MERRY CHRISTMAS

A very Merry Christmas to everybody. Sorry it's a bit late but I've been charging around picking up mum for the Christmas celebrations and doing the last of the Christmas shopping.
It's been a quiet Christmas here as my son and his partner who are nurses had to work, so were unable to join us this year.

I'm away again on Monday 29th December until the 6th January to celebrate the New Year with friends and then on to stay with my son for a few days to have a late Christmas. I'm leaving the website open but please don't pay by paypal between those dates as I won't be here to sort things out. You can still order and I will take orders on a first come first served basis on my return.

I'm preparing some new items tomorrow and will list them on the 7th January.

Enjoy the rest of your Christmas.

Sandie

OPEN FOR BUSINESS AGAIN.

I'm back at home again after freezing cold weather at the fairs. However I survived. I've marked off all of the items that I sold at the fairs, which was a huge amount, and have also deleted almost all of the sold items. I hope that this will make it easier for people to find items that are still for sale.

I have re-opened the Rag Rescue shop again just for a few days until Wednesday of this week at which time it will be closed until Monday 15th December. After this the shop will be open all the time again until the beginning of February. On my return next Sunday I shall try and get more items listed in between getting ready for the festive activities.

I'd like at this point to say that I am so grateful for all of the sales I made to my wonderful customers from all over the world, many of whom were return buyers, a big thank you to you all.

BEEN BUSY LISTING AGAIN.

Just a few of the 51 new items now on Rag Rescue website.
Click on the image and be taken there as if by magic.

Just thought I'd list a few more items before packing up for the fairs again. Gosh! they come around so quickly.
Swinderby Antique Fair - 2nd -3rd December
Newark Fair - 4th - 5th December
Stafford Fair bingley Hall - 12th - 14th December

Why not buy some items for your crafty friends this Christmas. Wrap them up with a big ribbon and imagine how pleased they will be when they open them.

A little late, but as I promised, here are some pictures of what my Japanese friend, Midori made from the fabrics and scrap bags she bought from me. Aren't they just wonderful.

I'd like to ask all of my wonderful customers to send in pictures of the creations they have made so we can all see them.
I'm busy listing antiques on ebay at the moment but hope to be able to get round to listing more items on Rag Rescue in a few days.

What a busy month

Gosh! I've just looked at my blog and realised that it is a month since I talked to you all.- Sorry. The thing is I've been so busy since I came out of hospital. overdoing things as is usual for me but I've survived. The operation went well apart from being allergic to the cyclazine drug they gave me for the sickness. Thank goodness the nurse came to do my obs in the middle of the night or I would not have been writing to you all now. I didn't have a problem with it as I was oblivious to the situation until the next morning when the nurses kept telling me that I had given everyone a scare. Still no problem, I'm over it all now and feeling better than I have for years.

I had a week of doing absolutely nothing at home and then started to prepare the last items ready for the long 9 days exhibiting at the antique Fairs. Not exactly what the doctor ordered, but when you own your own business that is what you have to do. All went well and the fairs were good to us, so thank you to everyone who bought from us. We met lots of new clients from Japan, America and Australia, Italy and Germany and of course from good old England. We were absolutely shattered on our return home but after a week of domestic activities we set off to Scotland for a week holiday which my darling son Daniel bought for me as a treat to help me to recover. It was absolutely super to get away from it all. The weather was not too kind but we relaxed and I got a lot of felting work done.

So now I'm back home with lots of wonderful fabrics etc piled up ready to wash, iron, photograph and list on my site. The problem I have is space, so today I've listed some larger fabrics to sell off cheaply in order to make room for the new ones.

Before I go today I'd just like to tell you that one of my lovely customers in Japan has sent me some photographs of the items she has created from the scrap bags she purchased from Rag Rescue. I will post them tomorrow.

In the meantime take a look at the 'New lisings' on the site. you may find something that takes your fancy.

As a final and very important note, I'd like to thank all you wonderful people out there that sent me messages, cards and presents to wish me well and a big thank you to my dear German friend Monika who sent me a wonderful felted 'Guardian angel which I took into hospital with me and which really helped to look after me.

BACK HOME

Hi everybody,

Just to let you all know that I am back in the land of the living. They let me out of the hospital on Friday evening. The operation was a success especially as they managed to remove the gall bladder by keyhole surgery. I'm coping quite well and am managing the slight discomfort the operation has caused. If I take it steady I should be able to go to the antique fairs in two weeks time.
I'm hoping to list some items on the site in a day or two when my head clears from the anaesthetic.
Keep a look out here for the notice of listings.

