I think that the lines between needle and bobbin lace are blurred again. Bobbin lace - Plastic over photocopy of pricking, with extra paper layers or card behind unless the pillow is very firm. A bobbin lace pricking, whatever form it takes, will be rigid as it is on a pillow. Its job is to allow accurate placement of the pins, and to help support the pins to keep that accurate placement.
Needlelace - Plastic over photocopy sewn onto a pad of several layers of fabric (old sheet, calico (UK) or muslin (US)). Its job is to support the outline of the design, be flexible enough to hold in the hand or curve on a bolster type pillow, and at times fold almost in half to allow the placement of difficult stitches, while at the same time being firm enough to not allow the tension of the stitches to pull it out of shape So althought the starting point is the same plastic over photocopy, the end use is very different. With bobbin lace it was often used just to give a contrast colour behind the (traditionally) white thread, now it seems sometimes to be considered nearly essential. However, as the lace just sits on top of the rigid pricking, so long as you can see what you are doing you don't *need* the plastic and I very rarely use it - only if I am going to stiffen the lace on the pillow. For my prick-as-I-go Milanese I photocopy onto coloured light-weight art card, for my other pre-pricked laces I photocopy straight onto the thinnest real pricking card - I have already drawn it all in on my design draft and don't see the need to do it again! For needlace the important thing is to have a surface which is going to make a barrier between the lace/needle and the paper whereupon sits the design - without the plastic (or architects linen) the paper would soon crumple and tear, and the fibres would work their way up into the lace. The contrast colour is also helpful! Many years ago now one of my students started several pieces of work at home which were in the form of white thread, white photocopy and we added the blue sticky plastic retrospectively in class. One week she arrived with a big smile on her face as she'd remembered the plastic *before* she started the lace, and yes, you've guessed it, she was now working with blue thread. Calico in the UK is a beigey/off white cotton fabric, available in different weights, with lots of dressing in it as you buy it. Once it is washed it makes a good base for needlelace, but before it is a bit stiff. The small cottage print type fabric, assuming you mean the weight that would commonly be used for patchwork and quilting is just called 'cotton fabric' (except in some patchwork fabric shops who are gradually being influenced by the US patchwork books and magazines and are beginning to call it calico!), or if it's plain colour, possibly cotton lawn. Muslin in the UK is a now loosely woven fabric, and not always very even, which is why Jane said course as in the sense 'not top quality', made of a fine thread, which is why she said fine. I think historically it would have been much better quality as it is the sort of fabric the Regency dresses were made from. I can see your confusion as she used two words basically meaning the opposite. Hope this helps. Jacquie in Lincolnshire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
