LACE
Work in gold, silver, silk or linen thread, etc., made on a pillow with a large number of small bobbins, a design traced on paper or conceived from the imagination, and two types of pins […].
The first thing to do is to find a pillow. The globe-shaped pillow is flattened at the ends, with one end having a diameter of between 10 and 12 inches, and the other end 12 to 14 inches. The stuffing is cotton, wool or any other material which a pin can easily pierce; and the pillow case is a strong and well-stretched canvas, which will hold the pins straight and firm when pierced.
There then needs to be a green velvet edging, between 7 and 8 lines wider than the lace which will be produced.
The pins, which are made of brass, some of which are small and some larger. These pins need to be flexible, enough to give slightly under the movement of the bobbins and prevent the thread from breaking too often; but firm enough to hold the threads in the place where they need to be, and give the points the desired regular form.
A lot of small bobbins. There are three parts to these bobbins, the shank, the long neck, and the head: the shank AB, which resembles an elongated pear, which is held by the maker, and which is used to move the bobbin: the long neck BC which is above the shank and is in the form of a small bobbin, and has the same function: the head CD, which also has the function of a bobbin and is in the same shape, but whose length is so small in comparison with that of the long neck that it looks more like a groove or a trough.
A pattern. This is a kind of bracelet onto which the lace to be produced is attached, and which is fixed to the pillow, so that the template is always visible.
The small scissors, which are unremarkable.
The casseaux. These are small pieces of extremely thin horns; they are the height and measurement of the long neck of the bobbin: they are sewn at their two ends and form small holders with which the thread is covered which is wrapped around the bobbin, to prevent it losing its elasticity.
A lace maker does not require any other tools: depending on the extent she loves her craft, there may be slight variations; her pillow is more elegant, her bobbins are more delicate, her scissors more elaborate. But with the small amount of tools I have just described, and in the way I described them, it is possible to create the most beautiful and lavish lace.