Orders are continuing to be taken.

Focussing hard on an image

I will be focussing hard on this image tomorrow as I wait for my operation. It is such a tranquil place at this time of year. Ulleswater, in the Lake District is where we often stop off for a picnic after a day at the auctions. The auction will have to go on tomorrow without me, gall bladder removal here I come and I can't wait. I may have spent the last six months on a fat free diet, lost nearly three stone and learnt to manage the pain but I don't need it so its going. I looking on it as a bit of an Autumnal clean. Well I'm having to joke about it. My global friends have been so reassuring. I've had a felted guardian angel sent me and numerous prayers being said tomorrow. Thank you to all of you, your kind words have been very comforting.

Rag Rescue is not closing - work must go on. I've instructed my husband and whilst I'm in hospital, (two days at the most I hope) then please bear with us. Communication will be a little slower but we will get your items to you, so continue to send in your orders please.

OLD BOOKS COVERED IN RECYCLED VINTAGE FRENCH FABRIC.

I managed to list a few items for you this morning. Lovely old observer books that I have made slip covers for. they look superb stacked together on a side table. The covers can be removed easily for laundering when necessary.

This is the last listing I will be making for a few days I'm afraid. my gall bladder is playing up again and I know from past experience that I have to slow down a little.
I will be taking orders of course, that isn't a problem as my husband can help me out there.
I am hoping that by the end of September after my operation I will be back to full health and fitness.
I will keep up this blog and still keep buying wonderful items. I would love it if people would leave comments here as they always cheer me up.

Fabulous French fabrics

Large pieces of Vintage and Antique French fabrics listed today.

Rag Rescue

Buttons and bits

OOdles of buttons and haberdashery items listed today.

Rag Rescue

You keep looking, I'll keep listing.

ANOTHER FABRIC SAVED

FABRIC THAT IS RECYCLED TWICE.

I bought a lot of French fabric at the Newark fair this time. I usually buy boxes of scraps but my friend from France was not at the fair this time. I therefore had to hunt around and to my amazement I found this wonderful fabric. Wonderful in two senses really. The pattern is beautiful and the fact that someone else or rather something else had liked the fabric also made it extra special in my eyes. They had liked it so much that they decided to take parts of it to their nest.
CLEVER MICE.
I managed to get the fabric at a reduced rate as the lady hadn't realised how badly chewed it was. I suppose she thought that her luck couldn't come along twice in a day in the shape of a crazy lady buying mice eaten fabric.

Not so crazy really. I had tested the fabric and found that the parts in-between the nibbles were strong, although the dark pink flowers had obviously attracted his/her attention rather more than the other flowers. I soaked the fabric for a few hours, dried it and ironed it and set about cutting it into pieces for scrap bags.
WASTE NOT WANT NOT.

LISTING MORE SCRAP BAGS TODAY - LOTS OF ROSY FABRICS.

STOCK UP YOUR STASH

I wanted to do just two things this week outside. Number one was to wash and dry all of the lovely fabrics I bought at the fairs and no. 2 was to get my husband cementing the wall in the garden.
It is so typical of the English weather, whenever you want to work outside it rains and rains and rains.

So the new fabrics are still drying inside and hopefully I will be able to get a few scrap bags cut for you tomorrow.
I've listed some more scrap bags that I had completed before the fairs and some large fabrics that were in my stash.
Hope you enjoy looking at the new items I am listing. I shall be listing every day this week.

KEEP LOOKING HERE
and stock up for your Autumnal and Winter crafting activities.

Many old fabrics rescued.

RAG RESCUE SHOP OPENS AGAIN.

I was very pleased with the fabrics I found at the fairs. It took a lot of leg work and a great more haggling than usual but I managed to buy antique and vintage fabrics from France, Belgium, Germany and the UK at a reasonable price. Gone are the days when there were tables upon tables of old fabrics. Most have either been sent along for recycling and made into rags or they have been shipped abroad.
Of course some dealers are on a different planet to the rest of us. I picked out a square of French fabric around 20 inches square and the price being asked for it was £46. It wasn't in perfect condition and I would only have got two scrap bags out of it. Well I suppose that dealer will be keeping her fabrics for a very long time.
Unfortunately my normal dealer wasn't at the fairs so I will have to wait until October for the really cheaper pieces.

