Friday 29 January 2010

Lincolnshire Fair -



I thought you might like to look at these photo's of previous shows. I will be at the Lincolnshire Antique and Home Show on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

Vintage fabric scrapbag Friday

 

Guess what? I was so busy catching up on paperwork yesterday that I forgot to write my blog. Anyway here is the picture of the scrapbags that have just been listed on the site. I notice that they have come out rather dark I'm afraid. It is the January light, very dull days of late. Sorry about that, the fabrics are really pretty so I'm afraid you will have to use your imagination a little on these.
Well I must get on, things to do and people to see before I go off on Sunday.
Please don't forget that all orders placed after midnight tonight will be posted on 8th February on my return.

Wednesday 27 January 2010

Thursdays mix of antique and vintage fabric etc



Another busy day here at Rag Rescue.I spent the morning getting orders ready for posting, such a lot today, thank you to all my wonderful customers. This afternoon I've started packing the antique boxes ready for the fair. Its a good job mum has returned home because I think every room has either boxes, paintings, Victorian scooters, French champagne racks, bobbin winders, large wooden mill spools or cart wheels in. That is before I start packing the Rag Rescue goods on Saturday afternoon.
I did have a lovely surprise this morning though, some wonderful Victorian and 1920's black beadwork arrived via our lovely postie. That will stay at home, I don't want it getting pulled about at the fairs.
I'm building up quite a list now of items people want me to find, so if you haven't already contacted me please do so before Sunday morning.

Sunday 24 January 2010

Colour it lilac with vintage fabric on Monday



Lots more Vintage fabric scraps being listed this week.
The image above shows the eight that are being listed tomorrow.
There are vintage fabrics from France, Germany and England with a couple of Victorian quilt fabrics thrown in.
All at

Monday 25th January 2010 at 7am GMT

Well the fairs are almost upon us yet again. I go away a week today, so I'd be really grateful if all orders could be paid for by 5pm next Friday 29th Jan. This will give me time to parcel up and post on Saturday. Of course any orders paid for before this date will be posted either the same or the next day.

I'm going armed with my laptop this time so the website will be left open for orders but of course items will not be able to be posted until the 8th February.
As this is a big crafting time with Valentines Day, Mothers Day and Easter looming I've decided to list new items during the week I'm away. I'll set up the listings before I go so the system will do it automatically. The new listings during my away week will not be taken to the fairs so there will be no chance of them being sold there.
I just thought this might help you with your availability of stock.

Sunday 17 January 2010

Trimming up Monday with vintage trims.


Vintage trims and embellishments being listed tomorrow at

So what has been happening with Sandie at Rag Rescue?

Phew! well, after having my 82 year old mother staying with us for the past month, she finally went home today so I've managed to put the next two weeks listings on the automatic update on the website today.
My mother is not well having suffered with cancer, hand trouble, and angina etc since dad died 6 years ago. She has realised that the time has come when she needs to be looking at moving in with us. Unfortunately as you all know it is a bad time to sell a house so we are trying to split the Winter months up with long stays at our house. I am so pleased that she wasn't on her own during the artic weather we have just come out of.
So as well as running the Rag Rescue website and being a carer for my husband I have been caring for mum as well, doing all the little caring jobs that her carers do for her when she is at home. Unfortunately we only got out a couple of times and you can well imagine why but at least I had breaks away from the computer.
We did manage to go to an auction yesterday, our favourite one, so our antique stock levels have risen slightly. Hopefully after the two auctions next week we will be back up to full strength in that department. Of course now I have to log everything in, wait for hubby to clean everything and then I will be able to price and label the items and finally next week start the packing. Its a good job mum has gone home  as the house becomes very busy and cluttered and she might have changed her mind about coming to live here. Still she is very adaptable, fortunately.
Having said all of that please excuse me if you only get the photo's of the next days listing for the next couple of days as I shall be busy, getting the stock ready, emailing, wrapping and posting orders and going to auctions.
SO you can see my life is very full of lovely things to do but I must admit I flop in front of the television of the evening and wait for my wonderful hubby to serve me my dinner.
Housework!! not for the next couple of weeks, just hope that know one calls in.
Bye for now.

