bag in front of the camera).

The approach of taking something old, something that at first glance may seem outdated, and creating something new that is not only beautiful but also becomes a part of your everyday life – that approach resonated with me immediately. Learning to value things again instead of just throwing them away is also one of the directions we want to pursue at Wildling. It was clear to me relatively quickly that I absolutely wanted to work with Margaux and her family to develop a new product.

You produced the Silva bag in Pennsylvania. What do you think of Griffin – the new Peg and Awl inspired Wildling? And how was the collaboration for you, Margaux?

Unfortunately I haven’t held a pair in my hands yet, but they look great in the photos! I can hardly wait to finally wear them. We like to walk barefoot a lot and we wear barefoot shoes, but I have never had a pair of Wildlings on before and I am really excited.

Our collaboration actually turned out to be kind of a blend of cooperation and contract work since we unfortunately couldn’t coordinate things with each other live and on site. If we ever work together on something again, I hope that we can meet in person. In that case, I would love to come to Germany, visit the studio, and fine-tune the designs together.

What do you think, Anna? Will there be a sequel?

I would be delighted if these two products were the first step and if they laid the foundation for further joint projects. I know that you originally wanted to make shoes at Peg and Awl – maybe someday there will be a Wildling that will help us bring your perfect shoe to life.

That sounds like things are going to remain interesting. We are looking forward to seeing more from both of you and are already so excited about where the journey is heading, dear Margaux and Anna!

 

  Photographs by @wildling.shoes

Bartram Wood Balm is a handcrafted balm that will brighten and restore your wooden kitchen pieces! It emerged from a collaboration with Priya Means Love which began as a meeting at a craft show and a swap, in the beginning years of Peg and Awl.  

Our enthusiasm for one another’s goods led to this natural balm of beeswax and pure plant oils which restores and preserves our wooden objects as well as nourishes the hands that wield them. 
 
Cloth in hand, use Bartram Wood Balm to brighten up and restore your dull wooden kitchen tools and surfaces such as cutting boards, spoons and spatulas, rolling pins, your great grandma's wooden bowls, and the well-worn surface of your cherished butcher’s block. 

Our Bartram Balm is available in both 2 ounce and 4 ounce containers, which are packaged in recycled plastic containers made in the USA. 

Ingredients within the Balm: 

• Small farm golden beeswax 
• Fractionated coconut oil 
• Wild-harvested Eastern Hemlock Essential Oil 
• Rosemary oleoresin 

So, take a soft cloth, scoop some balm, and rub it into anything that needs some brightening—and don't neglect your hands!

We have TWO more collaborations in the works with Priya, that will accompany other goodies we make. We cannot wait to share these with you! Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of any updates.

 

We've been making a lot of tree swings this year as everyone, both young and old, have been navigating fun at home.

Before Peg and Awl, we made a rope tree swing for our boys. It was something they never grew weary of and has long since become a thing many never grow out of. 

As summer turns to autumn, we are finding small escapes, but we never grow weary of swinging in the backyard! Now, we are preparing to set up our swing at the Five Acre Wood, as our barn space is ready for use. When you're ready to join in the merriment, we have a video demonstrating how to hang your tree swing.

Søren and Silas having a go at making coverless journals for their homeschool science projects! 

These are the materials the boys are using:

1. Needle – bookbinding needles have roundy tips and big eyes, but most needles will work!
2. Thread – any thread will do. If it is super thin, double it up.
3. Pencil – grab your favourite pencil to plot your stitching holes.
4. Paper – this is for the inside. Do you like lined paper, sketch paper, the back of used paper, graph paper? Gather your favourites, mix ’em up or stick to one!
5. Thumbtack – or something sharp to poke holes through paper and cardstock.
6. Scissors – for snipping your thread.
7. Fabric – this will serve as your linens that will hold the book together. Happy treasure hunting!
8. Glue – to glue your fabric to the front and back covers of your book. Elmers works!

The boys are following the same process as in our Bookbinding Tutorial, Part Two, showing how to make your own coverless journal. Happy stitching!

I am getting many inquiries about my Iris Painter’s Palette and the paints that are in it. I shall get to that, but first I have a little story to tell.

I remember getting my first list of vocabulary words in elementary school. That week the words seemed to show up everywhere: in conversation, in books I read, wherever I went. I walked into the classroom, gobsmacked, and shared the news with my teacher. Each week brought new lists and new coincidences. Decades later, my life is still filled with this magic. The synchronous deluge doesn’t just happen with words – it happens with so many things, including our falling into the world of geology and paint. 