Now the washing and ironing marathon begins.

RAG RESCUE WEBSITE CLOSED - discounts at the fairs.

Swinderby Antiques and Home show.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT BOTH 'RAG RESCUE' AND 'ODDITIES ANTIQUES' WEBSITES ARE NOW CLOSED UNTIL THE 10TH AUGUST.

I am going to the fairs, therefore please do not pay for any orders as the items you would like may already have been sold at the fairs.
If you would like to order, then please email me and my house sitter will print out the orders for me and I will contact you when I return.

WHY NOT COME AND SEE ME AT

SWINDERBY ANTIQUE AND HOME SHOW MARQUEE 'B' - STALL 35/36
ON 5TH/6TH AUG. (WEDNESDAY IS FREE ADMITTANCE )

OR

AT NEWARK ANTIQUES FAIR. SIR GEORGE STEPHENSON BUILDING - STALL F38 ON 7TH/8TH AUG.

Website details and links to the fairs can be seen on the post below.

PRINT OFF THIS PAGE AND I WILL GIVE YOU A 10% DISCOUNT.
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.

The Japanese ladies love Rag Rescue fabrics..

A few weeks ago a lovely Japanese lady from Japan purchased fabrics from Rag Rescue.
Since then we have been communicating regularly using that wonderful invention the translation widget.
The Japanese love our old fabrics and 'M' is no exception. She has previously made the items you see here using English and French vintage fabrics and I am sure you will agree with me when I say they are so beautiful and incredibly well made. 'M' insists that she is only an amateur, and creates them in her spare time.
A big thank you goes to 'M' for allowing me to show her work.

At the international Antique Fairs, 'Rag Rescue' sells to customers from all over the world and now that we are live on the web, our customers return time and time again.

You will be able to find us next week at the International Antiques and Home Show at Swinderby in the 'B' Marquee and at the Newark International Antiques Fair in the George Stephenson building at the far end.

Come along and have a fun day.

NEW CATEGORIES ON RAG RESCUE WEBSITE

Three new categories were added to the website yesterday.

1. Vintage books and patterns

2.Stash bags.

3. Crafted items.

I managed to place 15 items in the 'Vintage books and patterns category' for you. These are great old Needlework booklets and the ideas are so inspirational. I know you will be able to adapt the lovely ideas for any method of working.

Apologises for any inconvenience caused by the problem on the 'Vintage books and patterns' category which we encountered yesterday evening and early this morning.
The problem has now been fixed.

Beautiful ribbon work.

Day 26
Originally uploaded by crazyQstitcher

A favourite of mine is roses either as a design on fabric or in embroidery. Check out 'crazyQstitcher' on Flickr to see her other work. You won't be disappointed.

Using recycled fabric and silks in my felt work.

Cushion centre piece.

I inserted vintage fabric in the centre of the hand made wet felt and the silks were on the whole Victorian. The corner flowers are 19th century crewel work taken from damaged bed covers.

See my 'FELTISSIMO' blog for more information.

Beautiful gold metallic embroidery

I just love the old metallic embroidery. It is so superbly executed. I bought this piece of velvet on eBay, just for the gold work. It was probably originally made for use as a dress bodice front but would look superb incorporated into a larger piece or indeed framed as it is.
I was even more delighted when I turned this piece over, to find that it was Russian as it has a clear stamp. My excitement was because I love all art works Russian as my husbands family comes from Russia.

This piece really cheered me up, as it arrived on the same day as my hospital visit to see the consultant. Still, not too serious, just that my gall bladder has to come out. At least I now have a date for the operation for the 16th September so the sooner that comes along, I can back to normality. The last 6 months have been difficult for me to work at my normal pace, I even had to leave my stall at Newark Antiques fair at the beginning of June and be carried off in an ambulance to Lincoln hospital. So you can see that I won't be shedding any tears over the loss of my gall bladder.

So if I'm not writing as much as promised this is the reason. I will try to keep the Rag Rescue website going as long as I can, so keep sending in your orders. Hopefully, I will manage to get around Newark this time and buy some wonderful French fabrics for you all.
I'm off to do the fairs at Swinderby on 4th - 6th August and Newark on the 7th & 8th August, so if you have any requests, please send them before I set off.

RagRescue

RagRescue
Originally uploaded by jennypepper

Jenny posted this on her blog.

