My preference for size of block pillow depends on the width of the piece of lace being worked - and sometimes on its length too if it's a large panel.
I like to have a lot of space at the side of the pillow for storing bobbins as I work. I like the block pillows from Church Meadow Crafts, as I had bought my earliest block pillows from their predecessor! http://www.churchmeadowcrafts.com/pillows.html My preference is for the ones with fixed flat sides that have a curve on the outside edge which makes it easy to handle the bobbins. They make extra wide block pillows (up to 11 inch wide blocks) which enable the working of scarves fairly easily; also they make half blocks for some of the pillows up. Sometimes, if you are working, say, a handkerchief edging, you need to fit in a half block so that your corner will be entirely on one whole block for turning through 90 degrees. You need to be able to fit two blocks widthways to do this successfully. Hence their blocks in the extra wide are twice as long as they are wide. I became interested in making lace with thicker threads in 1999 in a class with Jane Atkinson and so also made myself a large block pillow. It has fixed sides, which are 6 inches wide, and 4 blocks each 24 inches x 8 inches. So you can work with four blocks horizontal or one block horizontal and three vertical. The total pillow size is 32 inches high x 36 inches wide. I can fairly comfortably work from the middle downwards. It allows me to make panels, scarves, cushion covers fairly easily Joseph â be careful to use the hot wire in a well-ventilated space as the gases that come off from the cutting are not good for you Sue suebabbs...@gmail.com - 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/
