Worlds open up. Always. A constant flurry of curious human beings, their voices quite muffled from the years gone by, drift my way. I hadn’t heard the name Anna Atkins until the New York Public Library asked us to collaborate on a collection of treasures inspired by her work. I’ve been wrapped up in her ever since.

Anna Atkins was the first person to use photography to illustrate a book. Note – NOT the first woman, but the first human! She was an incredible illustrator and had illustrated some books for her father, but the discovery of Cyanotypes sent her into a new obsession. She began making photographic images of her extensive seaweed collection in 1843. She created thousands of cyanotypes and sent them to libraries and other institutions in the mid-1800s for their collections – many of which remain today, including, of course, the collection at the New York Public Library!

If you can make it to the New York City, stop in and see the exhibit!

Laser-Engraved Seaweed Keeper Pouch	Laser-Engraved Seaweed Desk Caddy
Seaweed Decoupage Desk Caddy	Pocket Journals with Seaweed
Limited Vintage Leather Seaweed Engraved Book Necklace	Limited Vintage Leather Seaweed Engraved Book Necklace

We are so happy to present our All Black Collection in this most fitting month of October. Every bag we make will now be available in locally-sourced black waxed canvas with black vegetable-tanned leather!

Here we are again, the time of year that brings into focus the meeting of polar opposites – the dark-bright, the absurd and the pragmatic and that thin veil betwixt life and death. In preparation for the launch of our All Black Bag Collection, I set out into the woods with my friend Katie in an attempt to wrangle a fitting photograph of our ever-practical bags. Draped in random antique garments and lured into the abandoned past lives of others, we Frankensteined the driftless bits, the ruins, and ourselves and came face to face with the absurd.

Join us in the celebration of Autumn, our very favourite time of year. Throw an all black bag over your shoulder and head straight for adventure! Who knows what you will find...

All Black Hunter Satchel	All Black Gatherer Bag
All Black Journey Bag	All Black Rogue Backpack
All Black Little Rogue Backpack	All Black Dopp Case

Venturesome Overland wrote an excellent review of our Waxed Canvas Tote in their article Favorite Things: Peg and Awl Canvas Tote!

… I carry it everywhere – it goes to and from work with me and has already weathered several camping trips, where it came out none the worse for wear. A bit dusty, maybe, but nothing a damp rag won’t fix. I love that about this bag – it looks chic enough for me, is an excellent EDC, and is tough enough to not get destroyed from rough use. It was a big investment, but it was my fortieth birthday present to myself and it will last for years.

Peg and Awl says that the tote is “a blank slate waiting to be marked with the adventures and stories of use.” It’s already been in Botswana, Qatar, New York City, Portland, Or., and Missoula, Mt., carrying its own history and going on new adventures – collecting stories along the way.

Read the full article here!

Our Tintype journals sold out in 25 minutes! Thank you all for your enthusiasm! We are planning another batch for December launch, so sign up for our newsletter here!

We also will keep vintage variations in stock in our leather journals section. 

What other types of journals would you like to see? Let us know in the comments!

I have always been a lover of lost faces. Perhaps it can be attributed to early morning photography lessons with my dad as he tirelessly explained depth of field, aperture, and shutter speed on his old Petri – before running to (or the worst – chasing and honking at) the school bus. Then there were weekend flea market excursions with my mom, where we gathered frames, photographs, and oddities abandoned from other people’s lives to decorate our house.  Or maybe it was the exploration of abandoned houses, a pastime my mom and I enjoyed sparingly, but that came to consume me once I got my driver’s license. Whatever the origins, the desire to rescue portraits of gone people has manifested itself within me. 

Whilst making this new batch of Tintype journals and thinking about these lost souls, this passage from David Eaglemen's Sum, replayed over and over in my mind.

“There are three deaths. The first is when the body ceases to function. The second is when the body is consigned to the grave. The third is that moment, sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the last time.”

What about these faces, whose names have likely already been spoken for the last time – did they stave off that final death the moment they sat for the photographer? And what of that stillness, that stretched moment – the resulting grim countenance, presumably an inaccurate portrayal of gloom and doom that has come to mark the personalities of so many of this era. 

