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Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics

Gracious living that's light on the earth

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Back to school

Bicycle Book

Why not try biking to school this year? What a great way to get fit, do something as a family and reduce your emissions. Photo: The children's book Fiets by Charlotte Dematons featured on Dutchindublin.wordpress.com.

Forgive my few weeks absence from The List. I’ve been catching up on loads of work at Transition Voice, getting the kids off to school, and preparing for a busy fall season in the Transition Town group I help co-lead.

But I figure, what with rogue earthquakes kicking up in odd locations and hurricane season dead upon us, it’s time to get back to encouraging conservation—those practices that will help deal with energy decline and, if done at a national level, maybe help fight global warming.

So, back to school

In some lucky locations, school doesn’t actually start until after Labor Day, which is the “old school” way to do it. I advocate that. Kids just aren’t ready in the sweltering months of August to start focusing on sitting still and listening. If there were still butterflies and bees in the world, and kids still went outside, they’d want to be outside chasing them!

Forgive my crankiness. I’m just more than a bit concerned about how off-track our society and culture is.

But back to back to school.

You are what you eat (and how you eat it)

A friend of mine, Ivana Kadija (who I profiled during my Mother’s Day Series), is a school food activist, urging higher food quality standards in public schools, notably through a lessening of sugar in FDA school food guidelines. She’s leading an effort in Charlottesville, Virginia to improve food in the local school system. And while I sincerely applaud and support her efforts, particularly for how they may help poor students achieve better health, I also believe that packing from home is the best way to achieve a nutritious, low-waste outcome.

It’s also a good way to minimize waste. Schools so often use styrofoam and disposable plastic cutlery, along with paper milk and juice cartons, leaving a mound of trash after every meal.

Moms can help lessen how much trash their own families generate at home or at school by packing lunch in reusable containers. Parents with school age kids should have on hand:

  • Clean, non BPA lunchboxes (I like tiffins).
  • Thermoses for drinks and soups.
  • Small containers with lids, preferably stainless steel or non BPA plastic for side dishes.
  • Reusable sandwich envelopes made of fabric or BPA and lead-free coated fabric.
  • Reusable utensils in a keeper envelope.

Do it yourself

Forget buying pre-packaged snacks, even if they’re the so-called healthy versions. If your life is “too busy” to prepare your kids’ lunches, then cut something out of your life—you’re overloaded. But pre-packaged snacks are just a pipeline to the trash heap. And, as a general rule, provide little or no nutrition, too much sodium and way too many sugars. All that while costing much more. If you DIY, it’s cheaper and healthier and better for the planet and your local landfill.

Things like Gogurt are patently offensive on the face of it. This is just copious waste for no good reason. What kind of people have we become when spooning yogurt into a reusable cup is beyond our capacity? Or when those 30 seconds, plus another for cleaning, just can’t fit into our day?

Sorry to sound so harsh, but sometimes I just have to put on my stern face and say, “Get with it, Moms.”

Doing our part

Each and every one of us have to do our part to reduce our use of extraneous hard resources like paper, card board, and especially plastic. Teaching your kids now to use less, by packing their meals thoughtfully, is an important first step for our generation as parents. For their generation, it’s honestly a matter of future survival as the worst of energy depletion and climate change bears down on them.

We have to give them a world worth inhabiting. That doesn’t happen by accident. It takes all of us to make that inheritance a reality.

–Lindsay Curren, Lindsay’s List

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About Lindsay Curren

A Christian, mama, and writer, Lindsay Curren (aka Lady Virginia) is also a passionate lifelong collector of vintage fabrics. "There's something inexplicable about the pull textiles have on me. I simply can't resist sourcing them, using them, and now selling them. Other fabric addicts will understand!"

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more about lady virginia

A Christian, mama, and writer, Lindsay Curren (aka Lady Virginia) is also a passionate lifelong collector of vintage fabrics. "There's something inexplicable about the pull textiles have on me. I simply can't resist sourcing them, using them, and now selling them. Other fabric addicts will understand!"

Product categories

  • Vintage Fabric BTY/Piece
  • Vintage Fabric Samples
  • Vintage Kids' Fabrics
  • Vintage Fabric Scraps
  • Vintage Home Textiles
  • 21st Century Fabrics

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More of this pretty blue #leopardprint upholstery More of this pretty blue #leopardprint upholstery fabric by P Kaufmann goes out to Texas today. We’ve got 4 continuous yards left (and two single cut yards, too). Snap it up before it’s all gone.

$39/yards w/ free shipping in the US. Find it in our #etsyshop Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics (link in bio). 

