Visitors are always intrigued by the various types of pillows and how they are used. This is a French Clermont-Ferrand replica bolster pillow with drawer, typical of a pillow used in the Clermont-Ferrand area of France. It holds my 'striver' pins, extra bobbins, small scissors, a small cover cloth, and many 'just in case' oddments.

Although the 'striver' pins were traditionally (or so I have been told) intended to be used to gauge how much progress one made during one session and then attempt to better that length each time, I use them to separate the bobbins I'm using for each pattern area. Hopefully, they also keep bobbins in place when a visitor inevitably bumps the table.

People always ask how I can see to do such fine work - and have difficulty believing that this is far from 'fine' compared to the quality of laces produced by many of our more dedicated lacers. Note my bifocals laying on the right side.

The large pin holds the ribbon that keeps the bolster pillow from becoming a merry-go-round while I work. For non-lacers, I explain that the bolster pillow allows me to quickly make many yards of lace without having to stop to move the bobbins and re-pin on the short pricking (pattern) required for a flat pillow.

On the right, you will see the blue crocheted strip that I intentionally leave on some of the bobbins so that people can see how it is used to secure this type of bobbin when I'm traveling. Knitting stitch holders that are used to secure spangled bobbins are also visible.

Also on the right side, you will see a white fabric extending from under the pricking. This was done deliberately to show how a bobbin lacer of old would have to make her bolster pillow larger around by wrapping it with fabric until her new pattern would fit precisely - the lace maker probably owning only one pillow.