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E d i t i o n 4 4 Finest Quality Bone Lace Bobbins A R Archer Ltd 2024
Catalogue of Bone Lace Bobbins Makers of finest quality bone lace bobbins for over 40 years. Bobbin Index……………..……….. 4 - 5 Bobbins………………………………....6 - 27 Inscribed Bobbins……………...……27 How to Order……………….…………..28 Bobbin-a-Month Club……………29 Hours of business: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm Combe Lodge Suckley Worcester WR6 5DR UK Tel: 01886 884135 Email oce@ararcherltd.co.uk or nd us at www.ararcherltd.co.uk Registered Office: Combe Lodge, Suckley, Worcester. WR6 5DR. Company Number 4516394 Cardiff All designs copyright A. R. Archer Ltd and Ben Archer 2024 Facebook: Archer Lace Bobbins Instagram: archerlacebobbins Handmade in English bone since 1977
4 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k A Abundance - 4 colours NEW 12 Angelique NEW 14 Angel’s Fishing Rod 11 Anemone 7 B Baluster 14 Beach Huts 21 Bees 12 Blossom - 4 designs 8 Blossom Cherry Blossom May Blossom Quince Bluebells 7 Busy Bees 21 Butterflies 12 C Camille NEW 14 Caterpillars 12 Centrepiece 15 Charms - 4 colours 12 Cheers! - 4 bottles 21 Christmas Candle 15 Column Set - 4 designs 8 Cottage Garden 7 Crazy Daisy - 4 colours 20 D Daffodils 6 Daffodils with Babe 6 Daydream 11 Divider Pins - selected designs 18 Dizzy in Mauve 21 Dizzy in Pink 21 F Fantastic Fruits NEW 10 A set of 8 fruity designs Festive Cheer - 3 colours 15 Festive Snow Family NEW 15 A set of 5 bobbins Floral Print - 4 designs 11 Floral Rays - 4 designs NEW 13 Tulip Rays Lavender Rays Forget me Not Rays Daisy Rays Fluted Lace Column 14 Flower Dance - 8 Colours 7 Forget-me-Not 6 Four Seasons - 4 bobbins 16 Spring Summer Autumn Winter Foxgloves 6 Foxtrot - 4 colours 6 French Knot - 4 colours 19 French Lavender 6 Frieze 15 G Gerbera Set - 4 Colours 20 Gems - 8 Colours 10 Grace - 4 colours NEW 13 Grapes 6 Guardsman 26 Gypsy Jewels - 8 Colours 23 H Happy Christmas 15 Hellebores 22 HM King Charles III 26 HM KCIII Coronation HM KC III HM Queen Elizabeth II 26 A set of 9 Commemoratives spanning her reign Honey 6 Hooks - selected designs 18 I Indian Summer 11 Inscribed bobbins & Dividers 27 Pitter Patter for a baby, Pawprints for a pet and Special Anniversary for Weddings. Bespoke Designs also available. Iris 6 Iris with Babe 11 J Jolly Mixture - 6 colours 19 Juliette - 6 colours 22 K Kimono - 4 colours 21 L Lace Twist 14 Ladybirds 12 Lavender Bush 11 Lighthouse 21 Lupins 6 Lustre - 4 colours 8 M Monday’s Child Set 16 7 bobbins telling the rhyme Moonlight - 4 colours 15 Moroccan Rose 17 Moroccan Sands 17 Mosaic 17 Music Notes 6 N Niche Set - 4 designs 9 Nursery Rhymes & Fairy Tales 24 A collection of 16 bobbins celebrating traditional childhood stories and songs O Orchard Set - 4 Tree designs 9 Oxeye Daisy 7 P Pansies 6 Paw Prints 27 Peas 11 Pincushion Flower 11 Pink Twist 14 Pins - selection of short pins 19 Pitter Patter 27 Bobbin Index
w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 5 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 Poppies 6 Poppy Californian 9 Poppy Himalayan 9 Poppy Icelandic 9 Poppy Welsh 9 Poppies with Babe 11 Porcelain Petal Rings NEW 14 Porcelain Petal Spiral NEW 14 Pot Of Gold 21 Pot Pourri 14 R Rainbow 6 Reflection Yellow 11 Reflection Mauve 11 Repose - 4 Colours 17 Royal Commemoratives 26 A collection marking Royal events over the years S Sahara Sands 17 Serendipity (12 colours) 17 A set of richly painted bobbins in 6 vibrant and 6 softer hues Snow Family 14 Snow Child Snow Woman Snowman Snow Cat Snow Dog Special Anniversary Bobbins 27 Set of Floral Sprays 8 Spray of Lavender Spray of Lilies Spray Mixed Spray of Roses Strawberries 6 Summer Breeze - 4 colours 9 Sunflowers 6 Sweet Peas - 4 colours 13 Sweet Pea Profusion 21 Sweet Serenity -8 colourways 23 T Tapestry 15 Temptation 11 The 12 Days of Christmas 22 A set of 12 bobbins telling the Christmas carol story Treehouse 21 Tudor - 4 designs NEW 13 Tulips 6 Tulips with Babe 11 Tumbling Tomatoes 11 V Vase 7 Verdant 6 Vines - 4 designs 16 Vintage - 4 designs NEW 12 Vintage Rose Swag Vintage Spray Vintage Daisy Swag Vintage Dusky Days Viola Tricolour 7 W Walled Garden 7 Wild Beasts Collection: 20 Wild Beast Hedgehog Wild Beast Rabbit Wild Beast Squirrel Wild Beast Frog Wild Beast Badger Wild Beast Owl Wild Beast Fox Wild Beast Dormouse Wildflower Drift 7 Wild Garden 7 Almost every bobbin in this catalogue is available as a Honiton. Please mark any order accordingly. HONITON BOBBINS HONITON BOBBINS Bobbin Index Bespoke Bobbins Should you require a bespoke design, inscription or both please get in touch for an informal chat. We are always happy to look at your individual design requirements and chat over your ideas. See Page 27 Our 2024 Designs We have outlined the contents of the 2024 catalogue here in the index, please refer to the actual page to see the full detail on the bobbins, hooks, dividers and pins. We are always happy to answer any questions, so please get in touch.
