What Patreon tier structure works for lacemaking creators?

A two-tier structure suits most lacemaking creators: a Pattern Documentation tier ($10–18/month) delivering pricking design files as PDFs at true 1:1 scale, thread count at each working position, crossing sequence diagrams for each motif unit, and tension notes for each ground type; and a Working Copy + Tutor tier ($25–45/month, capped at 8 patrons) adding a complete annotated working diagram per pattern (each pin position numbered, each crossing sequence labeled), a notation system tutorial, and a monthly photo submission from each patron for individual technique feedback. The capped size of the Working Copy + Tutor tier is practical: meaningful feedback on lace construction photographs requires examining thread tension, pin placement, and crossing sequence — which takes 20–30 minutes per patron per submission and cannot scale beyond a small group without compromising feedback quality.

How should lacemaking creators document bobbin lace pricking design for Patreon?

Pricking documentation for Patreon must cover four elements. Scale: the pricking (the paper template of pin holes used as the working guide during lace construction) must be published as a PDF at exact 1:1 scale, with the intended thread weight and bobbin thread diameter documented alongside — a pricking designed for 80/2 thread at 3mm pin spacing is not compatible with 40/2 thread without rescaling, and patrons who print at a different thread weight will produce structurally incorrect lace. Thread grid density: document the thread count per centimeter in both directions as visible in the finished lace, determined by the pricking hole spacing and thread weight combination. Motif unit documentation: each identifiable repeating element in the design should be documented with its constituent crossing sequences, the pin positions that bound the motif, and the working direction (where the bobbins enter and exit the motif unit). Ground type documentation: document whether the pricking uses Torchon ground (diagonal crossing grid, the most common beginner ground), Valenciennes ground (more complex mesh), Paris ground (half-stitch crossing), or another ground type — the ground type determines the thread path rules and changes what crossing sequences are used throughout the piece.

How should bobbin lace creators document thread selection and pairing structure for Patreon?

Thread documentation for bobbin lace Patreon content requires four components. Thread weight notation: document both the thread designation (e.g., 80/2 cotton, 50/3 cotton) and the physical diameter in millimeters, measurable with a thread gauge or micrometer — 80/2 cotton is approximately 0.12mm diameter; 50/3 cotton is approximately 0.18mm diameter. Thread weight designations vary by system (English cotton count, metric count, denier) and are not interchangeable without conversion. Thread twist direction: document whether the thread is S-twist or Z-twist — Z-twist (the standard for most commercial lace thread) produces cleaner pin joins when the standard clockwise bobbin rotation is used, while S-twist thread behaves differently at pin positions and crossing sequences. Working pair count: document the number of bobbin pairs used for each section of the pricking — the ground requires a pair count calculated from the pricking width and thread weight, and pairs added for gimp threads, decorative passives, or raised elements should be documented separately. Gimp thread documentation: gimp (a thicker thread used as an outline or raised element in the lace) requires documentation of its diameter relative to the working thread and whether it is passive (carried along the edges of motifs without crossing) or active (crossed in specific patterns at defined positions in the pricking).

How should lacemaking creators document crossing sequences and tension for Patreon?

Crossing sequence documentation should specify the complete cross/twist sequence for every working element: cross (right over left) and twist (each pair twisted individually) are the two moves from which all bobbin lace is constructed, and their combinations produce distinct structures. Half stitch = CT (cross-twist); whole stitch = CTCT (cross-twist-cross-twist); linen stitch = CTCCT (cross-twist-cross-cross-twist). Document which stitch type is used in which section of the pricking and at which working position. Tension documentation: thread tension in bobbin lace is not measurable with instruments — document instead the visual check criteria. Specify at what stage in the crossing sequence the threads should become taut against the pin, what a correctly tensioned unit looks like from above, and the plait-to-pin sequence: which pairs arrive at the pin from which direction, in which sequence they are twisted before the pin is placed. This plait-to-pin sequence documentation is the most technically specific content a lacemaking creator can provide on Patreon and is the layer that is structurally absent from most tutorial video content because the thread tension state at each sequence step is not visible in overhead video without macro close-up and annotation.

SEO guides · 2026-07-01

Patreon for lacemaking creators: tiers, bobbin lace pricking design, thread selection, tension documentation, iOS rates, and the Apple Tax in 2026

Q: How does the Apple Tax affect lacemaking creator Patreons starting November 2026?

Lacemaking creator iOS rates by platform: YouTube bobbin lace tutorials, 55–68% iOS — the tutorial format for traditional craft attracts an above-average proportion of desktop viewers (particularly older craft learners), but the majority are still mobile. Instagram lacemaking photography, 70–80% iOS — finished lace photography and process reels reach a craft and textile arts audience that is predominantly iOS. TikTok lacemaking process videos, 72–82% iOS — process content (the lace growing on the pillow, the bobbins crossing) performs in TikTok recommendation and reaches a heavily iOS audience. Apple Tax at the November 1, 2026 rate: at $200/month with 62% iOS (YouTube-primary lacemaking instructor): approximately $37.20/month ($446.40/year). At $300/month with 65% iOS (mixed-platform lace creator): approximately $58.50/month ($702/year). At $250/month with 70% iOS (Instagram and TikTok-primary lacemaking creator): approximately $52.50/month ($630/year). Fix before November 1, 2026: enable Patreon's web-only billing toggle. Update all social bio links to the Patreon web URL. Verify the subscription flow from Safari on iOS before October 31.

