Dear Bev et al, I agree with what you say, but point out that cotton drill was either nonexistent or too expensive for a poor lacemaker to use on a pillow, and therefore vote for a similar twill fabric, but linen. Might be hard to find, or expensive. I highly doubt that there would be much change from a Tudor pillow and a Midlands bolster. If it works, why change. And the Midlands bolster is a basic no frills pillow.
Lyn in Lancaster where it's cloudy, but no rain, and warm, 78F 23C at 2 p.m. Bev wrote: >Although I haven't done research into the pillow, in looking at the jpg >(the url has an extra few letters in it, in your message) >http://ilaria.veltri.tripod.com/bobbins/nuwmodelbuch.jpg > >I thought right away of the Midlands bolster as described in Alex >Stilwell's Dictionary of Lace, made from a large square of cloth, points >folded to the centre and these new sides hand-stitched, allowing room for >stuffing and stuffing, firmly stuffing, with straw. I made one once from >drill cotton, and it was a heavy immoveable object but worked well for >lace. There are several centuries between the Tudors and this Midlands >bolster, but apply the same principle to the standard width of fabric >readily accessible at the time - check into weaving history for that (plain >weave or twill?), and for the stuffing, whatever there was lots of, also >readily accessible. Possibly chaff from flax processing? > >The origins for the useful object would be based on "what was around" >thinking in terms of recycling, as one would do. > Jennifer wrote: >>> Has anyone done much research on what early lace pillows were made out >> of? >> I'm primarily looking at the origins of the lace pillow in the sixteenth >> century or earlier. "My email sends out an automatic message. Arachne members, please ignore it. I read your emails." - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