6 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k From left: Pansies £28.95 Poppies £28.25 Daffodils £26.50 French Lavender £27.95 Iris £28.95 From left: Verdant £33.75 Lupins £30.25 Foxgloves £29.95 Forget-me-Not £26.95 Sunflowers £27.50 From left: Foxtrot on Ice Foxtrot Pink Foxtrot Blue Festive Foxtrot £34.25 each Grapes inside From left: Rainbow £27.50 Music Notes £28.25 Tulips £26.95 Grapes £37.50 Strawberries £31.25 Honey £36.95 Foxtrot
From left: Wildflower Drift £39.95 Wild Garden £35.75 Cottage Garden £35.75 Walled Garden £36.95 Vase £37.50 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 7 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 From left: Bluebells Daffodils with Babe Oxeye Daisy Anemone Viola Tricolour £37.50 each Flower Dance From left: Sherbet Marine Sunlight Vintage Rosa Teasel Heaven Azul £33.75 each Flowers with Babes
Columns 8 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k Sprays Blossoms From le: Quince Blossom May Blossom Cherry Blossom Apple Blossom £36.95 each From left: Clematis Column Wisteria Column Sweet Pea Column Rose Column £34.25 each From le: Spray of Roses Spray of Lilies Mixed Spray Spray of Lavender £28.25 each From le: Mauve Pink Rose Silver Blue £31.25 each Lustre
9 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k The Orchard Poppies From le: Californian Poppy Himalayan Poppy Welsh Poppy Icelandic Poppy £39.50 each Niches From le: Rose Niche Clematis Niche Jasmine Niche Wisteria Niche £41.50 each From left: Pink Lilac Blue Gold £39.95 each Summer Breeze From le: Cherry Tree Pear Tree Plum Tree Apple Tree £39.50 each
w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 10 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 From left: Citrine Jade Blue Topaz Carnelian Rose Quartz Aquamarine Sapphire Amethyst £34.95 each Gems From left: Apples Oranges Elderberries Lemons Cherries Plums Pears Strawberries £32.50 each Fantastic Fruits
w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 11 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 Floral Prints From le: Rose Print Purple Print Tulip Print Daisy Print £31.25 each From left: Reflection Yellow £39.95 Reflection Mauve £39.95 Daydream £32.95 Indian Summer £38.50 Temptation £38.50 From left: Iris with Babe Poppies with Babe Pincushion Flower Tulips with Babe Angel’s Fishing Rod £37.95 each Lavender Bush (Lavender inside) £38.50 From le: Peas £40.50 Tumbling Tomatoes £41.50 Flowers with Babes Mellow Mauves
From left: Blue Red Mauve Pink £37.75 each From left: Bees Butterflies Caterpillars Ladybirds £31.50 each Charms w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k Vintage From left: Vintage Rose Swag Vintage Spray Vintage Daisy Swag Vintage Dusky Days £31.95 each Abundance From left: Mauve Pink Pale Blue Pale Pink £32.50 each 12 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5
From le: Sweet Pea Blue Sweet Pea Violet Sweet Pea Pink Sweet Pea Red £29.95 each Matching short pins available w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k Tudor From left: Tudor Admiral Tudor Gilt Admi-ral Tudor Moss Tudor Gilt Moss £38.95 each Floral Rays From left: Tulip Rays Lavender Rays Forget Me Not Rays Daisy Rays £32.50 each From left: Apricot Pink Yellow White £33.25 each Grace 13 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 Sweet Peas
w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k Snow Family Snow Child Snow Woman Snowman Snow Cat Snow Dog We can inscribe your first names on the reverse of all the Snow Family members £37.95 each Upper half decorated with snow akes From left: Pink Twist £34.25 Pot Pourri £35.30 Baluster £35.60 Unpainted Pretty Pinks From left: Porcelain Petal Rings £35.95 Porcelain Petal Spiral £33.95 From left: Fluted Lace Column £39.95 Lace Twist £39.50 From left: Camille £34.95 Camille Divider £32.95 Also available as a hook £34.95 (state size 0.4mm or 0.6mm) Camille Pins £31.95 (pair) Camille Angelique Porcelain Petal 14 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 From left: Angelique Pins £32.95 (pair) Angelique £36.95 Angelique Divider £33.95 Also available as a hook £35.95 (state size 0.4mm or 0.6mm)
