The traditional Honiton Lace pillow is
small and round with a flatish top and bottom and is quite easy to make.
The pillow needs to be made of a strong material, calico is probably the
best choice.
 You
will need two circles of fabric each about 35 cm diameter, these are joined
by a strip of material about 8 cm wide. (Add on 1.5 cm for seams) Sew these
together to form the case, leaving a gap unsewn for stuffing.
The pillow is stuffed with chopped straw.
Barley straw is preferable if you can get it otherwise two or three bags
of straw from the local pet shop is usually adequate. (it
must be barley straw because it is a flat ribbon-type straw,
Do make sure you have straw and not hay
which is also sold as pet bedding.
Stuff the pillow with the chopped straw, packing it in as hard as you can and giving it a good bang with a rolling pin or a mallet every so often. The pillow should be quite hard. If, when you are working, you find the pillow is too soft, it is quite easy to unpick the opening and pack in some more straw. It is not a good idea to use sawdust or chaff instead of straw as these pack too hard and the pillow becomes very heavy. |