One cold winter, Peg and Awl was set up at the Chelsea Holiday Market in New York City for a week. After so long in our makeshift shop, I was set free to stretch my legs in the cold, wet, snowy streets of Manhattan. I typed ‘art store’ into Maps and found Kremer Pigments. When I opened the door, it felt like I had traveled back in time. As I stared at the bags of pigments, the connection between them and the paints I so loved hit me like a thunderbolt. I muttered some incomprehensible thing to the shelves and shelves of coloured dust. The pigments that made the paint came from the earth under my feet: malachite, azurite, epidote, garnet. I had fallen into a world of pure magic!

Fast forward to so-called ‘adulthood,’ and like the vocabulary words that were everywhere, the Family Kent were suddenly, literally, swimming in natural history relics that could be transformed into paint! In a river in Vermont, we found rocks embedded with garnet. In Pennsylvania we met a retired science teacher who bought a cabin precisely because of its location atop ochre mines (he gave us red and yellow ochre in a variety of forms). We sifted through the sand at Calvert Cliffs (whilst swimming in the Chesapeake Bay) and found shark teeth, biominerals, and ancient coral. Gobsmacked, over and over again. 

At Peg and Awl, we have bags of treasures to crush and mix and play. 

I feel our jumping into this world is not complete without that story, because understanding where these colours come from was what brought this epic journey into the realm of magic.

There are invisible things all over, and it’s not until we’re able to focus (through direction or discovery) on what has been heretofore concealed, can we see the words and the materials we use every day.

So now, the colours in my palette:

• Magnetite 
• Noir Mineral*
• Azurite
• Celadonite
• Malachite
• Epidote
• Iron Oxide Red
• Burnt Iron Oxide
• Ombre Nature*
• Cote de Azur Violet
• Ocre Havane*
• Ocre Jaune*

*these are from France, from 40+ years ago, via Belgium. This entire paint adventure includes in insane number of rabbit holes, just look at this: Ochre Quarry in France, via Atlas Obscura.

If you are up for the challenge of making your own paints, you need some tools to begin. If you wish to circumnavigate the making, I will provide a list below with some glorious paint makers! Like most “that looks easy enough!” processes it is rather complex and expensive to begin. But if you are up for the challenge, it is oh so fun! 

 

Tools

I started with the following tools: 

1. a muller
2. palette knives
3. tempered glass palette
4. mortar and pestle (I have loads from flea markets)
5. dropper
6. kremer’s premade medium
7. palette (our Iris!)
8. pigments
9. glass jars (I bought some from Kremer and also use saved spice jars!)

Paintmakers

• Kremer, obviously, in NYC and Germany.
• Case for Making – CFM paints are creamy and delicious and their website is full of beautiful accessories from other makers whose goods they stock. Alexis and crew also introduce the world to artists and workshops and just so. much. magic.
• Greenleaf & Blueberry – G+B paints are unbelievably prepared. If you try to make paints, you will see the challenge in putting paint into a palette neatly, and without cracks. These guys are the masters at this! Their paint, too, is glorious. And Jess’s newsletters are of the few that I read from beginning to end. 
• Beam Paints – Anong is the daughter of paint makers and artists in Canada. Her stories, process and ingenuity are ever-so inspiring. Anong makes countless sustainable palettes and presentations for her paints. She shared with me the ancient Egyptian Paint Palette that inspired our Iris!
• Early Futures (pigment shop) – I found Heidi via instagram and following her journeys is another epic adventure, and her pigments and the stories that accompany them are a complete treasure to transform!

Other Resources

• The Kremer Pigmente Recipe Book – beautifully photographed and so informative!
• Illustoria Magazine – I love this magazine and this month is the Color Issue!

A few weeks ago, when I felt a little stuck in my everyday drawing practice, I began making paintings of my favorite things. As the little paintings accumulated, they began to feel like a gift guide – the perfect way to share some of the things I use daily. Here goes:

1. Local Food! Since moving, we’ve found growers’ markets surrounding us. Fresh, delicious local food has changed my world (and ultimately leads to MUCH smaller grocery bills for us). I cannot get enough delicious mushrooms, fresh ginger, and turmeric! My family loves Brandywine Bread Company, and I will actually cry when the markets close for winter.	2. Piles of Books! I can never have too many unread books around, though sometimes I question the excess. Find a local bookstore if you can and stock up! I am working through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, and despite all of its weirdness, I am loving it! (It has been on my unread shelf for years) If you have any of your favorites to share, please do in the comments section!

3. Art Supplies Where to begin?! It is always a delight to find antique pens and pencils at flea markets. Stocking up on art supplies is as fun and dangerous as stocking up on books. I love Blackwing pencils. Case for Making, Greenleaf & Blueberry, and Beam Paints have all opened up my world with the magic of handmade watercolors.	4. Hydro Flask I can never get enough water and I cannot believe it is still legal to put so much stinking water into plastic bottles. The math is simple, the convenience is clear. And Hydro Flasks are great! (But not the sippy version – they leak!)

