Vintage Rag Books

I'm a big collector of books and I'm a big collector of textiles, so naturally I'm drawn to antique rag books. (Truth be told, I have MANY collections but more on that in later posts.)

Printed on cloth and then sewn at the top edges, these books from the early 1900's were read often and washed often. LUV THEM! While they are wonderful in their natural state, we think they are better loved when repurposed into pillows or arranged in antique frames. {Click on any picture to enlarge}

Pillows made of vintage French ticking and antique linen make the end result all the more delicious!



A client is having a baby boy and we're transforming her Hollywood Hills guest room into a wonderful haven. Due to a confidentialty agreement, I am unable to share pictures of the special room and I certainly want to be respectful of her privacy regardless of any agreement, so I will instead share these cloth pages I've collected for her room. I'm framing the pages in antique frames which are being painted black and distressed. We're using Fine Paints of Europe (my favorite) and antique black ticking as the matting...what a great look!

This antique book is from the South of France and I almost hate to give it up it is so rare and special!
It cost a small fortune of euros but well worth it don't you think? I so love these images and the colors are spectacularly vibrant! A few serious book collectors have offered...er, begged...to buy them at a handsome price, but I'm tickled to know they are going in a special baby's room to become heirlooms later in his life. I do plan on copying the pages onto fabric to keep in my archives, thus enabling me to come up with other uses in the future. {See the available collection at vintageweave.com's online store}