Hi Jay ! What you're describing (the picture, that is...) is probably one of the lovely "Christina" pillows. The center of this pillow is stationary, and the apron rotates around it. Because they are quite expensive, I have also thought of ways to make my own. So I'm quite interested in how this works for you.
As for the problem of worked lace: originally, the Christina came equipped with a little tray that was fitted onto a stem which was inserted into a hole at the back of the roller. This tray was meant to hold the worked lace so it wouldn't get tangled up when the apron is rotated. In newer versions, I believe that this tray is no longer included. The Christina also has an insert which is flat and can be used instead of the roller center, but I don't think there are any provisions for blocks. A solution which would work on your pillow would be to keep the center part of the pillow circular and mount the roller in the middle of the center. a pillow "tidy" can be pinned to the back of the insert, behind the roller, and worked lace can be rolled on this and then the tidy can be securred to the back with pins. While all tidies which I have seen for sale have been wooden, and offered by bobbin makers, years ago I decided to make my own and made what is essentially a miniature roller - only about 3/4" in diameter, and about 4" long. It is covered with fabric which is tied "sausage style" on the ends. Those gathered ends are perfect for running pins through to secure to the pillow, and the softness of my tidy keeps seems kinder to the lace, IMO. Keep me informed on your progress!! Clay - in Lynchburg, VA, where we're having our first snow of the season. It could me a good one too... it's been below freezing for 24 hours, and the skys look really heavy. -----Original Message----- From: Jay Ekers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Jan 19, 2005 9:22 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [lace] pillow with rotating 'collar' for bobbins - questions Soon after I started bobbin lace I saw, in Nyplattya Pitsia (double dots on the 'a's) by Eeva-Liisa Kortelahti, a diagram of "the lace pillow and the sheet by which bobbins can be moved". The 10 or so pairs of a beginner don't require much 'moving' so I just mentally filed it away as a curiosity. When I started Flanders, the sudden doubling of bobbins (8 per pin!) brought it to the forefront again. Over the intervening years I had toyed with the idea of using a 'Lazy Susan' (rotating plate for serving food) with the centre cut out, in place of the original cardboard assembly, but the project never even got as far as the 'one-day-when-I-have-time' stage. But now I have an obvious need, although never having actually seen such a pillow this need is perhaps a might theoretical <g>. Nevertheless, I have acquired a metal rotating anulus - called a 'round swivel assembly' here - its 300 kg loading, intended for rotating of televisions, will surely suffice <g>; and I have bought some ethafoam off-cuts and an old felted blanket for the roller, so am at the final planning stage. 'Not another pillow!' was DH's initial response but he offered to help. And he immediately pointed out something I hadn't thought of. My experience with roller pillows is limited to a small travelling pillow, seldom used because of the limited number of bobbins that can be fitted on the apron, where the yardage is stored at the back of the pillow. Not a good idea if the back of the pillow is rotating! Eeva-Liisa offers a solution (p7 in my second hand copy of the book originally published in 1981): off-set the roller in the front of a square box, not a rectangular one, so the lace can still fall down behind the roller. And feasibly the roller could be removed and the square filled with block insets thus making the pillow more versatile, however.... What would happen with, say, a handkerchief edging as it became larger than the central blocks. I used a one-piece pricking when I made a fan last year on a purpose-made block pillow - the system of inter changing the two blocks worked well but the unpinned lace, resting loosely on its cardboard pricking, hung over the edge of the edge of the pillow as work progressed. Not a problem with that (except when packing it to move between home and lace day <g>) but I can envisage problems with the lace hanging over a rotating 'bobbin collar'. The illustration on p8 of Eeva-Liisa's book shows circular wedges in place but not what happens when block #1 is re-used! The pricking could perhaps sit on the bobbin collar, to be lifted up while the collar was rotated, but the sharp edges of the 'holes' in the pricking might catch in the threads... If anyone has used such a pillow, I'd appreciate it if they could recount their experiences as the 'problem' may be only my inexperience. Jay, Sydney, Australia [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