w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k Christmas Bobbins Festive Snow Family Snow Cat Snow Dog Snowman Snow Woman Snow Child £39.95 each From left: Festive Cheer Red, Blue and Purple £31.25 Happy Christmas £31.25 Christmas Candle £39.95 Available in Red, Green & Mauve Moonlight From le: Blue Emerald Gold White £32.75 each Centrepiece Aqua Mauve £34.95 each From left: Frieze Tapestry £32.95 each Both designs are available in pink or blue 15 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5
T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 16 Monday’s Child... Monday’s child is fair of face, Tuesday’s child is full of grace, Wednesday’s child is full of woe, Thursday’s child has far to go, Friday’s child is happy and giving, Saturday’s child works hard for a living, But the child that is born on the Sabbath day is bonnie and blithe and good and gay. £41.40 each From left: Spring Bees inside Summer Mouse inside Autumn Apples Inside Winter Snowballs inside £34.75 each From left: Daisy Vine Forget-me-not Vine Vinca Vine Bell Vine £30.95 each Vines Four Seasons
w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k From left: Crocus Sky Forest Ruby Saffron Midnight Serendipity From left: Hyacinth Slate Aqua Dusk Leaf Butter £36.25 each 17 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 From left: Mosaic Moroccan Sands Moroccan Rose Sahara Sands £41.50 each Repose From left: Lilac Coral Mulberry Pink £32.75 each Desert Collection
All designs here are available as either hooks or divider pins. Please specify when placing your order. Simply add £2.00 extra if you want a divider design made as a hook or deduct £2.00 if you want a hook design made as a divider All hooks are .40mm and come with covers—other sizes available upon request. Including handles, all hooks are approx 92mm (3.75”) long. Including handles, all divider pins are approximately 100mm (4”) long. w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 18 Hooks & Divider Pins `All these hooks: £32.75 each Bees Blue Cloud Cottage Garden T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 Wild Garden Ladybirds Foxtrot-on- Ice Jasmine Poppies Lavender Sunflowers Repose Pink Hook Rose Hook Beehive Hook Jasmine Hook Ladybirds Hook Blue Cloud Hook Poppies Hook Repose Lilac Hook All these Dividers: £30.75 each £35.50 each
From left: Yellow Pink Green Blue £39.50 each French Knot w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 19 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 Short Pins IMPORTANT: These pins are only available to buy in pairs. State colour choices on your order* All pins are approximately 5.5cm long (just over 2”) From left: Lilac Rose Scarlet Pool Sorbet Willow £38.50 each Jolly Mixture Blue, Pink, Red or Violet* Sweet Pea Pins £29.95 pair Juliette Pins £36.25 pair *Red, Lilac, Pink, White, Blue or Mauve Mr & Mrs Pins £40.50 pair Children: Please specify when ordering £40.50 pair * Choose any colour Music Note Pins £29.95 pair
Wild Beasts From left: Hedgehog Worms inside Rabbit Carrots inside Squirrel Acorns inside Frog Water inside Badger Apples inside Owl Mouse inside Fox Eggs inside Dormouse Nuts inside T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k Gerbera From left: Blue Pink Orange Mauve £31.15 each 20 £43.95 each From left: Blue White Pink Mauve £31.25 each Crazy Daisy
From left: Cherry Golden Sun Ink Indigo £41.25 each T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 21 From left: Treehouse £44.20 Beach Huts £45.95 Pot of Gold £41.50 Lighthouse £41.50 From left: Dizzy in Mauve £43.50 Dizzy in Pink £43.50 Busy Bees £41.55 Sweet Pea Profusion £41.50 Cheers! From left: Red White Sparkling Rose £41.50 each Kimono Lile person inside Decorated with rainbow coloured rain drops. Inside is a rod of gold coins that slides up and down.
T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 22 From left: Green Pink Cream Mauve £38.50 each £41.50 each The 12 Days of Christmas From left : Blue Lilac Mauve Pink Red Yellow £39.25 each Matching short pins available Hellebores Juliette
T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 23 Gypsy Jewels From left: Turquoise Mauve Grey Cerise Yellow Green Lilac Red £39.95 each Sweet Serenity From left: Passion Lemon Smoke Peace Blush Cloud Brook Herb £38.95 each
