Monday is all squared up with vintage fabric

RAG RESCUE WEBSITE 

Why are there never enough hours in the day.

Short post sorry, must press on.

Fabric Friday

at Rag Rescue tomorrow

Thursday is all patched up.

More vintage patches at 

RAG RESCUE WEBSITE  tomorrow

Sparkly Wednesday

Lots of sparkly embellishments tomorrow

RAG RESCUE WEBSITE

Love hate relationship with computers

RAG RESCUE WEBSITE

ON

TUESDAY 23RD FEBRUARY

What a 24hrs I have had with problems on the website.

Yesterday an error message came up when the basket was clicked which was sorted pretty quickly once I found out and then this morning the checkout didn't work. I presume the checkout didn't work yesterday either. I wondered why things had gone quiet.

Apparently some malicious requests had been made on the site and it had tripped the security rule on the server. I suppose it is rather like your fuse box. I thought that all was well until another customer told be about the checkout this morning. Unfortunately I don’t know about these things until customers tell me, as the server doesn’t send me a warning. Computer systems are great until they fail ,don't you think?

Still my server was brilliant as they replied and corrected the security rule within thirty minutes of receiving my ticket. So all is well again and orders can be placed once again.

Don't you just hate hackers Gr..........!

French vintage fabrics

RAG RESCUE WEBSITE 

Tomorrow, 6 French vintage fabrics will be listed on the website. They are all beautiful designs.

So what have I been doing today. Well my aim was to have the whole day felting in readiness for my granddaughter's visit next week. We are going to make a mobile for her baby brother who is due to be delivered on March 19th. 

After a morning of sorting out the website fault with the server I managed to start on it after lunch. I've really enjoyed myself making the various pieces so that she can embellish each piece whilst sitting on my knee. She is only just turned four so I'm, sure she will love this pastime on the embellisher. She has been making wet felt with me since the age of two but the embellisher will be something different. Her new brother Oliver will have a bird mobile with vintage silks on the body and 1920's feathers for the tails.

I thought I'd also better make Molly a mobile or she might get a wee bit jealous, so I thought she might like a fairy one made with felt and vintage fabric. I'll list the photo's on my other blog 'Feltissimo' when they are completed.

So, back to work again tomorrow taking more photo's of items to list the following week. It is amazing what you find when you clear out your stock room.

Rag Rescue website is go again.

For those customers that had difficulty using the site yesterday afternoon and evening, I would like to tell you that the site is now working fine, It was a problem with the server.

Thank you for your patience.

A Alicia

 

A Alicia

One of my customers has a wonderful website that is well worth a look. 

Here is a statement from her website:-

ABOUT A ALICIA

London based designer-maker A Alicia produces exquisite handmade fashion accessories based on exploiting the textural and sculptural possibilities of ethically produced fabrics, as well as their fabulous depth of colour.

A love of craft and the skills involved is fundamental to A Alicia’s work, with contemporary and historical craft techniques providing constant inspiration.

All A Alicia products are exclusively designed and handmade by A Alicia.

A Alicia is committed to being an ethical, sustainable producer with minimal environmental impact.

I use only fabrics/wool which are made from fairtrade, organic cotton, or which are recycled.

Thumbs up for NHS acupuncture

I am so very pleased with my acupuncture treatment for my frozen shoulder. I've been visiting our local hospital physiotherapy department since before Christmas. Initially I rejected the offer of that dreaded injection and asked if I could have acupunture as it had worked a few years back when I tore my Achilles tendon and also when my left shoulder froze.

My physio has been brilliant. He is the triage physio at the hospital and has been trained in acupuncture for many years. I wasn't able to go every week due to the fact that he was often away on courses for frozen shoulders, but he tried what he had learnt on the courses on me. No more gruelling exercises or tugging and pulling  just gentle massage and acupuncture needles, that are so fine you can hardly feel them.

He has been so very amazed at my quick recovery as he said that he had rarely since such an intensely frozen shoulder before.