5. Saltverk Licorice Salt I love licorice in nearly any form so finding this salt was like finding magic dust for my every day!	6. Staub Kettle I adore this beauty of a kettle. We’ve had it for years. It is simple, looks great in our kitchen, and I look forward to using it every day.

7. Fiorentini + Baker Boots I had to include these. I don’t think a week goes by without someone asking about my boots. Here they are in miniature! Or, one pair anyway. I love these so!	8. Uncle Harry’s Breath Freshener More fairy dust! I am so happy to have found this breath freshener and digestive! Yum! (I love their tooth powder too!) The packaging is simple and recyclable and they make everything in America.

9. Tiger Balm …has been in my pockets or bag since I was a kid. I’ve always been prone to headaches, and this balm has always helped to lessen them. I was once back stage at a Sonic Youth show and Kim Gordon complained of a headache – I gave her a try. She loved it so I promptly handed over my tin!	10. Moss and Mineral Bee Hotel We built our garden this year at the 5 acre wood and cannot wait to put our Bee Hotel from Moss and Mineral in it next spring, and look forward to seeing all of the pollinators who will call it home. Handmade from all reclaimed materials.

“I think perhaps I am one of those lucky mortals whose work and whose life are the same thing.”
—John Steinbeck

 

I wanted to share a little of our home schooling journey here!

This is an interview from Søren and Silas’s home education co-op Open Connections (OC). As life and work are always intertwined for us, it seemed reasonable to share:)

 

The Open Connections Family Interview: Introducing the Kent Family  

1. Please describe your family constellation: Parents, names and ages of young people.

Margaux, Walter, Søren (11), and Silas (8)

2. How long has your family been on this path of self / family-directed Open Education?

We officially began in September 2018, but we have been exploring alternative paths since Søren was born in 2008.

3. What led you in this direction?

Listening to Sir Ken Robinson’s “School Kills Creativity” Ted Talk and hearing the Kent Family Homeschooling Stories. (Walter is 1 of 12, which is a great place to start…)

4. How did you get involved with Open Connections?

Ruthie (Walter’s sister and Mom to Liliana, Elle, and Lucie) invited us to the Open Connections Open House last March. Having not seen Ruthie and family in ages, we went only to visit them and escape the city. Besides, there was no way I was driving 2+ hours a day to take the boys to school. Within 20 minutes of our visit I murmured, “Walter, I think the drive would be lovely…” and thus began our official homeschool journey.

Our best decisions are made quickly, and this was no exception.

Soon after we made another quick decision—we left the city for greener pastures. We found a Frankensteined House whose origins began in the 1700s and settled in as if it was built just for us!

5. What programs do your young people attend at Open Connections?

In the fall, Søren will be in Tutorial III and Choice. Silas will be in Tutorial II and Choice.

6. How do your young people spend their time when they’re not at Open Connections?

Drawing, reading, journaling, collecting creatures, playing with Lego, adventuring near and far—though since we moved, most often at our new home, which we have given the name, The 5 Acre Wood. Also, eating sushi, watching movies, biking, archery, exploring, fishing, bickering, and most recently—skateboarding!

7. What are some of the key pluses to this educational approach for your family?

Freedom! We work and live for exploration. We now have the ability to work and play and travel without being held down by some alienating system and daunting schedule. Best of all we get to learn how to learn, something that isn’t available in many traditional schools. Why, just yesterday we learned that a garter snake will forgo a bit of its tail when held by it, spinning itself wildly like a top until it is able to twist away!

Ever since Søren and Silas’s escape from the Public School System, their days have been filled with what we used to jam into weekends—the life experiences and learning that happened around the hours of school. Our first official Homeschooling adventure was going to the Philadelphia Free Library on a “school night” to hear Jill Lepore talk about her new book These Truths.

When I pick up Søren and Silas from OC, the car is filled with steady chatter about all of the things they experienced in the day—a far cry from the grumbling uniformed kids that used to greet me in the schoolyard, with a “thank-goodness-THAT’S-over-BUT-there-is-still-tomorrow-angst” in each heavy word they spat out.

8. What concerns or challenges have you experienced along the way? How have you addressed them? Do you have any concerns as you look ahead?

It is sometimes daunting to buck the system—a system agreed upon by so many—and to follow an unknown path, particularly when it comes to making that long term decision on your children’s behalf. I am always fond of what mysteries lie beyond. But will Søren and Silas thrive in that same way? We negotiate this regularly but knowing how much they are enjoying life in contrast to previous years, I cannot help but to feel a stronger pull on the, “you are doing just fine” side.

