It is fair time again - Temporary website closure.

Well it is that time again when we pack up all of our stock and transport it to the Antique and Home fairs at Swinderby and Newark.

Rag Rescue website is now temporarily closed.
PLEASE DO NOT PAY FOR ITEMS BY PAYPAL AS THEY MAY BE SOLD AT THE FAIRS.

Ifyou wish to purchase items whilst I am away please state that you will pay by CHEQUE. That way I will be able to check if your items are still available, and will email you on my return home.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Preparing for the fairs.

I've been busy this last week making new scrap bags from some lovely fabrics that I have recently salvaged. The one on the far left are wonderful flowery lilac florals in a lilac colour all French fabrics. The centre one is Summer flowers, poppies and tulips and the right hand one is wonderful Victorian fabrics salvaged from Victorian quilts.
I will taking all of these and many more to the Antique and Home shows at Swinderby and Newark fairs next week. Why not spend a day out at these amazing fairs. Browse thousands of stall selling everything you can imagine. More information coming soon.

DID YOU KNOW? - No. 2 - Beetle wing embroidery

There was an amazing number of embroidery materials available in the 19th century. Amongst the wide variety were fish scales, feathers, beads, dried husks of larva cases and my favourite, iridescent beetle wings from India.

Over the past fifteen years of trading I have sold a number of pieces of fish scale embroidery and a couple of beetle wing embroideries. I had never before found any old unused beetle wings, until a couple of days ago. They are amazing. Very brittle and a dark brown on the reverse side. They were sold as above and the embroiderer pierces stitching holes in them with a hot needle.

I suppose some would say that they not PC these days and Jui Gabriel in his book on 'Victoriana' describes this kind of embroidery unsophisticated but I would disagree.

See this site for very impressive work -
Oakenking

DID YOU KNOW? - No.1 - Ayreshire work

As I am not listing new items on the website at the moment I thought I would start a
'DID YOU KNOW?' section here on the blog.

Ayrshire white work.

Ayrshire work is one of the most beautiful of embroideries bequeathed by the 18th century. It originated from Ayrshire, also the west coast of Scotland and from Ireland. Its heyday lasted from about 1795 to the late 1850's.
The patterns were often floral and enhanced many christening gowns and bonnets.

Unfortunately blindness in women increased dramatically when Ayrshire white work was being embroidered. In Ayrshire and Western Scotland agents travelled around cottages where the women and daughters were only to pleased to take in needlework to eke out their menfolk's meagre wages. The embroidery was so fine and was executed by candlelight. In Winter they used to work in the cow sheds to keep warm from the heat of the cows. As they were so poor they needed to work very long hours working on the embroidery and when they got tired they bathed their eyes with whisky to give them a few more hours clearer vision. Eventually they went blind.

Last listing day until April

Here is a preview of SOME of the items I am listing in the morning at 10am
Thank you to the people who emailed me with their requests. I will be listing Antique and vintage lace white and cream, faded linen and vintage silk embroidery threads as requested.

I have not been feeling well today and so have been working very slowly I'm afraid. Although I intended to list items every day until the middle of next week I have made a decision to make tomorrow my last day of listing until I return from the fairs at the beginning of April. This does not mean that the website is closed it is just that I won't be putting anything else on until April. Please keep your orders coming.

I have been buying a lot recently especially the antiques and before they go out to the fair, they all have to be cleaned, polished and labelled, packed up carefully etc etc. On top of all that I have to get my records up to date, for when I return from the fairs it will be the end of the financial year.

Having said all that I have to prepare many of the new Rag Rescue items ready to take, ensuring that they are all cross referenced to the website so that I can recognise what has been sold.

SO if you have been pondering about buying an item on the site, please don't hesitate as the site will be closing temporarily on Friday evening the 27th March until Sunday the 7th April.

April is our busiest fair of the year with more foreigners visiting than at any other time of the year especially this year with the state of the GB pound. I sell numerous items of Rag Rescue
at the fairs so I'd hate you to be disappointed.

What would you like listed on Sunday

New listings on Rag Rescue tomorrow

Above are some of the items being listed tomorrow at 10am as I have to go to the post office, where is my man when I need him.

Sunday is YOUR day.

Tell me what you would like me to list, perhaps something you can't find elsewhere or more of the same but different if you know what I mean. Perhaps you would like to see more Victorian scrapbags, fabrics, lace or haberdashery items. The choice is yours.

