Brian - in the case of Maltese, and probably also Spanish lace, we would not dream of using spangled bobbins. Our traditional pillows are upright. In Malta we have a bolster type pillow that it wider at the top. The Spanish use a similar pillow which is then flat at the back (I prefer it because it doesn't roll against the table as ours often do). In days gone by, there would be bobbins of different sizes to compensate for the thickness of the thread, but spangles would definitely hinder our methods of working and slow us down tremendously, although we do not have swings in traditional Maltese lace. Another reason is the way we work. With spangled bobbins on a flat pillow, one would tend to 'lift and place' the bobbins, whereas we tend to 'flick' them from hand to hand, palms down. The Italians who work Cantu and in Idrija, they tend to work palms up and also have lots and lots of sewings, so spangles would hinder them. So, in my case, my spangled bobbins are mainly prized for display in my showcase :-) Karen in Malta
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