9. What is your approach regarding academics? Real Work? Play? Self-direction/self-motivation?

Our approach is to explore the possibilities. To us nothing is set in stone and by spending our days focused on what we love and challenging ourselves, many unimaginable things can happen.  We love finding the magic in the world around us and seeing the fruits of our efforts. We do struggle a bit with schedules but make an effort to turn them into habits with a weekly checklist hanging in the kitchen. Daily, our boys read and write in their journals. Thursdays are for documentaries, and proper math instruction (via Kahn Academy) is three days a week. But most of the day is for exploring and putting the skills we learned into practical use. We delight in visiting historical sites (even with their suspicious truths!) and parks and museums. Art is an incredibly important subject in our world—so whether home or out, we are scribbling. And Søren and Silas learn a LOT about life through the goings-on of our business, Peg and Awl! They are very self-motivated boys and are often working at one thing or another.

10. What resources—people, books, curricula, places or organizations (museums, art centers, scouting, 4-H, businesses, etc.)—have you found helpful? How have they contributed to your youth’s development?

This past year, our first year of homeschooling, we were mostly finding our way.  Endless adventures await, and since our recent move to West Chester, everything is a new adventure for our family.  Some of the places we have enjoyed are the Brandywine River (both in the canoes and out), the Chester County Historical Society (where we picked through old maps as we tried to find the history of The 5 Acre Wood), the Chester County Art Center, (where Søren took a graphic novel workshop and Silas made monster vessels with clay), as well as the Chester County Public Library. We also joined the Delaware Valley Mineralogical Society, which led to us finding the sparkly magic of amethysts rising in the freshly plowed field of an Amish farmer. Equally important is our time spent on the Bike Trail or at Stroud Preserve, where we talk and walk and go sledding. And this summer, our friend and author Michael-Patrick lead a writing workshop for The Brothers Kent (and I joined in!) at our home.

11. From your young people’s perspectives, what are the main pluses of this type of education?

Guys, what do you think about homeschooling?

Søren: I love it! I love OC, and I like Choice the most! I love drawing and reading and making graphic novels. Homeschooling is fun. School was boring.

Silas: What do I love most? Being free! I love being outside so much. And I get to learn about snakes! Homeschool is covering everything, and it is making it fun, and we are learning more this way. I love OC, especially Thursdays and Tuesdays.

12. From your young people’s perspectives, what could OC do to further enhance their OC experience?

Nothing!

13. Looking back to when your family was new to OC, what events (Open Campus Days, Parents’ Meetings, Open Mic Night, etc.) helped your family become more connected to the OC community?

The Mudder was a great! Walter and I (unexpectedly) joined Søren’s group for a quiet, muddy connecting! We also loved assisting Group Tutorial 1 coptic bind their year-end appreciation books.  The 24 hours of the Awesome Camping trip was grand, and the Pausing Ceremony was so sweet.

14. What could OC do to further your (the parent’s) experience, help you reach your un-met goals, or pursue them in a more effective or enjoyable manner?

We are really happy with how things are going and don’t have any suggestions for an improved experience!

Summer’s Studio Moments

How do you spend your long hot summer days?

For me, I’m home, mostly – outside sitting in a folding chair with the cold creek water chilling my feet, sketching and dreaming, or walking along the wildflower-lined roads, stopping to draw and nibble upon the many new plants in my life.

When I’m not outside, it’s another day in the studio, stealing another moment at my desk to write and draw in my journals and sketchbooks. Summer is for gathering ideas and inspiration, and I adore these slow times.

Where will you take your leaving this summer?

Sendak Mini Artist Roll	Beatrix Artist Caddy

Anselm Bookbinding Kits	Foundlings Desk Caddy

Landis Wall Caddy	Handbound Journals

Rainer Maria Rilke

“All things want to fly.
Only we are weighed down by desire,
caught in ourselves
and enthralled with our heaviness.”

Get ready for your summer adventures!

We love spending our days outdoors. Whether we are exploring the ocean, hiking through the woods, or sketching in the park, we are sure to have our Peg and Awl bags close at hand. Handmade by our small team of skilled craftspeople in our workshop in Philadelphia, each bag is constructed with durable waxed canvas and sustainably-sourced vegetable tanned leather. They are perfect for toting all your summer adventure essentials. So load ’em up and go exploring!

The Seaside Tote	The Sendak Artist Roll

Waxed Canvas Tote	The Finch Satchel

Weekender	Olde-Fashioned Tree Swing

It’s Spring!

May the adventures begin...

Last weekend found us in a freshly plowed field of amethysts rising toward the surface, and within a few hours our Hunter Satchels were brimming with earthly magic. Once home, we spread our loot out at our feet and washed away the mud. Like archeologists we examined each piece, drew our favorite specimens, and recorded our day’s excitement in our journals. (Read the full story of our adventure on our blog!)

Whether your spring adventures find you in the field or at your desk, we’ve got you covered!

Small Hunter Satchel	Foundlings Small Desk Caddy: Sage
Foundlings Harper Journal: June	Botanical Dandelion Ring
Olde Fashioned Tree Swing	The Sendak Mini Artist Roll