On using one hand for pins, the other for bobbins: Pam Nottingham, independently of this description, has said that she saw a worker who had learnt at the end of the 19th century working incredibly quickly like this; she said the lady when setting up a piece held the pins in her mouth until enough were in the work to allow her to take them from the back in the usual way.
I have discussed the description in the past with Alexandra Kim (then Maccullough and curator at the Bucks County Museum); she commented that she would have expected a lacemaker from Wendover to use South Bucks bobbins, not spangled sticks. We thought it possible that Freeman would have described the more interesting ones, and certainly an artist would have illustrated them, if he knew of them... some things don't change! I don't know if the one-handed manipulation of bobbins would be easier with one type or the other. [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
