The lace pillow is the surface upon where the lace is made. The term "pillow" possibly comes from early lacemaking days where the lace pillow resembled a bed pillow (see Figure 1, the Nüw Modelbuch cover). In addition, needlelace pillows predated bobbin lace pillows.

There are several different types of pillows available today. A "cookie" pillow is a round pillow that has a slightly curved surface (see Figure 2). A bolster pillow is long and round like a tube (see Figure 3). This type of pillow is often used to make yardage (long strips of lace). A roller pillow is somewhat of a mix between a cookie pillow and a bolster pillow (see Figure 4). The base is usually flat like a cookie pillow but has a small roller section that can be rotated. Roller pillows are often used to make yardage. Other types of pillows include block pillows which have removable blocks in the pillow and Honition pillows which are used to make Honition lace.

Pins

Almost any straight pin will do, but make sure the pins are rustless. Brass pins are often a favorite among lacemakers and were also used in the sixteenth century. Brass pins bend easier than other pins though. Remember that the finer the thread you use, the finer the pin you will need to use otherwise picots and crossings will have disproportionately large holes when the pins are removed.

Lace bobbins have several purposes. The bobbins store the thread for the lace, they act as handles to move the thread, and they weight the threads to keep tension against the pins.