I'm not good at thinking up new ideas but I'm better at "tweaking and critiquing".
First off, the magnetic sheet doesn't need to cover the pillow, just the apron where the bobbins lay. This means there's no issue about pinning through the magnet. Second, the bobbins just need some part that'll be attracted to the magnet. If you're putting a rectangle on the bottom end to prevent rolling, the rectangle could be metal or have a metallic piece (or a snippet of magnetic sheet material like the apron) on one side of it. No reason the rest of the bobbin has to be metal. A thin wood dowel ought to work just as well as coathanger wire and be easier to make up. And wood will grip the thread beginning, making them much easier to wrap. The newer "international" bobbins that some US suppliers carry are quite a bit thinner than the earler versions. Like the earlier ones, they have a square section but it's not much thicker than Midlands bobbins (but don't need spangles). Granted, you're looking for something thinner than Midlands, but these are thinner than other continentals and take up a lot less room than spangled bobbins. An alternative magnetic bobbin is carriage bolts, if they come in a thin enough size for you. Carriage bolts are longer than most bolts, have a "head" (where the screwdriver goes) to keep the thread from pullling off the end, can have a nut screwed onto the bottom (instead of your rectangle), and have a short section without threads on which to wrap the thread. Being metal, though, they'd be just as difficult to wind as coathanger wire. I got a "Christine-style" pillow from Kathy Kirchner (Michigan, USA) a few years ago. I don't know if she still makes them, but if real Christine pillows are hard to find and are desireable, people could check with Kathy. She has a website but I don't know the URL. Last, a modification of Clay's "wings". How about a transparent shelf (plexiglass? Perspex?, some other plastic?) above the work area? If the supports for the shelf are 'way out to the sides, you could have a "double decker" work area (maybe in addition to Clay's wings for storage?). If you're watching threads instead of bobbins (as we're supposed to), the fact that bobbins "upstairs" hide the ones "downstairs" may not be a problem. Robin P. Los Angeles, California, USA [email protected] - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
