Film: Peg workshop

This workshop film shares with you a way to make useful pegs from hazel sticks. This 12 minute film with Gregory Quinn will guide you through the process of creating pegs from dried hazel sticks. 

The traditional use of these pegs is on the washing line, however we find them  useful in the kitchen for keeping bags closed too.

Additional film: When you purchase this workshop film, you will also receive a film which introduces Rekindle and explains the kaupapa or the central idea behind our sharing of these resourceful skills. This film also sets the context of our work here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua, as those indigenous to this land.

You'll need: Dried hazel sticks, the ideal diameter for the sticks we're looking for is between 10 to 20mm. A chopping block. 12mm tacks (available from most hardware stores). Awl or any tool with a small sharp point. Sharp knife - most will do but we have ones perfect for the job available through our online shop. Tin snips. Empty aluminium drink can. Fine-toothed saw. Hammer. Optional: Drawknife & Shavehorse.

Background to this technique: This peg-making technique came to be practiced by Greg as when his wife Juliet Arnott was a child living in Wiltshire, England her family used these pegs on their clothes line. They were made and sold by local craftspeople. Many years later when weaving with hazel in Salthouse on the North Norfolk coast, Juliet met a peg-maker and spent time with him, and he showed her how he worked the hazel in this way. Then after some time she returned home to Aotearoa and later met Greg & shared this way of making pegs with him. Greg has since gone on to make many hundreds of pegs as they are a popular item for sale in our workshop. 

Your Tutor: From a background of orchard care, Gregory's craft practice is an extension of his working closely with trees. Greg makes greenwood furniture, rakes, pegs, food storage crates, brooms & other objects of use. The craft skills gained in working with experienced practitioners like Richard Hare, Alex Yerks & Juliet Arnott, combined with his own practice & exploration, have become an integral part of his life.   @homeorchardcare

This trailer below will give you a sense for the wonderful film work by Hilary Jean Tapper and sound by Alexander Yerks, and sound by Kuva Zakheim.

We are grateful that the production of these films was made possible by a grant from Creative New Zealand, and the dedication of the tutors involved.