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#fabric #animalprint #vintagefabric #vintagefabricforsale #vintagefabrics #fabricaddiction #fabriclovers #texas #lonestarstate
This pretty and ultra lightweight vintage Italian This pretty and ultra lightweight vintage Italian paisley striped batiste heads to California today— seven yards, perhaps for a Jane Austen Festival Regency gown? We shall see!

Come find your favorite #vintagefabric in our #etsyshop Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics (link in bio).

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Sweet #vintage craft squares in a luscious firm gl Sweet #vintage craft squares in a luscious firm glazed chintz (17” square) that are perfect for #quilting, #framing, appliqué, tote fronts, little message boards, and more. Each features a wild berry. Each square is $39 w/ free shipping in the US. Find them and 100s more #vintagefabrics in our #etsyshop Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics. Link in bio. 

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Amazing— AMAZING— Mid Century Modern abstract Amazing— AMAZING— Mid Century Modern abstract linen heads out to Arizona today. Can’t wait to see what she does with it.

We have some STUNNING mid century pieces for your authentic (and sustainable) #reupholsteryproject . Stop by Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics on @etsy to find a statement piece for your #springrefresh . Link in bio. 

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Super charming #1950s Zinnia cotton quilting fabri Super charming #1950s Zinnia cotton quilting fabric rolls out to Arizona today for someone’s #diyproject or textiles collection. 

Come find your dream #vintagefabric among our 100s listed on #etsy. Moms love fabric — pick up a unique piece for #mothersday. Find them in our #etsyshop Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics (link in bio). 

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These gorgeous valances flew off to Utah this week These gorgeous valances flew off to Utah this week but never you fear — we have three others in the red colorway and scraps of what is shown in big enough pieces for pillows, dining chair seats, and more! Valances $329 ea w/ free shipping in the US. Find them in our #etsyshop Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics. Link in bio. 

DETAILS: These are utterly gorgeous vintage 1990s custom-made cascading, six-paneled valances in a sumptuous 18th century style Chinoiserie fabric by Kravet titled "Regal Kyoto." The red ones are backed with a luscious sea foam green silk taffeta and trimmed with luxe braid and ball tassels in copper and silvery sage. 

These valances will grace any #grandmillennial or traditional space with stately aplomb! The maker is an amazing DIYer and home seamstress (among her many other talents) who used these in a secondary cottage on her property (and it was entirely non-smoking and pet-free). Impeccably rendered, these can be paired with solid curtains or shades or used on their own. Mounted on a simple wooden plank with bracket hardware (screws not included.) Our apologies that a door was the only place we could photograph these. 

SIZE: Each panel is mounted on a wood plank 38 & 5/8th" wide at the top and 5/8th" deep; Center motif comes down 11" (14" w/ fringe); side fabric cascades down at intervals — 23", 28", 35", 41", 49", 56.5". Expertly pattern matched. 

#valances #chinoiserie #cinoiseriechic #grandmillennialdecor #grandmillennialstyle #grannychic #kyoto
Stunning #1970s era Greeff Fabrics chintz titled “Linton” (presumably because it was found in a house called Linton) features expressive Phoenix birds amidst 18th century style Indienne flowers and floral borders. 

We’ve only got one piece — 
55" wide x 68.5" long. Double-width center border motif is 4 3/8" wide; Side borders are 2.25”. 

$149 w/ free shipping in the US. Find it in our #etsyshop Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics (link in bio). 

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This delightful #1980s #jayyang piece titled “Wo This delightful #1980s #jayyang piece titled “Woodco” heads to Texas today for someone’s #diyproject or #textilescollection . We’ve got several more #vintage Jay Yang fabrics and many #vintagefabrics in inspiring #yellow for your #springrefresh . Find them in our #etsyshop Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics (link in bio). 

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Just listed: Stunning and vividly colored, this he Just listed: Stunning and vividly colored, this heavyweight cotton-linen upholstery fabric — “Gardenia” by Moygashel of Ireland — offers distinct, oversized gardenias set against a midnight blue background. 56” wide x 1 yard increments. Four yards available at $69/yard with free shipping in the US. Find it in our #etsyshop Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics (link in bio). 

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This 1981 piece titled “Bird Vase Atelier” hea This 1981 piece titled “Bird Vase Atelier” heads to Massachusetts this week. We have two more glorious yards (actually 2.5 yards if you want more) and then it’s gone . $44/yard w/ free shipping in the US. Find it in our @etsy shop Lady Virginia Vintage Fabrics. Link in bio. 

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