Dear Lacemakers, Thirty years ago, I was taught to use wool - not a synthetic - for padding lace pillows. Reason is that wool breathes and releases moisture through evaporation. Foam and synthetics hold moisture long enough to damage pins. You do not want rusted pins in your lace pillows. Many of us keep pins and lace on pillows a lot longer than did lacemakers of old, who were intent on selling lace. **We are an international list, and many lacemakers on Arachne live in damp climates, or they use humidifiers in dry houses in heating seasons, or boil liquids that create in-home steam!!** Look for old camp blankets and khaki-colored wool army blankets at flea markets and places that sell used household goods. It does not matter if they have small holes, as long as you layer the padding so holes are not one above the other. Wash in machine at hottest water setting. Rinse to get out as much lanolin and soap as possible. Make there are no fugitive dyes. Dry in very hot dryer, which will collect fuzz that may be a concern to those who are allergic. All this will make clean felted wool ideal for padding lace pillows. If you like the advice above, you could go begging for old wool blankets. Put a note in your local lace club's newsletter. Ask people to check the trunks in their attics (or the attics of elderly relatives) for old wool blankets that you can felt and use. You can also felt old wool clothing, such as sweaters and skirts. Search for felting instructions on-line. If there is an argument against using wool felt padding on lace pillows, I would like to learn about it. Jeri Ames Lace and Embroidery Resource Center
In a message dated 10/2/2008 3:57:34 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Susie - I definitely would have used wool if I could have gotten it. But the felt I used was a "blend"... probably more acrylic than wool, but enough wool to make it feel like "real" felt. The felt "dampens" the harsh feel and sound you get on bare foam, and gives the "feel" of working on a wool pillow. The foam that Ken sells doesn't grip the pins as much as other foams I've used, so there's less "squeaking" to start with. But... add the felt, and I hardly notice it. It's been a nice pillow. Someone else mentioned using quilting batting between the block and the block cover. This would work well too, I think... as long as you get a good quality cotton batting that doesn't have slubs of cotton chaff in it and is not thick. Some battings are synthetic, and quite high-loft, and these would be entirely unsuitable, imo..... Clay C Johnson wrote: Hello everyone, I am interested in the layer of felt, Clay, Did you use wool or acrylic felt? Thanks, Susie Morris, IL > I needed a pillow for a large project. I ordered foam blocks from Ken > van Dieren (he's in the US, as I am, but I'm sure you can find a > source in the UK). My pillow is wider than it is high, because I > reasoned that the space at the top would be wasted. So, I have three > 5.5" blocks on each side, and three 11" blocks going down the middle. > (14 and 28 cm) so the total width is 22" (about 56 cm) and the height > is 16.5" (42 cm). I started my work near the top of the center block, > and as I've progressed, I've just moved the blocks up. I also made a > pair of "half-blocks" which are 11" wide but only 2.75" deep. This > makes it easier to move the blocks in smaller steps. > My blocks are covered first with a layer of felt and then with navy > twill. It is a very satisfactory pillow, and I expect to use it for a > lot of things. > > - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] **************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out! (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000001) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
