Welcome. This blog is run by Ann Davey. I have set up this blog to be a companion site to my antique textiles talks site www.antiquelacelady.com Although the main focus of that site is the talks I deliver, this blog will have a slightly wider brief. I will still be focusing on textiles, but I will be including other things I also enjoy, such as visiting stately homes and gardens, exhibitions, and so on. In fact, as I start this blog, I am not entirely sure what I will include. Let’s see where it leads…

For those who are interested, here are some details about my background in antique textiles.

I have been dealing in lace and related textiles for well over 25 years in London. During this time, I have amassed a collection of antique lace, needlework and accessories that represent many techniques, styles of lace, and periods of lace making and needlework. I originally come from Dorset, and so have a particular love of lace from the neighbouring county of Devon, and (of course) handmade Dorset buttons.

Not personally a lace maker (although I do enjoy needle crafts, such as needlepoint and knitting) I admire the craftsmanship of handmade lace and needlework, and love its history and beauty. I especially enjoy the social history surrounding all these handmade crafts, the stories of the people who made or wore them.

For over 10 years I ran a stall selling antique lace, textiles and linens in London’s famous Portobello Road Market. I then took a stall in Alfies Antiques Market, Marylebone, which I ran for 8 years. Over the years I have also sold at many major U.K. markets, for instance at Kempton Park (where I traded in the main hall for many years), Newark, Ardingly, Bath etc

I was also invited to sell antique lace at Odakyu Department Store, Shinjuku Tokyo, Japan, on two occasions, and twice more I held my own selling events in Tokyo. On one of these occasions I gave a talk on antique lace as part of the Kagurazaka Festival, Tokyo. In all my Japanese lace adventures I have been helped immensely by my friend Yasuko, with whom I ran the CreamTeaClub.com website from the year 2000 onwards, selling lace and accessories online.

I no longer deal actively in antique textiles but keep my love of lace and needlework alive by continuing to collect and by giving talks on these subjects, mainly in London, England.