'RagRescue
This was a lovely gift from RagRescue, a great idea selling packs of haberdashery etc for recycling into new work.'

I can't wait to see what she makes with it all.
Thanks Jenny

FREEBIES - Increase your stash.

YES! I'm giving away some freebies as an introduction to a new line - STASH BAGS.

The first three people who leave a comment will get a FREE stash bag with FREE postage.

When these STASH BAGS are introduced on the RAG RESCUE website they will cost £3.50 + postage.

If after the first three comments have been left, you would like to but a Stash Bag then still leave me a comment requesting a purchase.

After you have left a comment then PLEASE contact me via my profile and contact email address, so that I can discuss postage details where necessary.

This is an example of a STASH BAG. It will contain similar items. See the images below and click for a larger version.

Fabric, 2 small pieces of lace, cotton

3 lengths of ribbon, braid, 3 fabric strips

length of sequins, gold coloured braid

Vintage buttons including mother of pearl

3 embroidery silks

2 small quilted squares from an English Victorian quilt.

Obviously colours will vary as this is just an example..
Best of Luck
Sandie

My completed felted woodland floor

See the larger image by clicking.
Just thought I'd show you my completed felted woodland floor. It will be posted off to my son's partner next week for her birthday.

Take a look at the Rag Rescue website for fabrics, embellishments and silks to enhance your work.

Sharon B's - In a minute ago -blog review.

I came across 'Sharon B's' blog whilst searching for embellishments, a while back. It is the most amazing site and well worth a visit.

Sharon has been blogging for 4 years and in that time has built up a whole notable size of resources relating to textiles, both contemporary and historical. Not only does she exhibit her own gorgeous crazy quilting but gives descriptions of the materials and stitches used.

At Sharon's blog you will find superb photographs, a stitch dictionary, projects worked on for charity, challenges and social software sites, to name but a few.

This is a blog we should visited time and time again to increase our skills and gain inspiration from.
.

Online tips, tutorials, resources and ideas.

It always amazes me the amount of talent there is in this world and how willingly people are to share it with others. Blogs carry so much information about crafts that it would take a lifetime to search through them all. I have a list of excellent blogs that I visit regularly and I have decided to share them with you. By writing a quick review of each, I hope that they will inspire and teach you new methods of working with textiles both old and new. I will include a category on the side of this blog for quick access so that you can find the reviews quickly whenever you wish to browse.

Watch this space!

Chinese embroideries.

I just love antique Chinese embroideries. Not only is the embroidery so superbly executed but the fabric on which it is embroidered has wonderful designs on the silk.

This piece of Chinese embroidery is hand worked in fabulous shades of silk thread. The silk on which it is embroidered has a pattern of clouds.
You will find many pieces of these Chinese embroideries on the 'RagRescue' website.
I managed to salvage two old kimono's that had worn badly and were past repair. I saved the best bits of embroideries , as I you all know I can't throw anything away.

Superb as a collection or would look wonderful on a hanging or quilt top.

Felted vintage flowers

My second avoidance strategy.
I wanted to try out something different, so I added these vintage velvet flowers between the layers of wool fibres A few dried leaves and flower stamens at the bottom of the piece will make a good foundation for the woodland floor. A sprinkle of lavender makes it smell so wonderful and gives it texture. All I have to do now is embellish it with embroidery.

Paperwork avoidance strategy

If you read my post yesterday you'll know that I was looking for an avoidance strategy away from doing the company books ready for the tax man. Well I found it. I decided that after 5 hours on the computer I'd spend the rest of the afternoon felting.

I just love wet felting as I find it is great for releasing stress. I had no idea what I wanted to create, but having said that, that's how I work. Having all my bits and pieces together I began to lay layers of fabric on the base and what you see above is the result so far.

Normally I don't lay any fibres on top of the fabric but this time I did as I wanted a textured piece but reasonably flat. I used alpaca wool for the first time, something I'd bought at last years woolfest in Cumbria. Not sure how happy I am with using it as it is very hairy and I had to do a lot of trimming. I can see wonderful images in this piece, great ideas for my embellishing. you will be able to follow this pieces development on my other blog FELTISSIMO

Yet another use for Rag Rescue fabric scrap bags.