Last week I only had one needle and that was put in my right lower leg, strange I know but afterwards I could fasten my bra at the back for the first time in many months. I thought that this week he would dismiss me but he offered me two options. The first was to go away and let nature continue with the healing and the second one which I chose was to have an acupuncture patch. It is a tiny plaster only 8mm diameter and in the centre is a little metal ball which I have to place on a trigger point on my right leg. I have to press it occasionally until I feel the pain. I go again to see the progress made but he think that if I wear one every day for the next few weeks the healing process will be complete.

I can't tell you how relieved I am to be out of pain all day and not to wince every time I stretched out of my comfort zone.

I have written this post because I firmly believe in acupuncture because it is holistic but mainly because I have first hand experience that it DOES work. ALLyou have to do is follow the instructions given.

Of course the best thing is that it is absolutely free on the NHS

I don't suppose for one moment that my physio reads my blog but someone may and tell him.So a big thank you to Andrew at the Queen Victoria Hospital Morecambe.

All patched up on Friday

I can't believe it is Friday tomorrow. Where does the week go?

Apart from wrapping up numerous orders this week I've been attacking my stock room. Well you still have difficulty getting in it but I'm beginning to sort it out. Recently I managed to buy some lovely old drapers drawer boxes which are really large so I've been sorting out some more stock for the coming weeks. All the items that are on the website and go to fairs are numerically ordered so fortunately they don't need touching. It is all the boxes of haberdashery and embellishments that take up the space when they aren't sorted properly. Hopefully tomorrow will see a lovely neat and tidy stock room.

I'm going to be busy sorting out all of my boxes of ribbons tonight in front of the telly. One of my designers is looking for certain types so I'm just about to carry all the numerous boxes downstairs and start the hunt. I just love old ribbons so it will be a night of enjoyment.

Tomorrow I'm listing a few vintage patches from old quilts. This is the first of many in the coming weeks so keep a look out if that is what you like.

RAG RESCUE website tomorrow 7am GMT

Vintage embroidery

A lovely embroidered pinny ( on the left) and three lovely vintage embroideries being listed at

RAG RESCUE website tomorrow Thursday 7am GMT

Vintage black is beautiful

 

I just love antique and vintage black lace and bead work. I have been lucky enough to pick up some lovely Victorian and 1920's black bead work pieces, obviously once part of dresses. At the fairs I also managed to get some lovely antique French lace, two pieces shown above and a piece of a vintage English black lace.

All will be listed on the RAG RESCUE website tomorrow Wednesday 17th Feb. at 7am GMT

Lovely vintage fabrics on sale tomorrow

Large fabrics tomorrow

AT

RAG RESCUE WEBSITE

Happy Valentines Day

Where does the time go. I thought I would get so much done whilst I was on my own for four days and after the doing the business work, have time to do some creating. Not so I'm afraid to say. Well I've taken about 100 photographs and jpegged them and have just started setting up the new items for listing next week.

Actually I'm really lucky having such a wonderful husband. He may be a little eccentric due to his bi-polar condition but he does all of the shopping and cooking which allows me to spend the majority of the day working on the Rag Rescue part of the business.He won't be back home until around 9pm so we will have missed the majority of Valentines day but bless him he has just rung me up to wish me Happy Valentines day.

So here are the lovely goods being listed tomorrow.

All can be found at my RAG RESCUE website

 

 

Exciting news - V & A quilt exhibition

Set of Chintz bed hangings (detail), 1730-50. Museum no. 242-1908.

Taken from the V & A website   

What excitement I had today on opening an email. It was from Sarah who works on behalf of the Victoria and Albert museum. She had been reading this blog and saw that I was interested in quilts.

She thought that I would be interested in visiting the V&A’s major spring exhibition Quilts 1700 – 2010, which explores 300 years of British quilt making, showing more than 65 quilts predominantly from the V&A’s own collection.

She has invited me to a special preview of the exhibition. 

How wonderful, I feel so honoured. 

Unfortunately though, I can't go on that date as it is 2 days before my grandson will be born. 

I read down the email further and to my surprise she stated that if I couldn't make the preview then I could be sent a complimentary ticket to view the exhibition.

Now I don't go to London often and have never been on my own and......

