---- Tamara P Duvall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Actually, both the Flemings and the Swiss had pillows which were block-pillow prototypes, fairly early on. They weren't *all blocks* (9), the way ours are now, but they did have moveable blocks (3) down the centre of the pillow.----
About a decade ago, a friend met an elderly (in her 90s) Swiss woman whose mother or grandmother had made lace. The woman gave my friend her grand/mother's pillow and prickings. The blocks of the pillow were little metal trays filled with sand and covered with fabric. As for why Midlands bobbins are spangled, my theory has been it's because so many were made of bone. With wood, you can always take a bigger branch or the trunk to get wood thick enough to make a bulge on the bottom, but there are limits on the thickness of even cow leg bones. They're hollow, so it's only the thickness of the ring of bone. It may have been easier to not try to make thicker bobbins, just string some baubles as weight. It's also probably quicker and easier to turn cylinders than to add shapings while turning. It doesn't seem like bobbin making was as much of an industry on the continent, although I'm ready to be corrected on that. You don't have people studying the distinctive styles of professional bobbin makers in other countries, because there's much less variation within a region. If you're trying to earn a living making bobbins for the public, quicker/easier means better income. Let the housewife add her own weights. just my 2 cents Robin P. Los Angeles, California, USA - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