Nursery Rhymes & Fairy Tales w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 24 Dr Foster £48.95 Hickory Dickory Dock £46.25 Little Miss Muffet £48.50 Dr Foster went to Gloucester in a shower of rain, He stepped in a puddle right up to his middle and never went there again. Hickory Dickory Dock a mouse ran up the clock The clock struck one the mouse ran down, Hickory dickory dock Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet eating her curds and whey, When down came a spider who sat down beside her, And frightened Miss Muffet away. Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, Little Boy Blue £47.25 Front and side view Jack & The Beanstalk £48.25 Golden egg inside Little Boy Blue come blow your horn, The sheep's in the meadow the cow's in the corn. But where's the boy who looks after the sheep? He's under a haystack fast asleep. Will you wake him? No, not I - for if I do, he's sure to cry. Humpty Dumpty £39.25 Front and side view Incy Wincy Spider Climbed up the water spout, down came the rain and washed poor Incy out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the spout again. Front and side view Incy Wincy Spider £45.75 Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow, With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row. Mary Mary Quite Contrary £44.25 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5
w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 25 Jack & Jill £39.95 Row, Row £47.50 Rub-a-dub dub, three men in a tub and who do you think they be. The butcher, the baker the candle stick maker all put out to sea. Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been, I’ve been to London to visit the queen. Pussycat, pussycat what did you there, I frightened a mouse from under her chair. Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, Merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream. Jack & Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water, Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tum-bling after. Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and doesn’t know where to find them, Leave them alone and they will come home, Wagging their tails behind them. Three blind mice, Three blind mice, See how they run, see how they run, They all ran after the famer’s wife, Who cut off their tails with a carving knife, Have you ever seen such a thing in your life, As three blind mice. Ba Ba Black Sheep £46.95 Ba ba black sheep have you any wool, Yes sir, yes sir three bags full. One for the master and one for the dame and one for the little boy who lives down the lane Little Bo Peep £49.50 Rub-a- Dub Dub £49.95 Wee Willy Winky £43.95 Front and side view Three Blind Mice £41.55 Front and side view Front and side view Pussycat, Pussycat £49.95 Front and side view View of all 3 sides Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town, Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown, Tapping at the window, crying at the lock, Are the children in their bed, for now it's ten o'clock? T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5
w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 26 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 Queen Elizabeth II Bobbins From left: Guardsman (left & right) £41.50 each HM King Charles III £41.50 HM King Charles III Coronation £48.75 From Left: QEII Diamond Jubilee £45.75 QEII Platinum Jubilee £43.50 QEII 90th Birthday £42.95 QEII 95th Birthday £42.95 QEII Longest Reign £42.95 Prince Philip Memorial £41.50 QEII Sapphire Jubilee £42.95 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative £49.50 This intricate design references the casket flowers so prominent on the day of her funeral and also includes the significant oak leaves, myrtle and rosemary Queen Elizabeth II Memorial £41.50 Taking inspiraon from the Royal Sceptre, this bobbin is decorated with the King’s cypher and the key elements of the Coronaon emblem; the English rose, Welsh daodil, Scosh thistle and Irish shamrock all intertwined with gold ornamentaon. King Charles III Bobbins A collection marking Royal events over the years
Space for a pet’s name and/or date. Remaining space is filled with paw prints. Please specify the colour you would like. £34.25 We’re often asked to make bobbins for special occasions such as a lace group event, a birth, a wedding or in memory of a loved one. If you have a special occasion or significant event you would like commemorated on a bobbin just let us know the text you would like any colours that you might prefer the type of flowers etc you would like It’s as simple as that - we will do the rest in a one-off design just for you. Starting from £34.85 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k 27 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 Space for baby’s full name and date of birth. Remaining space is filled with foot prints. Please specify the colour you would like. £34.25 Illustrated is the Golden Wedding bobbin. Silver, Coral, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond Anniversaries are also available. Inscribed with two first names and two dates with the appropriately-coloured text and matching floral decoration. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to talk over your requirements. £37.95 Special Anniversary Bobbin Bespoke Commemorative Bobbins Baby, Cat or Dog Divider pins inscribed with your name of choice. £31.15 each Pitter Patter Paw Prints
