On Apr 22, 2004, at 23:10, JE Anderson (Janet) wrote:Tamara said:Another newbie question for you all. I am looking at starting to order my equipment and was wondering what people prefered for a pillow shape and which is considered most versatile.
My answer to her:.... different things before you commit yourself to one (or four <g>)
My brain said -- that should be Four - TEEN. Then I did the foolish thing of going to my corner and COUNTING. I came up with 20.
OK, spiders, I guess I'd better defend myself. This is some of what I have, and my comments -- for the newbies -- of the different ones.
18" foam cookie pillow. As Tamara said, it's good only for projects up to 6 inches in size. Useful for beginning, and for traveling because it will fit in a normal suitcase. I take this size to conferences, usually. Or to make small ornaments or bookmarks.
20" foam One And Only Pillow from Snowgoose -- probably one of my best liked and certainly the most used. (I think Snowgoose ethafoam the best of all those I have tried.) It has two 5" blocks in the center of a cookie pillow so is great for hanky edgings that turn corners, or any edging up to 4" wide. This pillow has been in constant use for over 10 years and is still going strong.
24" super dense foam with two 8" blocks for wide edgings. Current project is a
5-1/2" edging with 94 bobbins. There is 'almost' enough room around it for all the bobbins to lay out. It's a bit big to be toting around, but this project wouldn't fit on anything else. This pillow, I think, was made in Europe. I've made 66" of this pattern. It makes a great demo pillow -- attracts a lot of attention.
Some 22" and 24" ethafoam pillows, used for special, large projects -- especially when I expect the project to last for several years. The 22" is the largest I enjoy using. I'm a bit short to see well in the middle of a 24" pillow, but the 24" works for hanky edgings if the other pillow is in use, or large projects.
Just for fun, there's a version of a Puerto Rican pillow (too small for anything practical), and an Italian roller pillow that I haven't tried using yet.
18" sea grass pillow from Europe.
24" wool stuffed cookie pillow -- which looked great when I bought it but didn't have enough wool in it to hold the pins straight. I opened it and stuffed in more wool. Haven't tried it since.
The large roller pillow I just won in a raffle -- 24" wide, 15" deep, with 10" roller, wood base with a drawer in front, ratchet control on the roller. It's wide enough to hold the bobbins of a large project. Only had it a week and haven't used it yet. I'm looking for just the right project to put on it.
Similar pillow but smaller -- 18" wide and 12" deep, with 5" roller, home made years ago, bought at consignment table at a lace day. Very comfortable to use. It's the only pillow I have that will sit on my lap and not fall off. It came with it's own suitcase, just the right size.
Another similar pillow, about 15" wide, 12" deep, with a 6" roller , home made by a lady who decided she didn't want to make lace, after all, and gave it to me. It has a Malmsbury pattern on it, and Malmsbury bobbins. Used as a display item at this time.
Travel pillow with it's own zipper bag. About 12" square with a 4" roller. Limit of a one inch edging. Current project has about 20 pair. That's about the maximum that will fit on the pillow apron. This was used so much that the roller had to be replaced.
Honiton pillow -- antique one from an attic, made of straw, heavy. Will last forever, probably. (Now I no longer have an excuse to put off learning Honiton.)
Nine-block pillow with 5" blocks, in a wood frame with a storage compartment. Useful for irregular shaped projects. Gift from a secret pal years ago.
General comments:
I find the ethafoam sold by Snowgoose to be a sturdy, useful product. It outlasts the foam I have gotten from other sources, including one pillow bought in England that is a very dense foam. For practical purposes, use at least a 20" pillow. 20" is my favorite size. The largest that is practical is 24". Bigger than that, and you can't see well in the middle of it.
Roller pillows -- be sure that the roller is made of rolled up layers of wool fabric, not foam. Swim pool noodles work for a one-time project, but wear out too soon in a much-used pillow. Rollers are very handy for straight edgings, but not for any lace that requires you to turn the pillow while working on it.
And before you ask -- yes, I have projects on most of the pillows. I still have to scramble to have the right type of pillow free for the classes that come along. One of the older pillows is permanently assigned as a Try Me pillow for demos.
It has a snake pattern on it.
I've never used a bolster pillow, so cannot speak to their efficiency. However, they are used through much of Europe so must be easy to use.
If I had to recommend one pillow, it would be the One And Only Pillow from Snowgoose. It comes with 2 square blocks, a half block, and a roller. I have no connection to the company--just a happy customer.
PS Tamara, my pillow count did not include my miniatures, nor the new pillows to sell to future students. <G>
Happy lacing, Alice in Oregon -- where we had one day of Spring, almost 70 degrees.
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