Needle Lace Pillow

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I made this little pillow for my needle lace a few months ago. I used a pool noodle for the base, then wrapped several layers of a water-absorbent pad around it. In retrospect it was pointless to use the pool noodle base, because by the time I got the pillow to the diameter I wanted it to be, I had wrapped so many layers of the padding around it that the pins no longer even reach the pool noodle. The layers of padding are kept in place with a few pins. I then wrapped a cloth napkin around the whole thing. Looks good, right. I though so too, until.... I tried to pin the cloth napkin around it. I had tried pushing a pin through a layer of padding before using it with no problems. Pushing a pin through several layers of padding is a whole different story though. I need to practically hammer in the pins! Not good. Luckily I have no intentions of using this for bobbin lace. At least with needle lace, once the pattern is pinned in place, I don't have to keep adding pins to it.

I am not really sure what possessed me to make a needle lace pillow, since I tend to hold things in my hands. I dabble in cross stitch and embroidery on occasion and I always hold the work in my hands. I've tried a frame and it was waaaay too awkward. The first few beginner's pieces of needle lace that I have done so far have also been done in my hands. However, I decided to try and attach the pattern to heavy paper as opposed to using a cloth backing (which I had done in the past). Once I did that, I could no longer maneuver the pattern and fold it over onto itself, which made it hard to hold. That's when my pillow came in very handy!

I know the "proper" way of making needle lace is to attach the pattern to cloth and then work the lace, however I find that laying the cordonnet takes me forever to do it that way. For some reason it is much faster to work on heavy paper. It probably has something to do with the fact that I am totally inept with a needle in my hands. I'm not sure which way I prefer to work. I will try it both ways for a while until I find the way that is best for me.

Like I said, this pillow is not exactly the perfect solution. One of these days I need to either find a wool blanket or get some felt somewhere to replace the padding I used. I would also prefer an even larger diameter. It goes without saying that it would be nice not to have to pound the pins into my pillow with the handles of my kitchen scissors:)