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Message:: [QUOTE="Northern Lights Lodge, post: 8063462, member: 13464"]Following up with this second post about bobbins. This lot of bobbins are sort of a mish mash.From left:#1. Spanish origin#2. Puerto Rico origin made of bamboo and surprisingly heavy.#3. "German Hooded" - The thread was wound underneath the removable hood and the hood protected the thread from light and hand oils. It makes a great little clicking noise.#4. This one is probably a bit more modern as it is stamped "Daniel Del Olmo - Encajes de Almagro - Madrid - 2, Plaza Del Angel, 2"#5. Quite a heavy bobbin and oddly enough, drilled for spangles - off hand I can't recall the locale where this one was popular#6. French#7. South Bucks - also called "Huguenots" or "thumpers"#8. An oddity, as it is a French style bobbin with English spangles#9. This homely little bobbin is dear to my heart. When I was very young and first learned that bobbin lacemaking existed; I was very eager to find equipment which was just not really available in the 1960's in the American Midwest. Eventually in the late 60's our family went to England. Somewhere along the line, I'd heard that they made bobbin lace in Europe, so bless my folks. They appeased me and we searched Petticoat Lane and Portabello Road, we missed Covent Gardens and The Wax Museum because we were scouring London antique shops for bobbin lace ANYTHING! Little did I know that all the mountains of antique clothing lining the market lanes were truly ANTIQUE and therefore the froth of lace on the garments were indeed handmade lace! ... shaking my head at my young ignorance. Anyway, we eventually landed in Plymouth at a charming cobblestone street lined with little shops. It was noon...most of the shops were closed for lunch. But one shop had a little basket heaped full of these little bobbins! Some had beads, some not, all still had thread on them. BUT HE WAS CLOSED FOR LUNCH! I went screaming up and down the lane at my folks - "Come here!!! I found them!!!! I found LACE BOBBINS!!" I banged and banged on his door and this confused elderly gentleman with a big belly and a smear of mustard on his chin eventually came to open the door and asked what I wanted. I explained. He obliged and sold me a handful of these dear little bobbins! I can't remember how much - but I was a teen and didn't have a lot of spending money and apparently, they weren't very sellable at that time in England... but if I recall right I bought all I could afford...about 8! This particular bobbin had no spangle. I expect he "heard me coming"! None the less I was thrilled! But that year, the replica of the Mayflower was in Plymouth, Massachusetts and later sailed to Plymouth, England. I visited it in both locations that summer and bought a charm in both Plymouths to hang on this bobbin.                                                                                                                                                                                                          [ATTACH=full]425190[/ATTACH] This lot of wood bobbins are all pretty new. From the left a pretty Honiton bobbin  -dyed green and wired; Italian; sorry I can't remember where this little one is from; modern utilitarian bobbin; Galicia Spain; Italian; Belgian (I particularly like using this style and weight bobbin); French[ATTACH=full]425191[/ATTACH] This selection are all modern. Post 1980.From left:#1. "Mother and Babe" (made of ebony and probably rosewood) Mother and Babe's are not a modern innovation and came in a number of styles (cages in which a little bobbin sat, or a bobbin that unscrewed to reveal a mini bobbin). This babe is not removable.#2. Modern spiral with red and green tinsel#3. Ebony#4. Wired and inscribed#5. Ebony - wired with a "peep" which has a small photo of Queen Victoria illuminated within.#6. Ebony with red wood bands[ATTACH=full]425192[/ATTACH] Lastly an assortment of more less modern. From left:#1. Back before we could find readily available bobbins in the US, some of us used nails. They sound great, but they are awful to use as they are very unbalanced.#2. Going back in time, bones WERE occasionally used out of necessity. Again, cumbersome to use.#3. This is actually a mini baseball bat which could be found in the craft department. Not much thread area; but worked ok.#4. There are a lot of glass bobbins out there now. I particularly liked this one which was dubbed "A Mexican jumping bean" bobbin as when you work with it, the heat from your hand makes the beans stick to the side and as it cools off when you lay it down, the beans hop down off the inside and makes a little click. I've seen glass ones with anything "special" inside, like a miniature bobbin or even sand to make an "hourglass".#5. Simple bobbins made of dowels and beads - the end beads are glued and the others are free moving.#6. Another wood style - perhaps French#7. A turned spindle with loose discs and a heavy ceramic bead end.#8. Ceramic with decals#9. A pewter bobbin with a gnome face on the end. Really quite heavy![ATTACH=full]425200[/ATTACH] By now you get the idea that there are dozens of styles and shapes and "fun stuff" connected to lace bobbins. One day I expect I'll have to either pass these down or sell them; but for now I'm the caretaker for this generation and I've fondly used them for decades! Cheerio for now.Leslie[/QUOTE]

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