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Vintage fabric patches 2


More vintage fabric patches tomorrow at
at 7am GMT

Well had a laugh this afternoon. We donned our Winter woollies and set off in the van to an auction in the Pennines. We hadn't been there before but had heard that every Wednesday evening they had a collectables sale.The road were reasonably clear although the snow was piled up at the sides. Then it started to snow, only lightly but I wondered if we would get home later if the snow became heavy. Well as you can see I'm home, had a Chinese take-away and a rest. Not sure what happened to the collectables, well there were about 20 lots of pottery in one building, not my scene any more as it doesn't sell like it used to. We move over to the other building as there were plenty of people milling about. Yes, plenty of farmers. The building was the venue for the animal stock auctions. There were a few pens with household goods that someone no longer wanted and rows and rows of chickens in tiny metal cages. In another part of the building there were people selling, snakes, hamsters, rabbits etc. In the third building it was like a Sunday market with traders selling cheap items. So we had travelled in the snow for 1 hour and 20 minutes to see this. As you can imagine we turned around and came back home very disappointed and still without any new stock to take to the fairs in two weeks time. Apparently it isn't normally like that we were told, it was the weather, the auction room is normally full of collectables that people no longer want. I think we will wait until the weather warms up before we venture there again. Still as our dealer friend used to say 'If you don't go, you don't know' Hmmmm!
Perhaps our auction on Saturday will be more fruitful, at least there is a catalogue of items for sale.

Tuesday 12 January 2010

Vintage fabric patches 1


Tomorrow starts the first of the three day listings of antique / vintage fabric patches.
Listed at

7am GMT

Monday 11 January 2010

Vintage fabric 2


A mixture of vintage fabrics are being listed tomorrow. Some lovely dark purple cotton for use as is or edging around cushions and bag. A fabulous long piece of vintage slub linen unused sold by the metre and a piece of pretty pink 1950s rose decorated nylon. There will also be some more strip rolls.
See them at RAG RESCUE at 7am GMT tomorrow.

Sunday 10 January 2010

Vintage fabric 1


Tomorrow is the first day of two days when I am listing larger pieces of fabric.
On Monday 11th January I will be listing the above 10 fabrics.
There are two pieces of retro 1950s fabric, three pieces of 1930's fabric and five other vintage fabrics that are ideal for making bags, cushions, skirts or blouses.
All will be listed at 7am GMT tomorrow
at

Thursday 7 January 2010

Vintage embellishments


I thought I would list a few new vintage embellishments tomorrow for a change from fabric. I know my designer customers love to use them in their designs.
You will be able to see them at
from tomorrow morning 7am GMT onwards.

The big freeze continues


Hubby is ill in bed so it was my turn to walk Ludo this morning. After donning on all of my thermals, I set out down the road just after dawn. the tide was coming in and all the birds were waiting for their breakfast on the shore. The snow on the mountains of the Lake District had a wonderful pink hue and all was quiet, not a car or pedestrian in sight. Only the bird song broke the silence.



We haven't had as much snow as the surrounding areas but apart from the main roads nothing has been gritted. the pavements and the prom were lethal for what snow we had had was trampled down and turned into solid ice. It is at least 15 years since Morecambe has had snow like this  and we have now had snow since just before Christmas with only a couple of days in between when it almost cleared.




Ludo loves the snow, having four legs helps I'm sure. he ran around madly whilst I held onto my walking pole and tottered along like an old lady.

So today I stay in again for most of the day. I'm not going to risk going to the auction on my own, those country lanes will not have been gritted and although I don't mind driving in the snow, ice is a different matter.
The schools here are still closed. I remember when I was teaching that the head insisted that we get into school. My friend and I drove 18 miles in a blizzard with huge snow drifts either side only to discover as we thought that no children had turned up. All of our children had to be bussed in and of course the bus company wouldn't risk it. No health and safety measures then.
Keep warm all of you.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Vintage fabric and the big freeze


Well first things first. Above are the last eight of the new scrapbags I have made. They will be listed tomorrow morning at 7am GMT as usual.