Please email me before tomorrow morning so I can start snapping and listing.
You can contact me by going to 'MY PROFILE' on the right hand side, just scroll down to find it.

BEAT THE FRIDAY 13TH SUPERSTITIONS. - BE HAPPY LOOKING AT RAG RESCUE

Recycle with Rag Rescue
Have a smile on your face 0n FRIDAY 13TH
See 46 new items
of

Luscious lace,
Fine fabrics,
Splendiferous squares,
Resplendent ribbons,
and

Blissful buttons.
listing at 7am UK time.

No Listing today but tomorrow -

I'm really sorry but I'm not listing today BUT tomorrow morning - Friday. I'm really running behind at the moment. However I will be listing 46 items tomorrow morning at
7am - promise. Lots of lace, fabrics, buttons, ribbons and squares.

SORRY NO LISTING TOMORROW

I am really sorry to have to say that there will not be a listing of new items tomorrow. I'm afraid I have to go to an auction. This auction was not supposed to be taking place as it was not listed on my original list. However after taking a phone call from my friend who we share travelling with, this morning, apparently they have changed their minds. My husband unfortunately cannot go as he is preparing to go to an Antique fair on Thursday.

Hopefully I will manage to buy some more great items to show you.

My next listing will be on Thursday of this week and I will list in the late afternoon as I have to go to the dentist aaaarhhhh!

Antique and vintage lace, scrapbags and squares

I'm starting this weeks listing with some wonderful antique and vintage lace, French fabric scrapbags and a variety of Victorian and vintage squares of fabric.

Listing tomorrow, Tuesday 10th March at 7am UK time.

Click below to go straight to the 'New Listing' page tomorrow morning.

New listings - 10th March

Wonderful feedback for the Rag Rescue website

I was clearing out my email inbox yesterday and found some of the wonderful feedback that customers had left after receiving goods they had bought from the
RAG RESCUE WEBSITE

I thought I would share them with you all.


***
What a lovely surprise this grey and rainy morning... the parcel just arrived safe and sure with all these lovely treasures... all items are definitely a wonderful treat!!! (fabric 574 indeed reminds me of my grandma's living room!!! Thank You.

***

Thank you for saving me added postage. you have a very friendly website and one doesn't see that very often.
You go the extra mile!

***
Just to confirm that my order arrived today, and that I am very happy with it.
Thanks for such quick service!

***
I was so thrilled with my last order. It arrived in no time and everything was even nicer than it looked on the website. I just love the colours of the old fabrics. I was really delighted with the substitute beads and waistcoat pieces. Thank you so much.
I'm sure I'll be shopping with you again very soon.

***
Your packet arrived safe and sound today. Thanks so much for everything,
including your fast, efficient service and those extras! - really kind of
you. The quilt pieces will work perfectly for little pin cushions - I can't
wait to get started!

***
Thank you so much for the lovely parcel which arrived today! It was so beautifully wrapped it felt like a present! I will definitely add your website to my favourites.
Thanks again and keep searching for all those interesting scraps.

***
I received your parcel a couple days ago and just wanted to let you know that I'm thoroughly delighted with the fabrics! ?And it's very kind of you to send the lovely gold thread piece as well (much appreciated and I will certainly put it to use ? I'm even tempted to get a couple more of these from your website...).

***
Thank you so much. I recieved my order beautifully packaged as always. Thank you. I am sure i will be ordering from you again soon.

***
Just a quick email to say that the package arrived safely today. That was fast wasn't it all the way done here! Thanks so much. The things are lovely.

***
Thank you for the always lovely item.
I am all glad at a great item.

***
My order arrived today,and I have to say that I am delighted with it! Beautifully packaged and wonderful items. Thank you so much.

***
The commodity reached.
It very liked "Rag Rescue items". Could you introduce rosy fabrics?

***
All packages from the first series arrived, the last one last saturday. And from the second series arrived B and C with again such lovely "stuff", thank you! But the best of all -hehehe- is the pink bag *g*... I like it very much and my friend too! Brightens up a rainy day!

Life is good. Lace is better.

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin."
Coco Chanel, April 29, 1939

Listing more lace tomorrow

Monday 2nd March at 7am

Don't miss out.

If you want to find out more about antique lace
visit 'The Lace fairy' website