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in joining me.

If so could you leave a message here on the blog or email me.

The exhibition runs from 20 March - 4th July.

I would like to go at the beginning of May. 

I know that a lot of my customers are interested in quilting so perhaps we could go as a group.

It would be great to meet some of you.

Vintage silk flowers and Irish crochet lace

I just love all vintage flowers as I know a lot of you do.

I thought they would cheer us all up and help us to put the cold days behind us for a while and look forward to Spring.
At well I'm sure you know, but in case you are new to the blog
RAG RESCUE WEBSITE
Tomorrow Friday - 7am GMT
Well the sky is blue at the moment here in Morecambe just right for walking Ludo.

A walk on the beach? We'll see.

But if we do he may need to be kept warm afterwards. Perhaps not, if yesterday was anything to go by when I took my granddaughter to the beach - Brrrrr! We had to get back in the car after five minute, these westerly winds cut right through you at this time of year.

Thursdays mixed pot

Something a little different tomorrow

at 

Rag Rescue website 

Must fly as I have to take molly back home and then help hubby to load the van ready for him to go off to the Stafford Bingley Hall Antiques fair tomorrow.

I'm staying at home in the warm, thank goodness and trying to catch up on housework (yuk!) and some buying I hope.

Vintage fabric squares on Wednesday

 

I've just cut out some new designs of vintage fabric squares this morning, which will be listed tomorrow (Wednesday). I thought I've got to keep you fabricaholics busy. After all you may want to make a quick card for your loved one for that special day on Sunday or you may be busy on the next task of Mothers day or even Easter crafts.

There will be more next week so don't worry if you can't find any you like.

RAG RESCUE WEBSITE

Bobbin lace samples,lace fan, cotton and haberdashery shop model

  

I would like to say first of all a big thank you for all of the emails I have received wishing me a speedy recovery.It was good to know that so many people were rooting for me. I am pleased to say that today I feel much better in myself just feeling a little weak so am working at half my normal pace. This perhaps is a good thing I know, as my body needs to recover it's strength.

So back to business, there are four more lovely items coming on the website tomorrow. A superb book of handmade bobbin lace, a lace fan, a historical pack of how cotton was made in England and a superb vintage model of a haberdashery shop.

All listed tomorrow

at

RAG RESCUE WEBSITE 

at 7am GMT

Mondays vintage fair finds

Tomorrow is the beginning of some new listings. The four items above were found at the fair I have just attended.

I'm struggling a little at the moment to fight off the flu but have managed to get some photography completed today and started washing some of the vintage fabrics I bought. The vintage fabrics will probably be listed next week unless I have an unusual spurt of energy.

Above can be seen a beautiful English boudoir cushion cover with hand embroidery and a garland of ribbon roses. It is probably 1930-40s. Also a French glove box, a French trinket box and an English needle holder tube, again 1940s.

Being listed Monday 8th February 7am GMT

at RAG RESCUE WEBSITE

If you subscribe to the Rag Rescue newsletter you will be getting a preview of more items that will be listed this week.

Back home early

I just thought I'd let you all know that I am back home. Unfortunately I didn't make the Newark fair. the fair at Lincolnshire showground was a success for us but the weather was dreadfully cold with night temperatures well below freezing. Even my electric toothbrush froze. I think I have caught a severe chill from standing out in this cold weather from 5am to 6pm each day. We packed the van up yesterday evening and I started shaking and aching all over and the headache I had had for the past two days just got worse. As we set off the snow arrived and we drove across country in a blizzard. By the time we reached my mothers house for the evening I couldn't stop shivering and the fever just escalated. SO we had to the make the decision to loose the £225 stall fee and head for home this morning as my health is more important.

Back home this morning I crawled into a hot bath and then into bed with a hot water bottle. After a couple of hours of sleep I am beginning to feel slightly better but still have a fever so will stay indoors for a while.

I will get orders packed up and my husband will post them tomorrow.

Thank you for your patience.

Just before I jump or rather crawl back into bed I'd just like to say that I bought lots of lovely fabric and beautiful items so will be listing them as soon as I feel better.