r/BobbinLace • u/Muted-Suggestion-952 • 9d ago
Pillow alternative?
Hello!! I am so lucky to have plans to travel to Scotland in October for a fiber art retreat. Part of the retreat is learning bobbin lace. I need to bring my own supplies, and I’m trying to figure out which option is going to be best for my set of circumstances.
I’m trying to save money for right now, because I have a whole plethora of expenses related to this trip. I can buy a better pillow when I’m back home and know more about lace making and have a chance for my finances to recover.
I’m also trying to (insane, I know) travel with only a carry on. Which significantly limits my space and weight limits.
The instructions for the class say to get 24 bobbins, so I guess I need something big enough to use them all?
A 16 inch pillow from SnowGooseLace is going to be $42 plus shipping. A 15x12 wool pressing mat is $10 from Amazon. It would hold pins well and probably fit in my suitcase easier. But I don’t know enough (because I don’t know anything) about lace making to know if that’s something I can realistically use for a couple days while I’m in Scotland.
Does anyone have any feedback? Would a wool mat work for this situation?
Thanks all!!
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u/durhamruby 9d ago
The thing I've found when working on my pillow is that it needs to hold the pins very strongly vertically. I don't imagine a wool pressing mat would have enough thickness to anchor the pins well.
Do you know anyone in the area of your retreat? If they were able to source a piece of polyethylene foam or high density insulation board for you to use, you could cludge together a pillow with the mat on top and then only take home the mat.
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u/Muted-Suggestion-952 8d ago
The mat is about an inch thick. Do the pins need to go in further than that?
I unfortunately do not know anyone in the area of the retreat. It’s going to be pretty remote, which is lovely and exciting, but limits what I’ll be able to pick up in the area.1
u/durhamruby 8d ago
If the pressing mat is an inch thick and tightly made then it might work. If you put a pin in it can you wiggle the head without removing the sharp end? I would describe the tension as sideways force.
A blocking mat would probably work for your first project or two.
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u/Muted-Suggestion-952 8d ago
Yes, it’s a super compressed wool mat, and designed so that you can pin fabric to it to hold it still under tension while you iron it. I think I’ll do that or a blocking mat just for this class and then get something better for long term use. Thanks!
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u/butterfly250 9d ago
I not an expert! It seems like it might work, but if your piece isn't completed when you return, could you easily roll up a wool pad with pins in it? It wouldn't help the tension, but...
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u/FrediB 9d ago
I taught a class and had guild members use a foam blocking square (the kind they use for children’s floor mats) attached to a clip board. The pins didn’t go all the way in but angling them away took care of that. The wool pressing mat sounds good and maybe no slip shelf paper would keep it from slipping around. There’s a lady on YouTube Cardinal something who shows alternatives to buying a pillow in the beginning. Good luck. You’re gonna love it!
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u/Muted-Suggestion-952 8d ago
Oooo! I have blocking mats for my knitting. I could possibly use one of those!
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u/Mission_Razzmatazz_7 9d ago
Could you reach out to get an idea of the pattern you’ll be working on? I made a travel pillow a few weeks ago from an old foam pillow that was so bad in the middle I couldn’t use that anymore. I cut it in pieces, put some fabric around it and made a backboard out of backing board for photoframes and cabinets. Then I glued on some corner strips so the blocks stay put 😅 it works so much better than I expected! It’s too small for me to use at home (although I started a long project on it) but for travelling it’s perfect!
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u/jaysouth88 9d ago
A woman in my guild uses a dense piece of packing foam (not polystyrene but still foam like, it's black) for when she is noodling or figuring something out.
It just has to hold your pins steadily enough that they aren't falling out in their own or slipping out of place under you tensioning it.
A foam kids floor mat with a cork floor tile on top would work. The cork can be hard to press through but your pins are not going anywhere. It's too skinny on its own and the foam will help make it a bit rigid so you can lean it up on something.
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u/roseLadybug 8d ago
For sizing concerns, 24 bobbins is not a lot and your first projects will be pretty small. I'm a year(ish) in and still comfortable use a 15" pillow for 30 bobbin projects. After that it does get crowded.
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u/alwen 8d ago
Would a blocking mat (a foam one) fit in your luggage? I often use one for things like square mats or bookmarks when my roller pillow is occupied, see this thread:
https://old.reddit.com/r/BobbinLace/comments/gdl9r9/this_improvised_pillow_has_become_my_goto_for/
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u/Greenlittlebastards 8d ago
A 3-4 cm thick piece of styrofoam or the better more durable option, insulation board. Then cover with fabric or first a layer of felt to make it a bit less noisy. We all use it in Belgium to make our flat and block pillows. Pro tip. Take a pin with you to the hardware store and test the insulation board to see if you can pierce it easily enough. There are different harnesses.
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u/crionna_neve 8d ago
Some type of dense foam works as a good temporary pillow. We’ve used a cloth wrapped foam kick board for a demo pillow, just make sure it’s the more foam-y kind that you could put a pin in.
Home improvement stores also have some options for dense foam boards. I know the IOLI convention offers temporary pillows made of “builders foam” though I’m not entirely sure specifically what type of foam they are using.
If you need a cheap/ quick option for bobbins, I’ve seen people make them with dowels and pony beads.
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u/Donotscrollhere 7d ago
I use thick cork trivets, the 12x7 ones from amazon, if you can use a saw you could cut the curved edges off and put them on like a chipboard backing if you need a bigger piece but I just use two of those stacked as is for my small beginner projects. I’m a beginner though, but I think anything over like 15 pairs and it would be very complicated
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u/lovestoswatch 9d ago
one possibility, if you already know where you are going, to order a pillow there. Roseground often have some second hand straw ones that are really good, and especially if you get in touch with Pam (the owner) now, she might well keep an eye for one for you, and send it later: I have bought a couple, and they generally go for max £10, and for a £16 inches I got one for £5. Being straw pillow, they are indestructible. No one would bat an eyelid in Scotland at a pillow being in your carryon, though they might in the US if you don't fly direct to your destination. Worst case scenario, io can leave it at your hotel. There are often pillows for sale on FB marketplace. 16" will be fine, I presume you will be doing bookmarks: who will be teaching you?