Flying dragons

This little motif reminds me of the day my grand-daughter Molly went hunting dragons around the house. She is only two and a half but her imagination is developing so quickly. Of course we had to make sure that she shooed them all away before she went home otherwise at night time it would have been granny who was the dragon.
Well I don't really think I'm going to enjoy my work today. I've timetabled in for the start of doing my books for the tax man, a thing I hate doing. I was hoping that I could walk down the road to the beach to cheer me up but it looks as if it may be wet again today. Any ideas on an hours respite will be gratefully received.

The return

I'd like to apologise to all of you who regularly read my blog, for the lack of posts. Unfortunately I have been ill and have been struggling with the every day business things that needed doing. When I got around to blogging my energy had gone. Still I'm now on the list for removal of my gall bladder so the quicker that comes the better.

For all of those I have a chat to at the Newark Antiques Fair, I am sorry I missed you and I hope Steve could find what you wanted. I was there at the beginning but had a serious bout at the stall and two wonderful St. Johns ambulance people later, three paramedics and two ambulances dealt with me quickly, whisking me off to the Lincoln hospital where I spent the next few days in somewhat oblivion due to the morphine.

At the moment I'm back on form, missing my chocolate and cheese but healthier and one and a half stone lighter for the new diet. So I'm hoping to post a blog at least every other day to keep you in touch with what is happening with me and of course the Rag Rescue. I have so much stuff to list that I am determined to list new items every week while I can. I've made a new start by listing 30 items of scrap bags, ribbons (some lovely old ones like the picture here) braids and lace. So please take a look.

Ideas for using recyled fabric. No. 1

Books covered with vintage fabric
Originally uploaded by Feltissimo

I thought I'd use some scraps of fabric to cover some books. A vintage button holds the ribbon which can be used to tie the book securely or used as a book mark.
Now on sale in my etsy shop

Original French 1950's gold lame

French 1950's gold lame
Originally uploaded by Feltissimo

I bought this wonderful 1950's gold lame from a dealer friend who lives in France. He has the most amazing stall absolutely full of of French haberdashery, trims and fabric. He had bought out an old haberdashery shop somewhere in the South of France and had boxes of this gold lame and also gold metal thread. His stall is like an Aladins cave, fabric everywhere, boxes and boxes of trims piled on top of each other. this is normally where I salvage my French fabrics from. Long may it continue.

DISASTER IS AROUND THE CORNER WAITING TO HAPPEN.

Bags of texiles at a landfill taken by TRAID

I went to the TRAID website today. If you are concerned about saving the planet then it is worth a look.
I love textiles as you probably know and am trying to do my bit by recycling as many textiles as I can. I buy as many clothes as I can for myself at charity shops and those that I decide aren't me, I cut up for crafting ideas or supplies. I started my website RAG RESCUE in order to give people the opportunity to recycle old fabrics and many of you have discovered that you can re-use these fabrics and trims to make delightful items.

Today I'd like you to stop and think when you go out shopping to buy a new dress or bag. Look at the points below that I have found on TRAID, perhaps after reading you will think twice about buying new and go to such places as ETSY and INDEPUBLIC where you will find superb individual designs that have been created out of recycled fabrics.

For those of you that already dress themselves in these wonderful recycled products or indeed make them , please send me photo's or links and I will show them on my website.

Just take a minute of your time to read these HORRORS:

The fashion industry is producing new styles at a frantic rate
2.15 million tonnes of new clothing are purchased in the UK each year.
Virgin resources are being used faster than they can be produced.

This creates the following serious problems:

900,000 million items of clothing are thrown away to landfill in this country as new one are replaced
*The Man-made fibres do not decompose.
*The Woollens compose but produce methane.
*Toxic pesticides and other chemicals are being used to grow cotton
*Energy is being used to transport products around the globe.
*The grasslands of the Alashan Plateau in China have been turned into a dustbowl due to over grazing of goats for cashmere.
*In Uzbekistan, 85% of the Aral Sea has disappeared as a result of drainage for cotton production.

All this contributes to global warming and climate change and changes our planet forever.

BUY RECYCLED ITEMS PLEASE

Lots of squares just listed

I've just listed a large number of Vintage English and French fabric squares. Amongst them are a large quantity of Vintage Laura Ashley fabrics which have never been used before.

Take a look at Rag Rescue Website in the 'New Products' section so see all the new sqaures.

4inch square only 40p
5" inch squares only 50p and
6" inch squares only 60p.

Please read the previous post if you wish to contact me about anything.