"The lace-makers of Tignes were the most unusual of France. As can be seen from the postcard below, they used curious hoop-shaped pillows, which they gripped between their knees. The bobbins were stout and hang over the side of the pillow, which gives greater tension. The laces made were coarse and unique in France, for they were worked from memory and pins were only stuck at each edge. In other parts of the Alps the pillows were similar but the sides were of wood, decoratively carved, with a little door in one side, so that spare bobbins could be kept in the hollow centre. The bobbins too were frequently hand carved.  Lace-making is now almost extinct in the Alps."
from Jeffery Hopewell: Pillow Lace & Bobbins, Shire Album 9.