[HNW] 16th century bobbin lace (slightly off topic)

[Carolyn Kayta Barrows]

>Can anyone tell me where I might find information on the tools used by
>16th century bobbin lace makers?  What kind of bobbins, what kind of
>pillows, what were the pillows stuffed with, what did they use to make
>their prickings, and so on.

The first place I'd look would be in the frontispiece illustrations of the 
various surviving needlework books from that period.  They usually show 
women doing the kinds of needlework for which there are patterns in the 
books.  These would at least be illustrations contemporary with what you're 
doing, even if the woodcuts won't be terribly detailed.  I want to make one 
of the shoe-box-sized braid looms shown in several of these, and which are 
probably the 16th century predecessor of the Inkle loom.


        CarolynKayta Barrows
dollmaker, fibre artist, textillian
          www.FunStuft.com

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