Lacemaking Patreons retain when they deliver the technical layer below the mesmerizing bobbin-crossing footage: pricking design files at exact 1:1 scale so patrons can actually work from the pattern; thread selection documentation at the weight designation and twist direction level so patrons know whether their thread will behave correctly in the structure; crossing sequence documentation at the CT/CTCT/CTCCT level so patrons can replicate each ground and motif unit; and tension documentation at the plait-to-pin sequence level so patrons understand why their crossings look different from the creator’s. The lacemaking audience is YouTube-primary with a growing Instagram and TikTok presence — Apple Tax exposure begins November 1, 2026.

Lacemaking creator categories on Patreon

Bobbin lace instructors teach the foundational skill set: setting up a pillow, winding bobbins, the basic CT and CTCT crossing sequences, and working from a pricking to produce Torchon ground. Their Patreon deliverable is the technical documentation layer: a pricking at exact 1:1 scale, the working pair count for the pricking width, the crossing sequences for each element in the pattern, and tension checkpoints at each stage. Needle lace teachers construct lace on a stiff backing using a needle and thread rather than bobbins — the needle traces and fills in a design drawn on a foundation fabric. Their Patreon deliverable is the stitch sequence documentation: the order in which filling stitches are worked, the detachment sequence (how the finished lace is removed from the backing), and the buttonhole stitch tension required to produce regular mesh openings. Tatting instructors produce lace from rings and chains of double stitches formed with a shuttle or needle, without a pillow. Their Patreon deliverable is the ring-and-chain diagram with stitch counts at each segment, the join sequence (which rings connect at which picot), and the tension required for the rings to close correctly. Torchon and Valenciennes lace creators work advanced bobbin lace patterns requiring documented ground type transitions, gimp thread routing, and motif unit documentation at the pin-by-pin level.

Bobbin lace pricking design documentation

Scale and thread weight compatibility

The pricking is the working template for bobbin lace: a paper pattern with pin holes pricked at the exact positions where pins will be placed in the pillow during construction. The pricking encodes the entire structure of the lace — pin spacing determines the thread grid density, which determines the thread weight that can be used, which determines the scale of the finished lace. A pricking designed for 80/2 thread at 3 mm pin spacing will not produce correct lace if worked with 40/2 thread at the same spacing: the heavier thread fills the openings and collapses the mesh structure. Document the intended thread weight alongside every pricking file, and document the intended pin spacing explicitly. Pricking files for Patreon must be published as PDFs at true 1:1 scale; a PDF scaled to fit a letter page rather than printed at the correct scale will produce a pricking with incorrect pin spacing, and every patron who prints at the wrong scale will produce structurally incorrect lace.

Thread grid density documentation: document the thread count per centimeter in both the warp and weft directions as visible in the finished lace. This is determined by the pricking hole spacing and the thread weight combination, and it gives patrons working in different thread weights a reference to check their own setup before working the full pricking. A mismatch between documented grid density and actual grid density indicates a thread weight incompatibility or a pricking scale error.

Motif unit and ground type documentation

Each identifiable repeating element in a bobbin lace pattern is a motif unit — a fan, a leaf, a spider, a plait segment. Document each motif unit in a pattern with: the constituent crossing sequences (which specific CT, CTCT, or other sequence is used at each working position within the unit); the pin positions that bound the motif (which numbered pins from the pricking diagram define the entry and exit points of the unit); and the working direction (from which direction the bobbins enter the motif, and in which direction they exit to rejoin the ground or enter the next motif). Motif unit documentation is the element most frequently absent from lace tutorials and most frequently requested by intermediate lacemakers who can work the ground but struggle with the transition into and out of motif elements.

Ground type must be documented explicitly: Torchon ground (the most common beginner ground, using a diagonal crossing grid of half stitches or whole stitches at regular pin positions) has different thread path rules than Valenciennes ground (a more complex mesh requiring specific crossing sequences and pair exchanges at each pin) or Paris ground (using a half-stitch crossing that produces a lighter mesh). The ground type determines which crossing sequences are correct at each pin position; patrons working from a pricking without knowing the ground type cannot determine the correct crossing sequence from the pin layout alone.

Thread selection and pairing structure

Thread weight notation and physical diameter

Thread weight designation systems are not interchangeable: the English cotton count (e.g., 80/2, where the first number is the count and the second is the ply), the metric count (Nm), and denier each measure thread weight differently. When documenting thread for Patreon, always include the physical diameter in millimeters alongside the thread designation. 80/2 cotton (a fine lace thread commonly used for Torchon and torchon-derived patterns) has a diameter of approximately 0.12 mm. 50/3 cotton (a heavier thread suitable for larger-scale work or beginner practice) has a diameter of approximately 0.18 mm. The physical diameter, measurable with a thread gauge or micrometer, allows patrons to substitute threads from different manufacturers or in different count systems while maintaining structural compatibility with the pricking.