28 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k Shipping: UK Orders = FREE DELIVERY International = All orders are now sent via Royal Mail International Tracked. See below for prices: Orders up to £50 value = £9.65 Tracked & Insured or £4.50 standard Airmail (up to 100g) but the risk of any loss or damage to the contents will be carried by the customer is using standard Airmail. Orders £51 to £150 = £12.15 Tracked and Insured (up to 100g) Orders over £150 = £7.95 We pay the shipping cost and you pay the £7.95 insurance element, so the cost is shared on high value orders. Prices are correct at the time of publication. To place an order and make payment: by phone: call us with your order and we can give a despatch time and establish method of payment when we speak. We process all payments when your order is ready to ship. Call: 44 (0) 1886 884135. by email/social media: send us your order but we cannot accept sensitive card information via email. Please use either conventional mail or the telephone for your card details or we can send a PayPal invoice when your order is ready. Payment Types: We accept all major cards and PayPal and UKP cheques made payable to “A R Archer Ltd” All orders will be charged at the prices in force at time the order is placed. Place an Individual Order Guarantee & Returns Policy 1) You may cancel your order at anytime within the first 14 days of placing your order. 2) If you wish to cancel your order after this time please contact us as soon as possible and we shall endeavour to meet your request. Please be aware that all bobbins are made to order – once an order has entered the production process (usually 14 days prior to despatch date) it may not be cancelled. 3) Notification of faulty goods should be made within three days of the goods being received. All goods supplied by us are warranted as being suitable for the purpose for which they are designed, under fair conditions. Our liability under this warranty will be limited to the replacement and free repair against goods acknowledged by us to be faulty, providing such faults have not been caused by your misuse, negligent handling or improper care of the goods. 4) If you do need to return any goods, please remember to wrap the package securely as it may not be possible to offer a refund or replacement on goods which have been damaged in transit. Should you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us on 44 (0) 1886 884135 between 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday. You can email us at office@ararcherltd.co.uk or via the website. Waiting Time We make every effort to get individual orders made in a timely fashion. However, due to pre-existing commitments to Bobbin-a-Month Club orders our waiting time varies, depending on the number of orders on the production schedule. We will of course give you more information about your delivery time when you
29 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r l t d . c o . u k Join the Bobbin-a-Month Club How it Works The Bobbin-a-Month Club is very simple - all that’s required is a minimum order of 6 bobbins. You may distribute your bobbins in any way you wish, two in one month and one in the next for example. Every month when we send you your bobbin(s) we will also enclose a payment request slip detailing the following month’s order and the amount that will be due. We process payment around the end of each month and ship orders in the first week of the following month. You can either make a card payment each month or we can send you a PayPal invoice. At times, we do have a waiting list to join the Bobbin a Month Club and we will advise if this is the case and the anticipated waiting time when your order is received. UK Shipping: FREE on UK orders International Shipping: £7.95 For International orders of two or more bobbins per month, standard Airmail postage is free so you just pay for the insurance element of the Royal Mail Tracked and Insured service. At the time of publication this is £7.95 up to 100g For International orders of one bobbin a month we can ship bi-monthly, so halving the shipping costs. You are also welcome to combine your order with a friend for shipping to one address. If you opt to use International standard Airmail (£4.20 up to 100g at the time of publication) then the risk of any loss or damage to the contents will be carried by the customer. There has been a significant increase in