The Cowper and Newton Museum

Lace making equipment: pillows

The lace was made on pillows which were firmly stuffed with straw. There were two traditional shapes - the square and the bolster.

The square pillow began life as a square of hessian folded and stitched into an envelope shape. This sat on a three legged bowed "horse":

The bolster pillow was made from a rectangle of hessian stitched into a tube with a drawstring at each end. When well stuffed it took on a cylindrical shape. This rested on a trestle "horse":

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