Now are you all managing to keep warm in this big freeze?
It is dreadful here in Lancashire. -6 degrees last night and we are having to keep the heating on day and night to stop the pipes freezing. The roads are icy and the pavements treacherous. I can't tell you how many people we have seen falling over outside our house. My 83 year old mother came to stay two and half weeks ago and has only been out of the house once and that was to have her eyes tested. The glasses will be ready on Friday but unless conditions change there is no way that I dare take her out into town.
So we didn't get to the auction to view today and won't be going to buy tomorrow unfortunately, well not unless there is a big thaw and that hasn't been predicted. We were hoping to go into the Pennines this evening to buy at another auction but we have changed our minds after speaking to some dealer friends who live close by. Apparently they have a foot of snow and although they aren't totally cut off the shops are beginning to run out of food. So that auction is off as well.
So I have spent the day wrapping up orders - thank you to all those lovely people who spent last evening browsing through the website and choosing items to buy. The afternoon has been spent on book-keeping, something I hate doing but unfortunately there is no escape from it in business.
Tomorrow should see me pre- listing next weeks items. Lots of large vintage fabrics at reasonable prices - as always.


Tuesday 5 January 2010

Vintage fabric scrapbags 2


Listing tomorrow 7am GMT

I woke up to yet another Winter wonderland. It had been snowing all night and continued off and on all day. I'm glad I was able to stay inside all day. I just hope that it thaws overnight as I have to go to view an auction tomorrow and I know that the roads could be very thick with snow as they are not major roads. Fingers crossed we manage to get there.

Monday 4 January 2010

Vintage fabric scrapbags


First of all I would like to apologise for the quality of the scrapbag photographs that I am listing in the next couple of days. Unfortunately with all of the sleet and snow around the quality of light was very poor and I just couldn't wait any longer to take pictures.
Tomorrow I will be listing the first of the new scrapbags I have made up. They are a mixture of vintage English eiderdown fabrics and vintage French fabrics. Lots of lovely roses and pink for those romantic items I know you are waiting to get started on.
For those of you who have not come across my scrapbags before  here is a brief description.

Each of the four pieces in the scrap bags measures approx. 18cms x 12 cms.
There are four different designs
These scrap bags are ideal for crazy quilting, applique work, card making, fabric postcards, ATC's, for use with the embellisher machine and all kinds of fiber art.

Listing tomorrow at 7am GMT
at

Sunday 3 January 2010

Stock up on your vintage fabric squares


Although we are still in the depths of Winter I am thinking of Spring and Valentines day and Easter in the crafting world as no doubt a lot of you are.
These long dark evenings are ideal to sit around crafting and what better to start by choosing lovely pretty fabrics.
All of the vintage fabrics above are sourced from vintage eiderdowns. I managed to buy the fabric of the eiderdowns thank goodness and so have managed to cut many squares from them. there will be a few larger pieces next week but tomorrow I will be listing just squares.
So here is hoping that these pretty pink roses and paisley's will brighten up your day.
Being listed tomorrow morning at 7am BST
at

Saturday 2 January 2010

Scrumptious vintage fabric



A Happy New Year to everyone.
I've been spending the last few days preparing items to list on the website.
The picture above gives a sample of items that will be listed next week starting on Monday.
I must admit I've been struggling with  the photography this last week as the days have been so dull and the light quality so poor, so please forgive the quality of them here on the blog and on the website.
I managed to buy some lovely vintage eiderdown fabric at the last set of fairs. the lady had painstakingly unpicked the eiderdowns and cut out the good fabric. If you have never done this, then don't. I have only unpicked an eiderdown once and the feathers went absolutely everywhere and I was hoovering them up for weeks. It is amazing how far the feather fly.
From the fabric I have made up some lovely scrapbags and lots of squares with super pink roses. On Friday next, I will be listing some embellishments both antique and vintage, the lovely gold metallic lace, white rose ribbon and satin embroidered ribbon can be seen in the centre of the picture above.

As usual I will be posting a picture of the items be listed on the eve of their listing so keep an eye out from tomorrow evening, Mondays listings are lots of lovely vintage fabric squares.