Thread twist direction and bobbin behavior

Document the twist direction of the thread used in each project. Z-twist thread (the fiber is twisted in the direction of the diagonal of the letter Z when held vertically) is the standard for most commercial lace cotton and produces cleaner pin joins when the standard clockwise bobbin rotation is used during crossing. S-twist thread (twisted in the opposite direction) behaves differently at pin positions: the twist in the thread interacts with the crossing motion, and S-twist thread worked with the clockwise rotation used for Z-twist will loosen rather than consolidate at pin joins. Most commercial lace threads are Z-twist; document the twist direction because patrons working from hand-spun thread, silk, or linen are more likely to encounter S-twist, and the difference is not visible in tutorial video footage.

Working pair count and gimp thread

Document the working pair count for each section of the pricking: the number of bobbin pairs used to work the ground is calculated from the pricking width and the thread weight (a wider pricking or finer thread requires more pairs to fill the ground without gaps). Document any additional pairs for gimp threads, decorative passives, or raised elements separately from the ground pair count. Gimp thread — a thicker thread used as an outline or raised element — requires two documentation items: its diameter relative to the working thread (a gimp typically has a diameter 3–5 times the working thread diameter), and its role in the pattern (passive gimp, carried along the edges of motifs without crossing; or active gimp, crossed in specific sequences at defined pin positions to create outline effects). A passive gimp alters the thread path of working pairs as they pass around it; an active gimp requires specific crossing sequences that must be documented at each working position.

Crossing sequences and tension documentation

The fundamental cross and twist notation

All bobbin lace structure is built from two moves: cross (the right bobbin of a pair passes over the left bobbin of the same pair) and twist (each pair is twisted individually, right over left). The combination and repetition of these two moves produces all lace structures. Document every working element by its complete cross/twist sequence using standard notation: CT (cross-twist) = half stitch, used for the ground in many Torchon patterns and for the mesh filling in motifs; CTCT (cross-twist-cross-twist) = whole stitch, used for the ground in Valenciennes and for solid motif areas; CTCCT (cross-twist-cross-cross-twist) = linen stitch, used to produce a woven, cloth-like appearance in leaf and petal motifs. Document which stitch type is used at each section of the pricking and at each working position within motifs; the distinction between CT and CTCT at a given position changes the visual texture of the finished lace and cannot be determined from a pricking diagram without this documentation.

Plait-to-pin sequence and tension checkpoints

Thread tension in bobbin lace is not measured with instruments. Document tension through the plait-to-pin sequence: for each pin in the pricking, document which pairs arrive at the pin and from which direction, in which sequence the arriving pairs are twisted before the pin is placed, and the visual appearance of the surrounding threads at the moment the pin is placed. A correctly placed pin is surrounded by threads that are taut against the pin without puckering the adjacent completed lace — describe this taut-without-pucker state in terms of the angle of the threads leading away from the pin, not in terms of force applied to the bobbins.

Document the visual check criteria at each stage of the crossing sequence: at what point in the CT or CTCT sequence do the threads become taut against the pin; what does a correctly tensioned unit look like from above (the opening within a CT crossing should be a regular diamond shape; an uneven diamond indicates unequal tension between the two pairs). Tension documentation at this level is the content that separates a lacemaking Patreon from a YouTube tutorial: the visual check criteria can be described in text and still images in a way that video cannot convey, because video does not allow a patron to pause the crossing sequence and examine the thread angle at a specific intermediate step.

Apple Tax for lacemaking creator audiences

Lacemaking creators have significant Apple Tax exposure from mobile-heavy platforms. YouTube bobbin lace tutorials: 55–68% iOS — traditional craft tutorial content attracts an above-average proportion of desktop viewers, but the majority are still mobile. Instagram lacemaking photography: 70–80% iOS — finished lace photography and process reels reach a textile arts audience that is predominantly iOS. TikTok lacemaking process videos: 72–82% iOS — bobbin lace process content performs in TikTok recommendation and reaches a heavily iOS audience. Apple Tax at the November 1, 2026 rate: at $200/month with 62% iOS (YouTube-primary lacemaking instructor): approximately $37.20/month ($446.40/year). At $300/month with 65% iOS (mixed platform lace creator): approximately $58.50/month ($702/year). At $250/month with 70% iOS (Instagram and TikTok-primary lacemaking creator): approximately $52.50/month ($630/year).

Fix before November 1, 2026: enable Patreon’s web-only billing toggle. Update all social bio links to the Patreon web URL. Verify the subscription flow from Safari on iOS before October 31.

KeepTier is a self-hosted membership page for creators who want 100% of their tier revenue and zero Apple Tax. Plans from $9/month.

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