In an effort to rescue these strange survivors, we’ve given them new names, a formal frame, and a cover of their own – your own – on a blank book. This strange assemblage, this mash-up of human history is ever-characteristic of the work we do at Peg and Awl and of course – ’tis the season – Happy Hallowe’en!

All journals are sold out!  Sign up for our Newsletter to find out when the next batch is launching!!

We are ever so excited to share with you our latest treasure in the artist + writer arsenal – The Sendak Mini! The Mini is a more compact companion for the minimalist adventurer who wants a lighter haul. It has all the charm of our classic Sendak: Waxed canvas, vegetable-tanned leather, lots of pockets, and a zip pouch. We’ve made the pen pockets a little wider to accompany water brushes and fountain pens based on your feedback. Roll it up and throw it in your bag and set out on an adventure...

We imagine Goldilocks would deem this one ‘just right’!

Truffle

Spice

All Black

Slate

Our new and updated Rogue Backpacks and Marlowe Carryalls have been well-loved this summer. They’ve traveled from road trip to road trip, breaking in and evolving. Now we are coming to the end of our summer wanderings and are re-situating our bags, taking out bathing suits, sun block and errant rocks. We’ve turned the bags upside-down for a final tap, loosened the remaining bits of summer and refilled them with journals, pouches, pens and computers – just in time for Autumn.

The Rogue Backpack	The Marlowe Carryall

The launch of these two updated classics marks another milestone in the evolution of Peg and Awl. With the transition from using reclaimed WWII era gun straps for our leather handles to using locally-sourced vegetable-tanned leather, we are reaffirming the fellowship between ourselves and the materials with which we make. By creating beautiful and useful objects out of sustainable and responsibly sourced materials, we strive to change the way that we as individuals make, use, repair and reuse everyday objects. As our new bags leave our Philadelphia workshop and arrive at your doorsteps, what adventures will they see in your hands and how will they transform to become truly yours?

We still have some Antique Leather Bags remaining in the shop – if you’ve been wanting one now is the time, as these final specimens are finding fast homes all over the world!

p.s. We always share our adventures via Instagram + Insta Stories @pegandawl @pegandawlbuilt and @thebrotherskent and soon will be more thorough in the telling on our blog!

We’re psyched to see 2018 Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell loving his Sendak!

Check out Matt’s work here!

Budget Travel featured our Hunter Satchel in their article What’s Your “Day Bag Personality”?

Carry It Crossbody
For years, I’ve been searching for a day bag to fit a book, a water bottle, over-ear headphones, and sunglasses, plus the wallet, organizational pouch, and lip balm that I always carry. It needs to be something big enough to hold it all without having to Tetris it in, but not so big that it weighs me down, and this no-frills satchel from Peg and Awl ticks all the boxes. Designed to carry the essentials and inspired by purpose-driven vintage bags like colonial-era satchels and the military map cases of World War II, the Hunter is made from sturdy, waterproof waxed canvas, with a brass rivets and studs for a modest flash of bling and a wide leather shoulder strap that stays put and doesn’t dig in. The interior pocket is just the right size for a wallet, keys, and a battery pack, and the main compartment is roomy enough for everything else. It's a utilitarian number with a few subtly clever details, from the smart placement that keeps the strap from twisting to a flap you can close with one hand (and a bit of dexterity).

Read the full article on Budget Travel.

Since the early days of civilization, pouches have been a necessary part of everyday living. Used for holding money or other personal items, they preceded pockets on clothing and hung from belts with draw string fasteners. Our shapes and closures have changed to fit our times, but the utility remains constant. With the launch of 3 new pouches we now offer 8 different styles, each named for a variety of uses but all ready to hold your prized possessions!

No. 1: The Spender	No. 2: The Saver
No. 3: The Scribbler	No. 4: The Drafter
No. 5: Scholar	No. 6: The Keeper
No. 7: The Maker	Bloom Pouches

Be sure to also check out our Of a Kind section where our remaining pouches with antique leather are on sale!