damaged and/or missing items from packets recently and so we are having to use a Tracked & Insured shipping service from now on. Pricing Policy for Bobbin-a-Month Club Orders We always endeavour to keep any price increase to a minimum. We’re happy if you want to combine an order with friends to keep shipping costs down - just send your combined lists as one order and we will ship to the same delivery address each month. To join the Bobbin-a-Month club please email or message us with the list of bobbins you would like. Or you can fill in the order form on our website and send it to us: by email: to office@ararcherltd.co.uk We cannot accept sensitive payment card information via email. Please use either conventional mail or the phone for your card details. phone: ring us with a list of the bobbins you would like Call: 44 (0) 1886 884135 by mail: to A R Archer Ltd, Combe Lodge, Suckley, Worcester WR6 5DR, UK When we confirm your order we will also arrange your preferred payment method and start date.
T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 T e l 0 1 8 8 6 8 8 4 1 3 5 w w w . a r a r c h e r . c o m A R Archer takes its name from my father Anthony Archer. An accomplished and much respected crafts-man, he spent many years making furniture before then making the slightly unusual transition to becoming a maker of chess sets. These he sold around the world but, being before the days of the world wide web, getting known was an expensive and far trickier affair than it is today. It was during these years that he learnt the fine turning skills that would later serve him so well as a bobbin maker. He turned his talents to bobbin making in the late 1970’s after a chance enquiry from a customer in his shop. Within three months of making his first wooden bobbin he had to start a waiting list and it was only shortly after this time he embarked on making his first bone bobbin. Within a relatively short period of time the demand for bone bobbins far outstripped that of the wooden bobbins and, turning to the exclusive production of bone bobbins, the business was in need of an extra pair of hands. It was at this time that my mother Susan Archer joined the business and took on the role of preparing the bone blanks and then painting the engraved bobbins. By the mid 1980’s there was a waiting list of two years and the only way of hoping to get a bobbin sooner was to find them at one of the half dozen or so lace days they attended every year. I know these were times that both my mother and father thoroughly enjoyed but sadly in 1990 my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness which left him unable to work with almost immediate ef-fect. It was at this time that I stepped into the breach and took on the rather daunting challenge of working to my father’s standards. I had grown up around the tools of his workshop and when I left school I spent many a happy hour being taught the finer points of turning. In the last couple of years of his life he taught me the skill of freehand engraving which, little did we realise then, was rather sadly in the nick of time. We were fortunate that my father was with us for a further year and in this time I also had the benefit of being able to use him as the ultimate quality control for my work. In early 1991 my father died and I carried on the business as a partnership with my mother until the mid 1990’s when she decided it was time to hang up her paint brush and devote more time to her life long passion of gardening. I now run the business with my wife Vicky who, between looking after our two children, keeps on top of all the administration. In these thirty plus years that I’ve been running the business the advent of the digital age has changed the world of the craftsman in many ways, not least by giving many of us international exposure via the internet. However, I like to think that if my father were to walk in to my workshop today he would be able to recog-nise every tool in front of him. He was a great believer in taking the very best skills and techniques and developing them to achieve new and exciting things. With the increased pressure the digital age has brought to move to more automated means of production my ambition is that the words “hand made” should always be synonymous with the best of what is possible and combine skills and technique with innovative design. I hope this brief history of the business is of interest and helps explain how Archer bobbins came about, who my father was and how I fit into the picture. I hope you enjoy this catalogue and if you have any comments or feedback please get in touch. About A R Archer 30
Published Feb 2023